Easy Gazpacho

This gazpacho recipe couldn’t be simpler! All you need is a high powered blender, like a Vitamix, and you can have this soup ready to go in 5 minutes, seriously! It’s October, and somehow we are still getting delicious tomatoes in our CSA farm box and from the farm stands in and around San Francisco. Not complaining! Since we’ve also been having hot days and warm nights, I decided to try a gazpacho recipe, and it is perfectly tangy and refreshing. One thing to note: QUALITY of ingredients really matters here. When preparing a fresh, cold soup featuring fresh vegetables, it’s important to try to use organic, local, and ripe ingredients. You will definitely notice a difference in flavor.

You can try some yellow heirloom tomatoes and a yellow bell pepper if you want to try for a yellow gazpacho. When I first made this, I made the mistake of combining red and yellow tomatoes, with a yellow bell pepper, and while it still tasted great, the color was not appealing at all!

Ingredients:

(serves 4-6)

• 1 small/medium cucumber, seeded and roughly chopped

• 5 large ripe tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

• 1 red bell pepper, cored and roughly chopped

• 1 shallot, roughly chopped

• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

• 1/4 cup good quality olive oil

• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar

• 1 tsp fine sea salt

• 1/2 pepper

Directions:

• Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

• Chill the soup for about 1-2 hours before serving. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

• Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil, fresh basil, cilantro, cherry tomatoes, or just have it plain!

Cucumber, Red Pepper, Corn and Black Bean Salad

This refreshing salad is the perfect side dish in the summer. It’s refreshing and bursting with flavor. Sometimes I will serve this salad with some olive oil, fresh squeezed lime juice, and sea salt, but if I have the time and ingredients, I will serve it with this zesty and bright cilantro lime vinaigrette. The avocado adds creaminess and rounds out the flavors. A tip: when chopping the cucumber and red pepper, try dicing them so that all components of the salad are about the same size.

served here with fresh lime juice, olive oil, and sea salt

Ingredients: (serves 4-6 as a side)

• 3 medium cucumber, diced

• 2 red peppers, diced

• 2 cups organic corn (fresh or frozen)

• 1 15 oz can drained and rinsed black beans

• ¼ red onion - finely diced

For the vinaigrette:

• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, washed and dried and stems removed

• 1 garlic clove, smashed and roughly chopped

• Zest from one lime

• Juice from 2 limes

• 1 tsp maple syrup or honey

• ½ tsp sea salt

• ¼ tsp pepper

• ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 avocado, diced

• 2 tbsp water

Directions:

• Cook the corn in boiling water for about 3 minutes. Then drain and let cool.

• Combine cucumber, red peppers, corn, black beans, and red onion in a large bowl. Set aside.

• In a blender, combine all ingredients for the vinaigrette. Blend until smooth, adding water, olive oil, and/or more lime juice if needed to thin it out. Taste and adjust seasonings.

• Pour vinaigrette over vegetables, toss, and serve.

Storing herbs in water helps keep them fresh!

Make extra dressing to spice up your salads!