Spanish Gazpacho Soup in the RAW with Broiled "Cheese" Toast

From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen

Question of the day.
Do you listen to your body when it craves something specifically healthy?


I have been craving raw food lately and in the form of tomatoes and soup. Something cool to refresh from the lack of A/C in my home. Ha! A/C unit hopefully to be installed this weekend BTW. Anyway, I have had 3 very ripe on the vine tomatoes staring at me and I knew I had to take a chance at making a cold tomato soup, otherwise known as gazpacho.


Gazpacho is traditionally enjoyed in Spain in the region of Andalucia. It is primarily consumed cold and is a tomato-based raw vegetable soup.


I grew up having my very American grandmother prepare this, but not in the way that many recipes explained. I could either taste too much green pepper or too much onion and it was hard to swallow. My preference was never to eat it whether it was my grandma's recipe or my own, but I broke down. My body shouted for something refreshing and therefore I heeded.


I researched traditional recipes online and in my cookbooks and I finally came to terms with my own version that proved to be SCRUMPTIOUS. Ryan even had 2nd helpings! Yay! He thought the flavor was almost sweet to the taste but perfectly spicy as it went down his throat. Hey, I liked the sound of that! I used red onion to have more sweetness instead of a strong winte onion flavor. I also used orange bell pepper because green pepper tends to give me indigestion. I really enjoyed that substitution.


I decided to make melted "cheese" toast on the side to accompany along with a spinach salad that I will share tomorrow. Daiya vegan cheddar crumbles came to the rescue and made for a delicious melted toast that completed a great summer dinner.


I hope you try this recipe, because not only was it quick, it is also VERY healthy! :)

From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen

Spanish Gazpacho Soup in the RAW


serves 4


3 ripe on the vine tomatoes, cored
1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3/4 of an English cucumber, peeled and seeded
4 Tbsp Panko bread crumbs
1/4 orange bell pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
3 garlic cloves
1/4 cup water
2 tsp fine sea salt
3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar


Place all ingredients in a blender or Vitamix and blend well until smooth for about 3 minutes.


Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours before serving.


Garnish with organic crunchy onions and chopped parsley (or dried).


Prepare "cheese" toasts.

From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen

Broiled "Cheese" Toast


serves 1


(vegan cheese toasts on the right)


2 slices rye bread
1/2 cup Daiya cheddar crumbles
2 tsp dried parsley
1/8 tsp salt


Postition oven rack to second to highest rack from the top. Turn oven to broil.


On baking sheet , lay out bread and split "cheese" between both slices.


Sprinkle parsley and salt and place in oven rack.


Broil until slightly browned and cheese is broiled. Slice in half once toast is somewhat cool.

Colorful Red Quinoa not so Tabbouleh Salad

From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen

Do you know how much you put in your mouth? It is incredible that calories add up, and if I did not have a consistent work out no wonder I was gaining weight. Since my husband and I have been counting calories we have been working out consistently.
One of the things I have been enjoying is using my juicer. I have been experimenting with different vegetables and only juicing twice a week. This is what I had:

From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen

On the left are leftover stems from my red kale I used, along with some broccoli stems,ginger, parsley, cabbage and carrots and Oh, some beets as well. It was very delicious and very filling.

From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen

If you have never juiced before, try it! It is invigorating and gives you a slight punch of energy after drinking it. You can even save the pulp and make muffins with them! I have yet to try it but I will soon.


Another recipe I created this past week was a quinoa salad. I have eaten quinoa before as breakfast cereal or as a side with my veggies but not as a salad. Since I like tabbouleh so much, I decided to start with that idea in mind and go from there.


Did you know that quinoa is a complete protein? It is a complete protein because it has all the essential amino acids to make it so. So this is healthier than wheat or rice. The Incans called it the "mother of all grains, " so why not partake of something they knew was a healthy and needed?


Before you starting cooking, always rinse quinoa before cooking it because it has an outer layer that makes it bitter. Once you wash the quinoa, the flavor, once cooking it, becomes milder. Enjoy this recipe!

From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen

Colorful Red Quinoa not so Tabbouleh Salad


serves 4 small portions or 2 hearty portions


1 cup red quinoa
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp salt
1/2 avocado, diced
1/2 tomato, diced
5 red radishes, diced
5 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 cup yellow pepper,diced
1/2 cup English cucumber, diced
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp cumin
3 1/2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil


Wash the 1 cup of quinoa in a colander for several seconds. Add quinoa, water and salt to a small pot and boil for 15 minutes. You will know it is cooked when it becomes soft and you see little white antennas pop from the grain.


Meanwhile, wash all your veggies well and chop and dice them accordingly.


Add all the veggies to a medium glass bowl and toss. In a small bowl mix the red wine vinegar, olive oil and all the spices and blend well. Add the vinagrette to the salad and enjoy.


Will keep for 1 day, but best eaten the same day.