Low Fat Vegan Gazpacho

Nothing beats the heat like a cool, summertime, Low Fat Vegan Gazpacho.

Think of it as a fresh salad, only you eat it with a spoon.  Or maybe think of it as a cold, southwestern, tomato soup.  No matter, it's fresh, it's loaded with veggies, and it requires NO COOKING at all!

Ok....now that I've got your attention.....

We LOVE Gazpacho here in the BNV Homestead.  It's perfect for those evenings where it's just too doggone hot to cook.

You're basically mixing tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, and cucumber together in a bowl, and then marinating all those yummy veggies in a spicy puree of cherry tomatoes, green chile, and a splash of balsamic vinegar.

Can you sam YUM?

Intrigued yet?

It literally takes minutes to throw together, but I will say it will taste a LOT better if you chill this in the fridge for an hour or two, to let all those yummy southwestern flavors party for a while...

THEN....it's awesome AND as I mentioned before.... it requires no stove time at all.

Did I also mention it's completely fat-free too?

Low Fat Vegan Gazpacho

Obviously, this is going to taste AMAZING with freshly picked, right off the vine, late in the summer, tomato juice running down your chin, tomatoes.  

Now THAT is a tomato! (not those sad greenhouse imitations you see in the store)

However, since I know a lot of you have time constraints, I'm going to show you how to use canned tomatoes instead.  And if you use a good, salt-free, BPA free, organic brand...this is still VERY, very good.

However, when fresh Tomatoes ARE in season, do use them!  About 4 or 5 freshly picked tomatoes should do the trick.  Be sure and remove the core, peel, and remove all the seeds before chopping.  Dropping these babies into a pot of boiling water for about 5 seconds will help that skin come right off.     (kind of sounds like an old horror movie doesn't it?.....{shudder})

So let's start by building our soup base.  

We're going to take one of those pints of cherry tomatoes you see in the store, give them a good rinse, and plop them right into our blender.  Some recipes use tomato juice or V8, but we do NOT want all that salt and besides, cherry tomatoes are the sweetest, so let's stick with real food, shall we?

Then we toss in a few cloves of garlic, maybe a little jalapeno, and some seasoning that I have listed below in the recipe box, and blend until smooth.  Pour that into a large bowl and let's move on to the veggies. 

If using fresh tomatoes, add them now after you've peeled, cored, and removed the seeds.  But if you're in a hurry, or fresh tomatoes aren't available yet, use a 28oz can of Crushed Tomatoes (organic if you can and no, I did not drain them. 

Then we add about ½ of a finely diced Red Onion,  ½ finely diced Green Bell Pepper, a 4oz can of Green Chiles, and about ½ of a finely chopped English Cucumber.  Stir to mix well. 

English Cucumbers are those perfectly straight, usually wrapped in plastic, cucumbers you see in the store.  What's different about those compared to a normal cucumber is you can eat the whole thing, including the peel.

Note:  If you REALLY want some zing, add the other half of that jalapeño or some fresh Hatch Green Chile -  of course, it's totally up to you.

To finish the soup, squeeze 1 fresh lime,  add 1 Tbs of Balsamic Vinegar and 1 Tbs or more of freshly chopped cilantro, and stir.  

I like my Gazpacho chunky, but some like it smooth, like tomato soup.  If that's the case, take a cup or so of the finished soup, and puree that as well, then pour it back in.  How much you blend is up to you.  The more you puree, the thinner the soup will be.

Cover and let chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour....but the longer you wait, the better 🙂

After the hour, mix it again and taste.  Season with additional salt, pepper, etc if needed (a dash of cayenne is good too).

It's cool, it's fresh, it's VERY refreshing, and it's super easy to make!

Hope you stay cool on this hot summer day, and as always....

Enjoy!

Low Fat Vegan Gazpacho

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 4 reviews

• Author: Brand New Vegan
• Prep Time: 30 min
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
• Category: Soup
• Method: Blender
• Cuisine: Spanish

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Description

This Low Fat Vegan Gazpacho is perfect for those hot summer days when it's just too hot to cook. No added oil and all you need is a blender and a bowl.

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Ingredients

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• 1-pint cherry tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic
• ½ jalapeno, seeds removed
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp oregano
• 28 oz can organic, crushed tomatoes (or 4-5 fresh)
• ½ red onion, finely diced
• ½ green bell pepper, finely diced
• ½ English cucumber, finely diced
• 1 can chopped green chiles (4oz)
• 1 Tbs lime juice (freshly squeezed)
• 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbs (or more) freshly chopped cilantro

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Instructions

1. Add cherry tomatoes, garlic, jalapeno, cumin, salt, and oregano to a blender.
2. Puree until smooth and add to a large bowl.
3. If using fresh tomatoes, peel, core, and remove seeds before chopping.
4. Otherwise, add the canned tomatoes and stir.
5. Add onion, bell pepper, English cucumber, and chiles and stir
6. Add lime juice,balsamic, and cilantro and mix well
7. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour
8. Taste for seasoning and serve

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Notes

Tips Are Always Welcome