Recipe of the Week - July 8, 2011

Beany Gazpacho
Source: Cook for Good (one of my favorite foodie bloggers!)

Makes 4 main-dish servings, 1 1/4 cup each.

Ingredients

1 clove garlic
2 pounds fresh tomatoes
2 cups cooked kidney beans, drained
1 green pepper
1/4 onion
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon apple-cider vinegar
1 teaspoon chipotle hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt

Method

1.  Peel the garlic. Set up your food processor with the cutting blade or use a blender. Turn the machine on and drop the garlic in while the blade is turning. Turn the machine off after the garlic is minced, in just a second or two.
2. Decide if you want smooth soup or if you want to reserve some chopped vegetables and beans for garnish. If you do, dice and set aside about a quarter cup each of the tomatoes, onions, and green pepper in the following step. Also set aside a quarter cup of beans.
3. Cut stem and any bad spots from tomatoes. Cut into quarters and add to machine. Add beans. Peel onion and put 1/4 into machine, reserving rest for another use. Rinse pepper, remove stem end and seeds. Cut into about 8 pieces and add to machine. Add remaining ingredients except any garnish.
4. Process ingredients until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings. For best taste, refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.
5. To serve, top with garnish if desired. Refrigerate for up to four days if not serving right away.

Tips and Notes (from the recipe author)

• This soup may also be heated on a stove or in a microwave and served hot.
• When tomatoes are not in season, use a 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes in place of the fresh ones. The version made with canned tomatoes tastes best hot.

Rating and Tips

• 5 out of 5
• This was an excellent dish. Cool and refreshing - great in the middle of  heat wave!
• I added lots of hot sauce!
• We served it with some whole grain Italian bread.