Friday, October 22, 2010

Call A Man?? I Don't Think So! (Roasted Red Pepper Soup)

BTDL_RRPS_1

I was this close to giving up. It really should have been so simple. But it wasn't. We had already spent five minutes wrestling with one another. Fine, it was probably two minutes, but it felt like five.

I looked at it.

It looked at me.

"What's the matter?" it whispered. "Am I too tough for you, girly? I know...why don't you call on a man? Hmmm??"

My pride was beginning to crumble. It made me angry.

I looked around me and spied the rubber kitchen gloves. I slipped the gloves on and gave them a dramatic snap. "Oh, yeah? Call on a man, you say?" I said in defiance. "Try to stop me nowwwww!"

I grabbed the jar of roasted red peppers, and we went at it again.

"YOU ARE MINEEEEEE!!!" I said through clenched teeth as I struggled with the lid. Suddenly, I felt the lid begin to give. The jar was crumbling under my awesome kitchen prowess.

*POP*

"Ha! Ha! I told you! I told you! You are mineeeee!" I whispered to the jar. "Call on a man, huh? You thought you could take me down! You were wrong!! WRONG!! HA!"

I stood back, took the gloves off, smoothed my hair, straightened my shirt, and made this soup with my head held high. The jar of roasted red peppers did not get the best of me today. Not. At. All.

Rawr.

--Erin :)


PS. Jack has a tip for opening jars. He says to tap the perimeter of the lid with a knife to break the seal. The lid should pop off after that. If that doesn't work, wrap a piece of duct tape around your hand - sticky side out - and it will give you some traction.



This a super easy, elegant soup that's full of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and fiber. To garnish, you could simply crack some black pepper over top; sprinkle on a teaspoon of grated parmesan cheese; or toss on some finely chopped fresh basil or oregano from the garden.



Roasted Red Pepper Soup
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 cup chopped carrots
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 12oz jar roasted red peppers, drained, rinsed, and lightly chopped
1 14.5oz can Hunts Fire Roasted Tomatoes with Garlic
1 14.5oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano


Directions:
Heat the oil in a medium/large pot over medium heat.

Saute the onions and carrots until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add a splash of chicken broth if the pan gets too dry. Once the onions are tender (the carrots will be bright orange but will still be firm), add in the minced garlic.

Stir in the red peppers, tomatoes, beans, herbs, and broth. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

Remove from heat and puree using a hand blender or a blender (be careful not splatter it on yourself - HOT!).

Ladle into bowls and serve.

Enjoy!



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Serves: 6 | Serving Size: 1 cup
Calories: 137 | Fat: 2 | Carbs: 18 | Fiber: 7
Weight Watchers Points: 2

4 comments:

  1. Another tip for opening jars: smack the bottom of the jar with the palm of your hand a few times. This will help break the seal. :-)

    Loved the story, Erin...can't wait to try the recipe too!

    Ann Carter
    Denton, MD

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ann,

    I am definitely keeping that trick in mind next time!! Thank you!

    Erin :D

    ReplyDelete
  3. when I had to open baby food jars I found this worked: set the jar lid down on the counter. Grab the bottom with your hand and firmly smack the lid so that the entire lid hits the counter equally. The lids would pop off that way...and now I find it works for other jars too.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Erin;
    Pampered Chef has this neat little tool called (what else?) Jar Opener. It is fantastic and the best thing about it...It actually works..on all kinds of jar lids; has 'teeth' for that type of lid, but it works just as effectively on a 'smooth' lid.I've used it on lids smaller than a soda bottle,
    [I used to use the old 'smack the upside down jar' on the floor or run hot water on the side of the lid..]

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking time to share your thoughts - we love it when you do!

~ Jack & Erin

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