Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Spanish Gazpacho

This chilled soup is a great recipe for veggie garden bounty. Serve it as a side or as a main dish on those too-hot-to-cook summer days.

Prep/Total Time: 30 minutes + chilling
Yield: 12 servings

5 pounds tomatoes, peeled and quartered
3 medium carrots, quartered
1 large cucumber, peeled and quartered
1 large sweet red pepper, quartered
1 large green pepper, quartered
1 sweet onion, quartered
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

In batches, place ingredients into a blender; cover and process until soup reaches desired texture. Pour into a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving.

Tips and Tricks
This recipe is not dependant on exact amounts. I have left out the red pepper before, and also used only half a cucumber once, and it still turns out great. Serve in any consistency, some people like a puree better than a chunkier version, although it's easier to hide vegetables from picky kids in a puree. In place of balsamic vinegar, use red wine vinegar. I did not peel my tomatoes.
Make It Healthier
Omit salt. This soup is already very healthy since it is chock full of vegetables and uses heart healthy olive oil.
How Kids Can Help
Older kids can use a veggie peeler to peel carrots or cucumber. Younger kids can add the batches to the blender and push the buttons.

Nutrition Facts
1 cup equals 118 calories, 7 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 320 mg sodium, 15 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 2 g protein
Diabetic Exchanges
3 vegetable, 1 fat

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