- Mediterranean Grilled Vegetable Soup
- 2 small zucchini (1/2 lb. total), trimmed and quartered lengthwise
- 2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded and quartered lengthwise
- 3 large vine-ripened tomatoes (1 1/4 lbs.), cored and chopped
- 1 red onion, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
- 1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and quartered lengthwise
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, peeled
- 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/4 cup shredded basil leaves
- 1 Tbsp. red-wine vinegar
- salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- 8-10 ripe tomatoes (3 lbs.), cored, halved and seeded
- 2 red onions, chopped
- 3 cups defatted reduced-sodium chicken stock
- 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
- 1 1/2 tsp. olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
Prepare a grill or preheat the broiler. Grill or broil bell peppers, skin-side toward the flame, until the skin is blackened, 5 to 10 minutes. Place in a paper bag and set aside for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, brush zucchini and onion slices with oil and grill or broil until well browned and tender, about 5 minutes. Chop coarsely and set aside.
Peel the peppers. Coarsely chop the yellow pepper and set aside with the reserved zucchini and onions. Place the red peppers in a food processor or blender, along with tomatoes, garlic and oregano; puree until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in 1 cup water, basil, vinegar and the reserved chopped vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until cool, about 30 minutes. (The soup can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.)
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Roasted Tomato Soup
Preheat broiler. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Place tomatoes on the baking sheet, cut-side down. Broil until skins are blistered, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. Slip off
skins and chop coarsely.
Meanwhile, in a medium-sized saucepan, heat oil over medium-low heat. Add onions and sauté for 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until the onions are very soft, about 5 minutes longer.
Stir in tomatoes and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender and process until smooth; return to the saucepan.
Stir in chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in basil. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour. (The soup can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.)
The muffin recipe is adapted from a recipe that I found online a few years ago. I made quite a few changes to the recipe and, in my opinion, these are the very best bran muffins I’ve ever had.
The flavour is wonderful and it’s moist and light – not heavy! The blueberries are out so I’m going to make a batch with fresh blueberries! Yum!
I had received one of my first emails from someone who had made a batch and she took them to her office. She said that they were a hit!
I’m going to try something new and replace the two cups of milk with 1 cup of carrot juice and 1 cup of almond milk. I’m hoping that this will give it an even better flavour but I’ll see. I’ll let you know.
If it turns out, I’ll update the recipe.