Cold air brushes again my skin and the hair on my arms stands up straight. Goose bumps. Goose bumps, in the middle of summer. The air conditioning in the restaurant must've been turned up as high as it could go, because despite the 90°F weather outside, I was cold.

Of course, I was setting myself up for mockery: Cold!?! Do you know how warm it is today?

And then we stepped back outside. The next words that came out of my mouth were not thought out--just felt and said. If I had thought them out, I would've known better... But, as it was, that warm evening summer air hit my face, and impulsively I said "Now this is the temperature I like!"

The peanut gallery: What?! Caitlin, do you KNOW how warm it is?

I turned on the car, and on cue it flashed the temperature.

More from the peanut gallery: NINETY DEGREES! Caitlin's favorite temperature, 90 degrees! Laughter. I had to laugh too. (It was not, for the record, 90 degrees. The car had to calibrate since it had last been turned on).

Summer is my jam. I love seeing winter, and even enjoy a snowshoe hike or a day skiing here and there. But summer! Summer I love. Caprese. Popsicles. Limeade. Gazpacho. Among other things.

This gazpacho is a no-cook dish to eat for lunch or in the evening on the hottest of days. All of the ingredients are cooling: cucumber, avocado, even feta has a way of feeling "cool." Get out your blenders! I use this brand of blender and get creamy, smooth gazpacho in under a minute.

Cucumber Basil & Avocado Gazpacho

Published July 27, 2017 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Avocado lends creaminess to this refreshing, super green gazpacho.

Serves: 2 | Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

1 avocado, pit and peel removed
1 cup frozen peas
1 and 1/2 cucumber
1/4 yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup basil leaves, packed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup vegetable broth

Walnut Crumble:

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
2 tablespoons basil, minced
2 tablespoons parsley, minced
Dash salt
Dash pepper

To serve:

Garlic oil
Feta cheese

Directions:

Start by making the walnut crumble: crush the toasted walnuts with a rolling pin or the flat edge of a knife. Place in small mixing bowl and mix with minced basil, minced parsley, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
Make the gazpacho: Roughly chop the avocado, cucumber, and onion, and place in blender. Add the peas, garlic, basil, salt, pepper, and vegetable broth and blend until smooth, scrapping down the sides of the blender between cycles as needed.
Divide the gazpacho between bowls. Top with a drizzle of garlic oil (optional), feta cheese crumbles, and walnut crumble. Enjoy!

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