garden fresh gazpacho

Dear Bloggery,

Summer is the perfect time for whipping up a batch of gazpacho. Whether you have your own vegetable garden, access to a local farmer's market, or shop at the neighborhood grocery store, an abundance of vegetables can be found at the peak of freshness!


INGREDIENTS
4 tomatoes
1 medium cucumber, peeled
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 medium purple onion
2 garlic cloves
dash of hot sauce
juice of 1 lime
4 cups of tomato juice(I like Knudson's spicy)
2 T balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil

for garnish~
1 avocado, sliced
chopped basil or cilantro leaves


Rough chop first 6 ingredients and combine them all in a large bowl. Add the hot sauce(as much or as little as your taste buds like) and lime juice. Toss this mixture into a food processor or blender(you may need to do this step in several batches). Pulse until you get the consistency you prefer, anywhere from really chunky to super smooth. Pour the blended mixture back into the original bowl. Add the tomato juice, vinegar, and oil. Stir to combine. At this point taste to see if you need to season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until very cold, several hours at least but the longer the better. Just before serving, top with avocado slices and fresh herbs. If you want to turn your gazpacho into a meal, it's really delicious topped with fresh lump crabmeat or grilled shrimp.