Not So Macho Gazpacho and Nacho Recipes

Jordan and Dava are in denial about the autumnal equinox that fell on Saturday. They’re holding onto summer with these melon recipes for the first fall football weekend. Stay cool with these. You’ll find the full recipes below the video.

Gazpacho:
Ingredients:
3 c watermelon, cubed
2 persian cucumbers, peeled and chopped
1 plum tomato, slow roasted
½ c lemon juice
½ jalapeno, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 c soaked bread
2 T chopped basil
SWOOPS (Season With Olive Oil Pepper Salt)
balsamic for drizzling

Procedure:
Blend the watermelon and pour it through a strainer.
Throw the strained liquid back in the blender. Add the rest of the ingredients. You’re done. See, Dava, raw is easy.

Nachos:
Cheese Sauce – (inspired by Bobby Flay from my guest appearance on Grill It!)
Ingredients:
2 T butter
2 T flour
2 c milk
2 ½ c shredded cheese of choice (we used two kinds of cheddars)
1 red onion
2 T olive oil
2 T sage
salt
pepper
Procedure:
Caramelize the onions but putting them in a bath of olive oil, burning man style, over med heat for about 30 min. Strain out oil and set aside.
Make a roux by heating the butter over med heat and whisking in the flour once the butter has melted. Then whisk in the milk a little at a time until you have a smooth, bubbly sauce. Then stir in the cheese. Add the onion, sage, salt, and pepper and stir until fully incorporated. Doneskies.

Melon Salsa –
Ingredients:
1 c watermelon, finely diced
1 c canteloupe, finely diced
1 c fennel, finely chopped
1 c corn, roasted and cut off cob
½ t shallots
½ lime, juiced
1 T peppermint, finely chopped
SWOOPS
Procedure:
All ingredients should be cut roughly into the same size pieces. Through all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix together well so that each bite has a little bit of all the ingredients.

Avo Relish:
Ingredients:
2 avocados
1 poblano, roasted, skinned, and chopped
2 T chives, chopped
1 lime, juiced
2 cloves garlic, roasted
Procedure:
Scoop avo meat into the blender. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth. You may need to poke at it lightly, without sticking your poking object too far into the blender, to help the air bubble work its way up and blend everything together.

Assembly:
Preheat oven to 350.
Spread some chips (we used black bean and blue corn) on a big plate. Dot the chips with the beans. Bake for ten min. Remove from oven. Evenly spoon the cheese sauce all over the chips. Then evenly dot with the avo relish and finally, top with the watermelon salsa. Dig in!

Muddle Melon Me This:
1 t ginger, minced
1 t sugar,
1 t basil, chopped
2 shots watermelon juice
1 shot cucumber vodka
Muddle the ginger, sugar, basil, and a splash of the vodka in a glass. Add ice. Add vodka and watermelon juice. Stir. Garnish with basil sprig. Guzzle down and enjoy, summer style.