Easy Gazpacho Recipe

Gazpacho Soup Recipe

How to make easy, vegan and gluten free gazpacho?

Gazpacho is one of the many foods which i never knew that it existed before visiting a restaurant, which specialises in Mediterranean food. My first impression of gazpacho was not the best, but it left me craving for more.

However, the Traditional Gazpacho Recipe is made from raw vegetables like tomatoes, cucumber, red or green bell pepper, onion and garlic cloves, as these are the most common ingredients, that are readily available in Spain, although olive oil, lime juice, balsamic vinegar, salt, cumin and black pepper also go into the making of the Classic Gazpacho Soup.

Gazpacho is a refreshing, nutritious and a tangy blend of delicious raw vegetables, where tomatoes are the key ingredient. Since my garden is overflowing with tomatoes of every variety, I decided to try my hand at making the Spanish Gazpacho Soup. This soup is full of garden fresh flavor and can be made in less than 10 minutes.

To make the gazpacho, you need to chop the veggies and add them into the blender (or a juicer), along with a glass of water and blend it until you get a thick liquid. Next, you need to add the crushed stale bread, and toss it along with the olive oil, lime juice, balsamic vinegar and cilantro in a blender, and, blend until it's smooth. Season it with salt, pepper or cumin and enjoy! (Also, you can skip salt and balsamic vinegar to keep the sodium in check.)

Drink it immediately to enjoy a host of wonderful antioxidants that flush out the system of toxins or refrigerate it for at least one hour before serving.

Gazpacho is healthy soup rich in minerals, fiber, nutrients, vitamin A, C, E, iron, potassium, manganese and zinc. Red tomatoes, for example are the major dietary source of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant, that is a great way to boost the immune system and helps to regulate the digestive system. This fresh delicious soup keeps the body hydrated and gives the instant energy. Also, it gives glow to the skin and can be a great help in reducing the risk of bladder, gastric, colon and prostate cancer.

Today the diners want to eat healthy food, and yet don't want to compromise on taste so, what's better than this delicious wellness summer drink which is dairy-free, vegan and gluten-free. Gazpacho is a healthy soup, that comes together in 10 minutes (or less!).

If you guys remember my mom made tomato soup last year, and, as you know i'm super obsessed with soups this time we wanted to make something different and unique so made gazpacho soup instead! Did I mention already, how much I love this soup!

Guys, give this recipe a try and let me know what are your thoughts in the comments below! I'd love to hear from you!

EASY GAZPACHO SOUP

Serves: 6 People
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Freeze time: 60 minutes
Author: The Food Root

Ingredients

7 Red tomatoes, blanched
2 Green tomatoes, blanched
1 English cucumber, peeled, chopped
1 Red or Green bell pepper, deseeded, chopped
1 Red onion, chopped
2 Garlic cloves, chopped
1 Stale bread, crushed
1 glass water
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp sugar (optional)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
handful of fresh parsley, chopped

Method

1. Make a cross sign across the bottom of each tomato, using a knife, and drop them into the boiling water. Blanch the tomatoes for around 1 minute and transfer them into a bowl of ice-cold water. Leave it for 2 minutes, then drain. Peel off the skin and cut them into half. Next, pull off the seeds, chop and set them aside.

2. Cut off the top of the red or green bell pepper, deseed, and cut it into small pieces.

3. Peel the cucumber, red onion and garlic cloves, and finely chop.

4. Place the chopped tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumber, onion and garlic cloves in a blender or a juicer and add a glass of water. Puree for 1 or 2 minutes, or until the soup reaches the desired consistency.

5. Add a crushed stale bread and toss it along with olive oil, lime juice, balsamic vinegar, sugar (optional) and cilantro in a blender and blend until it's smooth. Season it with salt and pepper or cumin if needed.

6. Transfer the gazpacho in a bowl and let it chill in a refrigerator for at least one hour. Garnish the gazpacho with fresh parsley just before serving and enjoy!

Notes

1. You can skip salt and balsamic vinegar to keep sodium in check.

2. Chill the gazpacho soup in the refrigerator for at least one hour before serving.

3. You can avoid the blanching of tomatoes, instead you can directly chop and blend them along with the other vegetables.

GARDEN FRESH TOMATO SOUP

Incredibly delicious tomato soup straight from my garden!

