Guest Blog: Shortcut Gazpacho
Hey people! I’m Diana, the blogger behind Soap & Chocolate and the “You might be a health blogger” list. My blog is mostly about healthy eating and recipes both created and tried by me, your average twenty-something New Yorker workin’ hard for the money and cooking for one. I gravitate towards vegetarianism naturally, but that doesn’t mean that meat doesn’t show up every once in a while. Above all, as much as I enjoy being creative in the kitchen, I don’t like to spend a lot of time in the process, so I will gladly take a shortcut when it doesn’t sacrifice quality or healthiness.
This is how I arrived at a recipe for “Shortcut Gazpacho,” which I’ll share with you now. I developed a love for gazpacho during a semester in Spain while in college, and to this day it remains something I look forward to when summer rolls around.
Ingredients:
- 1 cucumber, cut into chunks
- 1 bell pepper, de-seeded and cut into chunks (I used green)
- 1 handful grape tomatoes, cut in half (or not…)
- 1 cup of your favorite jarred marinara sauce
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
Chuck it all in the blender and let it go until everything’s smooth!
Makes about 3 cups of gazpacho, which serves two or three people, depending who they are… I enjoy eating this cold, so you might want to chill it for an hour or so before serving.
I like substituting jarred tomato sauce for additional tomatoes and herb/spice/garlic/onion combinations because it takes the guesswork (and additional chopping) out. Also, if you’re not much of an onion lover (like me), using the prepared sauce means the potency of any onion or garlic is already diluted a bit. And the more powerful your blender, the less pre-chopping of the fresh veggies you’ll need to do. This is pretty much a no-excuses recipe – you don’t even need to own any herbs or spices.
I hope you get to enjoy this easy gazpacho as a seems-more-sophisticated-than-it-really-is starter for your favorite summertime meal! Try it and unleash your inner lazy chef.Posted by: Tina 7 comments
Posted in: guest blogger, recipe
Tags: gazpacho recipe
on Jul 3rd, 2009 at 1:09 am
I love making summertime gazpachos! I’ve never thought to use store-bought marinara but that’s def. a simple but goodlookin recipe!
on Jul 3rd, 2009 at 1:12 am
I absolutely love gazpacho and this looks like a nice, simple one. I just got a recipe for a crazy complicated on that looks sooo good, but contains about 56 ingredients!
on Jul 3rd, 2009 at 2:38 am
i’ve never tried gazpacho but that sure looks delicious!
on Jul 3rd, 2009 at 7:10 am
Mmmmm I love tasty lazy recipes
Great guest post!!
on Jul 3rd, 2009 at 7:55 am
Oh that looks good…simple but delicious! Love it!
Thanks so much for sharing!
on Jul 3rd, 2009 at 12:07 pm
This looks great, Diana. I gravitate towards the meatless, too!! I’ve only had gazpacho chunkier, but this looks smooth and tasty.
on Jul 3rd, 2009 at 5:47 pm
This looks and sounds delicious & easy! Perfect on a summer day!