Gazpacho, quintessential summer refresher and another delicious drink!

Contributed by Isidora (Isi) Muñoz Segovia, Maine SNAP-Ed Nutrition Educator

Have you been overwhelmed by the amount of tomatoes your garden is yielding this year? Also perhaps too many cucumbers and garlic to make good use of? What about simply looking for new recipes to try and new ways to enjoy these fresh vegetables whilst we have them available? 

With the end of the summer season, we have an abundance of delicious vegetables to make use of, and maybe some thirsty children looking for something tasty and refreshing to drink. 

Today, I’m sharing the original Andalucian recipe for one of the most traditional Spanish dishes for the end of the summer: Gazpacho! - a cold tomato soup with fantastic seasoning and extremely refreshing for a hot summer day. You will also find another enriching and filled with vitamin C recipe, Tropical Eye Opener, for the littlest ones, that will take their breath away. 

Staying hydrated throughout the summer is definitely one of the most important tasks that we must carry on and help our loved ones (especially young ones) to not forget about. The Gazpacho recipe is an exquisite recipe for all ages but especially those that enjoy a mild garlic aftertaste in their foods. If you are looking to provide more picky eaters with some refreshing beverages, I would highly recommend the Tropical Eye Opener!

Gazpacho

Gazpacho soup made with garden fresh tomatoes is the quintessential summer refresher!

Ingredients (serves 6 people):

  • Pear tomato 1 kg

  • Green Italian pepper 1

  • Cucumber 1

  • Garlic cloves 2

  • Extra virgin olive oil 50 ml

  • Hard loaf of bread 50 g

  • Water 250 ml

  • Salt 5 g

  • Vinegar 30 ml

Directions:

Chop all the ingredients and add 50 ml of olive oil, 250 ml of water from the fridge and 50 ml of vinegar, blending everything in a blender or Turmix. It is not necessary to peel the tomatoes or peppers because we will then pass them through the fine strainer.

Blend them at maximum speed for 4 minutes to obtain a perfect texture. Once blended, pass the resulting gazpacho through a fine strainer, pressing with a ladle to obtain a cream without skins or seeds and put it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to cool thoroughly.

Enjoy!

Tropical Eye Opener

Ingredients (serves 4):

  • 1 Mango peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks 

  • 1 Banana peeled, sliced 

  • 1 cup Pineapple canned, packed in 100% fruit juice, undrained 

  • 3/4 cup Frozen Yogurt low-fat vanilla 

  • 1 cup Ice Cubes 

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender container. Blend until mixture is smooth. 

Pour into glasses and serve.
Healthy Acadia’s Maine SNAP-Ed Nutrition Educators offer year-round cooking and nutrition classes in partnership with schools and organizations throughout Hancock and Washington counties. To learn more or schedule a class, contact Mandy (mandy.kalin@healthyacadia.org) or Shannon (shannon.cherry@healthyacadia.org) in Washington County, or Isi (isi.munoz@healthyacadia.org) or Abby (abby.miller@healthyacadia.org) in Hancock County.

POSTTracey CarlsonMaine SNAP-Ed, summer recipes, healthy eating on a budget, healthy food for all, seasonal produce, PSE, seasonal workers, food connections, HFFA