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What‘s better than a cold bowl of super refreshing and delicious tomato gazpacho? Well, a bowl of super refreshing and delicious tomato gazpacho while not harming the environment and not producing waste. Sounds too good to be true? Just keep on reading and you‘ll find out how easy it is.

First, what even is Gazpacho?

Gazpacho is a tomato soup that originated in Spain. In Andalusia to be exact. But it is not a regular tomato soup. Since it always it super hot there in summer this soup is traditionally served chilled, straight out of the fridge. It is super refreshing and make with fresh veggies and fruit. The main components are tomatoes, bell pepper and cucumber. But also you add onions, spices, bread, herbs and water. It honestly is so incredibly simple to make.

But do you know what’s the best part about this dish? The toppings! Just as it is with a smoothie bowl, or an oatmeal, the toppings just take the dish next level. Here you can be completely creative. What I love to top this dish with are tomatoes, bell pepper, cucumber, avocado, fresh croutons, olive oil and herbs. The best. I am serious, this is the PERFECT summer food! 

Why this is a great option for no waste meals

This dish actually is an amazing opportunity to try out no(or low)-waste meals and get familiar with it. Most of the ingredients are fresh and therefore do not use packaging! I would recommend to buy the fruits and veggies at a local market because there you can take your reusable packaging and make sure they are locally farmed. If you would buy them at a super market they often come in (plastic) packaging, which produces much waste! So I am calling this a no waste meal, but what about the peel of the cucumber & onion and the core of the bell pepper? The peel of the cucumber can be snacked on or added into a homemade spread. When ur comes to the „waste“ of the veggies there is a great way to make use of them! Whenever you have byproducts like those, freeze them. Maybe have a tupperware in your freezer where you can always add them too. Once you have many you can add them to a large pot with water and cook them down for several hours. This way you make your own & homemade vegetable broth! Pretty cool right? Saves money and waste! 

What about the other ingredients?

Well, there are not many. The only other ones are olive oil, garlic powder, salt and bread.

For the oil: olive oil most of the times comes in glas bottles which can be reused. So either you reuse them yourself or you can find somewhere where you can give them back. 

The garlic powder: you probably think why I do not use fresh garlic if I wanted less waste. Here’s the thing: fresh garlic produces less waste but the taste is just too hard and spicy when it is added into the soup being raw. So either, you buy it in a glass jar (in which it most of the times comes in) and use it for salt or unpackaged spices when the garlic is used up or you can buy it at a bulk food store and fill it into your own jars.

The bread: this actually is a great way to use up old and stale bread. When you have some leftover pieces which you believe can’t be eaten anymore, use it for this recipe. It is being soaked anyway to soften up and become soaky, so it doesn’t matter if it is older or rather stale. (If you are looking for more recipes using old bread you can check out my french toast with basil apricots)

Basil, I mean it is a herb and it is fresh. So you do not produce any waste. I get it from our garden but you can also buy it at a market. If you wanna go all waste free, buy it in a pot and not pre picked and pre packaged. This way it also lasts longer.

Is gazpacho healthy? 

Yes, it definitely is! So many fresh veggies & fruits (tomatoes are fruits!!) are packed into one bowl. Also, since they are not cooked or prepared with any heat, the whole dish still contains all the vitamins and nutrients. It is really high in fibre and really versatile. Since the soup itself it vegan, it can be easily adapted to any diet by adding certain toppings! 

Is it possible to make it local?

Of course! Nothing easier than that. Especially right now where everything is in season. You can find fresh tomatoes, bell pepper, cucumber and onions at any market at this time of the year. Also, finding bread which is made from local ingredients is not hard. So this is an extremely easy dish to make from lock produce! 

Why is it better to make it from local ingredients?

I have talked about this in my post about the French Toast with Basil Apricots but there are two main reasons: first, it us better for the environment. Local food never has such a high CO2 footprint as food from abroad has since the transport is way shorter and therefore more environmentally friendly.

Secondly, you support your local economy when buying regional. This is always important to remain the living conditions in your home country, but especially now, during and after the crisis since many people and farmers have been hit hard. Plus, I also feel like you have a better connection to the food if it is locally grown! 

And let’s be honest? Is there anything better at the moment than those beautifully coloured, super juicy, sweet and flavourful Austrian tomatoes right now? No there is not!! I know, Italian tomatoes are good, but they have travelled longer than the ones from the region, and really, one CAN taste the difference of that travel. Austrian tomatoes are in season now and really, they are better than anything else. I could eat buckets of them right now!

Actually, tomatoes have been in Austria for hundreds of years!! They came here in the 16th century from Spain and France, which means they have been grown in Austria for 500 years! They truly are an old fruit here in Austria! That really is regional and back to the roots, literally! So who says only Italians can grow tomatoes?

So if you are new to the concept of no (or low) waste meals, this is a great way to introduce yourself to it! This dish is not only super delicious and healthy but also gold for the environment, the planet, and the local economy. A win in every aspect. Plus, it is super versatile! I hope that you will enjoy this recipe and makes preparing food on hot days easier for you! 

Happy cooking,
Enjoy,
Katie // Une Petite Cusiniere

Summer is hot. Summer is good times. But do you know what summer also is? QUICK and EASY recipes. No one (not even I do) likes to spend much time in the kitchen when you could just enjoy the sun. For these times this recipe is perfect. Quick but still fancy, easy but still extremely delish. Plus, you can make great use of the amazing summer stone fruits.

