Summer fruits and vegetables are all so brilliantly colorful and refreshing, and I sincerely miss them during the winter months, so while they're available and in season, I look for any excuse to use them. This especially applies to tomatoes; if you have ever worked as a cook in a restaurant, you know that tomatoes are one of the most difficult things to cook without or find during the cold weather months, and although in this day, you can almost always find a tomato if all you want is any old tomato (and mealy or sour), you know that a good tomato only makes an appearance when they're in season, which is now.
Of course, I'm often taking healthy things and turning them into rich cobblers and pizzas, but because I've been eating gluten-free for a little while now in addition to dairy-free, I decided to take the detox route and make one of my favorite tomato-laden warm-weather soups to celebrate the beloved fruit, summer, and good health. After bringing home a few pounds of perfect cherry tomatoes and strawberries, I whipped up a batch of this Fresh Gazpacho (using gluten-free dairy-free bread crumbs), which my husband and I enjoyed outside with some ice cold waters with lemon. Prepared with cherry tomatoes, zucchini, cucumber, cilantro and even some strawberries for sweetness, this healthy chilled soup savors of summer and bright, good things.
Photo © 2008 Ashley Skabar, licensed to About.com, Inc.
Comments