Avocado & Roasted Red Pepper Gazpacho
Serves: 4
Total time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
2 cups plum tomatoes, chopped
1 cup cucumber, peeled seeded and chopped
¾ cup roasted red pepper, chopped
1/3 cup celery, chopped
¼ cup scallions, chopped
3 tbsp. whole cilantro
1 tbsp. flat leaf parsley
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
¾ cup low sodium tomato juice
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and divided
½ tsp. ground black pepper, divided
½ tsp. sea salt, divided
1 lb fresh bay scallops (tiny size)
2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
Instructions:
In a blender, add tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, celery, scallions, cilantro, parsley, vinegar, lemon juice, tomato juice, half of avocado, ¼ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. salt. Blend until reaches desired consistency. Chill, covered in the refrigerator for at least an hour. While mixture is chilling, pat scallops dry and season with remaining salt and pepper. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over high heat. Add scallops and sear for about 2 minutes on each side, until scallops are no longer translucent. Lastly chop remaining half of avocado. Serve gazpacho topped with scallops and sliced avocado.
