Roasted Red Pepper and Tomatillo Gazpacho

Look at that lovely pumpkin color! Not mud brown at all!

Lookit dem duckies!

Ingredients:

10 tomatillos

1 red pepper, cut into strips

2 jalapenos

2 sm or 1 lg onion, cut into rings

5-10 cloves garlic

Olive oil

1 cucumber, peeled and cut into 1 in. pieces

1 avocado, cubed

1-2 limes, juiced (about 3-8 tsp)

Bragg's

(1-2 c. veggie broth

Nutritional yeast

Flax seed oil)

1. Place tomatillos, red pepper strips, jalapenos, onion rings and garlic on a baking sheet (covered in tinfoil for easy clean up). Drizzle olive oil over them and rub to coat. Bake at about 375 until tomatillos are soft and onions and peppers start to brown. Let cool until touchable.

2. Remove tomatillo husks, peel garlic, peel red pepper, peel jalapenos. (When I did this the red pepper skins basically came right off but the jalapeno skin didn't. So I said fuck it, and it was fine.)

3. Blend all vegetables plus lime juice in blender or food processor until smooth. Add Bragg's to taste. Add nutritional yeast and flax oil if desired.

4. Add veggie broth to desired consistency, chill and serve!

serves 4

When I made this, I didn't add any broth because I didn't plan ahead and was too lazy to defrost my broth. I don't think you need it, but for consistency. Without, it tasted great, but sort of had the consistency of baby food. Just don't think about it and you're fine. But in the name of full disclosure and in the name of options for the experimentally-challenged, consider keeping some broth on hand.

The nutritional yeast and flax oil weren't really necessary for flavor – especially not the flax oil, which sort of tastes like crap – but for vegan nutritional optimization. Add if you like, as much as you like, but keep tasting, because both of these things could easily be overdone.

I served this soup with one large garlic crouton and some roasted garlic bits (to the point of crunchy) sprinkled on top, because I just so happened to have exactly two croutons left over from when I made them previously. It was pretty awesome, so I suggest recreating this as well, but it's not necessary.

Crouton recipe to come...