Gazpacho with Avocado

Everything in this soup is good for you. It is full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals as well as being anti-inflammatory. I am not going to detail the health benefits of every ingredient this time since it will take up too much space and I want to post the recipe tonight. I will cover the benefits of a few of the ingredients that I have not discussed previously.

Avocado is high in monounsaturated fat, like olives, and has been shown to reduce total cholesterol if eaten regularly. The specific monounsaturated fat that avocados contain (oleic acid) was recently been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer. Avocados are also a good source of potassium that helps to reduce blood pressure. It also appears that eating as little as 2 ounces of avocado with your vegetables increases the bodies absorption of the carotenoids that vegetables contain.

Tomatoes are rich in lycopene (a carotenoid) that has been widely studied for its cancer preventing properties. It has been theorized that lycopene reduces most types of cancer. According to studies, the body is better able to absorb the lycopene when the tomatoes are cooked (as is the case for canned tomatoes) and are consumed with fat.

This soup is cool and refreshing as well as very good for you. I make this soup often when the weather turns warm. I think of it as a liquid salad.

Gazpacho with Avocado
makes 2 dinner sized servings or 4 - 6 appetizer servings

Ingredients:

28 ounce cans of diced tomatoes
1 english cucumber
½ red onion
2 cloves of raw garlic
1 raw red bell pepper
1 ripe avocado
1 roasted red pepper
1 tablespoon of sherry vinegar
½ teaspoon of harissa
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
½ teaspoon of kosher salt
½ teaspoon of dried oregano
Extra virgin olive oil for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine canned tomatoes, 1/2 of the cucumber, red onion, garlic, roasted red pepper, avocado, vinegar, harissa, paprika, salt and oregano in a blender. Process to thoroughly combine and continue until the mixture is completely smooth. Finely dice the remaining English cucumber and raw red bell pepper. Refrigerate the soup and diced vegetables separately to thoroughly chill. To serve, pour the cold soup into a cold bowl and top with the finely diced vegetables. If you wish you can drizzle the top of the soup with a little extra virgin olive oil and a grind of fresh black pepper. It is also good topped with tofu sour cream and/or a little fresh parsley or cilantro.

Nutritional Information (assumes 2 servings):

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 323.09
Calories From Fat (42%) - 136.28

Total Fat - 16.28g
Saturated Fat - 3.1g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 528.87mg
Potassium - 1935.89mg
Total Carbohydrates - 43.89g
Fiber - 14.82g
Sugar - 23.15g
Protein - 9.14g

Comments:

We like our gazpacho to be light and cooling since we normally eat this when it is hot and humid. This gazpacho has the lightest touch of heat in the background from the harissa, raw garlic and onion.