Oven Roasted Tomatoes and Red Pepper Soup

Oven Roasted Tomatoes and Red Pepper Soup

-10 Roma Tomatoes Blanched to remove skins
-3 red peppers blanched to remove skins
-1 large onion
-4 cloves of garlic
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-900ml vegetable broth
-1 tablespoon herb de provence
-1 teaspoon chili powder
-salt and pepper
-1/2 teaspoon crush rosemary

-boil water and place an x with a knife on the tomatoes and place in boiling water for 1 minute, the skin should peel right off, do the same with the red pepper.  Preheat oven to 400.  Slice the tomatoes in half, place tomatoes and red pepper, onion and garlic in a bowl and coat with olive oil and spices.  Spread out on a cookie sheet (use parchment paper) and roast until onions, tomatoes and peppers are roasted nicely (about 40 minutes).  On the stove in a large pot combine the vegetable broth and roasted vegetables and bring to a boil, allow to cook for 10 minutes, then purée and serve.  Top with cheese, feta, old cheddar, etc.

The soup is delicious and worth the effort.

Maple Mustard Glazed Sweet Potatoes with Pineapple

Maple Mustard Glazed Sweet Potatoes with Pineapple

-2 tablespoon olive oil
-1 large sweet potato
-1/8 cup of maple syrup
-6 tablespoons of maple or honey mustard
-1 cup fresh pineapple diced

-in a large bowl combine 1 tablespoon of olive oil with sweet potatoes until all sweet potato is coated in oil.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Preheat oven to 375.  Spread out the sweet potatoes on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes and then turn over.  Mix the remaining olive oil with the maple syrup and mustard, set aside.  Add the pineapple and baste the sweet potatoes and the pineapple and bake for another 15 minutes, turn over and baste the other side with the mustard maple marinade and bake for another 15 minutes.  Allow to cool and enjoy.

Pumpkin Soup

Unfortunately I did not take a picture of this delicious soup, the pumpkin was from my local organic farmer's market.  Pumpkin is in season and as the weather is changing here in Canada.  This pumpkin soup is a perfect soup for autumn.  Both my children ate this soup.

Pumpkin Soup

-750ml chicken or veggie broth

-3 cups of fresh pumpkin peeled and cubed or use an 15oz can of pumpkin 

-1 tablespoon red curry paste

-1 teaspoon chili powder

-1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger finely grated

-pinch of cumin

-pepper and salt to taste

If using fresh pumpkin

-in a large pot on medium heat combine the fresh pumpkin, peeled and cubed with the broth.  Allow to cook until pumpkin is soft, about 30 minutes.  Add the chili powder, ginger, curry paste and allow to simmer on low.  Simmer for 30 minutes to an hour, then purée/blend and serve.  I served with roasted pumpkin seeds on top of the soup.

If using canned pumpkin (plain pumpkin, not for pie)

-combine all ingredients in a pot on the stove, allow to simmer on medium low for about 40 minutes and serve.

Oven Roasted Tomatoes

Tonight I made some delicious oven roasted tomatoes.  My Mom gave me so many tomatoes from her garden.  I love the flavour of the roasted tomatoes, the herb de Provence and the chili powder.  The tomatoes are picked today, they are sweet and juicy.  I ate the tomatoes as a side dish to my baked BBQ tofu.  (thank you Elizabeth for your incredible home made BBQ sauce made with coffee and Jack Daniels).

Oven Roasted Tomatoes

-5-6 tomatoes cut in half and seeded
-herb de Provence
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-salt
-pepper
-chili powder

-The secret to this recipe is to remove the seeds and excess fluid.  I used beef steak tomatoes so they have more fluid then Roma tomatoes, however, the flavour was worth the extra fluid.  Preheat oven to 400.  You need parchment paper for this recipe.  Cut tomatoes in half and squeeze seeds and fluid out.  Place on a cookie sheet lined with the parchment paper, lightly salt, pepper, sprinkle with herb de Provence, and the chili powder, I used a whisk to then coat tomatoes with olive oil.  Bake until slightly blackened.  Depending on size of tomatoes between 20-40 minutes.

Nectarine and Veggie Salad

This salad has an interesting combination of fresh and delicious ingredients, the lime with the tomatoes and nectarines tastes amazing.

Nectarine and Veggie Salad
serves 4
prep 10 minutes

-3 nectarines sliced
-1/2 cup red onion
-2 cups cherry tomatoes (red/orange/yellow) sliced in half
-2-3 avocados sliced
-juice of 2 limes
-4 tablespoons hemp seeds
-sea salt (as desired)

-place the nectarines and avocado in a bowl, squeeze lime over and sprinkle the sea salt,then mix well.  Add the onion and tomatoes and serve.  Sprinkle with the hemp seeds.

I have been eating a lot of hemp seeds, they are high in Omega 3 and 6, protein, vitamins and minerals.  They taste great and have a nice crunch.

Fresh From the Garden Salad with Feta Cheese and a tangy dressing

My parents have an incredible garden in their backyard, this week my Mom gave me cucumbers, yellow and green beans, beets, and yellow cherry tomatoes.  Fresh vegetables are so incredible and packed with nutrients lost in travel.  So my salad is inspired by the freshness shared with me

Fresh From the Garden Salad with Feta Cheese
serves 4
Prep time 15 minutes

-1 cup fresh raw green and yellow beans, washed and sliced into bite size pieces
-1 small purple onion chopped
-1 cup of fresh cherry tomatoes (yellow, red etc) sliced in half
-1 cup fresh cucumber sliced
-2 tablespoons hemp seeds
-1/4 cup sun flower seeds
- Feta cheese crumbled

-Combine the veggies in a bowl, add the hemp seeds and sunflower seeds and top with feta cheese.  Serve with salad dressing.

Tangy Dressing

-2/3 cup avocado oil
-1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
-pepper
-juice of half a lemon
-1 teaspoon smoked mustard

Mix all together and taste.  Add some maple syrup if to tangy or honey.

Beet Salad with hemp seeds, walnuts, feta cheese and an avocado oil dressing

Beet Salad with hemp seeds, walnuts, feta cheese and an avocado oil dressing

-4 medium sized beets boiled, sliced and peeled and set aside to cool
-5 tablespoons of crumbled feta cheese
-3 tablespoons hemp seeds
-1/3 cup walnuts
-salad greens

Salad dressing
-1/2 cup avocado oil
-1/8 cup of balsamic vinegar
-fresh pepper

-boil the beets with skin on until cooked.  Peel, and slice and allow to cool, place in fridge so that they will not melt the feta cheese.  Keep the salad greens separate, place on plate.  Place beets, walnuts on top of greens and then crumble the feta and hemp seeds over top.  Mix the avocado oil and balsamic vinegar together and serve over salad and top with freshly ground pepper.