Green Gazpacho (p. 131)

I desperately need to start working through the soup section of The New Mediterranean Diet Cookbook. I hadn't done a single one so far, three months into the project. It's weird, because I love soups and love eating them out, I just haven't made a lot on my own and am slightly concerned about a freezer full of leftover soups.

That said, I made Green Gazpacho tonight because it's getting hot here and because gazpacho is a great summer soup. This recipe is a totally different version of gazpacho than I've ever had before because it has avocado as a base instead of tomato.

To make, fill a small bowl with water and put in chunks of country-style bread, without the crust. Leave these in the water until they have absorbed most of it, and then pour into a colander. Press the now soggy bread into the colander to release the water and set aside.

In a food processor, combine avocado, cucumber, green pepper. yellow onion (though I used white, because I already had some in the fridge), and garlic until they are fairly smooth. Spoon this mixture into a bowl.

Next, add the bread into the food processor along with parsley, cilantro, and lemon juice. Once these are combined, pour in olive oil and add cumin and crushed red pepper flakes. 

Pour this mixture into the bowl with the avocado and stir together. The recipe says that if the consistency is too thick you can add ice water, but mine felt just right.

Serve immediately, or store in the fridge until the meal.

This was a ridiculously quick and easy dish, and also delicious. It felt light and refreshing, and the three of us who had it for dinner tonight found it to be surprisingly filling. I'll definitely make this again, though I'd like to try it with a red onion to add a little kick.

parsley -- $.99 (most of the bunch is left over)

bread -- $1.99 (only needed two slices)

avocados -- $1.98

cilantro -- $3.99 (there wasn't any fresh available and I had to buy that weird refrigerated tube)

pepper -- $1.00

cucumber -- $1.00 (only used half)

lemon -- $.42

Total Cost for Green Gazpacho: $11.37