We went meatless! Do you ever make a meal and decide you want to go without the meat?  What’s that saying? “Meatless Monday”.  That’s exactly what we did; well except for the fact that it wasn’t Monday when we decided to skip the meat.  We are so accustomed to serving a meat with our dinners that it almost doesn’t cross my mind to remove it from my menus.  I must admit, we had a little motivation to try this concept.  We have family staying with us right now and they eat very healthy, all the time.  So, I sat down ahead of time to plan out some healthier meals.

With some hot summer days, I was also looking for lighter recipes to try.  My husband and I were out to dinner recently and tried a melon Gazpacho.  It was chilled, light and slightly sweet with just a hint of spice.  It was so delicious and refreshing on a hot summer night.  I guess you say that dinner date inspired me to try my hand at a Gazpacho.  I love how simple a Gazpacho is to make; just throw all your ingredients into a blender or food processor and you have a meal.

My wheels are definitely turning now.  I am imagining all the different types of Gazpacho soups I can make with all the fruits and veggies that are in season right now.   I see a lot of Gazpacho in our future!

Cucumber & Avocado Gazpacho

Makes 3 Servings

Ingredients

1/2, English Seedless Cucumber

1/2, Avocado

4 Basil Leaves

1 Cup, Watercress

1, Celery Stalk

1 Garlic Clove

2 Tablespoons, Rice Wine Vinegar

1 Teaspoon, Honey or Agave

1/2, Cubanelle Pepper

1/2, Lemon, Juice & Zest

2 Ice Cubes

Water, to thin out soup if needed

Toppings:

• Roasted Chickpeas *recipe to follow
• Chopped Tomato
• Basil
• Few drops/drizzle of Avocado Cilantro Sauce *recipe to follow
• Drizzle of Olive Oil

Instructions

Prep all your veggies:

• Peel and cube the cucumber  If your cucumber has seeds, remove them
• Cut the avocado into chunks
• Cut the celery up into bite size pieces
• Seed and cut the Cubanelle pepper
• Mince or finely chop the Garlic

**Having all your veggies cut into smaller pieces helps to get the Gazpacho smoother.

Place all ingredients (except for the water) into a food processor or blender.  Puree until nice and smooth.  Drizzle in the water very slowly, if needed, to thin it out.  You can add as much or as little water as you like (depends on how thick/thin you like your Gazpacho).

Pour into bowls.  Top each soup with your favorite toppings.  We added some chopped tomato, roasted chickpeas, basil and some of my homemade Avocado Cilantro Sauce.

That is it! This is a super easy, very healthy & light meal.   The roasted chickpeas give it a great little flavorful crunch.

Mangia! Enjoy!

 

Notes

If you are making this ahead, place the blender/processor bowl (with the Gazpacho) into the fridge to keep it cool.   You may need to mix it again before serving.

To make the chickpeas, click here for the recipe:  Roasted Chickpeas

To make the Avocado Cilantro Sauce, click here for the recipe:  Grilled Chicken Tacos w/Avocado Cilantro Sauce

If you like your Gazpacho a little spicier, you can substitute a Jalapeño pepper for the Cubanelle.  I would recommend starting with 1/2 of a Jalapeño and then add more if you like it really spicy!
You can also use Red Wine Vinegar if you do not like Rice Vinegar.  I like that the Rice Vinegar is very mild so it lets the other ingredients really shine in this dish.

If you want a Gazpacho that is really silky and smooth you can run it through a mesh strainer first.  We didn’t bother straining ours and it was great!