Recipes

Gazpacho Soup

Cold Gazpacho Soup
Summer is just around the corner, and I am searching for delicious, nutrition packed recipes that are simple to make. I like to make do a little extra cooking on Saturday or Sunday, then refrigerate the leftovers for the busy week. I never have much spare time during the week, which makes snacking on unhealthy foods a lot more tempting if I don't have something healthy and yummy that is ready to go. 
 Today I made Gazpacho soup, something that is perfect to make a large batch of and serve over the course of the busy week. Gazpacho soup is basically vegetables and spices and is easy to make. It is also a good recipe to use if you don't know what to do with the ripe vegetables in your fridge.
Ingredients:
2 tomatoes, diced
1 cucumber, diced
3 garlic cloves
1 small jalapeño, seeded and diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 orange bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 small onion, chopped
3 Tbsp basil leaves, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 limes, juiced
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. ground black pepper
2 cups tomato juice

Prep time: 30 minutes
Refrigeration time: 2 hours
Total time: 2 hours and 30 minutes  

 Prepare vegetables, keeping out a little tomato, onion, and pepper for garnish. Put all of ingredients into food blender, mixing it all together in a bowl if you don't have a processor that is large enough. Refrigerate for 2 hours, garnish with the vegetables that you kept out, then serve cold.

SUPER GINGER AND CITRUS TEA FOR THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
It's the first week of September, I am running around the city going to castings and preparing for a busy fashion week. I'm excited about spending the entire fashion week in New York, knowing it is going to be a busy time, but enjoyable. But for the first time in my life, I was having a rough struggle with allergies. My nose was running ALL the time, my throat was dry and my head felt congested. I was blowing my nose so much I was afraid I would look like Rudolf the Red-nosed reindeer one day at a casting.
To boost my immune system, rehydrate and get some toxins out of my body, I made a tea that turned out really well and tasty, especially considering the amount of healthy ingredients! Not only is it good for fighting allergies, but for colds, headaches, indigestion and helping with muscle and joint pain. You can use any kind of tea you like, I prefer to use an herbal tea like chamomile. You can use whichever tea best suits the kind of ailment you have.
It's the tasty way to get all those important ingredients into your system and give your immune system a good boost!

Some of the health benefits:
Ginger: An antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, pain reducing super root. It is good for a detox, to boost your immunization system, reduce nausea and reduce risk of certain cancers.
Lemon: Strengthens immune system, cleanses the stomach, helps with indigestion, throat infections, and helps purify the blood.
Apple Cider Vinegar: Basically a super ingredient. Helps prevent allergy symptoms, improve metabolism, promote digestion, eliminate toxins, and help increase immunity, strength and stamina.
Cinnamon: Helps lower blood sugar levels, boosts memory and cognitive function, eliminates headaches and migraine relief.
Nutmeg: Aids sleep, helps boost the immune system, improves skin, keeps the brain sharp, relieves indigestion and brings relief to muscle and joint pain.

Ingredients:
5 cups water
1 lemon sliced
1 tangerine sliced
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp cinnamon or 2 cinnamon sticks
Dash of nutmeg
Fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
4 bags of herbal tea

Put all of the ingredients into a saucepan and bring to simmer. Simmer for a couple minutes and serve hot with a little honey as sweetener.
Adding a little milk or flavored creamer is optional, it sweetens the tea and adds to the comforting taste.