Gazpacho - Veggie Soup Recipe Video

 This recipe is for all you home gardeners! And my Gazpacho video is just in time for the end of summer vegetable harvest.

Even if you don't have a summer garden, all the veggies in this recipe are easily had from local farmer's markets and roadside fruit and vegetable stands. I get my ingredients from a local Latin grocery store, too. All are for less than a buck per pound.

Click on any photo to see larger.

Tomatoes are the most expensive veggie, but they often come on sale somewhere. Cucumber and bell pepper are cheap, and onions are the cheapest veggie by far. I sometimes use garlic from the jar, but I also like a fresh chopped extra-pungent clove.

The other main ingredients are olive oil and vinegar. I get extra virgin olive oil in small bottles from my local 99c only Store and Dollar Tree. While not the best quality, hey it's good enough for me. And you can use any expensive olive oil, flavorful oil like avocado, or a nut-based one.

Gazpacho is a cold vegetable soup originally from Spain. They use Sherry Wine - use that if you can find it, but I find  Red Wine Vinegar is an easy substitution. It's okay to use any vinegar you have on hand like apple cider or white vinegar.

There is no cooking involved, all you do is roughly chop all the veggies to fit in a blender or food processor - you can use a hand blender. Pour in a half a cup of olive oil and a couple tablespoons of vinegar, then blend it all together for a minute or so, until smooth and creamy.

I like to serve Gazpacho chilled and topped with a sliced fresh herb like basil. I add a sprinkling of fine-chopped tomato and cucumber for extra color, and crunch.

The veggie balance is up to you. Some recipes call to peel and remove seeds from the cucumber. The cucumbers I've gotten lately are almost seedless, or the seeds are very small and soft. If you peel the cucumber the Gazpacho will be a brighter red color.

I used green bell pepper, but any color on sale will do. Red, yellow, and orange bell peppers are a bit sweeter but more expensive.

Tomatoes are the main ingredient. So let them fully ripen on your kitchen counter or windowsill. I use a couple pounds of tomatoes, and you can use as much as you like with an extra-large crop to harvest. Adjust the veggie amounts to suit your tastes.

My patio garden tomatoes.

So get to chopping and blend my summer fresh Gazpacho Soup for a cool and refreshing appetizer or light lunch.

Gazpacho - Video

Play it here, video runs 2 minutes, 48 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds tomato - roughly chopped, about 3 to 4 cups. I used 4 regular sized tomatoes.
• 1/2 onion - roughly chopped
• 1 bell pepper - remove seeds and white membrane.
• 1 cucumber - Some recipes just throw in a chopped and unpeeled cucumber with seeds. Okay to peel and remove seeds for a more colorful soup.
• 1 clove garlic - 1 teaspoon chopped. Fresh or from a jar.
• 2 tablespoons wine vinegar - usually sherry vinegar is used, but any type of vinegar will do.
• 1/2 cup olive oil - okay to use any favorite flavorful oil.

Directions
 Chop veggies to fit in a blender or food processor. The veggies don't need to be finely chopped, just a quick couple of slices will do. If you have a hand blender then put chopped veggies in a large bowl.

Remove seed and white membrane in the bell pepper. Some recipes say to remove cucumber skin and seed. The type I get recently have little to no seeds. If you peel the cucumber the Gazpacho will be brighter orange or red.

You can add or subtract the amount of garlic, onion, bell pepper, and cucumber. Just make sure to add plenty of tomatoes! I do remove the stem part, but I keep the seeds.

Add veggies to a blender or food processor. Pour in a half cup of olive oil or favorite flavored oil. It's okay to add more or less olive oil, to suit your tastes.

Finally, add 2 tablespoons of vinegar. I use Red Wine Vinegar, but it's okay to use any you have on hand including balsamic vinegar. Add as much or as little as you like.

Some recipes call for adding a slice or two of bread to the blender for a thicker soup. I leave it out for this recipe.

Cover and blend it all together until smooth and creamy, about one minute.

Chill Gazpacho until ready to serve. I like to top my Gazpacho with a fresh sliced herb and a small amount of chopped veggies like tomato and cucumber, for added crunch and color.

