Gazpacho with Cucumber Juice

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
• Cucumber juice (juiced from 2 cucumbers)
• 1 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1 small jalapeno, seeded and minced
• 1 medium garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon toasted, ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, chiffonade

Directions

Core, seed and chop the tomatoes. I chopped them small enough so that I left some of the gazpacho chunky and didn't put it through the food processor. When seeding the tomatoes, place the seeds and pulp into a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl in order to catch the juice. Press as much of the juice through as possible and then add to bowl for gazpacho.

Place the tomatoes and cucumber juice into a large mixing bowl. Add the chopped cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, jalapeno, garlic clove, olive oil, lime juice, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire, cumin, basil, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Transfer 1 1/2 cups of the mixture to a blender and puree for 15 to 20 seconds on high speed. Return the pureed mixture to the bowl and stir to combine. Cover and chill for 2 hours and up to overnight.

I only chilled mine for about 45 minutes and it still was delicious. Very fresh and summery. If I had it, I would have served with a crostini drizzled in olive oil. 

Zucchini Apricot Muffins

I haven't made these yet, but I thought it would be a really good way to use the extra zucchini in my farmshare.

·      250 grams (about 2 cups) whole-wheat pastry flour

·      2 teaspoons baking powder

·      1 teaspoon baking soda

·      2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

·      1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

·      1/4 teaspoon salt

·      75 grams (1/3 cup) canola or sunflower oil

·      180 grams (3 extra-large) eggs

·      75 grams (1/3 cup) raw brown sugar or muscovado sugar

·      50 grams (1/4 cup) milk

·      2 teaspoons vanilla

·      250 grams (1/2 pound) zucchini, grated (about 2 cups)

·      100 grams dried apricots, cut in 1/4-inch dice (about 1/2 cup)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil muffin tins. The recipe makes about 14 1/2-cup muffins.

2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

3. In a medium or large bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs, sugar, milk and vanilla. Quickly whisk in the sifted dry ingredients. Fold in the grated zucchini and the dried apricots. Fill muffin tins about 3/4 full.

4. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until the muffins are brown on the edges and a tester comes out clean. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then remove from the tins and allow to cool on a rack.

Note: You can use flexible silicone molds for these; if you do, allow the muffins to cool completely in the mold. Then they will release easily.

Yield: 14 muffins

Advance preparation: These keep, wrapped in a kitchen towel or cloth bag, for a few days at room temperature. They freeze well.

Nutritional information per muffin: 178 calories; 7 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 48 milligrams cholesterol; 25 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 212 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 4 grams protein