Tag Archives: Soup

Tomato-Watermelon-Pepper Gazpacho

Gazpacho

I am so excited to share this recipe with you, it is soooo good!  When I saw my newest stash of CSA goodies, I wasn’t really sure how I was going to use everything, but I knew that I wanted to really take advantage of the mini watermelon and the heirloom tomatoes.  They were so colorful and delicious looking, so I started thinking about salsas and salads.  Then, through Foodgawker I found these two blog posts, one on Fresh From Eva’s Kitchen and the other on Citron et Vanille.  Each one has a recipe for a watermelon-tomato gazpacho.  It was kind of the direction I was going in, but even better!

Mini Watermelon

I’m a huge soup lover, though usually during the winter months.  I love the way the flavors mingle together and create an easy-to-eat warming meal.  I love creamy soups and water-based soups, I love soups that are pureed and ones that have big chunks of food.  I love ‘em all, any way they’re simply divine.

Gazpacho, is a wonderful summer treat.  It has the benefits of all of those intermingled flavors, yet it cools you off in the heat!  Perfect!  I loved the idea of mixing tomato and watermelon and taking advantage of all of the juiciness both fruits have.  I also thought that the sweetness in the watermelon would balance well against the acidity in the tomato.

Skins

Then, however, I remembered all of the peppers that came in the box.  I decided to roast some peppers and add those into the gazpacho as well to add some depth to the soup.

In the end, the recipe turned out easy and delicious.  I topped the soup with a little bit of goat cheese and then slurped it all up.  It’s definitely a rich, sweet gazpacho, so I would suggest pairing it with some bread.  Enjoy!

Blending

Tomato-Watermelon-Pepper Gazpacho
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Recipe type: Entree
Author: Ashley @ The Drunk Squash
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Total time: 30 mins
Serves: 2-4
A rich, sweet gazpacho- the perfect way to cool off on a warm afternoon.
What Do You Need?
  • 1 large tomato
  • 1 medium tomato (I used an heirloom and a plum tomato)
  • 1 mini watermelon (or 1/2 medium watermelon)
  • 2 Flamingo Peppers (or bell peppers? I don’t know the difference)
  • Olive Oil
  • Black Pepper
  • Salt
  • Dill
Make it Happen
  1. Preheat oven to 400F.
  2. Cut the peppers in half and remove the seeds, then place them skin-up on a baking sheet and roast them until their skins turn black.
  3. In the meantime, you can de-skin the tomatoes (or leave them with their skins on) and cut them into chunks..
  4. Also, cut out chunks of watermelon, remove the seeds, and add them to the tomatoes in a bowl.
  5. At this point you can add about a tablespoon of olive oil and pepper, salt, and dill to taste. Let all of the flavors sit.
  6. When the peppers’ skins have turned black, remove them from an oven and place them in a sealed plastic bag to build up steam.
  7. When the peppers have cooled to the touch, remove the skins and cut into chunks. Add to the tomatoes and watermelon.
  8. Either with an immersion blender or a regular blender, puree the majority of the soup. Leave about 1/4 of the total amount chunky so that your soup will have some texture.
  9. When you serve the gazpacho, sprinkle the top of the bowl or cup with goat cheese.

Soup

Doug’s Delicious Beet and Leek Soup

BeetsHello lovelies!
Sorry I took a day off, I’ve been busily working away at a story due tomorrow and it’s taken up much of my time.  Ah, the simplicity of one project due a week!  I’m just anticipating the serious crisis I’m going to undergo in the next four weeks as the semester comes to a close.  Get ready for some baked goods and ramen, folks, because I have a feeling I’m going to be needing some serious pick-me-ups!

But for now fear not, because this week hasn’t been outrageous and today I have a delicious beet soup for you.

Beets

Now, I know to some people “delicious” and “beet soup” may not sound like the two most natural phrases when placed together.  For whatever reason, beets are not given the respect they deserve.  I mean, maybe I’m alone here, but I didn’t try my first beet until about a year ago.  And I didn’t learn how to cook them until about seven months ago.

