A cool liquid lunch on a hot summer afternoon not only sounds really soothing but also quite healthy too. I am a great fan of cold soups in summers right when we are dealing with the scorching afternoons at home. It was my last post only, while I was feeling so happy about the cool and pleasant weather this year as the summer started. And look now, what it has started to become so soon. We are already finding it hard to adjust with the increasing temperature rise. So, this Sunday afternoon while I was idling at home, I gulped down the bowls full of this green goodness. Oh yes! this super healthy and super green cold spicy cucumber gazpacho. I make tomato gazpacho regularly during summers every year now, for the reasons, it is really easy and quick and it tastes amazing too. I just let it sit in the fridge overnight before I can dig into. This helps all the flavors from fresh veggies, herbs, crusty bread and extra virgin olive oil, to come along really well. And you don’t feel that you are eating anything raw. Rather it appears really hearty and filling. This time, I gave it a twist and in fact a greener twist. Loads of green stuff which went into making this cold soup; cucumbers, peppers, olives, spring onions, mint, parsley, basil and a generous helping of extra virgin olive oil. Truly speaking, I hadn’t had anything of this sort before. This might sound really low on taste, but actually it was just the opposite. Like I said, all it needs is a couple of hours of chilling in fridge and this stuff tastes super awesome. This recipe is really versatile and you can go highly imaginative on which herb, leaves you may want to add to it.
- 5 small cucumbers, peeled and chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 1⁄4 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1⁄4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1⁄4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
- 2 small-sized green chili peppers, seeded and chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, pressed
- 1⁄4 cup water
- 1⁄4 cup vegetable stock
- 1⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- juice from 1 lime
- salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
- red chili pepper flakes, to taste
- green olives, chopped, to garnish
- Blend together 4 cucumbers, bell pepper, green onions, basil, parsley, chili peppers, mint, and garlic into a blender or food processor.
- Add water, vegetable stock, olive oil, lime juice, and a touch of sea salt and fresh ground pepper and liquify in food processor.
- Chill for at least 4 hours. Add a touch of chili pepper flakes.
- Taste, and add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve with chopped green olives and remaining diced cucumber.
Such vibrant colors! I had made Spicy Cucumber- Avocado Soup couple of weeks back! Would love to try this one out as well!