This week we're dishing on a cool, crisp and refreshing summer soup recipe with another of the great makers in the Power Supply chef network, Sara Polon of Soupergirl. Her journey to soup mastery started in the pages of a book.
“How did this happen? The short and the long of it - I read Michael Pollan’s book The Omnivore’s Dilemma and got really excited about the potential impact of the local movement and seasonality.”
We all encounter prods like this to go take some new adventure. Not everyone acts on them though. But Sara did just that.
“I was not built to sit behind a desk,” says Sara. “But starting a food business, it’s hard. It’s a lot of hard work. It’s beyond getting out of your comfort zone and cannonballing into the deep.”
Since starting Soupergirl with her mother (the Soupermom, naturally) in 2008, she’s expanded the company to delight soup lovers at two Soupergirl stores, through scores of food retailers including Whole Foods that carry her liquid magic, and lucky for us through Power Supply as well.
“We didn’t understand why convenience had to mean unhealthy". This is one of the main reasons why we align so well with Power Supply.”
We’re thrilled Sara decided to do the cannonball and bring her soup magic to so many folks. It’s great to work with fellow travelers like her who want to make good-for-you food super easy to get.
Speaking of easy… and wicked tasty, get a load of Sara’s summer gazpacho recipe/vid below. Perfect for a quick, cool and yummy summer nosh.
And before we let her go, a couple of tips from Sara’s own health travels:
- Get out of your rut. Pushing yourself out of your physical comfort zone can help get you out of your mental comfort zone too. I was stuck at a job I didn’t enjoy, realizing I needed a shift. I signed up for a triathlon even though I’m a terrible swimmer. Practicing every day, making that physical shift to do something I didn’t think I could do before, eventually led me to building up enough courage to leave my old job and start Soupergirl.
- Eat seasonally. I honestly crave summer fruits right now... watermelon, peaches, tomatoes. They’re filled with water! I see kids eating watermelon in January and cringe because your body is made to eat roots and carbs in the winter. It’s hot out right now, so hydrate yourself with what the earth has in abundance.
Thanks Sara for sharing…. now on to the gazpacho….
Ingredients:
3 pounds tomatoes
1 seedless cucumber
2 red bell peppers
2-3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Garnish with parsley, and a little EVOO (extra virgin olive oil). Enjoy!