Gazpacho - Veggie Soup Recipe Video

 This recipe is for all you home gardeners! And my Gazpacho video is just in time for the end of summer vegetable harvest.

Even if you don't have a summer garden, all the veggies in this recipe are easily had from local farmer's markets and roadside fruit and vegetable stands. I get my ingredients from a local Latin grocery store, too. All are for less than a buck per pound.

Click on any photo to see larger.

Tomatoes are the most expensive veggie, but they often come on sale somewhere. Cucumbers and bell peppers are cheap, and onions are the cheapest veggie by far. I sometimes use garlic from the jar, but I also like a freshly chopped extra-pungent clove.

The other main ingredients are olive oil and vinegar. I get extra virgin olive oil in small bottles from my local 99c only Store and Dollar Tree. While not the best quality, hey it's good enough for me. And you can use any expensive olive oil, flavorful oil like avocado, or a nut-based one.

Gazpacho is a cold vegetable soup originally from Spain. They use Sherry Wine - use that if you can find it, but I find  Red Wine Vinegar is an easy substitution. It's okay to use any vinegar you have on hand like apple cider or white vinegar.

There is no cooking involved, all you do is roughly chop all the veggies to fit in a blender or food processor - you can use a hand blender. Pour in half a cup of olive oil and a couple tablespoons of vinegar, then blend it all together for a minute or so, until smooth and creamy.

I like to serve Gazpacho chilled and topped with a sliced fresh herb like basil. I add a sprinkling of fine-chopped tomato and cucumber for extra color and crunch.

The veggie balance is up to you. Some recipes call to peel and remove seeds from the cucumber. The cucumbers I've gotten lately are almost seedless, or the seeds are very small and soft. If you peel the cucumber the Gazpacho will be a brighter red color.

I used green bell pepper, but any color on sale will do. Red, yellow, and orange bell peppers are a bit sweeter but more expensive.

Tomatoes are the main ingredient. So let them fully ripen on your kitchen counter or windowsill. I use a couple pounds of tomatoes, and you can use as much as you like with an extra-large crop to harvest. Adjust the veggie amounts to suit your tastes.

My patio garden tomatoes.

So get to chopping and blend my summer fresh Gazpacho Soup for a cool and refreshing appetizer or light lunch.

Gazpacho - Video

Play it here, video runs 2 minutes, 48 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Tomato - roughly chopped, about 3 to 4 cups. I used 4 regular-sized tomatoes.
• 1/2 Onion - roughly chopped
• 1 Bell Pepper - remove seeds and white membrane.
• 1 Cucumber - In some recipes just throw in a chopped and unpeeled cucumber with seeds. Okay to peel and remove seeds for a more colorful soup.
• Garlic - 1 teaspoon chopped. Fresh or from a jar.
• 2 tablespoons Wine Vinegar - usually sherry vinegar is used, but any type of vinegar will do.
• 1/2 cup Olive Oil - okay to use any favorite flavorful oil.

Directions
 Chop veggies to fit in a blender or food processor. The veggies don't need to be finely chopped, just a quick couple of slices will do. If you have a hand blender then put chopped veggies in a large bowl.

Remove the seeds and white membrane in the bell pepper. Some recipes say to remove cucumber skin and seed.  If you peel the cucumber the Gazpacho will be brighter orange or red.

You can add or subtract the amount of garlic, onion, bell pepper, and cucumber. Just make sure to add plenty of tomatoes! I do remove the stem, but I keep the seeds.

Add veggies to a blender or food processor. Pour in a half cup of olive oil or your favorite flavored oil. It's okay to add more or less olive oil, to suit your tastes.

Finally, add 2 tablespoons of vinegar. I use Red Wine Vinegar, but it's okay to use any you have on hand including white, apple, and balsamic vinegar. Add as much or as little as you like.

Some recipes call for adding a slice or two of bread to the blender for a thicker soup. I leave it out for this recipe.

Cover and blend it all together until smooth and creamy, about one minute.

Chill Gazpacho until ready to serve. I like to top my Gazpacho with a fresh sliced herb and a small amount of chopped veggies like tomato and cucumber, for added crunch and a colorful presentation.

