Yellow Tomato Gazpacho with Cilantro OIl and Avocado for Souper (Soup, Salad and Sammie) Sundays

Another cold soup and another gazpacho because those are the recipes that are catching my eye right now. This Yellow Tomato Gazpacho comes from Clean Eating magazine  and I was attracted both by the color and by the topping of cilantro oil and chopped avocado. I tossed it into the blender in the morning and it was perfectly chilled and ready to go by dinner time. It's a refreshing summer night starter with a salad or maybe some of this ceviche.

Yellow Tomato Gazpacho

Chef Raj Dixit, Cleaning Eating August September 2012

(Serves 8)

1 3/4 lb yellow beefsteak of vine tomatoes, halved

1 cup peeled, seeded and chopped field-grown cucumber

1 cup chopped yellow bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped yellow onion

1/2 cup 100% orange juice

3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar or fresh lime juice

2 small cloves garlic

1 jalapeno chile pepper, seeded

sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to tatse

Arrange a fine mesh strainer over top of a medium bowl. Squeeze tomatoes over top of strainer, discarding seeds and preserving flesh. Chop tomato flesh.

In a blender, combine tomato flesh, cucumber and bell pepper and blend until smooth. Add reserved tomato juice, onion, orange juice, oil, vinegar, garlic and jalapeno and blend until combined, Season with salt and black pepper. 

Cover and refrigerate for several hours (Overnight is best, if possible) before serving. 

Garnish with cilantro oil and avocado if desired. (recipe below)

Cilantro Oil: In a blender, blend one bunch of cilantro leaves and 8 oz grape seed or sunflower oil until smooth. Drizzle 1 tsp mixture over each serving of gazpacho. If desired, garnish with finely chopped avocado for a bit of creamy texture. Note" leftover oil can frozen for other uses.

Nutrients Per Serving: (1 cup): calories: 84, total fat: 6g, carbs: 8g, fiber: 1g sugars: 3g, protein: 1g, sodium: 41mg, cholesterol:0mg

Notes/Results: Slightly sweet, a little tangy and with a subtle kick from the jalapeno--it's a sunny bowl with plenty of flavor. I used some local yellow cherry tomatoes because they were easier to find at the farmers market this week. I just tossed them into the blender--no straining the seeds or anything--making this soup take just minutes to make. Besides a pretty color contrast, he cilantro oil and avocado add a lot to this simple soup in both flavor and texture so I recommend using them. I would make this one again.

We have a few good friends in the Souper Sundays kitchen today, let's take a look.

Joining me in summery gazpacho is Joanne of Eats Well With Others, here with Moroccan Red Gazpacho. Joanne says, "This gazpacho right here is infused with Moroccan spices so that even though the temperature may be cold, it gives off an aura of warmth. ... And did I mention that it goes just about perfectly with melty cheddar cheese sandwiched between two slices of sourdough bread (otherwise known as grilled cheese)? Because that's the truth.  I speak from experience. So even if you think you're not into cold soup, I highly advise you to give this a whirl.  It'll help make these hot humid summer days at least slightly more bearable.  And it will make your taste buds happy.  Win/win."

It's always nice to have Lea Ann of Cooking on the Ranch at Souper Sundays. This week she brought Cuban Shrimp Stew and says, "This is one of those dishes that smells so good while it’s cooking that it drives you wild.  And there’s not even any bacon involved. And once you’re done dicing and slicing, it’s an easy fix. Besides being delicious, look at that vivid brick red color from the tomato paste and cayenne. Looks beautiful sitting on that bed of fluffy white rice doesn’t it? And the flavor?  It’s loaded! Sweet onions, bell peppers, celery, garlic and a great lineup of spices. The shrimp is added after marinating in a delicious combo of lime, garlic, oregano and cumin."

Janet of The Taste Space has two salads to share this week. First this Thai Green Papaya Salad, about which she says, "I quickly realized that if I had to shred the papaya and carrot by hand, this could take a while, so I whipped out my food processor to help. I added long beans to the recipe and bruised them with the blade, which seemed to be in more traditional recipes. The rest of the dressing was tangy from the Kaffir lime leaves, lime juice, fresh garlic and chile flakes. The nuts offered a nice textural contrast in the tangle of noodly vegetables. Adjust the dressing to suit your own tastes. Trust me that the salad will have a great mixture of hot, sour, salty and sweet. Refreshing during these hot summer days."

Next Janet made this Tahini-Dressed Zucchini and Green Bean Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes. She says, "While this may seem initially like a finicky salad, look at it as a main course to soothe your qualms. Relish in cooking each component to bring out its best: lightly sear the zucchini until golden, then dress in some lemon juice and chile flakes. Steam your green beans until tender crisp. Plate on top of your favourite baby greens, sprinkle with chopped sun-dried tomatoes and drizzle with your dressing. ... Enjoy this best as a warm salad directly after preparing it. Leftovers are nice cold when slathered in the dressing."

Debbie of Easy Natural Food brings a creamy Mediterranean Cucumber Salad and says, "I was inspired to go tangy by this Sweet Cucumber and Feta Salad recipe, but I didn’t have all of the other ingredients, so I improvised with what I had on hand – radishes, kalamata olives and fresh basil from my garden. If I had red onion, I definitely would have added that. Fresh tomatoes would work in here too (rapidly heading into Greek salad territory). The result was a tasty, crisp, refreshing side salad for our Saturday evening BBQ. Perfect!"

Some wonderful soups and salads this week--thanks to everyone who joined in. If you have a soup, salad, or sandwich that you would like to share, just click on the Souper Sundays logo on the side bar for all of the details.

Have a happy, healthy week!