I have been craving Summer Gazpacho Soup for the past few weeks and finally caved and made this light summer dish. Talk about healthy, this soup is filled with tons of chopped vegetables and is very low calorie. Forget eating an apple a day to keep the doctor away, this soup is so much more delicious and healthy.

For those of you who have never had gazpacho, it is a Spanish soup, and it is served cold. Tomatoes, cucumbers, red peppers, garlic, and onion all come together to make this zesty soup the perfect summer dish. And because its served cold, it’s encouraged to make it well in advance of your occasion to serve it, whether it be a backyard BBQ or at a family dinner. I usually make it several hours in advance and keep it chilled in a big bowl in the refrigerator, so that when the guests arrive it’ll be all set to go.

This recipe is from Ina Garten, and was found on www.foodnetwork.com.

Ingredients:
1 hothouse cucumber, halved and seeded, but not peeled
2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded
4 plum tomatoes
1 red onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
23 ounces tomato juice (3 cups)
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup good olive oil
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Roughly chop the cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and red onions into 1-inch cubes. Put each vegetable separately into afood processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. Do not overprocess!
2. After each vegetable is processed, combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix well and chill before serving. The longer gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop.