A Refreshing, Easy, No Cook Summer Recipe: Gazpacho!

Tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers, onion, and garlic, oh my. (recipe here)

The tomatoes in my kitchen garden got a late start this year, so the only ones that have ripened so far are some sweet little volunteer cherries (three cheers for volunteers!). But as soon as all the bigger tomatoes out there turn red, I'll be mixing up a batch of my favorite quick and easy gazpacho.

Packed with nutrients and full of flavor, this low fat chilled vegetable soup is the perfect thing to keep in the fridge during sweltering summer days when nobody feels much like eating, let alone cooking. There's no need to blanch, peel, seed, or force anything through a sieve, and all of the vegetable goodness ends up right in your bowl.

If you've never had gazpacho—which some people refer to as liquid salad—I urge you to give it a try, even if, like me, you're not a big fan of cold soups. My version is basically a thick juice, which can be sipped rather than slurped—and easily made thinner—if desired. A celery stick and splash of vodka are optional.

Since I've recently gone crazy for Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (and I'm not usually a hot sauce fan), this year's gazpacho will likely be liberally doused with it.

This gazpacho will fill you up without weighing you down, and it just might be the most refreshing way I've found to beat the heat—except for a big scoop of ice cream of course. But that would be for dessert.

How do you like to make gazpacho?

© FarmgirlFare.com, always vine-ripened, usually worth the wait.

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