Hot Spanish Soup that’s Chilled! Flamenco “100 Calorie” Gazpacho Soup Recipe
Hot Spanish Soup that’s Chilled!
Flamenco “100 Calorie” Gazpacho Soup
Recipe
Hot Spanish Soup that’s Chilled! Flamenco “100 Calorie” Gazpacho Soup Recipe
I remember the first time I ever saw Flamenco dancers in action; I was about seven years old and we went to Spain on a family holiday. The hotel we stayed at in L’Estartit had evening entertainment, as they all do of course, and I was allowed to stay up to watch the Flamenco dancers. When we stayed there in the 1960’s, it was just a large fishing village with a few hotels, but no high-rise hotels; our accommodation were little holiday cottages, with meals being taken in a large communal restaurant. The beach was a gentle 20 minute walk away and I remember that I loved every minute of the holiday, of which the evening entertainment was the highlight of my day. Flamenco dancing has continued to intrigue and fascinate me, all of that stomping of feet with those series faces and the violent strumming of the Spanish guitar. It’s spine-tingling and full of passion – a whirl of colour and sound, intense and vibrant – it makes the hairs stand up on the back of my neck.
Flamenco
I discovered a way to sate my appetite for this particular genre of music and dance, by viewing some of the dance routines on YouTube, and whereas the dancing is often seen as “wild” and “unfettered”, in fact it can be very elegant and extremely sensual, as this video shows: Sensual Flamenco and here: La Lupi – Soleá por Bulerías (1/2)
Belen Maya by Gilles Larrain, 2005
But to get back to my recipe for today, a Spanish classic, cool and fiery with raw vegetables, a well-made Gazpacho is a thing of passion and beauty. My recipe is based on several classic recipes, but has been adapted to be lower in calories, as I have omitted lots of the olive oil that is normally added to this chilled soup. Th recipe makes six generous portions of soup, and if you have lots of calories left to spare (if following the 5:2 diet where two days of the week are devoted to eating 500 calories) on your fast day, then a double portion is still only 200 calories, and I can tell you that this soup is VERY filling.
Hot Spanish Soup that’s Chilled! Flamenco “100 Calorie” Gazpacho Soup Recipe
Other health benefits are that this soup is “raw” – all of the vegetables are raw and the soup is blended and not cooked; there has been extensive scientific research about the benefits of a “raw” diet; it’s thought that a raw food diet enhances your body’s ability to prevent and fight diseases, especially chronic diseases. Raw foodism says that raw and living foods contain essential food enzymes that are destroyed if the food is heated to above 47 Celsius/Centigrade.
The following health benefits are highlighted by followers of a raw food diet:
- You will have more energy
- Your skin will have a much better appearance
- Your digestion will improve
- You will lose weight
- Your risk of developing heart and cardiovascular diseases will significantly drop
(Some information: Medical News Today)
Hot Spanish Soup that’s Chilled! Flamenco “100 Calorie” Gazpacho Soup Recipe
Apart from the health benefits of this soup, it is absolutely drop dead gorgeous, and is PACKED full of the most amazing flavours, tastes and textures. If you are not worried about the calorie count, then you can drizzle some extra olive oil over this soup on serving along with some home-made chunky croutons. This soup is just brilliant for anyone on a diet, as well as for picnics, packed lunches, lazy summer lunches and a Tapas themed dinner party. Just pour it into a large flask, take along some mugs (tin or enamel mugs are best) and enjoy this soup with crusty bread as part of a summer picnic.
Old Thermos Flask: I have this exact flask, but this photo is from the V & A
The recipe for my Flamenco “100 Calorie” Gazpacho Soup is shared below, in the meantime, why don’t you visit my YouTube links and have a bit of a stomp and whirl, whilst you wait for your supper or tea! That’s all for today, see you soon, with more recipes for treats, cakes, snacks and sandwiches…….have a lovely Thursday, Karen.
