Gazpacho with Avocado, Coconut Cream and a Kick!

"Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious."

~ Ruth Reichl

A CREAMY, GREEN VEGGIE GAZPACHO

Although I do love a steaming bowl of hot soup from time to time, a cool and creamy bowl of gazpacho is actually much better suited to the climate we live in (hot, humid and very sweaty!). Which is why I thought I would create a recipe for a refreshing gazpacho soup which was not tomato based. The coconut cream gives this soup a subtle sweetness and the Thai red chili adds a little bit of heat, so you certainly don't need to wait for summer temps to try out this recipe. Bon Appetit!

INGREDIENTS FOR SOUP (Makes 4 Appetizer Servings):

• 1 avocado

• 1 medium cucumber, peeled (I left the seeds in but you can remove them)

• 1/2 cup fresh spinach

• 1/4 cup cashews (you could also use almonds)

• 1/2 small Thai red chili, seeds removed (or less than half if you prefer less heat)

• 1/4 small yellow onion

• 1.5 Tbsp coconut cream

• 1 tsp Japanese rice wine 

• The juice from 1.5 limes

• 1/2 cup water (again, add more or less to achieve your desired consistency)

• 1 tsp salt (add the salt at the end, and taste to adjust)

INGREDIENTS FOR TOPPING:

• 1/4 cup buckwheat

• 1 Tbsp olive oil

DIRECTIONS: 

1. Place alls of the ingredients in a blender (except for the buckwheat) and puree until creamy (my blender has a soup function which makes it very creamy and light). Refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours until nice and chilled.

2. For the topping, heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Add the buckwheat and stir gently until just beginning to brown. Allow to cool.

3. Ladle the gazpacho into four small bowls and sprinkle on about a teaspoon of the buckwheat topping (or any kind of crunchy topping you prefer).

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