Gazpacho

You'll need:

• 1 small sweet onion, quartered
• 1 large green bell pepper, seeded and quartered
• 2 medium cucumbers, scrubbed and coarsely chopped
• 2 large cloves garlic, peeled
• 3 cups tomato juice, or use a big can of whole tomatoes with their juices
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Hot sauce (optional)
• A blender or food processor

1. Put the onion, green pepper, cucumbers, and garlic in a blender or food processor.
2. If you're using a blender, start with a low speed like "chop" and then switch to a higher speed like "puree" until the ingredients start to get slushy.
3. Add the tomato juice, salt, pepper, olive oil and if you want, you can add a couple of drops of hot sauce.
4. Then blend the soup again until it has a smooth texture.
5. Put the soup in the refrigerator for at least one hour before serving.
6. When it's time to eat, pour the soup into individual bowls. You can sprinkle finely chopped cucumber or whole basil leaves on top as a garnish.

Notes: Our soup turned out a little too thick, so we stirred in more tomato juice. You can also use 3 or 4 fresh tomatoes instead of the tomato juice.