Favorite Summer Recipe: Gazpacho

We have been growing tomatoes in our garden for the last 4 years - some years our harvest is better than others, but no matter what there's always a time when we have more tomatoes than we know what to do with! This is my favorite recipe to use up some of those garden veggies for a super healthy, delicious and easy dinner! (Or if you're not into gardening, you can pick up all the ingredients at your local grocery store!)

The thing I love about gazpacho is that you can really customize it to whatever you have in your fridge or whatever your taste preference is! So I will be sharing what I put in mine, but feel free to get creative!

Disclaimer: this recipe is 1000x easier if you have a food processor or a Vitamix.

Here are the ingredients you'll need:

4-6 large tomatoes
1 large English cucumber
1 jalapeño pepper (seeded, unless you want it really spicy)
1 small red onion
1 red (or yellow or orange) pepper
4 cloves of garlic
Tomato juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 lime (juiced)
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

Some recipes will tell you to boil the tomatoes or peel the cucumber or mince the jalapeño, but I say JUST THROW IT IN YOUR BLENDER/FOOD PROCESSOR!

I take each veggie and chunk it into 1-2" cubes and pulse it in the food processor until it's still chunky, but much smaller pieces. (You want it to still have texture and not become a paste, but fine enough that you don't have to chew it, if that makes sense.) See photo below to get an idea of what it should look like (before it's all mixed together).

I started with the tomatoes, pulsed them and then poured into a large bowl, then took the jalapeño and cucumber and did the same, then the red pepper, and lastly the onion and garlic.

Next add in the tomato juice (roughly 1 - 1.5 cups), but again it will depend on your preference of consistency. Then add in the olive oil, lime juice, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire, red wine vinegar, and cumin and stir to combine. Lastly add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours, and you're done!

This is one of those dishes that's easy to make ahead of time and tastes better the longer it ruminates with all the flavors blending together. Serve it as the main dish with some crusty bread, or have it as a side when you grill out!