Happy Canada Day N Fire N Ice Gazpacho

To all my Canadian friends, Happy Canada Day!

 and to all American friends, Happy Independence Day in advance!

For those long, arid summer days, what is better to cool us down than chilled gazpacho? A hearty and pungent soup that has gained fame throughout the world for its amazing thirst-quenching quality. Gazpacho soup was invented for the summer. Refreshingly cold on hot summer days, this adaptation of the classic Spanish cold tomato soup deliciously combines the best of summer vegetables. Make sure you only use the freshest, highest quality ingredients for this soup.

Today, the Spanish-style soup most nearly resembles a sort of chunky liquid salad, with lots of fresh, uncooked vegetables suspended in a broth of puréed tomatoes with chicken stock or tomato juice. In the summer when all of the vegetables are at their finest, this simple, modern soup is full of refreshing good flavor. This soup remains true to its culinary roots that it is one of the finest uses for too many ripe vegetables that might otherwise go to waste. And the original ingredients, especially vinegar, olive oil and garlic, remain essential to a successful gazpacho.

Fiery looking in a bowl but cool on a spoon, this refreshing half salad/half soup that's make-ahead, low in fat and high in garden-fresh flavour has all the potential to be anyone's favorite. As a bowl of this chunky soup makes an easy beginning to summer meal or satisfying weeknight supper.

Fire N Ice Gazpacho

Ingredients
2 tomatoes, peeled
1/2 sweet red pepper, halved and seeded
1/2 green pepper, halved and seeded
1/4 jalopeno pepper, halved(Don't seed the jalapeño if you like a soup with more zip.)
1/2 English cucumber, peeled
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
3-1/2 cup vegetable cocktail, (approx. I used V8)
1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce( I used Sriracha)
1 pinch salt
pinch pepper
Green onions for garnish(optional)

How to:

Halve tomatoes; scoop out seeds, coarsely chop tomatoes, red pepper, green pepper and cucumber.
In food processor, or in blender in batches, puree chopped tomatoes, sweet peppers, jalepeno, cucumber, garlic, vinegar and oil until small chunks formed.
Mix vegetable cocktail and hot sauce. Refrigerate until chilled, at least two or up to 12 hours.
Thin it out with more vegetable cocktail if desired.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Now, add your chopped veggies and stir them all together in soup and enjoy!!