Watermelon Gazpacho with a kick

So I'm slowly getting used to this crazy Texas heat. It reminds me of my childhood summer in Kuwait when there really was no point in checking the weather on a given day. 100? 103? 101? Just another hot and dry day.  But yet life goes on... We went out our daily activities, I went to school, spent evening after school at the apartment complex pool, maybe at a friend's place... you'd step outside and there really was no mistaking the HOT desert wind blowing in your face.

After leaving Kuwait, I honestly never thought I would face such weather again. But never say never right? ;-)

And so here in Texas, it's deja-vu all over again and I'm finding ways to cope with the heat.  I'm a huge fan of the traditional spanish gazpacho, which is a raw soup with a multitude of veggies all blended in with some herbs and lime juice. I found a watermelon version of this recipe on a few different websites and tried it out at  a dinner party couple weeks back. No I don't normally subject my guests to being guinea pigs for a new recipe but I felt confident about this one. ;-)

The key is in getting a really nice juicy, BRIGHT RED watermelon.

Ingredients:

-  2.5 to 3lb seedless watermelon, cut in chunks
-  juice of 1 lime
-  2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
-  1 serrano chilli
-  1 or 2 plum tomatoes
-  1 clove garlic
-  handful of mint (or basil or cilantro)
-  1 seeded cucumber, peeled
-  2 stalks celery (I didn't have this so skipped it)
-  salt and pepper

Directions:

1.  Blend all the ingredients in the blender or food processor.

2.  Season to taste

3.  Garnish with mint, lime wedge and some extra virgin olive oil.

4.  Chill for 2 hours and serve nice and cold.