Cleansing Green Gazpacho With Kefir
It really is the perfect cold soup for a hot summer day. Trust me, you're going to want to make this all summer long...No cooking on a hot summer day = amazing! I may or may not even have had this soup for breakfast. And why wouldn't I? It's full of green goodness and provides you with plenty of vitamins and minerals to kick start the day. If you're on a juice or smoothie cleanse and are craving a bit of a different meal, this is also a great option for you.
I made this recipe using my new KitchenAid Pro Line Series blender (shown in the picture above). You guys might know that I have a crazy love affair with my Vitamix, but I have to say this blender totally blew me away. It's even more powerful and can handle things like frozen food or sticky stuff (hello dates) much better! And the creaminess of all my smoothies and soups is just next level....Anyone up for buying my old mixer from me?!
A word on kefir
To add some extra creaminess to this gazpacho, I have added a dollop of kefir. Kefir is an ancient fermented dairy drink that's thinner than yogurt so you can drink it out of a glass. It's typically made by fermenting milk using kefir grains (cultures of bacteria and yeast) and thanks to this provides the body with billions of beneficial. Hello gut health! It's also rich in vitamin K2, gives you B vitamins and can improve digestive health by reducing bloating and constipation. There are non-dairy versions of this drink as well, with many people making their own water kefir or coconut milk kefir (which is what I used for this recipe).
Gazpacho is a great people pleaser at parties and can be served great served in small bowls or short drinking glasses, or even shot glasses. However you decided to consume this, enjoy!
Ingredients
2 garlic cloves
2 large cucumbers, chopped
25ml lemon juice
1 1/2 cups spinach (or any other leafy greens you have on hand)
1 cup parsley leaves
1/4 cup mint leaves
2 spring onions
Sea salt to taste
30 ml extra virgin olive oil
300g kefir yoghurt (milk or coconot kefir)
1 ripe avocado, stoned and peeled
1/4 cup frozen peas
150g ice cubes
10ml white wine vinegar
Instructions
1. Place garlic, olive oil, cucumber, kefir yoghurt & lemon juice in the blender. Secure lid, slowly increase speed to a maximum and blend until smooth.
2. Add 1 cup of leafy greens, parsley, mint, spring onion and salt. Blend again.
3. Add avocado, frozen peas, white wine vinegar and top with ice. Blend again until desired consistency is achieved.
4. Top off with fresh mint, parsley and a dollop of kefir.
