I’m confident that I don’t remember when the last time I turned on my stove. It’s blazing out there and I’m not prepared to add even the tiniest addition of heat to the air. I’m relying on cold soups, salads and my grill. Recipes are easy to identify with this criteria.

This recipe for gazpacho is pretty classic – a combination of summer garden veggies and herbs, citrus and vinegar. I added a crunchy and sweet garnish of grilled corn kernels and a super simple marinated and grilled shrimp skewer. A perfect summer meal, right?

Summer Garden Gazpacho with Grilled Shrimp

8 tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 large red onion, diced
1 large jalapeno, diced
4 cloves of garlic, finely diced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/8 cup lemon juice
1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Fresh Corn, garnish

In batches, pulse all ingredients in a food processor until a small mince but still chunky. Chill before serving.

For the garnish, grill corn and cut off kernels for a sweet and crunch garnish.

Ginger Shrimp
1 lb. medium sized shrimp, deveined and peeled
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tbsp. ginger paste or fresh minced ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

To make the shrimp, simply stir together all the ingredients for the marinade and let the shrimp soak for at least 15 minutes. Skewer them and cook on the grill, about 3 minutes each side.