I love gazpacho, especially in the summertime when my body craves cooling, raw foods. And I love making it, not only because I get to control what goes in it, but also because it means that I'm embracing whole, raw foods in a low-energy "cooking" kind of way.

Why raw foods? Heating can actually change the makeup of food so that some of the beneficial enzymes and nutrients are destroyed. Some believe that cooked foods may lose up to 85 percent of their nutritional value.

Why low energy? In general, we all consume a lot of energy throughout our house. We run dishwashers, refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, TVs, microwaves ... and that's just the beginning. I love to make things that involve very little energy. This one requires only a good chopping block, a sharp knife, a compost bowl and a big bowl to catch all the tasty ingredients. Mix some up tonight and enjoy it for the next few days ... the flavors will only get better with a little time.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup olive oil
4 T fresh lemon juice
4 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup finely chopped onion or scallions
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 large yellow or green pepper, chopped
1 large cucumber, chopped
1 cup corn (frozen or fresh)
small bunch of cilantro, chopped (optional)
8 C (2 qt. or 1/2 gallon) tomato juice
1-3 teaspoons salt (depending on saltiness of tomato juice)
dash ground pepper
hot sauce to taste
diced avocado to garnish

Mix together. Season with hot sauce, salt and pepper as desired.

Garnish with diced avocado. Enjoy!

This will keep, covered and refrigerated, for a couple of days.