Watermelon Gazpacho
Garden fresh gazpacho with tomatoes, cucumbers, diced watermelon, bell peppers, jalapeno, cilantro, garlic, grilled red onion, fresh lime juice, cumin, New Mexico chili powder, cayenne and a garnish of nonfat Greek yogurt, lime wedges, and cilantro sprigs.
Equipment
- 1 Food processor
Ingredients
- 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro leaves stems removed
- 2 large cucumbers peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
- 1 large red, yellow or orange bell pepper stem and seeds removed and coarsely chopped
- 1 poblano pepper stem and seeds removed and coarsely chopped
- 2 jalapeno peppers stem and seeds removed and coarsely diced
- 1 tomatillo paper skin removed and diced
- 1 medium red onion peeled and sliced or chopped (can saute, grill, or use raw)
- 8-10 large tomatoes stem removed and quartered
- 4 cups diced watermelon flesh (use 2 cups in the puree and 2 cups on top of soup when serving.)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2-3 tbsp. fresh lime juice
- 2-3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 2/3 cup tomato sauce
- 1 tsp. cumin powder
- 1 tsp. mild New Mexico chili powder
- 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp. sea salt or Himalayan pink salt
- Garnishes: nonfat Greek yogurt, fresh cilantro sprigs, avocado slices, lime wedges
Instructions
- Clean all veggies. Peel cucumber. Cut rind off watermelon. Cut all veggies (and watermelon) into medium-sized chunks. Place the first 9 ingredients into the bowl of a large food processor. Pulse processor 6-7 times for a chunky gazpacho and 2 minutes more for a smoother soup. If you only have a small processor, do it in batches by processing each type of veggie one at a time and transferring to a larger bowl.
- Add remaining ingredients and stir to incorporate. Chill for several hours or overnight. Garnish with avocado, plain yogurt, cilantro, reserved diced watermelon, and lime wedges,
Notes
If you haven’t tried grilling watermelon, you might enjoy giving it a try. We did thinking we’d use grilled watermelon in this recipe, and we loved the taste of the grilled watermelon, but decided that fresh, ripe watermelon was a better complement to the spicy peppers and seasonings in this gazpacho. The watermelon has the effect of cooling the heat and yet it is definitely not too sweet in this recipe.
The grilled watermelon, however, would be wonderful in an arugula salad with feta cheese and a simple vinaigrette. Yum!