Gazpacho is one of my favorite summertime meals. A refreshing soup that helps you beat the heat, it is also a light dish that packs in quite a few servings of vegetables. Instead of the tomato based version I enjoyed in my youth, or the my zucchini gazpacho, I decided to make a Corn Gazpacho the last few weeks.
I stocked up on fresh corn on the cob, roasted them on the grill, and then cut the kernels off the cob to use in both the soup base and as filler. Tomatoes, green pepper, and onions add great flavor and texture to this summertime soup.
If you don’t have the fresh ingredients on hand (or are just feeling lazy, which was my case last week) this Corn Gazpacho can be made with frozen ingredients. Frozen, diced onions and green peppers make for a super easy addition. Just make sure that if you use the frozen vegetables that you do cook the soup as my recipe suggest, as there have been too many contaminated frozen food stories lately and it is best to follow packaging instructions for heating. While I know this means that you have to turn on the stove briefly, the fantastic flavor will outweight the minimal cooking time.
Corn Gazpacho
12 small/medium ears of corn or two, 12 ounce bags of frozen corn
4 cups vegetable stock
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced green peppers
2 teaspoons Mrs. Dash(R) chicken grilling blend
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons oil
4 roma tomatoes, diced (~1.5 cups)
Microgreens (optional)
Heat a grill to medium/high heat. Remove the husks from the corn and grill, turning frequently, for 15 minutes or until cobs are roasted to desired doneness. Let the cobs cool, then cut from the cobs and chop the kernels. Add half of the kernels to a large pot and add the vegetable stock. Blend with an immersion blender, then add in onions, green peppers, remaining corn, Mrs. Dash, salt, garlic powder,tomato, and oil. Refrigerate until ready to serve; garnish with microgreens if desired.
If using frozen vegetables: Add one bag of corn and the vegetable stock to a pot and bring to a boil. Blend with an immersion blender, then add in onions, green peppers, remaining corn, Mrs. Dash, salt, garlic powder, and oil. Bring to a boil then remove from heat and let cool. Stir in tomatoes. Refrigerate until ready to serve; garnish with microgreens if desired.
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