a recipe // gazpacho, ole!

last night i got back to my roots.  and by roots, i mean i gave myself a private cooking show {for myself, narrated by myself, to serve myself, etc.} in myself's kitchen.  no shame.  this is a random thing not many know about me, something quite odd, and something my very own mother and dear husband can attest me doing since years past.  here's the deal: andrew had to work late and i had a plethora of fresh veggies from the market to put to use, so i did as any hungry mama would and i made some gazpacho!  in my best julia child impression, i added my veggies to the food processor, gave the end result a good swirl of olive oil, and shouted "viola!"  errr...i mean, "ole!"  my dinner {and lunch for the next week} was done.  so easy, so summery, and always delicioso.  the neat thing about this recipe is that it works well all by itself as the main course, pairs beautifully alongside grilled anything {especially fish}, or as a first course if you are entertaining. and believe me, your guest will not believe it took you all of 2 minutes to make.  

note: the wonderful thing about gazpacho is that everyone has their own personal recipe so this meal is basically fool-proof.  feel free to swap out ingredients and add in your own favorite veggies.  i just used what i had on hand.  oh, and it freezes well so go ahead and make one big batch.  and never forget to always, always, always serve chilled!  or at least room temp.

you will need:

- 2 roasted red peppers diced*

- 3-5 vine ripened tomatoes diced*

- 1/2 jalapeno pepper diced {this will give mediumish heat}

- 4 persian cucumbers cubed*

- 1 garlic clove minced

- 1/2 small onion diced*

- 1/2 cup tomato juice

- sea salt & fresh cracked pepper {i like lots of pepper}*

- large swirl of olive oil {3 tablespoons?}*

- 1/2 juice of lemon

- pinch of sugar

{* indicates a traditional gazpacho ingredient}

blend all of these ingredients in the food processor until smooth.  you can add any of the remaining ingredients to garnish, but i prefer italian flat leaf parsley and a corona.  :)  

the next time you find yourself with heaps of summer veggies, now you know what to make!  enjoy!