But for all of you beet virgins (or beet haters, or beet ambivalents), I have to say “give beets a chance!”  They are sweet and earthy and add beautiful color to a dish.
My childhood pal Doug would most certainly agree:
The Beets-Killer Tofu
(Okay, after watching that, let’s just pause for a moment to appreciate the fact that The Beets had some really great songs.  Not just because I grew up with them.  Come on, I would listen to that on a regular day!)

Beet Knife

(Couldn't help being a little macabre...)

But anyways, this soup is really simple.  I just so happened to have a lot of beets in my fridge in need of a transformation from bulbous root to tasty soup.  I also utilized leeks.  What else is new?  You’re probably noticing a trend here: I get a certain vegetable in high quantities and subsequently have to figure out how to use it.  Well, here’s a way:

Soup

Doug’s Delicious Beet and Leek Soup
Ingredients:
-1 leek
-a bunch (literally, a bunch) of 5 small beets
-5 cups of water
-1 tbsp olive oil
-1/4 cup whole milk  (you can always use 2% or something, but I had some delicious raw whole milk that I wanted to enjoy)
-salt and pepper to taste

Make it Happen:
1.  Chop the leek and those lovely beets into little pieces.  (The beets stain, so make sure you aren’t wearing a wedding gown.  If you’re planning to dress like Dexter for Halloween this would be a good way to get your costume underway.)
2.  Drop the chopped veggies in a pot and add 5 cups of water (or enough to cover), and put the heat on high.
3.  Bring the water to a boil for five or so minutes, then take the heat down to medium high so that you don’t evaporate all your water.  Leave heated for twenty minutes or so until leeks are translucent and beets are soft.
4.  Bust out the blender and puree the beet/leek water in small batches.
5.  Once it reaches your desired consistency add the olive oil and milk for thickness.
6.   Add salt and pepper (I found that my soup didn’t need salt, but was very delicious with a lot of pepper).

Soup and Bread

I told you it was easy!  Just toast some bread to dunk in it and you’re set.  Maybe listen to “Shout Your Lungs Out” or “I Need More Allowance” while you’re eating…

Quick and Dirty Ramen

So tonight I broke a cardinal rule of “healthy eating”…

I had microwave ramen.

We all know the scary high sodium and crazy amounts of generally not-so-good stuff, but I’m sure I don’t speak alone when I say some nights are just ramen nights.  I didn’t get home until late, I was hungry as a horse, and the 99-cent six-pack of ramen at Walgreens seduced me like no other.  So, much as I hate to admit it, tonight was definitely a ramen night for me.

Ramen Ingredients

However, I was not about to subject myself to that freaky little “shrimp flavor” packet that comes with those quick-cook noodles.  Instead I raided my fridge and found a half-used leek, some wilting kale, a bunch of old pre-shredded carrots, and an egg.  I sliced the sad little veggies up, threw ‘em in a bowl with water and the noodles, and put my microwave to work.  The whole affair took no longer than ten minutes and now I’m flying high, eating noodles and feeling pseudo-healthy about it!

This isn’t a real recipe, but what the hell, I’m going to pretend like it is:

Pseudo-Healthy Ramen

Ingredients:
-packet of ramen (sans seasoning)
- handful of sliced leek
-handful of sliced carrot
-handful of sliced kale
-low sodium soy sauce (or high sodium, whatever you have and like)
-cayenne pepper (optional, as are all of the ingredients, really)
-1 egg

Make it Happen:
1.  Crack noodles in package, then place in bowl and cover with water.
2.  Slice all veggies (and any others that are hogging fridge space), and toss in bowl.  Mix into water as best you can.
3.  Stick it all in the microwave for three minutes or until the noodles get soft.
4.  Open microwave and season soup to taste with soy sauce and  cayenne pepper.  If these aren’t your favorite flavors add whatever sounds delish.
5.   Crack your egg into the soup and swish it around.
6.  Continue heating until egg is cooked through and soup is sufficiently hot.  Then give it another sixty seconds for good measure so you can’t say I gave you salmonella poisoning!

Ramen Soup

And there she is, a quick and dirty ramen recipe that takes the health factor up a smidgen.  It wont taste like your favorite restaurant’s soup, but it’ll definitely taste better than plain ramen with “shrimp flavor.”  And you wont get the MSG shakes!  Everybody wins!