Hot Spanish Soup that’s Chilled! Flamenco “100 Calorie” Gazpacho Soup Recipe
Flamenco “100 Calorie” Gazpacho Soup
Print recipe
| Serves | 6 |
| Prep time | 15 minutes |
| Dietary | Vegetarian |
| Meal type | Appetizer, Lunch, Main Dish, Snack, Soup, Starter |
| Misc | Gourmet, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold |
| Occasion | Barbecue, Birthday Party, Casual Party, Formal Party |
| Region | Spanish |
| By author | Karen S Burns-Booth |
Ingredients
- 1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
- 1 large tomato, finely diced
- 1/2 large red pepper, de-seeded and finely diced
- 1/2 large green pepper, de-seeded and finely diced
- 1 red onion, peeled and finely diced
- 1/2 large cucumber
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 10 fresh basil leaves (I used Greek basil leaves)
- 6 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 1 slice of thick white bread
- 3/4 pint (450mls) tomato juice
- 2 to 3 drops of hot sauce, to taste (such as Tabasco)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
Note
The classic Spanish chilled soup, lightened up for the 5:2 diet - this makes 6 servings and each serving is only 100 calories. Perfect for summer, picnics or light lunches.
Directions
| Step 1 | Put the fresh tomato and a few of the diced vegetables (peppers, onion and cucumber) to one side, to use as a garnish. |
| Step 2 | Place all of the remaining ingredients - the tinned tomatoes, chopped peppers, onion, cucumber, garlic and all of the herbs, spices, vinegar, tomato juice, bread, oil and seasonings into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. |
| Step 3 | Check seasoning and adjust if necessary and add a little water if the consistency is too thick, |
| Step 4 | Chill until you need to serve it, and add a few ice cubes with the reserved diced vegetables as a garnish. |
Hot Spanish Soup that’s Chilled! Flamenco “100 Calorie” Gazpacho Soup Recipe
Lesley says
Thank you for this recipe. I love gazpacho. Does this mean you will be making more raw 5:2 recipes? X
Lisa Williams says
this looks great I love fresh chilled soups and 100 calories is just perfect for me 🙂
Lisa Williams says
tweeted to share
AncientMariner says
Fantastic, a soup that is HOT but COLD! Ideal for a CHILLING OUT day! Must persuade someone to make this for me, it’s a bit beyond my capabilities methinks.
anthony harrington says
wonderful and just 100 calories!
Maya Russell says
I’m not sure I’d like chilled soup. But it does look good. Shared on Twitter: https://twitter.com/maisietoo/status/350858955427299329
Galina V says
How wonderfully colourful and full of flavours! perfect for a summer day, and great for those who count calories.
Tracy Nixon says
Ooooh! Love this – I love it cold but the kids love it warmed!
Annie Costa says
Wonderful soup this is!
Hayley says
I’ve never tried chilled soup before; I’ve always been a bit wary of it, but maybe I will give it a go!
Lisa Williams says
this is so refreshing right now in this crazy heat that we are having 🙂
Elia says
Hello,
First of all I want to say that I really love your blog, it’s awesome, it’s well written, the recipes are very well explained and I can go on and on about how much I like it but… This recipe made me cry. As a Spaniard with roots in Andalucia, Gazpacho has always been a very important part of my diet and there’s a lot of ways to do it, there’s just one thing that keeps being the same everywhere: you need “decent” tomatoes. Making a “gazpacho” of canned tomatoes is like trying of make wine out of grape juice, maybe it will resemble wine, but never will be it. Just get some red, juicy and fresh tomatoes, peel it and blend it, and also you will avoid all the food coloring and preservatives.
Karen says
Thanks so much for your lovely comments Elia!
I know that fresh tomatoes are so much better than canned, but the ones I used were just STRAIGHT tinned tomatoes with no additives! And, as I didn’t have any ripe fresh tomatoes at the time, it seemed okay to make the soup!
I DO make this recipe with ripe tomatoes, but, outside of Spain where they grow so well, we all fall victim to the seasons, and with such a wet summer I didn’t have any decent fresh tomatoes when I wanted to make this recipe!
