Cucumber Gazpacho Soup
Can I inspire you to get creative and make new healthy meals to enjoy? Being gluten free and really limiting my dairy intake often leaves me making tons of salads and not much else. I have the desire to try new foods but it's easy to just keep doing what you know right? So let's do this! It can be so fun paring, exploring and challenging yourself to expand your palate. My approach in making new things is to decide what I'm in the mood for, find a recipe I’m interested in trying and then making it my own…. this cold cucumber gazpacho soup turned out delicious! Prep was 15 min of chopping and blending. Chill, then serve for a refreshing low calorie blast of coolness on a hot summer day!
INGREDIENTS
1 cucumber, halved lengthways, deseeded and roughly chopped
1 yellow pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 small avocado
1 small bunch of mint chopped (reserve a few pieces to garnish as you serve)
1 6oz organic plain low fat greek yogurt (reserve 1/2 to put a small scoop as you serve)
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1/2 cut lime squeeze
few shakes organic green tabasco sauce (add a little on top as you serve)
few shakes of sea salt and pepper to taste
METHOD
In a blender or food processor, puree all the ingredients, reserve 1/2 the mint and yogurt, until smooth. You may add a little more tabasco or vinegar for some more zing. I added a about a 1/2 cup of filtered water to make it thinner. Chill until very cold, then serve with a dollop more yogurt & mint. I made a batch for 2 but seemed like it would serve 4-6. It will keep in the fridge for 2 days – just stir well before serving.
I had some gluten free organic blue corn chips with mine and my man whipped up some mini bruschetta baguettes with his. The dipping snacks accompanied the soup so nicely.
As a great resource for new ideas and healthy, nutritional meals I often visit www.bbcgoodfood.com - You can find a similar variation to my gazpacho cucumber soup there. Enjoy!
Let me know if you try it and your thoughts, I love hearing from you guys. I like the idea of sharing Healthy Eats with you in the beginning of the week, inspiring you to be conscious about cooking for yourself and others you share your life with! Our mindful lives have to include caring about what we put into our bodies.
“... the way we eat represents our most profound engagement with the natural world. Daily, our eating turns nature into culture, transforming the body of the world into our bodies and minds”