Seasonal Soups: White Gazpacho

"Non-cooks think it's silly to invest two hours' work in two minutes' enjoyment; but if cooking is evanescent, so is the ballet." -Julia Child

As much as I love Julia Child, I can definitely empathize with the non-cooks out there; we can't always invest a great deal of time in our meals. Yet I want to greatly emphasize that a delicious meal doesn't have to take long. That said, this entry will be short and sweet (especially compared to that last one).

So without further ado, New Chefs presents the last of this summer's seasonal soups! This is an incredibly quick recipe; most of my time was spent cutting vegetables and taking the pictures (with our recently found camera!). The soup is vegan and very healthy- just look over the ingredients and you'll see why. And best of all: there's no cooking involved. All you need is a blender or a food processer (gah! my kingdom for a food processer!!!!).

I was, admittedly, a bit hesitant about this recipe. It was found on Green Kitchen Recipes and seemed almost too simple. But the flavors of the soup work very well together- the sweetness of the cucumber plays with the citrus of the lemon on your tongue. The almond lends to the soup a gazpacho texture without making it as thick as, say, bread crumbs would. Overall, this is an excellent soup for a summer evening, and I daresay I'll be going back for seconds.

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White Gazpacho

• 1 c almonds
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 c green grapes (without pits)
• 1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
• 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 c water
• 6 ice cubes
• salt and pepper

1. Pour the almonds in a blender and blend ~1 min until they are smooth and fine.
2. Add oil, grapes, cucumber, pepper, and lemon. Blend for a couple more minutes until the mixture is smooth.
3. Add 1/2 c of water, ice cubes, and about 1/2 tsp of salt and pepper. Blend again and taste, adding salt and pepper to your preference, as well as more water to thin the soup.
4. GKS suggest serving with sprouts and lemon balm leaves. I just garnished with a sprig of cilantro and a bit of lemon rind, and accompanied the meal with white peaches.