Oh, those lazy days of summer!

Every now and then I like to take a little time to read a book, sip a cocktail, and enjoy our beautiful backyard – completely ignoring the pile of shirts that need ironing and the carpets that need vacuuming.

Fiddle-dee-dee! Like Scarlett O’Hara, I’ll think about it tomorrow.

My beverage of choice today is a Tomato Veg Cocktail. Yes, I could have had a V8, or even bought Bloody Mary Mix. But I like to know what’s in my food, so I created my own version.

I wish I could say that all you have to do is throw everything in a blender and push the button. Unfortunately, it’s a little more work than that. The veggies need to be cooked for about 20 minutes so they puree better.

The other bit of work is strictly up to you and your preference. Tomatoes and red peppers both have skins that don’t completely break down, even in a high powered blender. What you end up with is lots of skin slivers. Also, the strings on the celery spine should be removed. These things are not necessarily bad – in fact, they add a little more fibre. However, I prefer my Tomato Veg Cocktail without the bits.

PEELING A TOMATO:

To remove seeds, cut the tomato in half horizontally and poke your finger into the crevasses. Firmly grasp each half in your palm, cut side facing out, and shake out the seeds.

PEELING A PEPPER:

REMOVING CELERY STRINGS:

TOMATO-VEG COCKTAIL – makes about 3¾ cups

• 1½ lbs tomatoes (2 large), skinned, seeded, and chopped in large chunks
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 2 T red beet, skinned & chopped
• 1/2 cup spinach, sliced & packed
• 2 T parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup red pepper, peeled & chopped
• 3 stalks chopped celery, strings removed
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 1½ cups water
• juice from 1 lime
• 1 tsp Tabasco sauce
• 1½ T vegetarian Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Put the tomato, carrot, beet, spinach, parsley, red pepper, celery, onion, and water into a large saucepan. Bring to boil, cover, reduce heat to simmer, and let cook for 20 minutes. Stir now and then. Turn off burner and let mixture cool with cover on.

Pour into a blender or food processor and purée. Add in lime juice, Tabasco, Worcestershire, and sea salt. Blend on low speed. Adjust seasonings, if needed.

Refrigerate until it’s super cold.

Cheers!