Spicy Black Bean Gazpacho

After a long hiatus and a 5-week trip to Europe, I'm back!

While Rob and I were in Europe, we collected a list of recipes to try when we get back, some inspired by the food we are while we were there, and some not. The following recipe is one I have made before, but never got around to blogging about!

Ingredients:

1 red pepper, seeded and chopped

4 green onions, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 or 2 jalapeno peppers (depending on how spicy you'd like), seeded and chopped

3 tomatoes, chopped

1 540 ml can of tomato juice

1 540 ml can of black beans

2-3 tbsp of red wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Put red pepper, green onion, garlic, and jalapenos into food processor. Blend until finely chopped.
2. Add tomatoes and blend until smooth.
3. Stir in the tomato juice, black beans, and vinegar.
4. Season to taste.
5. Serve ice cold.

This recipe is really refreshing, but I did make a few small changes to it. I like to add a bit of cucumber (peeled and chopped) into this recipe. You can also use coriander to season it, or add some tabasco sauce for a bit more bite.

A refreshing meal for hot summer days!