Soup or Smoothie

 I was at the Farmer’s Market this past weekend, and passed by one stand selling bags of tomatoes at a discount price. They were in good shape, fresh from the garden, no pesticides.

Farmer’s market produce is usually healthier than organic tomatoes in the supermarket. Firstly, there is no Apeel to deal with.  And then there is more nutrition in the freshly picked local Farmer’s Market produce than the organic produce that has traveled hundreds of miles cross country and has been sitting in the supermarket for days or weeks.

Never one to pass up a bargain, I bought several bags of the tomatoes with visions of making salads and homemade tomato sauce.

That vision changed. Came home late from work the next evening, too hungry to start cooking, looked at the tomatoes and “gazpacho” popped into my head.
Gazpacho

Gazpacho is a cold tomato soup, easy to make, loaded with nutrition and flavor. It basically is a tomato smoothie.

Gazpacho Recipe

Ingredients:

·      2-4 large ripe tomatoes

·      1 small cucumber

·     1/4  medium onion

·     1/2  bell pepper (any color is fine – red makes it sweeter)

·      1 clove garlic

·      1-2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

·      1 TBSP red wine vinegar

·      1/8 tsp sea salt

·      Handful of fresh cilantro

Ingredients for Gazpacho

 

Directions:

1. Blend all ingredients together in a high speed blender until super smooth.

2. Taste and adjust the flavor as needed, adding more salt for saltiness, vinegar for acidity, and garlic/onion for pungency. The soup should be creamy. If too watery, add more olive oil (or tomatoes).

3. Serve in a cup or bowl. Top with a cilantro sprig or chopped veggies.

4. Drink as is or refrigerate for later. Serve it cold.

5. It can be heated for a nice creamy warm soup.

I had mine at room temperature, and it was delicious. And it satiated my hunger enough that it became my entire dinner for the evening.

Gazpacho is packed with vitamins and antioxidants. It's low in calories but still keeps you hydrated. It’s perfect as an appetizer, snack, or light meal. Plus, it's super tasty and a breeze to whip up!

An Unusual Detox Drink

For those of us interested in daily detoxing, this recipe is a real treat.  It’s not your usual lemon or apple cider vinegar base, but relies on a whole onion and a whole apple for a new and unusual taste sensation.

This combo is excellent at producing quercetin, a potent antioxidant flavonoid. Its benefits include:

• boost immunity

• fight inflammation

• combat allergies

• stabilize blood sugar levels

• aid exercise performance

• has cancer fighting effects

• improve brain function

• lower blood pressure

• lower cholesterol

• maintain general health

  
  

The drink itself has a unique flavor, and you should drink it immediately after making it for maximum benefits.

Here’s the recipe:

Apple Onion Tea

1 apple

1 onion

2 cups water

 

Cut the apple and onion into chunks. You are including the peels and seed.  Boil all for 10 minutes in the water.

Drink immediately.

You can be adventurous and add ginger or cinnamon to the drink, but it is delicious as is.  The actual quercetin is released from the peels when boiled, so it would be good to use pesticide-free or organic ingredients.

 

As for the remainder of the boiled fruit, either compost it or use it as a flavor enhancer or thickener in other recipes.  It’s delicious as an addition to your homemade tomato marinara sauce.

Bon appetit!

 

If you like this post you may also like: Scurvy Tea- A Healthy Detox Drink 

Green Drinks