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On Wednesday, we were in Olive, New York. It was snowing a bit. The daffodils held their heads up nobly. Suzen searched for the car keys and escape.

Today, Saturday, we are in Austin. No immediate threat of snow. Suzen is basking in the heat. But to offset the 90°, our daughter-in-law Michele supplied a watermelon gazpacho that is refreshingly wonderful.

This is an example of recipes passing from generation to generation. Except this is a pass up. And, as always, we have to give full credit: the source is Cooking Light and this recipe is a “10” for both flavor and calorie counting. The taste here is full of sweet heat with crunchy texture. And instead of tomato juice as a base, cranberry-raspberry serves up an eye-opening flavor. Offer this soup very cold, perhaps with a red sangria.

Watermelon Gazpacho

Yield: 7-8 cups

Ingredients:

  • 6 cups cubed seeded watermelon
  • 1 cup coarsely chopped peeled English cucumber
  • ½ cup coarsely chopped yellow bell pepper
  • ⅓ cup chopped green onions
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon hot sauce
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 cup cranberry-raspberry juice

Preparation:

Combine first the 10 ingredients, all but the cranberry-raspberry juice. Place half of this watermelon mixture in a food processor, and pulse 3 or 4 times or until finely chopped. Spoon into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining watermelon mixture. Stir in the cranberry-raspberry juice. Chill thoroughly.

Source: David Joachim in Cooking Light Magazine