I love making gazpacho in the summer, when the farmers markets are overflowing with bushels of fresh tomatoes and cucumbers. In winter, however, tomatoes in the Midwest can taste a bit like plastic. But this ‘Everything’ Vegan Gazpacho is perfect any time of year. It’s fat-free, chock-full of raw veggies—and made with tomato juice rather than fresh tomatoes.
How to make vegan gazpacho healthy
In my post about Sweet Potato Peanut Stew (also made with tomato juice), I noted that cooked tomatoes are healthier than fresh, because cooking increases the bio-availability of nutrients like lycopene. (Just be sure to use tomato juice with no added salt or sugar.) So while the other veggies in this vegan gazpacho are raw, the tomato comes from juice, which is cooked.
Plus, as the name implies, this vegan gazpacho has ‘a bit of everything’—beet, green onion, jalapeno, celery, carrot, bell pepper. It’s like thick, mega-healthy V-8 juice with the consistency of, well–gazpacho!
Traditional gazpacho recipes rely heavily on oil. On a visit to Madrid, Hemant and I ate gazpacho almost daily, trying to get our veggie servings in a city where Jamón Iberico and cheese are the local favorites. I only discovered later just how much oil is typically added to gazpacho—a lot! Oil is what gives traditional gazpacho its light, pink-orange color.
You’ll notice this ‘everything’ vegan gazpacho is a fairly deep red color, from a bit of beet and of course, no oil. I’ve experimented with adding walnuts, avocado and other fats to my gazpacho recipes, and while it’s fine, I actually prefer simple, fresh tasting, fat free versions.
On the other hand, consuming a little fat with our veggies actually helps us absorb their nutrients. It also helps you stay satisfied longer. That’s why my absolute favorite way to to eat this ‘Everything’ Vegan Gazpacho is with some hot, ‘cheesy’ Scallion Quesadillas (recipe coming up next!) The combo is a refreshing take on traditional tomato soup and grilled cheese. Salud!
If you like this vegan gazpacho recipe, you may also like:
- Sweet Potato Peanut Stew
- Lemony Lentil Turnip Chowder
- Chilled Beet Soup
- Lemony Sweet Corn Chowder
- Best Damn Vegan Chili
‘Everything’ Vegan Gazpacho is perfect any time of year. It’s fat-free, chock-full of raw veggies and made with healthy tomato juice.
- 2 cups plain tomato juice no added sodium or sugar
- 2 carrots peeled and 2-inch diced
- 1 yellow or orange bell pepper seeded and 2-inch diced
- 1/2 beet trimmed scrubbed and 2-inch diced
- 2 celery stalks not the tough outer stalks, 2-inch diced
- 1/2 cucumber peeled, seeded and 2-inch diced
- 2 green onions 2-inch diced
- 1/2 jalapeno seeded and chopped (or sub or 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne)
- 2 packed cups spinach
- 1 cup parsley
- 1 clove garlic peeled and smashed
- 1/2 lemon juiced + zested
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Optional: 2 teaspoons grated ginger
- Optional: dash of tabasco
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Place the all of the ingredients (except the salt and pepper) in a blender, and process on high speed until well blended, about a minute or so. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste.
Makes about 5 cups of gazpacho.
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