From the category archives:

Yummy

Fire Roasted Pepper and Tomato Soup

by agirlandhermutt on October 5, 2011

As a kid I hated tomatoes. I didn’t like those raw messy slices and I didn’t like them chunky in things. I could handle things like pasta sauce and pizza sauce, but that was about it.

Then when I was in my early 20s I was at a weight watchers meeting (a different story for a different day!) I noticed that women were chowing down on little grape tomatoes like they were tic-tacs. I thought what the heck and gave it a try. I was pleasantly surprised to find how much I enjoy that little suckers.

Now in my 30s I enjoy most tomatoes and have even grown a few of my own. I’m still not a fan of plain ol’ slices of tomato on my sandwich (makes the bread/wrap to mushy) and big chunks of hot tomato are icky. Fortunately, I’ve discovered things like gazpacho and fancy tomato soups to keep my tomato tooth satisfied through all of the seasons.

This super simple soup is just what I needed to welcome the cooler weather in Boston and get that fun tomato kick in that I have come to love so much. Plus, I got to use that jar of roasted red peppers from Trader Joe’s that I have been dying to use!

Fire Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup (Serves 4)

In the mix:
-1 medium carrot, chopped
-3 garlic cloves, minced
-1 tsp olive oil
-1 tbsp mix of rosemary & thyme (or whatever herbs you have on hand!)
-1 jar Trader Joes Fire Roasted Red Peppers, chopped
-1 can Del Monte Diced Tomatoes w/ Zesty Mild Green Chilies
-1 cup veggie broth
-3 oz. Chobani 0% Plain (about half of the small container)
-1 tsp sugar
-S&P to taste

Directions:
*In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add in garlic and carrots. Let cook for about 5 minutes until carrots soften.

*Add in herbs and cook for another minute.

*Add in tomatoes, red peppers, and veggie broth. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then cover to let simmer for about 30 minutes.

*Once done cooking, stir in yogurt and sugar.

*Blend tomato and pepper mix in blender or food processor until smooth. Makes 4 one cup servings.

I like my soup with a little texture so I didn’t make it totally smooth. The greek yogurt gives this soup that creamy texture and a touch of zing in the taste.

I dished out 1 cup servings into freezable containers to freeze and then use for lunch the whole week. Easy peasy!

Oh, and a touch of gorgonzola, feta or blue cheese on the top is DIVINE.

Are you a soup person? What is your favorite kind of soup?

{ 2 comments }

Weekend Eats and a New Treat…

by agirlandhermutt on October 4, 2011

I managed to be pretty productive this past weekend, even after my local beer extravaganza on Saturday. On Sunday morning I woke up bright and early up at 10a to meeting up with my favorite Ultimate New Yorker, Meg, for some much needed brunch. My liver was still in tact and I was a hungry gurl.

Bring on Garden at The Cellar.

Oh hey Meg! I’ve missed you!

Traffic was nuts in Harvard Sq so I arrived a few minutes late, but just in time to pop one of these homemade tater tots. It was crispy, but light. The inside was also a burst of mashed potato. Why hasn’t anyone thought of that before?!

The Cellar has some awesome sounding items on their brunch menu including Fried Pancake Foster, Griddled Flapjacks, and a Brunch Burger. They all sounded great, but I wanted simple and good.

Poached Egg + Toast + Fruit & Honey w/ Whipped Ricotta=Best decision of the day.

There might have been an extra serving of veggies in the form of a bloody mary too. Eh. This didn’t even hold a candle to my Dad’s amazing creation.

Once brunch was done and we had said our good-byes I did the next logical thing…I went grocery shopping. If shopping on an empty stomach is a horrible idea, shopping on a stuffed belly is the best idea evah.

I was wondering aimlessly when I found this new treat, CoCo Lite Multigrain Pop Cake.

There isn’t much to these but they kind of remind me of a flattened rice cake.

They don’t have much flavor on their own but I am loving using these as a snack.

Some ideas I have had for these suckers already…

-Top with 1 tbsp of hummus
-Break apart into pieces to dip into salsa
-Top with nut butter and banana
-Spread 1 wedge laughing cow wedge

Easy peasy!

My only tip…don’t try to prepare your snack the night before. I don’t know what I was thinking (not much I guess), but I spread the hummus on my pop cake last night to have it ready to pack in my lunch bag the next day. Ugh. This is what happened overnight.

Uh. Ewww. The moisture from the hummus shrunk this baby right up like a little old man’s skin. Lesson Learned.

Has anyone tried these or seen them in your store?

I hope you all had a good Monday! Tonight is CSA goodies night and then I have a date with a mop and some Endust at my apartment. Jealous much?!

What is your favorite brunch item?

{ 6 comments }

A Week of Eats…

by agirlandhermutt on September 30, 2011

Hey party people! Its Friday and I could not be more excited. The Scientist and I have some fun events coming up this weekend and I’m ready to get to them already!

BUT FIRST!

In addition to a mid-week sleepover at The Bates Hotel, I also had some pretty stellar meals throughout the week. I would have shared them with you in my Daily Eats posts, but apparently I get so excited about my meals that I leave my camera wherever it should not be. Eh.

Blue Cheese Stuffed Turkey Burgers
These burgers were perfect to make on Sunday night for dinner and leftovers made for a great lunches for a few days during the week. My burgers are a simple mix of extra lean ground turkey, panko bread crumbs, egg, and a sprinkle of blue cheese. For this meal I paired my burger with “mashed potatoes” which is really just cauliflower with some Laughing Cow cheese. Mmmm…..

Back in June I let you all know about my decision to start eating meat again, which I don’t regret at all. However, I still eat TONS of veggie friendly meals. I would actually say that the majority of my meals are veggie. One of my favorites from this week was on Taco Tuesday.

Tempeh Tacos
This was my first time using tempeh and I was so pleasantly surprised! Tempeh is a fermented soybean product that has a firm texture with a kind of nutty flavor. It easily can be a meat substitute!

I paired my tempeh tacos with my homemade refried beans and a mixture of onions (from the CSA), corn (CSA), grape tomatoes and red wine vinegar.

Isn’t Taco Night just fun to begin with?! What makes these suckers so much fun for dinnah?

Pull it together with some crumbled up tempeh and you have a par-tay!

Last night was an ode to Weight Watchers with a combo of a few of their favorite recipes that they give newcomers to the program. Tried and true.

Baked Herb Chicken
This free-range organic chicken isn’t cooked in a fancy method, but it does come out juicy and delish thanks to some fresh herbs and a little veggie broth. Paired with spicy brown mustard roasted potatoes and fresh veggie soup and you have a complete delish and HEALTHY meal.

This meal was easy to put together, tasty to eat and had plenty of leftovers for lunch. Yee haw!

Oh, and can we talk about that brown bottle?! Oh yea. That is our home brewed beer. *Brush shoulders off*

This ale wasn’t as carbonated as I would like, but it was pretty tasty for our first try. It was unfiltered, but light and tasted similar to a hefeweizen. Kind of citrusy with a touch of bitter. Yay for some beer success!

Don’t worry…in between those kind of standard (but yummy!) meals there was some fun. How can you not have fun when POCKY is involved?!