Cool Tomato Corn Soup

With summer approaching and the weather hopefully finally warming up, I decided that a light gazpacho/soup would be a nice thing to make. I can't wait until I start going to Farmer's Markets for fresh sun ripened produce! Taber Corn is wildly available in my area and nothing beats the taste of grilled/roasted veggies in the summer, along side the fresh sweet taste of tomatoes!

Cool Tomato Corn Soup (Adapted from Shape Magazine)

4 cups finely diced vine-ripened tomatoes
1 cup fresh corn kernels (2 ears) or feel free to use BBQ or grilled corn!
1/4 cup diced English Cucumber
1/2 cup diced sweet onion (Vidalia, red etc)
2 TB fresh chopped basil
1 TB fresh lime juice
salt/pepper to taste (I like adding chili flakes, cayenne, hot sauce etc)
basil

Combine 3 cups of tomatoes, half the corn and half the onion in a blender/food processor until very smooth. Pour into large bowl and stir in remaining ingredients (tomatoes, corn, onion, cucumber, basil, lime juice salt etc) Refrigerate until cold! VOILA

I use this as a pasta sauce, dressing, dip, marinade etc. It works well warm too:

Variaton:
Roast/Grill Sweet Bell Peppers, tomatoes, onion, zucchini (instead of cucumber) ears of corn on grill or BBQ with rosemary/sea salt or any spice mix you would like (habanero, Cajun, cayenne, chili, oregano, Greek seasoning etc). Puree 1/2 the veggies in a blender until desired consistency is acquired. I prefer it thicker/chunkier.
Add salt, chili flakes and crushed garlic. Remove corn when blackened. Allow remaining vegetables to cook until charred/roasted and allow to cool. Dice/ mince or process them until you reach desired thickness (smooth/chunky) and add to mixture. Add corn kernels to mixtures. Allow to simmer for 5 min. This is even better the next day hot or cold! Feel free to add black beans to up the fiber and turn it into more of a chili type stew/soup. I like adding habanero peppers, or any hot sauce (if fresh then roast it for additional flavor) . This is great on Tilapia, Chicken, beef, fish, potatoes, NACHOS (or tortillas) and as a sauce for enchiladas, burritos, quesadillas etc.

If you want- use canned fire roasted tomatoes, peppers etc!