A twist on Gazpacho

I recently taught a cooking class at my Mom's house in Southampton, Ontario.

It was a wonderful group of ladies (and one brave man) interested in creating a 'Preventative Pantry'!

The theme of the night was cooking with foods that keep us healthy and help prevent disease. This involves removing processed and refined foods from our kitchens and replacing them with fresh, organic foods. 

We highlighted:

Sea vegetables - Full of minerals and fiber capable of drawing toxins out through the bowel

Garlic - Antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, liver supportive and delicious!

Eggs - (fresh from my sisters farm) Great source of protein, not to be feared due to their cholesterol content

Nuts and seeds - Good source of Omega-3 fatty acids, protein, carbohydrate

We also talked about foods to avoid:

The Nightshade Family - tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant and peppers. These vegetables contain a compounds called solanine that can exacerbate inflammation in the body.

Sugar - I firmly believe that refined sugar is the culprit for so many of our Standard North American conditions. Obesity and Diabetes are epidemic in North America. Our reliance on convenience foods has never been so high. Convenience foods almost always contain sugar. Check your breakfast cereal, morning muffin, lunch takeout, soft drinks and treats, they all contain more sugar than our ancestors ever ate.

Trust me, reduce your sugar intake and that includes sugar replacements.

The hit of the night was the Roasted Gazpacho Soup. This recipe has a twist on our favourite summer soup. The vegetable are roasted, cooled and blended together. Delicious!

Roasted Gazpacho - from How To Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

4 ripe tomatoes

2 small or 1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut into large chunks

4 small or 2 medium zucchini, cut into large chunks

2 medium onions, cut into large chunks

About 10 cloves garlic, peeled

½ cup olive oil

¼ sherry or red wine vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

4 cups of water

4 slices of stale bread, crusts removed and torn up

Preheat the oven to 400oF. Combine the tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, onions, garlic and olive oil in a large roasting pan, roast until the eggplant is tender, stirring occasionally about 30 minutes.

Turn the mixture into a bowl and add the vinegar, salt, pepper, water and bread. Refrigerate and let sit for several hours, overnight if possible.

In a food processor or blender, blend the mixture until smooth. Put it througha food mill or strainer to remove any bits of skin, seeds and other solids. Check the seasoning, garnish and serve.

Note: Vegetables in the nightshade family (tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, & white potatoes) can aggravate inflammation. If you suffer from arthritis or any other inflammatory condition you may experience an improvement in your condition if you remove these foods from your diet.

The tomatoes and eggplant could be replaced with roasted squash, sweet potato, beets and/or carrots.