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Recipe: Chili-Peach Gazpacho

Heat things up with this sweet and savory gazpacho recipe.

Chili-Peach Gazpacho recipe

Talk about flaming-hot health. Using data from over 570,000 people in the U.S., Italy, China and Iran, researchers at the Cleveland Clinic’s Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute in Cleveland found that people who regularly eat chili peppers may be 26% less likely to die of heart disease and 23% less likely to die of cancer than everyone else—which makes this chili-peach gazpacho recipe a hit for your heart.

These results, presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2020, did not pinpoint how many chili peppers lower the risk or if certain types are more powerful for preventing disease. Nor did they prove that eating chili peppers can directly improve longevity, but it’s thought that capsaicin—the compound that gives jalapeños and other peppers their punch—can lower inflammation in the body and even reduce appetite. Those benefits make this fiery peach gazpacho recipe a summer soup that hurts so good.

Chili-Peach Gazpacho Recipe

2/3 cup water

1 lb peaches, pitted and quartered

1 orange bell pepper, seeded and quartered

1/2 English cucumber, peeled and chopped

2 scallions (green onions), sliced

1 jalapeño pepper, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 C chopped fresh mint or basil

2 T red wine vinegar

1/4 t sea salt

1/4 t black pepper

2 T extra-virgin olive oil

Add water, peaches, orange bell pepper, cucumber, scallion, jalapeño, garlic, mint or basil, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper to a blender or food processor container. Blend together until well combined. With the machine running at low speed, slowly pour in olive oil through the top feed tube. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving. Makes four servings.

See also: Recipe for Health: Summer Gazpacho

Ingredient Breakdown

Peaches

How to pick the perfect peach? Look for fruit with a creamy gold to yellow undertone that’s not too firm or too soft. Firm peaches will ripen within about 2 days at room temperature.

Cucumber

Although about 90% water, cucumbers are a good source of vitamin K, magnesium and potassium. Surprise fact? They’re members of the gourd family.

Jalapeño

Here’s another hot tip: One jalapeño provides more than a day’s worth of vitamin C. To cool things down, remove the seeds before cooking.

Source: precisionnutrition.com.


Matthew Kadey, MS, RD

Matthew Kadey, MS, RD, is a James Beard Award–winning food journalist, dietitian and author of the cookbook Rocket Fuel: Power-Packed Food for Sport + Adventure (VeloPress 2016). He has written for dozens of magazines, including Runner’s World, Men’s Health, Shape, Men’s Fitness and Muscle and Fitness.

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