Garden Gazpacho

These are the last few weeks for tomatoes so get em' while you can. And if you are in LA it feels more like summer than fall! So make yourself one of the most refreshing soups and best ways too use those soft tomatoes. At the farmers market they sell soft tomatoes for half price but you gotta ask where they are at!! Remember not too refrigerate your tomatoes. They will lose much of their flavor if you do. So use them asap. Oh and you may notice that there are no bell peppers in this recipe. Why you ask? Well because I am not a fan of the bell peppers. But if you are then by all means chop some up and add them into the food processor with the rest of the vegetables. To each is own. Make sure you patiently wait for the soup to chill.

Soup

4 large heirloom tomatoes, large chop (I use pineapple and black cherokee tomatoes)

2 medium cucumbers, peeled and chopped

1 small red onion, chopped

1 small jalapeno pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped

large handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

4 basil leaves, chopped

fresh squeezed juice of 2 limes

2 tsp sea salt

fresh ground pepper

Garnish

1 fresh corn, kernels only

1/2 hass avocado, small dice

cilantro leaves

Place tomatoes and sea salt in food processor, pulse until blended but still a little chunky. Pour into large bowl. Then add cucumber, onion and jalapeno into food processor, pulse until finely chopped. Add to tomato bowl. Combine. Mix in fresh cilantro, basil, fresh ground pepper and lime juice. Taste. Add ½ tsp salt if necessary. Chill in fridge for at least an hour. Taste. You may need to add a pinch more salt and possibly a squeeze more lime juice. Ladle into bowls and garnish with the corn kernels, avocado and a beautiful leaf of cilantro. I like to serve this with Mary's Gone Crackers for an extra crunch! http://www.marysgonecrackers.com/ns/intro.php