Velvety Mediterranean gazpacho

Ingredients

Avocado cream with basil
1 medium avocado
3/4 tsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. water
1/8 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. coarsely chopped fresh basil

Mediterranean gazpacho
3 cups low-sodium tomato juice
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. pure maple syrup
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. coriander
1/8 tsp. cayenne
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 medium fennel bulb, cut into quarters
3 stalks celery, roughly chopped
1 English cucumber, peeled, halved, seeded and
roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and roughly chopped
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 small red onion, roughly chopped
1/4 cup roughly chopped basil and/or cilantro

Directions

To make avocado cream: Place ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until very smooth. Transfer to a small bowl. No need to rinse blender before proceeding.

To make gazpacho: Place tomato juice, lemon juice, maple syrup, olive oil, spices, vegetables and herbs in a blender and process until velvety smooth. Taste; you may need another pinch of salt or an extra drop of maple syrup. Pour into small glasses and garnish with a dollop of avocado cream.

Serves 8

Recipe reprinted with permission from "The Longevity Kitchen," Copyright © 2013 by Rebecca Katz with Mat Edelson, Ten Speed Press, a division of the Crown Publishing Group, Berkeley, CA. Photo by Leo Gong.