"I'd Rather Do Anything But Cook" - Super Easy, Super Fast Pineapple Cucumber Gazpacho

So, how's the weather been lately where you live?

Here, in New Jersey, it has been HOT - HOT - HOT- HOT - HOT…as in 5 days of a heatwave, with one more tomorrow before it breaks.  

Mr. Goo Shoes and I finally made it to the beach today for the first time this summer. It was 97 degrees -- how could we not go?  

I'd rather do anything but cook in the best of circumstances, so after coming home from the beach all hot and sweaty, it's just not going to happen.  All I want to do is hop into the shower (there's nothing quite as wonderful as an after-beach shower, is there?), and just grab something cold out of the fridge.  

I'm a big fan of chilled soup in the summertime, so I whipped up a batch of Pineapple Cucumber Gazpacho before heading "down the shore."

Before we get to the gazpacho recipe, here's a little lesson in Jersey lingo...People from NJ do not ever say they are going to the beach...nuh-uh.  If you said that to another Jersey-ite, they would look at you and say, "Huh?"  If you want to be understood around these parts, your must say...

We are going "down the shore."

I went "down the shore."

He is "down the shore."

We hit so much freakin' traffic heading "down the shore."

You get the idea.

Mr. Goo Shoes, being from Brooklyn, would never say "down the shore" even though he has lived in NJ for 11 years.  He' s real rebel, that Mr. Goo Shoes.  He will always and forever consider himself a New Yawka, so he is exempt from having to say "down the shore." 

And if he did say it, it would sound more like "down the shaw," and no one would understand him anyway, so he might as well continue saying he went "to the beach." 
It's just easier on everyone that way. 

We headed to Seven Presidents Beach in Long Branch, NJ -- Exit 105.  (Another thing about New Jersey...we reference places by their exit number on the Garden State Parkway. So next time you meet someone from NJ, and you want to know what town they live in, just ask what exit they're from).

There was a slight breeze on the beach, so it wasn't deadly hot, but the sand??? OMG - hotter than walking on coals! Not that I've ever walked on coals and can make a true comparison, but still.

If I had brought the gazpacho with me for lunch, I swear I'd have cooled my feet in it.

The sand was so hot, people were running from towel to towel just to get from the ocean and back. We came back to our chairs to find the two cutest little boys standing under our umbrella, giving their hot little tootsies a break from the sand. 

We spent three glorious hours at the beach, and then two hellish hours in traffic to get home, so I was glad to have the gazpacho waiting to greet us when I opened the refrigerator.

Like most of my recipes that I've been making for years, I have no idea where this one came from, other than the fact that I clipped it out of a magazine.  So if it's yours, let me know, and I'll give you credit. 

Some notes about the recipe…

• I  omitted the jalapeno.  It seemed like an oxymoron to have something hot in my cold soup. But if you like spicy, by all means, add it in.
• I used canned pineapple juice instead of fresh because…well, I couldn't be bothered, honestly. 
• I used kosher salt instead of sea salt.
• I used olive oil, not avocado oil. I bet it is even more awesome with avocado oil.
• I left out the macadamia nuts because they just didn't appeal to me in this recipe.

Pineapple Cucumber Gazpacho
(serves 4-6)

4 cups chopped pineapple
4 cups peeled, chopped cucumber
3 tablespoons minced jalapeno
3 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 cup fresh pineapple juice
1 to 2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
3 tablespoons avocado oil or extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped raw macadamia nuts

In a blender, process 3 cups each of pineapple and cucumber, 2 tablespoons jalapeno, 2 tablespoons scallion, lime juice, pineapple juice, and salt at high speed until smooth. Taste and correct seasoning (because the sweetness of pineapples varies) and add jalapeno and salt to taste.

Add the remaining pineapple and cucumber, the cilantro, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of avocado (or olive) oil.  Pulse the blender quickly a few times -- the gazpacho should remain chunky. (Depending on the size of the blender jar, this may have to be done in two batches). Stir in the macadamia nuts. Divide the gazpacho among serving bowls, drizzle with remaining avocado oil, and sprinkle with remaining jalapenos and scallions.

Are you ready to give it a try?

Enjoy!

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