Stuffed Tomatoes (Breadcrumbs, Spinach & Cheese)

Tomatoes sweeten even more when baked. In the latest Cheapskate Chef recipe tomatoes are stuffed with cheese, breadcrumbs, garlic and spinach for a scrumptious vegetarian entree.

Like bell peppers, all you have to do is slice off the tops or divide in half, then scoop out the seeds for a tasty container that can hold almost anything, even your favorite meatloaf mix (mine is here.) Baking caramelizes the tomato and the melting cheese mixes into the breadcrumbs and spinach to delicious effect.

While tomatoes are not the cheapest fruit, they are always coming on sale. My local 99c only Store and my favorite Latin Market stock them at the right price. And if you plant a summer garden, definitely bookmark this recipe for harvest time.

You can use pre-made breadcrumbs, but they are so easy to make you might as well do it yourself (my recipe is here,) because you can use more nutritious types of bread instead of plain white (try whole wheat and multi-grain sometime.) And any type of inexpensive cheese can be mixed in -- it's up to you.

If you use large tomatoes then you have an easy-to-make filling meatless meal. If the tomatoes are small then they can be served as a accompaniment to the main course, or even as appetizers for your next gathering.

Now that it's colder, time to warm up the kitchen with an oven full of The 99 Cent Chef's Stuffed Tomatoes with Breadcrumbs, Spinach & Cheese. And this is a perfect Meatless Monday meal.

Ingredients (2 servings)

• 2 large tomatoes - I used about 6-8 small ones. Cut length wise (for Italian,) or just lop off the tops (for tomatoes that will not tip over) and scoop out seeds.
• 1/2 package or 1/2 bunch of spinach - roughly chopped, about 3 cups.
• 3/4 cup of breadcrumbs - okay to use a little more or less.
• 1/2 small package of cheese - about 3 ounces. Again, okay to use more or less. Any favorite cheese - I used mozzorella.
• 1 teaspoon of chopped garlic
• 2 teaspoons oil - one for sauteing spinach, and the other to coat roasting pan.
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Clean and roughly chop spinach, about 3 cups worth. Add teaspoon of oil and chopped garlic to pan. Saute over a medium heat for a minute.

Add chopped spinach, stir and cook unit wilted and soft. Should take 2-4 minutes.

Go ahead and prep the tomatoes while the spinach cooks. You can slice tomatoes a couple of ways: lengthwise for tomatoes that will not sit upright like Italian tomatoes. or narrow types; or you can just lop off the top of more wide and squat tomatoes.

With a spoon scoop out seeds and pulp from tomatoes and discard (or save for a tomato sauce.)

Now time to bring it all together. In a bowl add cheese, breadcrumbs and spinach. Mix well. You can use pre-made breadcrumbs or make your own. (Just click here to see how I do it with 2 slices of bread.) Depending on the size of your tomatoes, you may need some more of these ingredients -- it's easy enough to make a larger batch of stuffing.

Fill each tomato cavity with cheese, spinach and breadcrumb stuffing. Go ahead and carefully pack it in.

Since tomatoes are high in sugar, they may stick to baking pan. I used an oil spray to coat my baking cookie sheet, you could just drizzle a teaspoon of oil and rub it over the surface. Arrange the Stuffed Tomatoes on the pan.

Bake the Stuffed Tomatoes for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Done when the tomato skin wrinkles and the tomatoes begin to collapse. The cheese and breadcrumbs will lightly brown.

Very hot when done so let them set a minute, then dig in!

Hindsight
During baking a couple of the tomatoes with tops cut off tipped over and the stuffing started to run out. I carefully made them right before the cheese melted out. So be sure to check about half way though baking and straighten any tomatoes that fall over.

You can also use ground beef, turkey or chicken mixed into the stuffing for hardier fare.

If you like a cheesy stuffing then add more of it - same thing if you want more spinach. Since tomatoes come in such unpredictable sizes, you may need more or less stuffing, but the stuffing mix is easy enough to expand.

This recipe is easy to double when you get a bountiful harvest of tomatoes, or if you are luck enough to have a farmers market or roadside stand that carries locally grown tomatoes.