Gazpacho

I have been fascinated by the idea of a cold soup for a while, however every time the mercury rises I loose my appetite completely and a mare thought of a soup (cold or hot for that matter) makes me ..... let just say not very happy.

Yesterday was not too hot and after overeating during my trip to Toronto I decided to cook something fast, simple, and light. I browsed several recipe sites to get an idea of what I can put in my gazpacho. I have to admit that I have never had gazpacho before. Probably there are rules and regulations on what you can put and what you can not but I just went with my appetite and taste to make this:



GAZPACHO

6 medium-size tomatoes
1 red bell pepper
2 small cucumbers (they are sold here as Lebanese). If you don't have small cucumbers use the regular ones
2 garlic cloves
2 purple shallots (I know those are rare to find. Do not hesitate to use either purple onion (1/2 or even 1/4 should be enough) or regular shallots)
1 tsp of ground cumin
1 ripe avocado
3 cups of vegetable juice (I used V8)
1 tsp sherry vinegar (you can use lemon juice instead or even white balsamic vinegar)
5-7 springs of cilantro
Pinch of sugar
Salt and pepper

Peel tomatoes. To do so, make an x-shaped cut on the bottom of each tomato. Put them in a sauce-pan and cover with boiling hot water. Wait for 2-3 minutes. You will notice that the skin next to the cut is peeling off and all you have to do is remove tomatoes (careful not to burn yourself) and peel off the rest of the skin.


Coarsely chop the pepper, cucumbers, onions, and garlic. Combine them with tomatoes in a big soup pot.
Using hand-held blender, blend vegetables until smooth. You can also use a regular blender for this purpose.
Add cumin, vinegar, sugar, cilantro, and avocado. Blend until smooth.
Add V8. I would recommend adding it slowly and mixing throughout to give the soup required consistency. Also try the soup to adjust for seasoning.

Feel free to experiment with different herbs and spices. You might want to check out this website for some unsual Gazpachos, such as Oriental or White Gazpachos.


P.S. The picture of purple shallots comes from the Muffintop blog

Squash and couscous

And finally one of my own creations ;)

I came up with this dish while looking through squash stew recipes. The result was very delicious, filling, yet light stew that is ideal for cool Fall days.

Butternut-Squash Couscous

4 tblspoons olive oil, divided
1 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/8 tsp grounded ginger
1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 cup canned diced tomatoes with their juice (from one 15-ounce can)
1/2 butternut squash, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 3/4-inch dice
1/2 head of cauliflower separated into florets

2 carrots peeled, quartered, and cut into sticks 2-3 inches long

2 celery sticks halved and cut into sticks 2-3 inches long

1/4 cup raisins
3 cups vegetable stock

1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 cups drained and rinsed canned chickpeas (one 19-ounce can)
3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 block of tempeh, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups couscous

Parsley and coriander to garnish

Boil cubed tempeh in salted water for 5 minutes. Drain, pat dry and set aside.

Heat 2 tspoons of oil in a skillet, add onion and garlic, and sautee for 2-3 minutes, until just tender.

Add spices, carrots, celery, squash, and chickpeas and sautee for 3 minutes. Add cauliflower, mix well and sautee for another 2-3 minutes.

Transfer vegetables in a big pot, add tomatoes, and broth, bring to boil and simmer until the vegetables are tender (10-15 minutes)

Meanwhile, add the remaining oil to the skillet, and fry tempeh until golden-brown on all sides.

When the vegetable mix is ready, add raisins and tempeh, mix, and simmer for 5 more minutes.

To prepare the couscous

In a medium saucepan, bring the water and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil. Stir in the couscous. Cover, remove from the heat, and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Serve the stew over the couscous and top with parsley and/or coriander.

Picture from "Food and Wine's" recipe that inspired me.