GAZPACHO

So my new summer goal is to learn how to cook...and by that I mean more than just being about to saute some veggies in a frying pan and put them over rice or pasta. To start off my cooking adventures I decided to make gazpacho. It is cold, fresh, healthy, and doesn't require actual cooking. 

After searching for good recipes for about an hour, I decided to make a hybrid of a few that I found. Here is the recipe and a few pictures! 

Ingredients:

6 ripe tomatoes, peeled, cored, and chopped

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped

1 red onion, diced

1 red pepper, seeded and chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 tbsp diced parsley

2 tbsp diced fresh chives

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tsp sugar

tobasco sauce, to taste

salt and pepper to taste

4 cups tomato juice

Begin by cutting an x at the bottom of the tomatoes and dropping them into a large pot of boiling water for about 15 seconds. Then immediately place them in an ice bath to cool. (This will make is really easy to peel the skin off the tomatoes.) Then, chop all of the ingredients and using a food processor combine them to achieve your desired texture. 

{It takes awhile to chop everything, it is definitely worth seeding everything to eliminate excess water}

Add the liquid ingredients, tobasco, salt and pepper to taste.

{I highly recommend having some fresh bread to dip as well!}

ENJOY!