Grilled Vegetable Gazpacho

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Cooking Light for helping me become the foodie I am today.  In 1999, I started subscribing and thanks to CL, I have learned SO much about cooking.  I'm posting this (Cooking Light July 2011 recipe) in early August when gardeners are picking ripe tomatoes, cukes, cilantro & jalepeños each day.  What better use for them than a tasty gazpacho?  This one is spicy, so cut back on the jalepeños if you wish.  Grilling the veggies first gives this sopa (that's Spanish for soup!) a nice flavor.  ¡Buen provecho!

Ingredients

• 3 ripe beefsteak tomatoes, cored and cut in half crosswise (about 3 pounds)
• 1 onion, sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 (1-ounce) piece French bread baguette, cut into 2 slices
• Cooking spray
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 jalapeño pepper
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 cups thinly sliced, quartered English cucumber
• 1/4 cup minced green onions
• 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves

Preparation

• 1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
• 2. Brush cut sides of tomatoes and onion slices with 1 tablespoon oil. Lightly coat bread with cooking spray. Place bread on grill rack, and grill 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until toasted. Remove from grill. Place peppers on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 8 minutes or until blistered, turning peppers after 4 minutes. Remove peppers from grill. Place peppers in a small paper bag; fold tightly to seal. Let stand for 20 minutes. Arrange onion on grill rack; grill for 10 minutes. Turn onion over. Arrange tomatoes, cut sides down, on grill rack; grill onion and tomatoes 10 minutes. Peel and seed peppers.
• 3. Combine 2 tablespoons oil, bread, grilled vegetables, 1/2 cup water, 2 tablespoons juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, black pepper, and garlic in a blender; process until smooth. Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, cucumber, and remaining ingredients; toss. Ladle about 2/3 cup soup in each of 6 bowls, and top each serving with about 1/3 cup cucumber mixture.