Summer Fruit Gazpacho

I'm not a fan of Gazpacho...

Nope.  Just not in to the whole cold tomato juicy thing....

So...when I ran across this Fruit Gazpacho in one of my favorite cookbook's the recipe just leaped off the page and said....Eat Me!! I'm REALLY Good!

The cookbook is Cooking Light's "Cooking through the Seasons".  You can see a picture of the book on the right side of my blog in my Cookbook Corner.  Great book!

Amazing recipe!  This is my new summer favorite cold soup.

It's great on it's own or would be great as a side dish to some grilled fish, chicken, or pork. It's spicy like a salsa, Latin in flavor, yet fresh and fruity.  Delishhhh!

It's very easy to make, it just is a lot of knife work...great time to enhance those knife skills!  A one bowl wonder that you make ahead, and will keep well in the frig for days.

So let's make Summer Fruit Gazpacho...

Get out a good sharp knife.  Dice up your tomato, honeydew, and cantaloupe and place in a medium sized bowl.

Next, dice up your mango, cucumber (seeded), and nectarines.  Place in the bowl.

Dice up your onion and add it to the bowl.  Next, add your orange juice. 

Chop up your fresh basil and mint.  Add it to the bowl.  Add your lemon juice, sugar, and salt.
Next, chop your jalapeno, mince it fine.  You can add more for stronger heat.

Now mix it up really well.  Stick it in the frig for about 2 hours to meld the flavors. 

Voila, you have Summer Fruit Gazpacho!!

Look at the colors...!

YUM!   So tasty!

Summer Fruit Gazpacho

adapted from:  Cooking Light's Chunky Tomato Fruit Gazpacho

Servings  4 (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients

1 cup finely chopped tomatoes
1 cup finely diced honeydew melon
1 cup finely diced cantaloupe
1/2 cup finely diced mango
1/2 cup finely diced seeded peeled cucumber
3/4 cup finely diced nectarines (about 3 medium)
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup finely chopped Vidalia onion
1/8 cup chopped fresh basil
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped

Preparation

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and chill at least 2 hours.

A Day in Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara is a beautiful town this time of year.  The white beaches, blue ocean, the food...the wine...and all the wonderful attractions they have to offer such as the Mission, the Zoo, and State street!

Great for a day trip and a little time away from the heat down in LA.

First up, Breakfast at the Summerland Cafe.

Me and MGG at Breakfast.

Great food!

Some of our friends at the zoo...

A wonderful lunch on the Beach at The Boathouse.

Such a beautiful place.  Look at this ocean!

In the evening we had a great time walking around State, people watching, stopping at some shops, and the coffee house, it's so nice to get away, even for a little while. Alas, we must head home.

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!!!

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

It's so hot outside, let's stay inside and make some homemade ice cream!

What a great excuse huh?  Anything to make ice cream.  It's a weakness of mine, you see.
It's one of those special treats in life that is a "must have". 

I'm sure I'm not the only one that is an ice cream monster...I know MGG is one too.  He's always looking around in the freezer stealing my ice cream!

Mom always made Vanilla ice cream.  Her favorite.  An old stand-by.
Such a versatile flavor, you can put strawberries on it....caramel sauce, hot fudge, nuts, and sprinkles...you name it!  It's the basis for all good toppings!

So in tribute of my mom, I've made a sugar-free version, or a low carb ice cream, if you will.  You can certainly substitute the sugar substitute for the real stuff...it will work out perfect!  Make sure to substitute equal amounts.

This recipe make about 1 1/2 quarts, and can be adapted to your specific ice cream freezer.

For another wonderful flavor try my Cookies and Cream Ice Cream recipe here!

Enjoy!!

See the pretty vanilla flecks??  YUM!

Vanilla Ice Cream

1 ½ c 2% milk

1 1/8 c splenda
3 c half & half
1 T pure vanilla or vanilla paste

Directions:

Place milk and Splenda in a bowl.  Using a hand mixer or a whisk, mix until Splenda is dissolved, about 3 min.

Add the half & half and vanilla. (I used vanilla paste because I like the flecks of vanilla in the ice cream!)

Pour the mixture into the ice cream machine.  Follow the directions of your ice cream maker processing until the desired consistency.

Remove to a freezer safe container and place in freezer to set up.