Week 1: Creamy Gazpacho

Source: Personal variation of America's Test Kitchen Speedy Gazpacho, from 30-Minute Suppers

I absolutely love vegetables in a completely unqualified and unconditional manner, and the fresher the better. Raw vegetables are especially dear to me (i.e., I love raw carrots. I will not touch the vile putrescence created by cooking them), which makes gazpacho an ideal dish for me. The first time I made this particular recipe, I found the gazpacho itself boring and unimpressive, which is definitely not normal for an America's Test Kitchen recipe. After making it, I felt like I had to defend gazpacho's honor or something. I decided to make it again with some modifications, and it definitely turned out more to my liking. I find that the tomato juice (even the low-sodium version) gives the soup enough saltiness, but you might want to add some salt and pepper to taste. Let me know what you think!

Note: Recipe is best if ingredients are well-chilled before chopping and blending. Do not refrigerate the tomatoes, as this will render them mealy and bland. Get the freshest, ripest tomatoes you can find. The gazpacho will only be as good as its base.

1 large cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and chopped into large pieces
2 small-to-medium red bell peppers, seeded and chopped into large pieces
2 very ripe beefsteak tomatoes, about 1 pound, cored and quartered
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
4 to 6 chopped green onions
4 cloves garlic, pressed
4 tb red wine vinegar (or to taste)
1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped and divided
2 c low-sodium tomato juice, divided (reserve 1/2 c extra if necessary for batch blending)
1 c nonfat plain Greek yogurt
juice and zest of 1 lime
2 tb cumin

Pour 2 c tomato juice into blender and add cucumber, tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, green onions, garlic, vinegar, and half of the chopped cilantro. If necessary, blend in two batches using half of vegetables and half of juice, always pouring juice into blender first, next to blades. Puree and pour into large bowl. Blend half bunch cilantro, Greek yogurt, lime juice and zest, and cumin. Reserve some cream for garnish and stir the remainder into the tomato mixture until creamy.

Fantastic garnishes: additional cilantro-lime cream, lump crabmeat, diced avocado, roasted corn, drizzled extra-virgin olive oil