« S-H-R-I-M-P Night Chez L'Orange | Main | What You Really Really Want »
June 3, 2007
Cold Creamy Summer Gazpachzo
In the eternal quest to find something cold to serve on these hot days, I made a variation on my traditional gazpachzo.
This is two servings worth: one that I served tonight, one that I left for MR to eat tomorrow whilst I'm in Scranton.
2 green pepper
2 cucumbers
mince, but not totally puree, in food processor
blend into 2 cups of low sodium V8 juice.
Add: lots of chili powder. I used my special chili powder from around the world shaker, but any would do.
Plus: cumin, red wine vinegar (dash), tarragon (dried), garlic powder (lots), lemon juice (half a lemon), tabasco (a few shakes, any variety), a dash Worsterschire sauce, and 1 teaspoon of flax oil.
Then... and here's the revolutionary thing: add a half cup plain, nonfat yogurt to complete the creaminess and add calcium/protein without adding a whole lot of calories. Also, you get that yogurt bite. Delicious!
Serve cold.
I added a few g eggwhites (9 to be exact) to MR's soup, then served a side dish of broccoli with garlic and olive oil and lemon, plus a giant choco-banana whey shake. And his quotidian glass of wine with dinner. He loved it.
I, on the other hand, had shrimp. Yes, I can write it without fear of inspiring a round of kitty howls since my cat can not, as yet, read. I gave him two shrimpies, raw, just like he likes. I cooked my shrimp in red wine with garlic and a dash of half salt and they were fabulous! No leftover shrimp in our house! I also had a pint of grape tomatoes, a piece of nonfat cheddar cheese, and a bunch of black olives (fifty cals worth), plus some wonderful French red. I really enjoy meals that are very simple, distinct separate tastes. A bit of this, a bit of that, but all on their own where I can taste them. So odd since I do adore cooking for others as a hobby, and have been thinking a lot lately about the way I blend flavors. But for myself, I like to taste every individual ingredient. Hobby cooking is so much fun, but what I personally want to eat is often different from what I serve. The truth is, a salad of 100 g kale with a cup of nonfat plain yogurt, four tablespoons of salsa and fifty cals of olives plus 1 tablespoon flax oil is my own taste nirvana... when I eat my simple quotidian food, I feel completely satisfied. I enjoy playing with flavors for others, and for those for whom I cook often, I enjoy learning their tastes and crafting meals to fit within their nutritional goals while hitting all their taste pressure points. But for myself, I love strong tastes, totally separate from each other, so that I savor each as its own individual flavor.
Tomorrow I'm off to Scranton for most of the week, so I'd better go now to cuddle up my cats so they don't eat MR in my absence. Will be checking the blog from the road and hope to write. Will definitely be packing the whey!
Posted by april at June 3, 2007 8:44 PM
Comments
Yummy gazpachzo. I'm definitely going to make this very soon. The trouble with most gazpachzo recipes is raw onions, which I can't stand.(Cooked onions are good.) I might try adding raw garlic though, which I like. Like you, I can't resist tinkering with a recipe.
Have a good week.
Cheers, Y
Posted by: Yvonne at June 3, 2007 8:57 PM
have a safe and productive trip! I hope they have something for you to eat besides grilled chicken salads.
Posted by: bethsheba at June 4, 2007 9:36 AM
Hi April,
Could you tell me where you buy this fabulous choco-whey shake mix? Thanks to your ringing endorsements, I just have to try it! :)
Thanks!
Posted by: Rachel at June 4, 2007 2:14 PM