Refreshing Gazpacho

Let's make the summer last a little bit longer, why don't we? After all, here in New England the gardens are still spitting out lots of summer veggies and the sun is still shining. Here is a cool and flavorful dish packed with raw vegetables... and fruit, although tomatoes so desperately want to fit in with the vegetable crowd. Tomatoes often get a lot of attention as a chameleon food, acting like a vegetable but scientifically defined as fruit, but many familiar vegetables act this way. Fruits, by scientific definition, form out of the base of the plant's flower and contain the plant's seeds. True vegetables are the 'other' edible parts of our garden plants such as bulbs (as in onions), stalks (as in celery and rhubarb), roots (as in beets and carrots), and leaves (as in cabbage and kale). So that makes peppers, cucumbers, and eggplant all fruits too. Now you know the rules. But there is no scientific reason to segregate your produce in cooking. 

I have to thank my former student SLP for the inspiration for this dish. Aside from being one smart cookie and a really gifted and motivated budding SLP, turns out she was a great cooking muse.
One day, about a week before our work potluck, I wondered aloud: "what's a good summery dish to share?"
Lindsay said "how about gazpacho?"
"Brilliant!" I said. And it was so.

6 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 purple onion, finely chopped
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped
1 sweet red bell pepper seeded and chopped
1 green pepper seeded and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
6 or more drops of Tabasco sauce to taste
4 cups tomato juice (you may add more slowly while blending to get the desired consistency)
***Optional: 2 Tbsp each of chopped chives and parsley

Use a food processor to blend vegetables to a smooth/chunky consistency. You may need to blend vegetables separately depending on the size of your food processor and veggies. Stir all ingredients together. Refrigerate overnight in a glass or plastic container. Flavors blend even more beautifully if you wait to serve it on the third day.