Rio Ranch Texas Gazpacho
Robert Del Grande, chef/owner of Rio Ranch restaurant in Houston, created this cold soup to accent the mild flavor of the Lone Star State's sweet onions.

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1/4 bunch celery
2 carrots
1 large (14 to 16 ounces) Texas Spring Sweet or Texas 1015 SuperSweet Onion
1 red bell pepper, cored and seeded
2 green bell peppers, cored and seeded
2 zucchini
1/2 pound red Roma tomatoes
2 serrano chiles
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 1-quart cans vegetable juice cocktail
1 1/2 teaspoons each salt and white pepper
1/4 teaspoon sugar

Clean all vegetables and chop into 1-inch pieces. Food process the vegetables into a small rough dice. In a large bowl, combine vinegar and vegetable juice cocktail. Add the chopped vegetable mixture to the liquid. Add salt, pepper and sugar. Cover and chill for several hours before serving.

Makes 12 1-cup servings.

Nutritional Analysis Per Serving: 50 calories; 1.7 g protein; 0.3 g fat;
11.5 g carbohydrate; 1.7 g fiber; 0 mg cholesterol; 674 mg sodium