I'm little obsessed with tomato soup. I could probably eat it everyday and never get bored. The beauty of this soup is, it fills you up so you eat less. This soup has so much flavors that you will never buy a canned one again. This is one of my favorite soup, it looks fancy and it tastes great! This easy homemade recipe is filled with just 3 basic ingredients - garlic, carrots, and lots of home picked tomatoes. I also added a sugar and little cream to neutralize the tangy flavor of the tomatoes. It's low in calories and makes a great afternoon snack too.

Since my garden is overflowing with tomatoes of every variety right now, I decided to try my hand at making fresh tomato soup. I used all different varieties, colors, shapes and sizes of tomatoes from my garden. I used mix of fresh heirlooms, cherry, plum and vine tomatoes. This soup is full of garden fresh flavor and can be made in less than 45 minutes.

Boiling veggies in a pressure cooker is best for soups. It shortens the cooking time and doesn't require any butter or oil. I didn't fried the veggies, I directly pressure cooked them as it's a healthy way to cook soup. This soup is versatile, healthy and tastes delicious even without all that oil and butter.


I chopped the veggies into small pieces and added them in the cooker. Than added salt, crush dried basil, water, and, pressure cooked for 2 whistles. This process retains all the color, nutrition and vegetables get perfectly steamed. Sure, this adds few more minutes to the soup but it's totally worth it!!!

Always remember to strain off the liquid, and set aside to add back into the soup later. Blend rest of the contents to the blender to make a smooth puree and return to cooker. Add in the strain water and fresh water, stir occasionally. Bring it to boil, and, reduce the heat for 25-30 minutes, or, until tomatoes have cooked down. Add sugar, oregano, and, season it with salt and pepper. Stir in some fresh cream and heat through. Transfer into the soup bowls and add a bit more cream. Serve hot with crispy croutons on top and enjoy!!

This soup always taste better the next day. If you make a large quantity of the soup, place it in the refrigerator and freeze it but don't add a lot of cream at once. You can also add cashew cream as it makes a wonderful vegan substitute for whipped cream.

Do try this recipe and let me know how you like it!!!

GARDEN FRESH TOMATO SOUP

Serves: 4 People
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Author: The Food Root

Ingredients

5 cloves garlic, minced
2 diced carrot
21/2 pound fresh tomatoes (mix of fresh heirlooms, cherry, plum and vine tomatoes)
3 cups - vegetable broth
1/2 cup - water
1 teaspoon salt or as per taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)

Directions

1. Throw in the tomatoes, carrots, garlic cloves and crushed dried basil in the pressure cooker with 3 cups of water. Allow 2-3 whistles. Let the mixture cool for atleast 10 minutes.

2. Take a big enough bowl, strain the water and set aside to add back into the soup later.

3. Blend the soup - Pour all these contents into the blender in batches, and, blend until it's smooth. You need to do this in 2-3 batches. (You can add more water if needed)

4. Pass the tomato puree through the strainer, to remove the skin and seeds. (optional)

5. Return the puree into a pan. Add in the strain water and 1/2 cup water and stir occasionally. Bring it to boil, and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until tomatoes have cooked down.

6. Add sugar, oregano, and, season it with salt and pepper.

7. Stir in the few tablespoon of fresh cream over medium heat until you reach the desired texture.

8. Transfer tomato soup into medium bowls and garnish with cream. (You can avoid cream if you vegan)

9. Serve hot with crispy croutons on top and enjoy!!

Croutons

You can make croutons at home in just 2 minutes. All you need is 4 slices of breads of your choice. Place them on the cutting board, cut them into 1 inch cube. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan over medium heat. Stir in the seasoning. Add breads cubes into the pan and toss until they are lightly browned and crisp.

Notes

1. Always remember to strain off the liquid, and set aside to add back into the soup later.

2. Pureeing hot mixture in a blender can be dangerous so let it cool for atleast 7-8 minutes.

3. If you feel that your soup is watery you can add 2 tablespoon of rice

4. If you feel that it's thick you can add a little more water.

5. I also added a sugar and little cream to neutralize the tangy flavor of the tomatoes.

6. Cashew cream makes a wonderful vegan substitute for whipped cream.

7.  If you want to make a large quantity of soup, you can place it in the refrigerator and freeze it, and, eat on another day.

8. If you are going to freeze the soup don't add a lot of cream at once.

NEW POTATOES AND SPRING PEAS IN A TANGY TOMATO GRAVY

Get ready to tingle your tastebuds with these new potatoes and spring peas in a tangy tomato gravy

This winter, let's make these beautiful New Potatoes with Spring Peas in a tangy tomato gravy. This is a fantastically easy dish to make and it's pretty tasty too!! It's a classic Punjabi dish which is very popular in the northern part of India and goes well with Indian breads or rice. It is popularly known as Aloo-Matar in India.

