Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Chunky Gazpacho with Grilled Shrimp for #Slave Free Tomatoes


I saw Christiane's post yesterday @Taking on the Magazines to raise awareness for the injustices in the tomato fields of the United States.  Yesterday was Food Bloggers for 7.24.12 Slave Free Tomatoes. I know that I am a day late, but I would also like to post a tomato dish for the cause.  We are doing this through The Giving Table, who is working in conjunction with the International Justice Mission's Recipe for Change to raise awareness about injustices in U.S. tomato fields.

The tomatoes that you see in the Supermarkets are being cared for and harvested by slave labor. This is happening in the United States, and Florida in particular.  Like others, I had no idea that this was happening.  If the supermarkets join the Fair Food Program, they can help eliminate the slave labor and other abuses in the tomato fields. What we need to do as consumers and Food Bloggers is put pressure on the CEO's of large Supermarkets to join the Fair Food Program.  Please send a message asking major U.S. Supermarket chains to join the Fair Food Program by clicking here. You can also buy your slave-free tomatoes from local farm stands Farmer's markets, CSA Boxes, Trader Joe's or Whole Foods.



I haven't made Gazpacho in years, but our weather lately, steamy and hot, is perfect for it. Also, I had bought these gorgeous tomatoes and  cucumbers from the farm stand across the road from my subdivision.  I know that I am lucky to have such fresh produce about one mile from my home.  Gazpacho is a cold tomato soup from Spain with green bell peppers, cucumbers, and a little onion.  The gazpacho is a great way to showcase the great tomatoes of the season, and all the other veggies. As you can imagine, there are many recipes and variations of the classic summer dish. I like to make my Gazpacho on the chunky side, but you can puree the veggies if you like a smooth soup. I do puree about 2 cups of the vegetable mixture, which thickens the soup a bit, and adds lots of flavor. This soup is so refreshing with the chunky vegetables, and cold tomatoes and soup.

Gazpacho is a very versatile recipe, which can be made a day ahead of time to get all the flavors of the soup to "marry." Besides the veggies, there is olive oil, balsamic vinegar, fresh basil, a touch of hot sauce, if you want a little heat. Besides serving Gazpacho s a soup, it can also be an appetizer or main course.  You can serve the Gazpacho as an appetizer in a glass. or as a main course, by adding grilled shrimp, one dish three ways.

or as a soup
Or as a Main Dish

Chunky Gazpacho Adapted from Cooking Light
  • 6 cups coarsely chopped tomato (about 3 pounds)
  • 1 (32-ounce) bottle low-sodium tomato juice, more or less
  • 2 cups coarsely chopped peeled cucumber (about 2 medium)
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped green bell pepper
  • 4 green onions chopped
  • 1 cup finely chopped celery
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, more or less.
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 5 large Basil leaves, chiffonade
  • 1 lb. of grilled  or sauteed shrimp
Directions:
Combine tomatoes, cucumber, green bell pepper, green onions, and celery in a large bowl.

 Remove 2 cups of vegetable mixture, puree in blender or food processor. and return to large bowl, with the rest of the vegetables.

.Add remaining six ingredients to large bowl with vegetables. Combine well.  Cover and refrigerate until serving time, preferably overnight. Serve with shrimp, if desired.

linked up my recipe to Brandie@The Country Cook's Weekend Potluck #28
Stop by and say Hi to Brandie!


14 comments:

  1. Oh, how I love gazpacho...and I must try your chunky version! Thanks for joining the mission, Becky!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lizzy,
      I felt like the awareness needs to be raised on slave free tomatoes, so I posted the Gazpacho.I'm sure that you won't be disappointed, if you make this chunky gazpacho.

      Delete
  2. Hi Becky, this recipe look interesting. Sound like a great dish, love the combination of vege with grilles shrimps.

    Have a nice week ahead.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ameelia,

      The gazpacho is so good with grilled shrimp. Youcan transform a soup to a light, tasty, main dish.

      Delete
  3. I saw the picture of gazpacho on facebook and had to head right over because it's one of my favorite summertime treats. Yours look fantastic. I love the idea of including shrimp in with it. Thank you for mentioning me, too. That was very sweet. I'm glad you joined in. I don't think there's any time limit on raising awareness. I'll probably keep plugging it the rest of the summer; every time I use tomatoes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Christiane,

      It wasn't until I read your blog about the slave free tomatoes, that realized the problem, so I wamtedto give you a shout out. The gazpacho is crazy good with shrimp:)

      Delete
  4. I really appreciate you sharing this info about tomatoes... I wasnt aware of this issue at all...
    This gazpacho is so versatile...it's great how itcan be served three ways!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Abeer,
      I wasn't aware either of the issue about the tomatoes, so I decided to raise the awareness with the Gazpacho.

      Delete
  5. This gazpacho looks gorgeous my friend, I love the ingredients :)
    Thank you for sharing about this event!

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Uru,

      You are so welcome. I wanted t raise the awareness about the tomato issue.

      Delete
  6. What a great summer recipe! Thanks for the information on slave free tomatoes. If it weren't for bloggers posting about this, I would have no idea!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Jill,
    You are so welcome. I'm glad that we are raising the awareness for the tomato issue. They need more publicity.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great article with excellent idea! I appreciate your post. Thanks so much and let keep on sharing your stuffs keep it up.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Vietnamese noodles, known as "Æ°Æ¡men," are a culinary delight that takes your taste buds on a flavorful journey through Vietnam's rich gastronomic heritage

    ReplyDelete

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