Cold Gazpacho Soup

Ingredients

• 1 large can (20-something oz) whole peeled + 3 - 14 oz cans Progresso diced tomatoes + juice
• 2-3 heirloom tomatoes (diced save juice and add to bowl)
• 1 basket small orange baby tomatoes (cut in half across the equator)
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup white wine or champagne vinegar (depending on consistency & taste)
• 1 red pepper (cut out ribs seeds & dice)
• 1 yellow pepper (cut out ribs seeds & dice)
• 1 jalepeno pepper (cut out ribs seeds & dice)
• 1 avocado (half for the soup half for the garnish)
• 2 large shallots diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 4 ribs celery diced
• 1 english cucumber (cut off most of the green leave a little for color, scoop out seeds, dice)
• juice of 1 lime
• sea salt fresh ground pepper

Instructions

1. 1
   Save a few tablespoons of the baby tomatoes, red pepper, yellow pepper, cucumber, celery, half the avocado, and 1/2 tbsp of diced jalepeno for the garnish.
2. 2
   Put everything but the avocado in a small bowl, add a swirl of olive oil, some sea salt, fresh ground pepper and stir. Add the avocado and stir gently. Set aside.
3. 3
   If using a stick blender, combine all the vegetables + lime juice in a large glass (or non-reactive) bowl along with half the vinegar and blend. I like mine a bit chunky, not super smooth, so I blended in pulses moving the stick blender along the outside of the bowl. If using a cuisinart, just pour it all in and pulse until you get the consistency you'd like. Add more liquid (vinegar, stock, water) if you want a thinner consistency. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as you'd like.
4. 4
   Mine didn't not come out a bright red as you might imagine because I added the avocado but I like the creamy consistency it gives the soup. I topped each bowl with a tbsp or two of the vegetable brunoise garnish, a few ribbons of basil, a drizzle of good olive oil and a few drops of really good balsamic vinegar.