I know exactly what you mean about fresh over tinned, but tinned tomatoes are one of the best and most natural “processed” foods that are available out of season and I only use brands that have no additives!
LOVELY to meet you, Karen 🙂
Arthur says
Ive always wanted to try Gazpacho soup, mainly due to it’s mention in Red Dwarf, I’ll admit, but this makes it so simple I’m inspired to try it out!
Matthew Wylie says
Cracking recipe for an authentic Gazpacho! delicious!
Dan says
Hi Karen,
I am absolutely loving your 5:2 recipes and am finding them so inspirational and helpful! 🙂
I must say though, that in the weather we have been having in the UK of late, your 100 calorie Gazpacho is a real treat! it is so delicious that I have made my second (2 litre) vat of the stuff today (it will last me a few days mind you! ) but it is just perfect, simple and so refreshing and tasty!
I must say that I disagree about the comments regarding chopped tomatoes from a can. The tomatoes available in supermarkets here are usually of a very high quality that have no added nasties and are so handy for when you don’t happen to have a tomato patch of your very own! I use them in all sorts of dishes, from Jambalaya to curries to a whole plethora of Italian dishes (puttanesca springs to mind…oo now wouldn’t that be a thing a 5:2 puttanesca sauce? :P)
Best wishes to you and keep up the good work my dear!
-Dan.
Karen says
Hi Dan,
Firstly, I would like to thank you for your very supportive comments about my recipes and it is always a real thrill to see when someone shares how much they enjoy them, makes it seem all worth while, so thanks for your encouragement!
Secondly, I wholeheartedly agree about tinned tomatoes, and you may have seen my reply to that comment earlier. Of all the “processed foods” available, you are right, tinned tomatoes are healthy and with no additives. I always have several tins tucked away for impromptu sauces, and for curries, casseroles etc. I refuse to buy tomatoes out of season when they have no taste, so tinned tomatoes are a boon during the winter months too.
As for a recipe for 5:2 puttanesca sauce, now there is a challenge I have decided to take up! Watch this space, and I will see how I can “lighten” it without taking away the essential elements……
Once again, thanks for your comments and look out for some new recipes next week.
Karen 🙂
Tracy Nixon says
I really love this cool but my kids like it warmed! I first ever made this at school when I was 16! I remember it well – during a GCSE Home Economics cooking lesson!
Maya Russell says
Ola! Shared the recipe on Twitter,
@maisietoo
DANIELLE VEDMORE says
Oh could have done with this today – bookmarked 🙂
Nazima says
Hello Karen
I decided to go for the 5:2 after much umming and aahing and am of course browsing food sites on a fast day…!
love your collection and this one is one I shall give a try whilst there is still some sun in the sky
x
Karen says
Thanks Nazima! I have lost 7 kilos since I last saw you and feel so much better – just shout if you need support! Karen xx
Sheila Reeves says
Thank you so much for this recipe! Back from a wonderful couple of weeks in Spain, where we usually eat Gazpacho for lunch every day 😉 Have never seen a recipe using tinned tomatoes so am looking forward to trying this out (my tomatoes were not up to much this year – don’t think we would have got one days soup from them!)
Brittany says
Sorry to ressurect this after so long but I was wondering about how much soup would one serving be? I’m pretty new to your site and trying the 5:2 for the first week. This looks like a beautiful recipe, perfect for at work lunch and I am looking forward to trying it!
Karen says
The recipe is for 6 servings, so the best thing is to halve the ingredients so they become 3 servings or 300 calories in total, or measure the soup into cups, so you have precise measurements for work! Thanks for your lovely comments! Karen
Jacky says
Hi looks wonderful but how much cucumber should I add to the soup please as the recipe mentions it but doesn’t state how much. Thanks.
Karen says
Hi Jacky! Oooops! I forgot to add it! About half a cucumember – I will add it later!
Ofelia De La Cruz says
Hi, I just discovered your blog and I think is lovely (with fantastic recipes as well).
I also love the blog “look”, especially the fact that there are no ads in between the recipes!
Carinos from Ft. Lauderdale, Fl