Avocado Corn Gazpacho

Well, I just returned from a much needed vacation.  Unfortunately, the first two days at the beach provided more rain and clouds than sun and sand.  Although some good things came out of those two days of rain.  I was watching Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and was completely inspired by a gazpacho I saw.  I went to Food Network's website to see if I could find the recipe, but, the recipe provided had a lot of ingredients missing.  Luckily I took notes while I was watching the show and tried to duplicate what I saw.  The result, probably one of the most unique gazpachos I've ever had.  I'm used to the tomato based gazpachos, which I love because some of them taste like salsa, and salsa is one of my favorite foods ever, but this gazpacho gave me something new and now I can't get enough!

This would be a fun food for a party because you can put it in shot glasses, or bring it on ice to a BBQ or summer party.  Plus it's a great summer soup because there's no heat being used to make it! (Perfect for Florida summers!) This recipe probably makes about 8-10 servings.

1 zucchini, coarsely chopped

1 yellow squash, coarsely chopped

1 small red bell pepper, coarsely chopped

1 small onion, diced

4-5 Roma tomatoes, diced

1 serrano pepper, minced

2 ears of corn, blanched and kernels cut off the cob

4 ripe avocados

4 cups ice water, divided

1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

1/2 cup lime juice

salt and pepper

Put the zucchini, yellow squash, and bell pepper in bowl of food processor and pulse briefly. The pieces should be small so that there is some texture and chew to the soup. Transfer the vegetable mixture to a large bowl.

Also to the bowl, add diced onion, tomatoes, serrano pepper, corn, and cilantro.  Halve, pit and dice 1 1/2 of the avocado.  Add to the bowl. 

In a high speed blender, add remaining avocado and 2 cups of ice water.  Blend on high until thick and creamy puree.  Add the puree and lime juice to the bowl, stirring to combine.  Add remaining 2 cups of water to create a better consistency.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  

Serve immediately or chill in the fridge for a few hours.  Garnish with a few cilantro leaves on top and some tortilla chips!