It was a huge hit with everyone in my house. I love the combination of new potatoes and spring peas. It's different and very delicious. You can make this flavorful dish by combining these two veggies in a tangy tomato sauce.

You can add any type of potato in this dish and cut them in small or large chunks. Since, I'm adding the new potatoes in my dish. I don't feel the need to cut them as they are already very small in sizes.

Let's talk about these two veggies. Peas is considered as a 'starchy vegetables'. They are widely grown as a cool season vegetable. I like all kinds of peas, spring peas is one of them. Spring peas are very sweet and tender. They are a seasonal vegetable. They are grown and harvested in Spring when the weather is cool.

Potatoes are the most humble and versatile ingredient which is widely used in all types of cuisines. It is the fondest root vegetable which is loved by everyone. There are various types of potatoes but new potatoes are my favorites. New potatoes are the first potatoes that are dug in spring or early in summer. Since, new potatoes are harvested before reaching maturity, their skin is very thin and tender. They have a delicate sweet flavor and creamy texture. They can be stored in a paper bag but should be eaten within a week.

I usually don't boil new potatoes. I prefer to cook it with the traditional low and slow cooking method which gives it an intense flavor. I lower down the heat, loosely cover the pan and simmer the flame for about 18-20 minutes. Simmering cooks the food gently and slowly. It allows various tastes to mingle and layer one over the other. It helps to keep the flavor of ingredients separates and also helps to keep the crunchy texture.

This dish is cooked without onion and garlic. There are many people who think, if they don't use onions and garlic in their curry, the end result will be bland but let me tell you, it is just a myth. It is very much possible to make the gravy flavorful and richer without using onion and garlic. It's purely a tomato based curry. It's very easy to make and it's delicious too!! I do hope you try this recipe out. Serve this dish with Indian breads or rice and you'll love it.

NEW POTATOES AND SPRING PEAS IN A TANGY TOMATO GRAVY

Preparation time: 7-8 minutes
Cooking time: 30-35 minutes
Serves: 4 people
Author: The Food Root

INGREDIENTS
4 medium size tomatoes - puree
4-5 new potatoes
1 cup peas (fresh or frozen)
2 cups of water
1/2 inch ginger - peeled, grated
2 tablespoon - ghee/clarified butter or oil
1 or 2 green chilli, chopped
pinch of asafoetida
1/4 teaspoon - red chili powder
1/2 teaspoon - coriander powder (sukha dhania)
1/4 teaspoon - turmeric powder
1/4 - garam masala
Salt to taste
coriander leaves (chopped)

METHOD
1. Prepare the tomato puree tempering: Heat 2 tablespoon of oil in a pan, add a pinch of asafoetida powder followed by ginger. Fry them until they are golden brown. Now, add 1 cup of tomato puree and 2 chopped green chilli and sauté it for about 5-6 minutes on low flame. Next, add in the spices - 1/4 teaspoon of red chili powder, 1/2 tea teaspoon of coriander powder, 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder and stir it well. Let the mixture cook until the oil separates.

2. Add the raw new potatoes: Now add 4-5 raw new potatoes and cover the pan. Let them cook for around 6-7 minutes on low medium flame. When the potatoes are cooked, add salt and mix it well.

3. Add the peas: Next, add 1 cup of peas and cover the pan for next 4-5 minutes on a low flame.

4. Prepare the gravy: Add 2 cups of boiling water and cook it for about 7-8 minutes. Once boiling point is achieved boil it gentle over a low heat of 2 minutes.

5. Garnish and serve: Next, add 1/4 teaspoon of garam masala and chopped coriander leaves and stir it for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and remove it. Serve it with roti, naan or rice.

NOTES
1. You can save your time and add the cooked (boiled) potatoes in the dish if you wish. I like the crisp flavor of the new potatoes so I didn't boiled them.
2. You can add any type of potatoes in this dish and cut them in small or large chunks. Since, I'm adding the new potatoes in my dish. I don't feel the need to cut them as they are already very small in sizes.
3. You can also add the frozen peas, just allow it to warm for 5-7 minutes before adding them in the pan.
4. The peas will always remain bright green if the salt is added while preparing the tomato puree tempering. In this case, add salt, after cooking the potatoes.