Cucumber Gazpacho

If you're not familiar, gazpacho is a cold blended soup (more like a drink tbh) originating in Southern Spain. Most traditional gazpachos consist of tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, garlic, oil, vinegar and bread cubes for thickening. Gazpacho is refreshing, flavorful and makes the perfect summertime lunch. 

Since it isn't quite tomato season yet, I wanted to create a gazpacho better suited for early summer. So, I ditched the tomatoes and upped the cucumbers. This change results in a gorgeously green, ultra-refreshing gazpacho!

Let me know what you think of the recipe and don’t forget to follow the sustainability tips below!

Time: 10 minutes

Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 cup bread cubes

  • 1/2 cup almonds, or nut of choice

  • 3/4 cup water, plus more for soaking the bread

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 3 cucumbers, peeled and seeded, plus 1 more for garnish

  • 3 garlic scapes

  • 2 tablespoons chopped yellow onion

  • 1 tablespoon chopped mint

  • 1/4 cup olive oil

  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Methods

  1. Place the bread cubes in a medium bowl and cover them with water. Let sit for about 15 minutes, or until the bread is thoroughly softened. Drain off the water.

  2. To a blender or food processor, add all the ingredients (don't forget the 3/4 cup water!). Blend until very smooth. Serve chilled. Garnish with a drizzle of oil, more mint and plenty of diced cucumber. Eat up!

Sustainability Tips

  • Cucumbers, scapes, onion and mint: Your best option is to grow the produce yourself, but local or organic veggies and herbs are also great options. Be sure to make this recipe during the summer, when cucumbers and garlic scapes are in season. This way, your produce won't have to travel very far to get to you.