Red Pepper Gazpacho

This is a summer favorite of mine, since it involves absolutely no cooking (you do need a blender or food processor) and uses produce that is in season in the spring and summer. If you've never had gazpacho, it's a light and refreshing cold tomato and cucumber soup. I added a red bell pepper too. It is a very acidic soup, so it really needs a garnish. I used fat-free greek yogurt and avocado, but you could use goat cheese, creme fraiche, sour cream, or even prawns. Serve with a salad and tortilla chips or pita bread.

Ingredients

• 5-6 ripe tomatoes, chopped (I used canned since they're not in season here yet)
• 1 medium-sized cucumber, chopped (I leave the skin on) - reserve about 1/4 of it for garnish
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped (you could use roasted peppers here for a different flavor)
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, halved
• a few shakes of Tabasco, to taste
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 green onion, chopped, for garnish
• handful of cilantro, chopped, for garnish
• 1 avocado, diced, for garnish
• fat free greek yogurt, for garnish

Blend tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, garlic, Tabasco, and lime juice until desired consistency. Garnish with chopped cucumber, green onion, cilantro, avocado, and greek yogurt.