RECIPE: Gazpacho

The Whole Life Challenge has started again, and that means I’m going to be posting new recipes, along with other random thoughts on health and fitness if/when they occur to me! During the last challenge, I enjoyed a whole lot of hot soups—and I’m still planning on having quite a few of them. But now that it’s spring (almost summer!), I’m also excited to explore some cold soup options—and so today, I decided to throw together a big batch of gazpacho. I know a lot of people feel like gazpacho is nothing more than salsa under another name, but I find that if you add the right kinds of ingredients, seasonings and garnish, and puree it just enough, it makes an amazing (and seriously filling) meal. It’s also great if you’re trying to keep your calories in check. I garnished mine with avocado (next time I’m going to add even more!) and had a hard-boiled egg on the side for some extra protein. Best of all? This baby is 100 percent Advanced Rx compliant (and also vegan). Hope you enjoy it!


GAZPACHO
(printable recipe)
Serves 8
1 28-ounce can low-sodium diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (make sure it doesn’t contain caramel color!)
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 a jalapeno, seeded and diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 medium white onion, chopped
3 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 medium cucumber, seeded and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
Salt and black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:
1. Place the first nine ingredients in a blender and puree.
2. Place the remaining ingredients (onion, tomatoes, cucumber and bell pepper) in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.
3. Mix all ingredients together in either the food processor or blender until just combined.
4. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve garnished with lemon wedges, cilantro or parsley and/or avocado.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION (per 8 oz. serving):
84 calories; 3.8 g fat (.5 g saturated); 21 mg sodium; 202.5 mg potassium; 11.5 g carbohydrates; 2.2 g fiber; 4.9 g sugar; 1.8 g protein; Vitamin A 32%; Vitamin C 79%; Calcium 3%; Iron 6%