GRILLED CHEESE WITH ROASTED RED BELL PEPPER, BASIL AND TOMATO SOUP

Nummy!  And another cold day treat.  I think I need to step it up a bit. Maybe grill outside some bison burgers and make coleslaw.

Or I could just fake my way through winter and eat all this great comfort food.  Seasonal cooking, right?

ROASTED RED BELL PEPPER, BASIL AND TOMATO SOUP

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup milk

1 ½ cup chicken or vegetable broth

½  cup roasted red bell peppers

¼ cup chopped red onion

1 Tbs Ghee or butter

5 leaves of fresh basil

¼ cup mashed potato flakes or 1 medium baked potato, mashed

1 16 oz can of chopped or stewed tomatoes or use 2 lbs fresh

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

Place roasted red bell peppers and basil leaves into food processor of blender and process until chopped fine but not pureed totally down to nothing.

Next process the chopped tomatoes. Same thing - don't over process.

Have you discovered Ghee yet?  Oh my!  So good for you (links to cholesterol reduction) and tastes like butter because it is butter, clarified butter.  Ya know the kind you get when you order lobster?  I don't order lobster, I hate fish, but some people do so I’ve seen it. It's actually considered dairy free.  Wow, really.

Place chopped onions into pan and add the Ghee. Cook until soft.

Place all the ingredients into a pot.

Stir and cook under a slow simmer for about 10 minutes.

Add a grilled cheese sandwich, some homemade pickles and life is good!

ROASTED RED BELL PEPPER, BASIL AND TOMATO SOUP

1 ½ cup milk

1 ½ cup chicken or vegetable broth

½  cup roasted red bell peppers

¼ cup chopped red onion

1 Tbs Ghee or butter

5 leaves of fresh basil

¼ cup mashed potato flakes or 1 medium baked potato, mashed

1 16 oz can of chopped or stewed tomatoes or use 2 lbs fresh

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

Place roasted red bell peppers and basil leaves into food processor of blender and process until chopped fine but not pureed totally down to nothing.

Next process the chopped tomatoes.

Place chopped onions into pan and add the Ghee. Cook until soft.

Place all the ingredients into a pot.

Stir and cook under a slow simmer for about 10 minutes.

PURPLE CREAMY TURKEY & WILD RICE SOUP

Yes!  I made purple soup!  Of course that wasn't my intention but when you are me - things like this happen occasionally. Just once in a while.

CREAMY TURKEY & WILD RICE SOUP

The cast of characters:

2 tsp butter

1 cup chopped carrots

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 tsp rosemary

salt and pepper to taste

3 garlic cloves, minced

4 cups chicken broth ( I used chicken bouillon)

1 cup chopped turkey

1/2 cup wild rice, uncooked

1/4 cup reg flour or Gluten Free all purpose baking mix

1 1/3 cup  milk

1 tbs dry white wine (I used the leftover saki from Christmas eve)

First, chop your carrots

then your onions, mince your garlic,

melt the butter in a pan and add your chopped veggies. Saute about 8 minutes or until brown.

Stir in broth. Add the turkey and rice. Cover and simmer for about an hour or until rice is tender.

Combine flour Gluten Free all purpose baking mix and milk in a small bowl stirring with a whisk.

add flour/milk mixture to pan and cook over medium heat  until thick, about 8 minutes.

And watch carefully as the purple carrots you added to the soup start their chemical reaction and turn your soup purple.  Yes, purple.

Can you spot the photog?