Allergy-Friendly Gazpacho

My plan was to post a dairy-free, allergy-friendly recipe for my Grandma's apricot ice cream. As sometimes happens with experimental cooking, it didn't work at all! But I learned something new. Apparently maple syrup doesn't freeze well. Oops! I'll try again next week.

So today I'm sharing one of my favorite summer recipes from my mom. She doesn't like when I share her recipes, but this is so good and refreshing I had to do it. Hopefully she'll forgive me for sharing it here. I didn't even have to change it to make it allergy-friendly. Thanks Mom!

Enjoy!

This recipe is free of the top 8 allergens (egg-free, dairy-free, wheat-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, soy-free, fish-free and shellfish-free) and vegan.

Gazpacho

2 lbs. fresh tomatoes 

1 cucumber, peeled

1 small red onion, chopped and rinsed (to mellow the flavor)

1 green or red bell pepper, remove stem and seeds

1 garlic clove

1/4 cup chopped green chile, or 1 jalapeño, remove stem and seeds (optional)

2 cups tomato juice

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

I leave the tomato skin on, but if you want to remove the skin you can do that by blanching them in boiling water for 10 seconds. This will loosen the skin and make it easy to remove.
Chop the vegetables into large chunks and place them in a blender or food processor (you may have to divide into batches if they don't all fit).
Add the remaining ingredients.

Blend until smooth.

Pour into a large bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Chill in the refrigerator for at least a hour before serving.
I like to garnish with fresh avocado.