Do you ever get food cravings? They say that when we’re craving something it’s because out bodies are running low on a nutrient found it whatever it is we’re craving. That’s all well and good, but it doesn’t really explain chocolate cravings. I digress…

When I get cravings, more likely than not they’re for fresh fruits and vegetables. Most often, I crave crunchy things like apples or carrots, but for the last few days, it’s been tomatoes. I cannot get enough tomatoes, or tomato products, or stuff made with tomatoes. From raw tomatoes to ketchup, I think I’ve had tomato something with every meal since Sunday.

Tonight, I decided that selecting my dinner based food that could be a vehicle for ketchup consumption had to stop, so I made gazpacho. In France there was this great store that sold frozen food and they had ice cube sized servings of gazpacho in bags of 50 or so. Four or five cubes thawed out with a baguette and a glass of wine was dinner many a sweltering, air-conditioned free night.

I don’t have a baguette tonight (though learning to make those is definitely on my to-do list), but I think the fresh gazpacho will make up for it, don’t you? PS – I totally made enough to freeze some in ice cube trays. 🙂

Here’s the recipe:

In a blender or food processor combine 1 small red onion, 1 red bell pepper, 1 green bell pepper, 2 cucumbers (peeled), 2 cloves of garlic, 4 cups of tomato juice, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp vinegar. Salt, pepper, and spice to taste. I added a dash of cumin, a little salt to heighten the flavors and a little Tabasco to give it a kick. Pour into a large bowl, cover and chill for at least 20 minutes to let the flavors meld. The longer it chills, the better it’ll taste. Yum!