There comes a time when after a vacation, day to day eating habits need to revert back to the place they were before the break. There also comes a time when, after an evening out with an old friend and a little bit more wine than I’m used to these days, a hydrating meal becomes of utmost importance.
Enter Living Raw Food. I picked this book up when I was in the US this past July. Wait. That makes it sound too casual. Truth is, I put this book on my Amazon wishlist months ago, then realized it wouldn’t reach New Zealand before we left for the USA. Hastily upon arrival in San Diego I cantered on down to the Barnes and Noble to retrieve my copy. I then read it poolside at a friends house in Tucson and inserted little pieces of ripped paper in between the pages which held the recipes I’d be able to make with little to no equipment (my current predicament). With sections for the every day and family-style (as well as the more complicated ones from the restaurant’s menu), I have plenty of material to get started with.*
As you know from previous posts, I am a lover of blended raw soups. They’re quick, easy and super satisfying. They’re also a good place to start if creating a raw meal for people who are not entirely convinced they want to eat Raw Food.
This soup was incredibly easy to put together (15 – 20 minutes). Because I like it spicy I then let it sit in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to really let the jalapeños start to sing. The result was a soup that was fresh up front but had a soft burn as you neared the last spoonful.
Cucumber, Mint & Jalapeño Gazpacho
Serves 4. Adapted from Living Raw Food by Sarma Melngailis.
Ingredients:
4 English Telegraph cucumbers cut into chunks small enough for your food processor to liquidize (leave the skins and seeds intact)
2 Red jalapeños, finely diced
1 Red bell pepper, diced
8 Sprigs of fresh mint, chopped into very thin strips (chiffonade)
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
Fresh ground black pepper and sea salt to taste
Method
Liquidize the cucumbers and place into a large glass bowl. Stir in the remaining ingredients.
Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator for between 1 – 2 hours prior to serving.
* I’ll do a full review of the book once I’ve tried a few more recipes
was the mint overpowering? I’m a huge fan of mint. I wonder how this would taste without the mint? It looks fabulous my dear.
Haha, I loved your story about obtaining the book – and the excitement, bookmarking, and menu planning that followed – I can relate to that very well
Astonishingly, I’ve never tried gazpacho. I love soup, but I like my soup hot, like scalding hot. Wait, nevermind. I did have a cold soup in Provence, France (it was part of a prix-fixe menu or else I would have never thought to order it). It was divine, especially on the hot summer day. I’ll have to give it a try again before the summer months have passed..
Hi Dawn ~ Thanks for coming by! The mint wasn’t overpowering. The actual recipe called for a small handful and I definitely put in more than that. It was almost like a hint of mint in the final dish and it was definitely second to the chili flavor.
Hi Greta ~ Definitely try it! It is really reviving on a summer’s day. Though honestly I’d eat this in Winter too, with those warming chillies in. I am a little biased though, as I’ve always adored gazpacho in it’s original form
How many of us sit poolside (or where ever) with a new cookbook and little strips of paper? I want to know how many of those recipes you marked actually get done! My books are still sprouting tons of strips!
This soup looks and sounds utterly amazing! What a flavor combo!
Perfect summer soup! Love it!
I just bought that book yesterday and blogged about it. Great to see a recipe being put to the test! And I live in San Diego…where you bought your book. Funny!
I. Want. This. Now.
A gazpacho without cilantro and tomatoes — wow! Looks divine. What are red jalapenos?
WOW that looks AMAZING!!!!
Averie ~ Thanks for coming by! I’ll look out for which recipes you try out on your blog
Gayle ~ It’s so easy you almost could! Red jalapeños are ripened green ones. They tend to be sweeter and not quite so hot.
Roni ~ It was really tasty! I would recommend 100%.
hi.. I love cucumbers and soups. Do you have a recipe that we can prepare hot?
It’s always interesting to note what flavors compliment each other so well! These are definitely different, but make this dish phenomenal. I was very excited that the mint wasn’t overpowering because I’m not a huge mint fan.. but everything was perfect. Kudos.
-Camille
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