This refreshing watermelon gazpacho will infuse your body with natural energy derived from some of late summer’s best produce–watermelon, tomato, and cucumber. With just five ingredients, this soup is a breeze to whip up, and it is both festive and nutritious. Brighten up any table with a bowl or cup of this delicious, pretty soup, and savor the essence of summer. The watermelon gives this gazpacho a slightly sweet flavor, yet with the olive oil and red wine vinegar, it is tangy at the same time. Sprinkle a little feta cheese to the top to add even more flavor, if you wish.
After trying a few versions of watermelon gazpacho, I came to the conclusion that in this case, for my family, the simplest recipe is the best. This recipe, a result of researching and trying some different combinations of ingredients, is the most basic watermelon gazpacho I made, and yet it is our favorite. Sometimes, if a recipe is really simple and quick, I am more likely to make it on a busy evening, and we are more likely have it more often. So the recipe I am sharing below is my own answer to the question, but with the influence of lots of different sources, including Bon Appetit and Better Homes and Gardens.
There is something so revitalizing about eating fruits and vegetables that come from the earth, preferably earth near home. It anchors me and at the same time gives me strength to reach out. I recently started practicing yoga again after many years away from it. I find that yoga helps me with my physical and mental health, especially with my spine and my stress level. But it also teaches me so many things in quiet ways. I have always struggled with the warrior poses, because even though I was a runner for years, and am now a walker and bicyclist, for some reason my legs are not always as strong as they could be. The warrior poses focus on standing strong.
Yesterday our instructor had us stand in the warrior pose while slightly moving our upper bodies back and forth. I felt how life events and other people can push and pull us in different directions, and we can bend to some extent, but at the same time, we still can try to stay rooted strongly to the ground. As my feet and legs were wobbling and aching from the effort, I focused on standing firm. For whatever reason, I think that is the message I needed to hear this week, and a skill I need to cultivate. The warrior pose, named after the warrior Virabhadra, is these days not about fighting an actual war, but rather it calls us to engage our inner warrior and is said to symbolize our inner struggle and ability to overcome ego and ignorance.
And all that effort makes me work up an appetite for healthy, revitalizing food! This soup is the perfect refresher and revitalizer, and the perfect way to savor the essence of summer. I hope you enjoy it, if you try it, and enjoy this long weekend. To those of you who celebrate it, Happy Labor Day!
Easy Watermelon Gazpacho
Ingredients:
- 3 cups of seedless watermelon, chopped, plus 1/2 cup reserved to chop and use at serving time
- 1 large beefsteak tomato (or similar), chopped
- 1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped, plus another 1/2 cucumber to peel, seed, and chop for serving time
- 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
- crumbled Feta cheese, optional
Directions:
Wash and chop the 3 cups of watermelon, the tomato, and peel, seed, and chop the cucumber. Place the watermelon, tomato, cucumber, olive oil, and red wine vinegar into a blender and puree until smooth. Pour the mixture into a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Cover and chill it in the refrigerator for at least an hour (can be chilled overnight if you wish). Before serving, test the seasoning and add salt and pepper if you wish. Chop the 1/2 cup watermelon and peel, seed, and chop the 1/2 cucumber. Ladle or pour the cold soup into bowls or cups. Top with the freshly chopped watermelon and cucumber. Sprinkle on some crumbled Feta cheese if desired. Enjoy!
Once again, necessity is the driving force behind a great meal. I had some sole that I needed to cook before it lost its freshness, and I also knew that I had to make something ahead of time that could be reheated quickly when we all got home and wanted dinner. I adapted this recipe from the 
I have made minestrone countless times, but never with fish, and never with pesto, and I have to say I love this variation. For this soup, I made my own 
My kids are already back in school, and though it is good, I also miss our summer life together. They are growing so quickly, and though we get on each other’s nerves sometimes like all families do, my husband and I treasured our time exploring new places and visiting familiar favorite places with them. I was talking recently with a friend about the passage of time, and she said, “the train just keeps on going!” We laughed, in a bittersweet kind of way, because it is true. We cannot seem to stop the train of time, or even get off for awhile. One minute the kids are in elementary school, the next minute they are starting junior high and high school.
With the outdoor temperature around here soaring this week, a cold soup is a perfect addition to any meal. And it is so easy to make–just put the ingredients in a blender and blend! Then pour it into a container and let it chill! This recipe is adapted from my husband’s favorite cookbook, Thrive Energy Cookbook by Brendan Brazier. It is a plant-based, vegan recipe–great for building up the immune system and recharging the body with lots of wonderful nutrients. If you don’t like coconut milk, you can always substitute Greek yogurt to get the creamy texture without the subtle coconut taste. I have gotten so I really like the coconut milk taste, and it feels good to have an alternative to dairy sometimes, though I still love my cheese and yogurt.
Summer is fully, completely here. We went swimming at a nearby lake last weekend. Before we left for home, I went into the bathroom there to change out of my wet bathing suit. The changing room had an open-air courtyard and curtains across the individual changing stalls. The wind came in through the open ceiling and was lightly blowing the curtains, not enough to compromise anyone’s privacy, but enough that the curtains were billowing gently in the breeze, creating a hushed, peaceful atmosphere. It was such a serene setting, with the sun shining through the leaves in the open-air ceiling, and the curtains quietly flowing with the breeze. Women from all walks of life were going in and out, and everyone was so peaceful and refreshed after cooling off in the lake. I never expected to find this lovely setting in a public bathroom at a state park. It was a quiet oasis in the middle of a busy crowd, like time was standing still for a few minutes.
