I joined Barefoot Bloggers with hopes that I would get out of the "same-old-same-old" routine that I've found myself in when it comes to meals. This week's Barefoot Bloggers recipe of Gazpacho certainly helped in that regard! Strange but true, I've never actually made Gazpacho. If I had known it were this easy to make a healthy and delicious soup (not to mention beautiful-looking!) , I would have done so much sooner!! Now, my hubs is not a "tomato soup" kind of guy, and my 3 year old is pretty picky about what he eats. My one year old, well, he's even pickier. I don't think this is the kind of meal you feed a baby who's just weaning off of baby food anyway!
Given all this, I decided to cut the recipe in half because I knew I would most likely be the only one eating it. I was pleasantly surprised to see Greg try it and say that he likes it!! I made it the night before I served it, and let me say it was flavor-filled and really delicious!!! I brought it in to work for lunch the next day. It made a fabulous alternative to my usual mixed greens salad. I felt like I was doing something really good for myself by making something so jam-packed with veggies and anti-oxidants. I consider myself a pretty healthy eater and this fits right in with the kinds of foods I enjoy on a regular basis.
I didn't make many changes to the recipe at all. I am not a huge fan of using a ton of garlic in my dishes (thus the Chicken w/40 Cloves of Garlic will most likely be a "pass" week for me :)...so I used even less than called for. I was out of white vinegar (must have used the last of it at Easter to color the eggs!) so I substituted Apple Cider vinegar. I don't think you can really tell what kind of vinegar is in there, as long as it's not something really distinct and strong like Balsamic. Also, I decided to partially peel the cucumber, even though it said not to.
All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by how easy and delicious this recipe was!!
Big shout-out to Meryl of "My Bit of Earth" for this week's selection! Great choice!!!
Gazpacho from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, 1999
Ingredients:
1 hothouse cucumber, halved and seeded, but not peeled
2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded
4 plum tomatoes
1 red onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups tomato juice
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup good olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Roughly chop the cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and red onions into 1-inch cubes. Put each vegetable separately into the food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until coarsley chopped. Do not overprocess!!
After each vegetable is processed, combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Mix well and chill before serving. The longer the gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop.
Serves 4-6
Given all this, I decided to cut the recipe in half because I knew I would most likely be the only one eating it. I was pleasantly surprised to see Greg try it and say that he likes it!! I made it the night before I served it, and let me say it was flavor-filled and really delicious!!! I brought it in to work for lunch the next day. It made a fabulous alternative to my usual mixed greens salad. I felt like I was doing something really good for myself by making something so jam-packed with veggies and anti-oxidants. I consider myself a pretty healthy eater and this fits right in with the kinds of foods I enjoy on a regular basis.
I didn't make many changes to the recipe at all. I am not a huge fan of using a ton of garlic in my dishes (thus the Chicken w/40 Cloves of Garlic will most likely be a "pass" week for me :)...so I used even less than called for. I was out of white vinegar (must have used the last of it at Easter to color the eggs!) so I substituted Apple Cider vinegar. I don't think you can really tell what kind of vinegar is in there, as long as it's not something really distinct and strong like Balsamic. Also, I decided to partially peel the cucumber, even though it said not to.
All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by how easy and delicious this recipe was!!
Big shout-out to Meryl of "My Bit of Earth" for this week's selection! Great choice!!!
Gazpacho from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, 1999
Ingredients:
1 hothouse cucumber, halved and seeded, but not peeled
2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded
4 plum tomatoes
1 red onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups tomato juice
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup good olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Roughly chop the cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and red onions into 1-inch cubes. Put each vegetable separately into the food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until coarsley chopped. Do not overprocess!!
After each vegetable is processed, combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Mix well and chill before serving. The longer the gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop.
Serves 4-6
