4 years ago

Cucumber Melon Gazpacho
[Vegan]

Julie combines her years of medical experience with her passion for healthy eating to bring... Read More

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This gazpacho is light, velvety, tasty and cool. It’s the perfect mid-day meal during the heatwaves that many of us are experiencing these days.

2 cups (300-320g) cucumber with peel, sliced lengthwise and diced *see note
2 cups (300g) green melon such as Honeydew (Melon Miel Vert) or Piel De Sapo, seeds scooped out and flesh diced
1 1/2 cups (200-220g) green zucchini with peel, sliced lengthwise and diced
Half of one medium-sized avocado, flesh scooped out
1 small green jalapeño or chilli pepper, seeds removed and diced
5 roasted garlic cloves (1 tablespoon, packed) (can sub. with 1 small raw garlic clove smashed with back of large knife or 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder) (recipe in instructions)
1 cup plant milk, no sugar added
1 1/2 cups filtered water
1/4 cup lime juice, freshly squeezed
Fresh mint & coriander (or parsley) leaves, a small bouquet of each
Salt and ground pepper, to taste

If adding roasted garlic, which I recommend, roast it first (the recipe is below). Making it is simple but the result is a garlic paste that is subtle and smokey.
Prepare, chop and measure all ingredients listed above. Transfer everything into a deep bowl that isn’t too wide. Mix with a big spoon, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours but preferably overnight, tossing ingredients a few times.
Transfer marinated ingredients into a high-powered blender and blend until creamy.
Pour into deep bowls and garnish as desired. Adjust salt and pepper to individual portions. Store leftover gazpacho in a sealed container in the fridge.
Serve chilled. It has to be chilled!

Set oven at 425°F. Slice off the edge of each garlic head that is opposite the stem to expose each individual garlic bud (slice off about 1/4 inch thick layer). Peel off the outer papery layer of the heads but leave the skin of each garlic bud intact. (Brisk downward strokes with fingers easily remove the outer layer.)
Place garlic heads on a baking dish with the cut sides facing up. Drizzle tops with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap each head tightly with a layer of parchment covered with a layer of aluminum foil (You can do this to avoid wrapping foods directly with foil when cooking on high heat). Place on the middle rack and roast for 45 minutes. Then remove, unwrap, and allow heads to cool before handling.
Squeeze the bottom of each garlic head and the roasted buds slide out. The buds will be soft and creamy and with a butter knife, they spread like a paste. Store in the fridge in a sealed container and use it for cooking or as a spread on crackers or toast.

*If your cucumber has large seeds, slice it lengthwise and scoop out the seeds by sliding the tip of a sharp spoon along the flesh. You may need to add extra cucumber to make up for 2 cups. Proceed to dicing. If seeds are small, you don’t need to to do this.