Gazpacho

Time to fess up... I never actually used to like gazpacho. Don't get me wrong, all of the ingredients appealed to me but I simply couldn't get my head around the concept of "cold soup". Of course, the climate in Andalusia, Spain where gazpacho hails from, is somewhat warmer than where I grew up so perhaps that had something to do with my failure to grasp the concept too. I started playing around with recipes for it when my boyfriend told me how much he enjoys gazpacho and in turn, it led me to rediscover the soup. For obvious reasons, this version omits the bread and optional egg, which some classic recipes include but you won't miss them as this gazpacho is so packed full of fresh flavours and goodness. My boyfriend has stated that this is one of his favourites of all of my recipes and I must say that I love serving it for a light lunch, starter or dinner on a hot day. I hope that you will try it whether you're a long time fan of gazpacho or need convincing, as I did! Now we just have to cross fingers for sun!

Three great health benefits: boosts immunity, promotes healthy skin, good source of antioxidants 

Serves 3
Serve chilled

Ingredients:
550g tomatoes
1/2 red bell pepper, de-seeded and roughly chopped into small pieces
1/2 cucumber (approx 250g), roughly chopped into small pieces
1/2 red onion, roughly chopped into small pieces
1 clove garlic, crushed
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil + a little extra for drizzling
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Method:
1) Place the tomatoes in a medium bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside for 5-10 minutes. (This step will make it easier to peel the skins off the tomatoes.) Peel the skins from the tomatoes and place in a blender.
2) Add the red pepper, cucumber (leaving 1/4 to one side for later) and red onion to the blender and blitz until blended together.
3) Add the garlic, olive oil, apple cider vinegar and salt & pepper and blend until smooth.
4) Refrigerate to chill until needed. To serve, sprinkle with the remaining cucumber as "croutons" and drizzle with a little of the olive oil.

Let me know if you try out this recipe! Tag me on Twitter @HaloEats or Instagram @halo.eats