What’s hot and zesty and cool and refreshing at the same time? This Spicy Cantaloupe Gazpacho!
Summer hasn’t loosened its grip on upstate New York. The first few weeks of September have been our warmest days yet! We celebrated Labor Day by taking a steep hike on a popular Catskill Mountain trail. Temps were in the 80s. I began to fantasize about cold soup during the descent.
Spicy Cantaloupe Gazpacho
This Spicy Cantaloupe Gazpacho was inspired by the ingredients I happened to have in the fridge.
- Cantaloupe adds natural sweetness.
- Mint and cucumbers add a clean, fresh flavor.
- Avocado adds creaminess and satisfying healthy fats.
- Lemon juice adds just the right amount of tang.
- Cayenne pepper gives it a bit of a kick as well as some extra health benefits.
Okay, technically I had to forage in my yard for the mint – but that makes it even better!
While gazpacho is usually made with a tomato base, you don’t have to limit yourself! The fun part is exploring different blends of raw fruits and veggies.
What do you have on hand?
What flavor combinations do you enjoy?
Exploring cold soup recipes can be just as fun and exciting as the seemingly endless variety of smoothie recipes.
Spicy Cantaloupe Gazpacho
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 1 cucumber small, peeled, seeded and chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 ½ cups cantaloupe chopped
- 1 lemon - juiced
- ½ avocado peeled and pitted
- ½ tsp. fine sea salt
- ⅛ - ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper to taste
- 8-10 fresh mint leaves
Instructions
- Place ingredients (except mint leaves) in a high-speed blender in the order they are listed.
- Begin blending on lowest setting and slowly turn up to medium-high setting.
- Blend for approximately 20 seconds.
- Add mint leaves and blend for another 10-15 seconds or until soup reaches desired consistency.
- Serve chilled.
Notes
Note: I do not include nutrition information with my recipes because I subscribe to the theories presented in the book Whole and believe we should focus on eating a variety of whole foods instead of counting calories or keeping track of individual nutrients.
Sina @ Vegan Heaven
This looks so delicious! 🙂 Unfortunately it's pretty cold and rainy here right now, but I really gotta save this recipe for warmer days!
Margaret
Hi Sina - Yes, this is definitely a soup to enjoy on a warm day. I know I shared it a little late in the season, but we've been having an absolutely gorgeous September in New York! It's going to make it that much harder when the cold weather hits. I'm sure I'll be sharing some body-warming soups soon! 🙂