Spicy Datil Pepper Gazpacho – Vegan Recipe
OSA Gourmet Snake Bite Datil Pepper Hot Sauce and Spicy OSA Gourmet Datil Zest with Fresh From Florida Orange, lemon, lime and pure ground datil pepper powder, are the perfect compliments to the last of the summer’s bounty coming off the vines. I love refreshing cold soups when it’s hot outside, and this year has been a scorcher. It’s been in the 90’s with heat indexes over 100 degrees for days. Definitely too hot to be outside for long unless you are in a pool or riding the waves at the beach.
My take on the Spanish Gazpacho soup is light and refreshingly spicy. Traditionally gazpacho uses bread in the recipe along with milk or cream and higher quantities of olive oil. You definitely don’t need the bread, and a little olive oil goes a long way. As for the cream, you don’t need it either. To make this soup more creamy, you can add an avocado to the food processor along with the other vegetables, but it’s not necessary.
Loaded with tomatoes, cucumbers and bell peppers, it’s not only good, it’s good for you. If you’re not lucky enough to have your own garden, all of these ingredients are easy to find at your local Farmer’s Market or grocery store. OSA Gourmet Datil Zest and Snake Bite Datil Pepper Hot Sauce can be found here: SHOP NOW
Low cal, low fat, low sodium, vegetarian, vegan, and loaded with antioxidant goodness and vitamins and minerals from the datil peppers and veggies, this soup is a powerhouse of healthy eating in a bowl.
Nutrition Facts:
Datil Peppers
- Datil peppers and other hot peppers contain the chemical capsaicin, which is an anti-microbial. Anti-microbial agents kill or slow the spread of microorganisms.
- Capsaicin provides pain relief when applied topically. I don’t recommend rubbing your achy joints with hot peppers, but many over the counter pain relieving creams, gels and patches contain capsaicin.
- Eating datil peppers can rev up your metabolism and suppress your appetite.
- Datil peppers contain beta carotene and antioxidants that support your immune system and aid in fighting off colds and flu symptoms.
- Capsaicin isn’t water-soluble, so to put out the heat, drink milk, not water.
Tomatoes
- The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is a fruit from the nightshade family native to South America.
- Tomatoes are loaded with vitamin C, potassium, folate and vitamin K.
- Botanically, tomatoes are classified as a fruit, they are usually thought of and prepared as a vegetable.
- Tomatoes are a major dietary source of lycopene, and beta carotene, antioxidants that have been linked to many health benefits, including reduced risk of heart disease, chronic inflammation, and cancer.
Cucumbers
- Cucumbers belong to the same family as watermelons, squash and pumpkins.
- Cucumbers are 95% water, making them a great choice for hydration on a hot summer day.
- They contain fisetin, an anti-inflammatory flavonol that may play a role in brain health, and in some lab studies, has been shown to protect nerve cells from age related degeneration in mice. It will be interesting to see how this plays out with humans.
- Cukes contain lignans and phytonutrients called cucurbitacins, which may lower your risk of some cancers.
Bell Peppers
- Use the red ones when you can. Compared to green bell peppers, the red ones have more than 10 times more beta-carotene and 1 1/2 times more vitamin C.
- Like tomatoes, bell peppers belong to the nightshade family.
- Bell peppers are loaded with vitamin C, B6, potassium, folate, vitamin A and vitamin E.
- They are rich in antioxidants: Lutein, which is good for eye health and Quercetin, which has been shown to be beneficial with heart disease and cancer.
If you want more heat, you can always take it up a notch by using OSA Gourmet Venom Datil Pepper Hot Sauce, with double the datil peppers of Snake Bite Datil Pepper Hot Sauce. Or go for an even bigger burn by using OSA Gourmet Stinging Lizard Scorpion Pepper and Datil Pepper Hot Sauce. It’s our newest sauce and is loaded with garlicky goodness to complement the datil peppers and scorpion peppers. Whichever one you choose, you won’t go wrong. It’s just a matter of how hot is too hot. At my house, we love it spicy!
English cucumbers which tend to be seedless or have fewer seeds are my favorites for this soup. If you can’t find them, you can always scrape the seeds out of the regular cucumbers from the grocery store. Always buy the freshest, organic produce you can find. It makes a tremendous difference in the flavor. And be sure to wash all your produce to remove any dirt or germs.
I grow bell peppers along with datil peppers, but again, bell peppers are easy to find at any market. To keep the color of the soup consistent, I used a red bell pepper in the recipe but diced a yellow one for garnish to stand out and look pretty on top of the soup. Presentation means a lot as you feast with your eyes as well as your taste buds.
Spicy Datil Pepper Gazpacho – Vegan Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 large English cucumber, peeled, and seeded if necessary, cut into 1/2″ slices
- 1 large red bell pepper, stemmed and seeded, and cut into wedges
- 2 pounds of ripe red tomatoes cut into wedges or 2 (14.5 ounce cans) Hunts No Salt Added Diced Tomatoes or 1 (28 ounce can) Hunts No Salt Added Diced Tomatoes
- 1/2 large red or white sweet onion, quartered
- 1 clove garlic
- 3-4 Tablespoons red wine or sherry vinegar, to taste
- 2 Tablespoons
OSA Gourmet Datil Zest - 1 Tablespoon
OSA Gourmet Snake Bite Datil Pepper Hot Sauce - 2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 cup V8 Cocktail Juice or tomato juice (I use the no added sodium versions)
- 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive oil, plus more for drizzling over soup if desired
- Quartered cherry tomatoes, diced bell pepper, and diced cucumber for garnish
- Torn fresh herbs for garnish, basil, chives, cilantro or green onions are all good
- Freshly toasted croutons, if desired
- Fresh lime wedges, if desired
Instructions
In food processor, using the blade attachment, or in a high-speed blender, add cucumber, bell pepper, onion, garlic, vinegar, OSA Gourmet Datil Zest, OSA Gourmet Snake Bite Datil Pepper Hot Sauce and half of the tomatoes. Blend until smooth. - Transfer the blended mixture to a large mixing bowl.
- In the food processor or blender, add the rest of the tomatoes, the V8 or tomato juice and olive oil. Blend until smooth, then pour into the large mixing bowl with the rest of the blended ingredients.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap or place in large covered container and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or more to allow the flavors to meld.
- Garnish with diced cucumber, diced bell pepper, quartered cherry tomatoes and/or fresh herbs right before serving.
- Squeeze a fresh lime wedge over each bowl of soup if desired
