Sweet and Spicy Pineapple Cucumber Gazpacho with Cilantro
This sweet and spicy pineapple cucumber gazpacho with cilantro tastes amazingly flavorful and is a refreshing low-calorie treat — perfect for a hot summer day.
For the pineapple cucumber gazpacho
Cut the leaves off the pineapple, remove the skin and the core. Then cut the pineapple into large chunks. Chop the cucumber, tomato, sweet pepper, and jalapeno pepper (optional) into pieces that will easily fit into your food processor. If you like, you can set aside some of the vegetables to use as a garnish.
According to the author, instead of using one large tomato you can also use 350 g (12 ounces) cherry tomatoes.
Add the cilantro leaves to the vegetables in your food processor. Pulse the ingredients 2–3 times until they are minced but not puréed.
If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a high-speed blender to process the ingredients.
Ladle the finely chopped ingredients into a large soup bowl. Squeeze the lemon and mix the juice into the gazpacho. Peel and mince the red onion, finely chop the cilantro, and add both to the dish.
Garnish and serve
If you set some of the vegetables aside in Step 1, you can use them to garnish the gazpacho shortly before serving.
Either serve the pineapple cucumber gazpacho immediately or chill up to two hours before serving.
Detailed Nutritional Information per Person for this Recipe
The majority of the nutritional information comes from the USDA (US Department of Agriculture). This means that the information for natural products is often incomplete or only given within broader categories, whereas in most cases products made from these have more complete information displayed.
If we take flaxseed, for example, the important essential amino acid ALA (omega-3) is only included in an overarching category whereas for flaxseed oil ALA is listed specifically. In time, we will be able to change this, but it will require a lot of work. An “i” appears behind ingredients that have been adjusted and an explanation appears when you hover over this symbol.
For Erb Muesli, the original calculations resulted in 48 % of the daily requirement of ALA — but with the correction, we see that the muesli actually covers >100 % of the necessary recommendation for the omega-3 fatty acid ALA. Our goal is to eventually be able to compare the nutritional value of our recipes with those that are used in conventional western lifestyles.
This sweet and spicy pineapple cucumber gazpacho with cilantro tastes amazingly flavorful and is a refreshing low-calorie treat — perfect for a hot summer day.
Serving suggestions: According to Kristina Carrillo-Bucaram, this soup can be used in a multitude of ways.Consider that all my gazpachos can be served as a side dish or an appetizer. They can also be served as a dip or dressing, a complete meal, or a snack.
Serving sizes: This recipe will make about 1 liter of gazpacho, or enough for 2 servings. However, it might make a little less depending on the size of your vegetables. The servings are large enough to make a complete and filling meal. Depending on how you will be serving the gazpacho, you can adjust the quantities. Don’t worry if you have leftovers — this soup is excellent served cold the next day.
Gazpacho: Gazpacho is a cold soup made of raw blended vegetables. It originated in the southern regions of Spain (Andalusia) and Portugal (Algarve) and was originally made using bread, garlic, cucumbers, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and water. The result was a white garlic soup. Tomatoes and sweet red peppers were added in the eighteenth century, giving the soup the typical red color we know today.
Tips
Serve immediately or chill: Serve immediately or chill up to two hours before serving.
Storing tomatoes: Tomatoes should not be stored in the refrigerator as they tend to lose their flavor. The best storage temperatures are between 12 and 16 degrees Celsius (54–60 degrees Fahrenheit), and the tomatoes should be kept in a dark, well-ventilated place. When stored correctly, tomatoes can stay fresh for up to two weeks.
Use organic vegetables: It would be a shame to leave out certain parts of ingredients simply because the vegetables weren’t organically grown. For example, most of the nutrients in cucumbers are located directly under the skin and if you peel the cucumber, you will lose most of these. But if you use the entire cucumber and aren’t sure it’s organic, make sure to wash well before using in order to remove any contamination present.
Alternate preparation
Pineapple alternatives: If you do not tolerate pineapple well, you can use mango or papaya instead.
Cilantro (fresh coriander): There is a wide range of opinions regarding the flavor of cilantro. Some people react to its intensive, slightly soapy aroma with symptoms ranging from an aversion to nausea. According to Swiss statistics, 15% of the allergic population reacts to cilantro. If you prefer, it is fine to simply omit this ingredient. You should realize, however, that it is the cilantro that gives this dish its exotic taste. There is no alternative that has a similar flavor. Flat-leaf parsley may look like cilantro, but it has a completely different flavor.