What is special about this recipe?

I think already when you hear or read the name you can kind of see that it is a little bit special. So, first of all, the grilled peaches. Have you ever had peaches grilled? if not, you NEED to try. It is a game changer. The sweetness is enhanced by the heat and the sugar inside the fruit kind of starts to caramelise. All in all – amazing. And then we have the ricotta. Well, ricotta as is already is pretty damn delish. But when you whip it (either in a food processor or with hand) it gets incredibly smooth and creamy. Plus, the honey gives it some extra sweetness and tanginess. And let’s not forget about the balsamic vinegar on to. It’s like the cherry on the top. It’s the combination of the sweet and hearty that makes this so special and amazing. Absolutely worth a try. And please, don’t be fouled by the fancy sounding name. It is super duper simple.

Is it healthy?

I would say so. So first of all, bread. I would recommend to use wholegrain bread since it does not only have the perfect size but also is it higher in fibre and nutrients. But you probably know that wholegrain bread is healthier than white bread. Peaches as a fruit are healthy. They are, since they are fruits, very high in vitamins and water. But also, they contain some sugar, which is totally fine. This sugar can be used better by your body as it comes with fibre but still, I would not overdo it, just as we shouldn’t do that with anything!

The ricotta is not unhealthy but not healthy. I guess it is somewhere in the middle. Compared to other cheeses, ricotta is not very high in calories. It does provide you with a good amount of protein but with that comes fat. Mostly unsaturated. A benefit of ricotta is that it is very high in calcium, which is great. I’m gonna be honest, I love incorporating ricotta into my diet because it is super delish, and as said, it is not unhealthy as long as it is consumed in moderation. You can find several other recipes on my blog with ricotta such as my French Toast with Whipped Ricotta and Figs or my Veal Stuffed Zucchini Cannelloni !

Substitutes and when to have it

This recipe is pretty versatile. If you do not have wholegrain toast, switch it out for another one or for some sourdough bread. No peaches on hand? Use apricots instead. Or you could even go for figs. If you are lacking ricotta you can simply use cream cheese in it’s place. Feel free to adapt the recipe the way you like it!

In terms of when having this, let me tell you, this is really up to you. I mean you can have it as a breakfast, totally, or as a brunch. I even love this as a lunch or dinner but it can also be served as a dessert or snack. So really, any time you want it. Since it combines sweet but also a little savoury, it is the perfect excuse to have it at any time!

I hope that you enjoy the recipe and love it as much as I do!
Happy cooking,
Enjoy,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière

I mean, you can never go wrong with curry but this tops it all. On a scale from 1-10 this would easily be an 11! Yeah, I know what you are thinking, Curry is something for winter and colder days to cozy up. Well, yes it is but it at least is as good in summer. With those fresh ingredients, this is the perfect summer dinner!

A curry love

Curry Is seriously one of my favourite meals. Ever. First of all, it is super easy to make, secondly, it tastes amazing, it is super healthy, so comforting and just good. And you can never go wrong with it. If you have been following me around here for a little while you probably know this because I have several curry recipes on the blog already including a curry noodle soup (one of the best recipes on the blog!!), a super easy 20 minute green curry and a creamy lentil dhal which is kind of similar to a curry but not quite the same. But this curry is different.

What makes this curry different?

It is a summer inspired one! Also, usually when making curries I add in every possible vegetable. But in here I kept it rather simple. Why? That way you can really focus on the flavours. So what then is in there? As for vegetables we are using summer squash. Summer squash is very similar to zucchini, just a little bit more intense. Besides summer squash the only veggies are mushrooms (just regular porcini mushrooms, I think they go very well with anything) and some spinach for some vitamins and a nice pop of colour.

Doesn’t sound too fancy yet, I know. But the real fancy part, which makes this curry is the pineapple. While this may sound a little strange to some, it actually is a thing. When I go to our favourite traditional Thai restaurant and order a curry it most of the time comes with fruit in it. This is not unusual. Sometimes it is pineapple or even lychee. This honestly adds such a nice flavour to it.

The key to the best curry

While it is easy to make a curry it is not easy to make a good one. Sometimes it turns out not as flavourful or creamy as you’d want it to be. Making a good curry starts with using a good curry paste. You can make one at home ( I have never tried it but I cannot imagine it to be super difficult) or buy one at your supermarket or local asian grocery store. What I always watch out for is that it is a Thai brand. You can really taste the difference.

Another key is the preparation: to make the curry make distribute evenly in the curry I like to combine it with the coconut milk beforehand. Therefore I use about half of the coconut milk and whisk it together until it is creamy. That thins out the curry paste and won’t leave you with chunks of it in the curry.

My last (but important) tip is to sauté the coconut milk and curry paste mixture at the beginning. That really helps to bring out the flavour and actually makes a difference. I mean all of those tip are not very complicated but small changes make a big difference.

Ideal summer food

It is true, usually curry is more of a warming food. But the pineapple makes it really fresh. Also, you can serve it cold over some rice, with some naan, or with a salad. Curry actually works great for meal prep so you can serve it in the fridge (which actually enhances the flavours) and eat it cold. Also great for a nice summer picnic.

I hope that you will love and enjoy this recipe as much as I do.

Happy cooking,
Enjoy,
Katie // Une Petite Cusiniere