Gazpacho with Olive Oil

It was late before we had dinner last night so I didn’t want to make something heavy. I wanted gazpacho, but we were out of avocados. I love my gazpacho with avocados but since we were out of them I made a more traditional version of this cold soup.

This version of gazpacho is lower in fat and calories than my avocado version. I still prefer my avocado version, but this is a good substitute. The soup is packed with flavor (I used the higher amount of hot crushed peppers) and nutrition. I like soups that are a complete meal. Cold soups are a particular favorite of mine because the only thing you need to clean is the blender.

The lycopene in the tomatoes, combined with the olive oil, is thought to protect men from prostate cancer. The fresh garlic helps to reduce your cholesterol and reduce the risk of cancer. Red bell peppers are packed with vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant. I added the carrots to this version of gazpacho to add a good source of beta-carotene to the soup. I wasn’t able to taste the carrots in the final soup. I will be continuing to add carrots to my gazpacho from now on.

If you need a quick dinner and want something cold this is a good option.

Gazpacho with Olive Oil
Makes 2 entrée sized servings

Ingredients:

28 ounces of diced tomatoes
3 carrots, cut into chunks
¼ of a red onion, peeled and cut into chunks
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 –2 tablespoons of hot crushed peppers (wet hots)
½ - 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
½ seedless cucumber, finely diced
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Combine everything except the cucumber and bell pepper in the blender and process until it is completely smooth. Begin with the smaller amount of hot crushed peppers and salt and taste once the mixture is smooth. Add more if necessary.

Store the soup in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Chill bowls to serve the soup. Pour the soup into the chilled bowls and top with diced cucumber and bell pepper. I always add a little grind of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to the top of the soup before serving.

You can top the soup with fresh minced cilantro and/or a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil if you like.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 283.88
Calories From Fat (46%) - 131.98

Total Fat - 14.98g
Saturated Fat - 2.06g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 579.47mg
Potassium - 1615.91mg
Total Carbohydrates - 35.84g
Fiber - 10.69g
Sugar - 20.56g
Protein - 6.23g

Comments:

This makes a large amount of soup that is enough to be an entire meal. If you want a little more protein in the meal, you can include a little cooked and cooled edamame or a bean dip with raw vegetables to dip.

My husband and I both think this makes a nice dinner when the weather is warm. We do prefer our avocado version for its creaminess, but this one makes a great substitute and has fewer calories and fat grams.

If you are concerned about the fat in this version of gazpacho I would suggest you don't order it when you are out. Most traditional recipes for gazpacho use 3 or 4 times the amount of olive oil compared to my version. So that you have a comparison, each tablespoon of olive oil adds 14 grams of fat and 120 calories, which is most of the fat in this recipe.