White Gazpacho



Soup is welcomed at my table all months of the year. I have no qualms about sharing my bowl and spoon in the summer for something other than cereal or ice cream.

Perhaps my Romanian-ness bred in me this penchant for the slurpy goodness.
Or maybe my jaw's just lazy. It's a toss-up.

For those of you believing that soup's big debut is reserved for winter's frigidity: stop. Just quit it. It's all a myth.

Major thanks to my friend, John Mark, for ushering me into the realm of summer soup: Gazpacho!



Gazpacho is a cold soup that's bread- and vegetable-based. It takes practically no time at all to put together.

Think, C. B. C.

Chop.

Blend.

Chill.

That's it. Your blender is totes jealous at how easy your workload is compared to his (hers?).

And seriously, any food that can demand another food to serve its contents is pretty rockstar. Soup + bread bowl = the reason Panera is so legit.

Dish out your soup in style. Check out these awesome bowls from Anthropologie:

I want to serve ginormous spoonfuls of soup in these bowls!!! And maybe possibly even share. Maybe.

So if you're still not convinced soup can be served without wearing sweaters, scarves, and long-johns, ease your way into soup season with this flavorful chilled concoction.

White Gazpacho

Food creds: Panera Bread

Ingredients:

             4-5 slices french bread*

             2 cups water

             1 sweet onion, peeled and chopped

             2 medium cucumbers, peeled and coarsely chopped

             1/2 cup champagne vinegar

             1/2 cup almond or olive oil

             3 Tbsp sugar

             2 tsp salt

             1/2 tsp white pepper

             1/2 lb green grapes, rinsed and halved

             1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Directions:

             1. Remove crusts from bread slices. Cut bread into 1/2" to make 2

                 cups of bread cubes.

             2. Put bread, water, onion, cucumber, vinegar, oil, sugar, salt, and

                 white pepper in a blender. Puree until smooth.

             3. Chill soup until it's very cold (at least 2 hours). Serve in cold bowls

                 and garnish with halved grapes and toasted almonds.

*I used rice cakes this time around for a friend who's on a no-yeast fast.

Mmm. Cukes.





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Easy-Shmeasy Guacamole

Hot wax will come off your yoga mat. . . . In case you were wondering.

It seems I am peculiarly prone to ridiculous calamities. Ahem. Like the time I decided to use the automatic car wash only to discover that my sun roof leaks. Profusely. That’s right -- a continual faucet of flowing water. Inside.my.car.  

My faux pas are right up there with the embarrassing yet laugh-out-loud scenarios that entice you to watch sitcoms. Yep. My life’s pretty similar to an episode of I Love Lucy. Minus the red curls. Oh, and the Cuban singer. Don’t have one of those.

It’s totally hereditary. Some sort of recessive gene that makes up the family DNA. Are you doubting? Well, it could be true. I just happen to recall that my mom backed over the heel of my foot with the car once. And my sister impaled the inside of her cheek with her s'more stick when tumbling over a tree stump at the family camping trip. And at the stage of childhood when the tooth fairy was my only source of income, I may or may not have abruptly yanked out my grandmother's loose tooth when she showed me how her's wiggled, too. I thought she might like the spare cash. I dunno.

So I suppose it wasn't at all unusual that one minute I was picking up a candle to blow it out before going to bed, and the next, my mostly asleep arm willed itself to dump liquefied wax all over the yoga mat lying unrolled on the floor. This is my life. Welcome.

This mishap-oriented gal has to have some simple stuff in my food repertoire in order to feel accomplished sometimes. For those occasions, I bust out foods with few ingredients and that don't require much cooking or baking. Essentially, dips. This guacamole recipe is sure to win you over. Even for those who succeed everywhere else in life other than the kitchen. You can do it! And you'll truly feel fulfilled when you crunch on your tortilla chip loaded with that savory green mound of garden goodness. Who knew it'd be so easy to feel like a not-failure?!

Aren't they perdy?



Easy-Shmeasy Guacamole
Food creds: Food Network: Alton Brown

Ingredients:
           3 avocados, halved, seeded, peeled
           1 lime, juiced
           1/2 tsp salt
           1/2 tsp cumin
           1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
           1/2 medium onion, diced
           2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
           1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
           1 garlic clove, minced

Directions:
           1. In a large bowl, coat avocados with the lime juice. Then drain juice
               into a separate bowl.
           2. Adding the salt, cumin, and cayenne pepper, mash the avocados
               with a potato masher.
           3. Fold in the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic.
           4. Add 1 tablespoon of the lime juice back into the guacamole.
           5. Let the dip sit at room temperature for 1 hour.

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Black Bean Burgers

I'm not a vegetarian. I'm not. I promise. I love a well prepared fillet mignon and spinach|feta-stuffed chicken every now and again. But I also love healthy veggies, too. So when I stumbled across this recipe in June during a meatless fast I was undertaking, I said "Heck yes! Hand over the beans, please. I will make these." Yep. That's what I said.

So I made them. And then a week later I made them again. And then just last night I made them... again. Obsessed? Me?! Nah. Okay, maybe just a little. But really, it's because they are just that delicious. Super healthy, super filling, super easy to throw together. Who wouldn't be making these at least one night of the week? People with too much time on their hands, that's who. But then again, I don't know too many of those folks. Do you?

I loved these. My mom loved these. My roommates loved these. My 5 year old nephew, not so much. But as suspected, his carnivorous tendencies refused a burger that was not made from meat. You can't win 'em all, I suppose.

The spices really do it for me. It's so flavorful. Cumin and cayenne pepper add just enough excitement to say Wake up, tastebuds. Don't be fooled by a burger with beans. I'll cause you to forget all about those meaty imposters you thought you loved so much. It'll be like healthy codependency. Right? No? Not okay? Alright then.   

And just look at these colors! I've heard it said that you should eat the rainbow. It's true! Vegetables are vibrant and alluring. Ever notice how prepackaged meals are super bland in color? Not this guy. No siree. 





Excuse the naked thumb nail in bottom left corner. Made time for bean burgers that night just not nail polish. 

Black Bean Burgers

Food creds: Annie's eats

Ingredients:

              3/4 cup panko (can be substituted with bread crumbs)

              3 T., plus 2 t. of olive oil, divided

              2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed, divided

              2 large eggs

              1 t. ground cumin

              1/2 t. salt

              1/4 t. cayenne pepper

              1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped (yellow or
                orange work nicely as well)

              1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped

              1 shallot, minced (half of a vedalia onion will also work, finely
                 chopped)

Directions:

1. Place a medium sized skillet over medium-high heat. Blend the panko and 2 teaspoons of olive oil with a fork. Add the mixture to the skillet and, stirring frequently, toast until light golden brown. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
2. Place 2 1/2 cups of beans in a bowl and mash with a potato masher (or fork) until mostly smooth. In another bowl, combine eggs, 1 tablespoon oil, cumin, salt, and cayenne, and whisk until blended. To the mashed beans, add the egg mixture, toasted panko, remaining 1/2 cup beans, bell pepper, shallots, and cilantro. Stir together until combined.
3. Divide into 6 equal portions and form into patties*. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in large skillet over medium heat. Place 3 patties in skillet and cook until well browned on both sides (about 8-10 minutes total). Remove cooked burgers and repeat with last tablespoon of oil and 3 patties. Serve warm.

*Once divided, you can cook all six or refrigerate the patties that won't be eaten at that time and then cook them the next day. Wrap in either plastic wrap or tin foil.

Or, you can cook all six, refrigerate, and reheat uneaten burgers the next day. Both turn out just as yummy.

Enjoy!

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