My favorite summer recipe: Gazpacho

One of my favorite summer recipes is Gazpacho. This recipe was something I used to make with my Grandma when I was little. As soon as I was old enough to cook by myself, this was the recipe I went looking for in her recipe box.

To make this gorgeous bowl of summer goodness:
4 large ripe tomatoes
1 large cucumber, peeled
1 medium onion
1 green bell pepper
1 cup of tomato juice
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small clove garlic
salt and pepper to taste
tobasco sauce or jalepeno (seeded and deveined to reduce spice level) to taste, optional


The original recipe calls for everything to be chopped fine and made by hand. I prefer to use a food processor or blender. Both work but I tend to get a chunkier result in the food processor. To make it work I cut all the vegetables to a rough chop and combine a little bit of everything in each round of the blender/food processor. This recipe can also be served with a dollop of sour cream and/or chunks of avocado.

FOR BEST RESULT let gazpacho sit in the fridge for 12-24 hours before serving, it only gets better with time.

Whenever I make this recipe, I always double it because if I am taking the time to take out the food processor and cut up all of the vegetables, I make enough to last a few days. Although, with my family this only lasts 2 or 3 days.

Breana

June SLP Link Up

Laura at Oh, How Pintearesting! has done a Father's Day themed Link Up this month. See my answers below.

Tanning to: Top 40's. Mostly Fun., The Lumineers, and P!nk.

Unwinding: while I drink some tea and lemonade and relax in front of my tv, although i still have another 2 days of service at one school.

Needing: a trip anywhere outside of L.A. County. My spring break trip got cancelled due to Celiac related illness and I just want to go somewhere new.

Excited about: watching the new baby for one of my babysitting clients grow up. As of today he is 10 days old and the cutest little baby ever.


Breana

I BAKED AGAIN!!!!!!

So apparently when I get bored I bake. Yesterday, the start to my first week of one school instead of six I decided to try a new recipe. I made GLUTEN FREE CHOCOLATE WHOOPIE PIES. I have had a craving for whoopee pies for months. This recipe was so easy to do and came out great.

 

This is a picture of what was left after the staff got to the container. What you are looking at is chocolate cookies with marshmallow fluff, the one in the wax paper also has peanut butter. This recipe is from www.gfreefoodie.com.

 

 

Gluten Free Chocolate Whoopie Pies

2 oz unsweetened chocolate (bakers chocolate found in the baking aisle)

4 oz semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips)

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons Gluten Free Vanilla Extract

1 cup Gluten Free Flour (I used Bob's Red Mill Baking Flour 

because I happened to have a sample around)

1/2 teaspoon Xanthum Gum (I use Hodgson Mill)

1/4 cup natural cocoa powder (I used Hershey's Unsweetened Cocoa)

3/4 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoons fine salt

 18 Marshmallows (to melt on one cookie for filling, I used fluff instead)

 

 

Preheat oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with either parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet

(I did some one each and found that the cookies stuck more to the silicone mat)

Put the unsweetened and semisweet chocolates and butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl; heat at 50 percent power until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir, and continue to microwave until completely melted, about 2 minutes more.

Whisk the sugar, eggs and vanilla into the chocolate mixture until smooth.  (I used a kitchen aid mixer and didn't have any issues.)

Sift the Gluten Free flour, xanthan gum, cocoa, baking powder and salt into another bowl. Gradually whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until moistened. Switch to a rubber spatula and finish folding the batter together; take care not to over-mix.

Use a small cookie scoop or spoon to drop a heaping tablespoon of batter onto the prepared pan. Repeat to make 36 cookies, spacing them about 1-inch apart. Bake until the cookies spring back when lightly touched, about 8 minutes.

Cool the cookies slightly. Transfer half of the cookies to a rack. Turn the remaining cookies on the pan over, so they lay flat side up. Place a marshmallow on top of each flipped cookie and return pan to the oven. Cook just until the marshmallow begins to soften and puff, about 3 minutes. Cool marshmallow topped cookies slightly, about 2 minutes. Top with the remaining cookies, pressing lightly to make sandwiches.

Cool whoopie pies completely on wire racks. Serve. (I use foil laid out on the counter since I don't have wire racks and I added the filling once the cookies were completely cooled. )

Store in tightly sealed container for up to 1 week.


I would make these again without a question. Check out www.gfreefoodie.com for tons of great gluten free recipes and ideas.

Breana