Summer is one of my favorite seasons for ingredients! So much bounty comes fresh from my own garden or direct from local farms. It is prime time for one of my favorite foods ever, tomatoes! I love tomatoes in all forms, in ketchup, BBQ sauce, spaghetti sauce, salsa, in breakfast dishes, and here in a wonderful low sodium Gazpacho!
Gazpacho is Spanish in origin and is said to even have dated back to Roman times. It is a cold soup originally made with tomatoes, bread, garlic, olive oil, salt, and vinegar. Over the years it has been modified to different colors and flavor profiles. Sometimes the soup is savory, but many variations include pureed fruit and are quite sweet. Variations of the dish include avocados to cucumbers, parsley, watermelon, grapes, meat stock, seafood, and other ingredients. I have always had it without the bread, so I don’t use it in any of my versions.
On a hot day, I love to have Gazpacho as a starter course for a larger meal. I will also have it as just a quick light meal after a long hot day. It is the perfect dish to use of some of those fruits and veggies that are less than perfect since it all goes into the food processor or the blender. Originally Gazpacho was crafted by smashing up all the ingredients in a large mortar and pestle. Today, with the aid of a food processor, this dish comes together in minutes. It does not require you to turn on the oven, so that is also a bonus on a hot summer day.
Gazpacho is a great way to sneak extra vegetables into your kid’s diet. If they already like salsa, then Gazpacho is along the same flavor profiles.
Here is how to make my Garden Fresh Low Sodium Gazpacho:
Garden Fresh Low Sodium Gazpacho
Ingredients
- 2 Cloves Garlic - peeled
- 4 Tomatoes - cored
- 1 Medium Onion - sliced
- 1 Bell Pepper - seeded and chopped
- 1/2 cup Vinegar
- 1/3 cup Beef Stock - no salt added
- 1 cup Tomato Juice low sodium or no salt added
- 1 Medium Cucumber - Diced
- Juice & Zest of one lemon or lime
- 1 Tbsp Low sodium Hot Sauce
- 4 leaves Stalks Celery ( and ends removed cut into chunks)
- Chives - to season
- Tbsp Sour Cream - low sodium add a dollop to finish each dish
- ice to blend to reach desired chill
Instructions
- Wash all vegetables
- Peel the Onion and Garlic
- Rough chop all of the vegetables and add to your blender or food processor
- Add vinegar, tomato juice, stock, hot sauce, and ice and puree until smooth
- Ladle into bowls
- Serve Chilled
- Top with Sour Cream and Chives
Notes
Nutrition