Home Made Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

Lately, since it has gotten colder, I've been craving soup a lot. It also helps that my parents got me an awesome new Thermos to bring to school, so I can actually bring soups with me. Anyways last night I decided to make a soup I've always seen as a comfort food; tomato soup. I thought of buying some for myself, but then realised how much healthier and how much less sodium and nastiness would be in my soup if I made it myself. So I decided to share my recipe with you.

Ingredients:

• 900 ml- 1L of stock (I normally make my own chicken stock, but I didn't have any on hand so I bought the Campbell's Chicken broth with no salt added, I used the whole tetra pack)
• 5 large tomatoes
• 4 large red peppers
• 1 medium sweet onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 1/2 tsp of thyme
• 3/4 tsp of cayenne pepper (optional if you want spice)
• 1 1/2 tsp of paprika
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Directions

1. Set a pot of water to boil, when the water is boiling, put your tomatoes in the water, let them sit in there for about 2 minutes and carefully take them out and put them in your sink and run over them with cool water.
2. next peel the skin (which should come off easily) from the tomatoes, and cut them into quarters and remove all the seeds. put them to the side
3. next cut your peppers into quarters, remove the seeds and pith and place them on a baking sheet lined with tin foil. place this baking sheet in the oven under the broiler, and let them broil for around 15 minutes, or until the skin starts to turn black
4.  when the skin looks blackened enough, take the peppers out of the oven, and place them into a paper bag and place the paper bag into a plastic container with a lid. let sit for around 5-10 minutes
5. once cooled down remove the skin from the peppers and chop the peppers into rough pieces
6. chop your garlic and onion roughly. 
7. in your cooking pot, heat up your olive oil and start cooking your garlic and onion. you want to see the onion start turning translucent
8. add in your thyme and start cooking that, don't let it burn, stir it around for 10-20 seconds. 
9. pour in all your stock and start warming the soup up. 
10. once the liquid is warm, add the tomatoes and chopped roasted pepper into the pot. 
11. let your soup cook for 5 minutes, then add your cayenne (optional) and paprika. 
12. let this cook and combine for 3-5 minutes
13. using a regular or emersion blender, blend up your soup. you want it to be nice and smooth. 
14. after this your soup is ready, you can serve it right away, or package it up and eat it later

ENJOY!!!!!

Tasty Twice Baked Avocados

I've been craving avocados a lot lately. I also got to thinking if there were any benefits to eating this wonderful fruit. To my wonder there were

Here are ten reasons to do just like I do and eat an avocado a day:
Prostate Cancer Prevention
Avocados have been shown to inhibit the growth of prostate cancer.
Oral Cancer Defense
Research has shown that certain compounds in avocados are able to seek out pre-cancerous and cancerous oral cancer cells and destroy them without harming healthy cells.
Breast Cancer Protection
Avocado, like olive oil, is high in oleic acid, which has been shown to prevent breast cancer in numerous studies.
Eye Health
Avocados have more of the carotenoid lutein than any other commonly consumed fruit. Lutein protects against macular degeneration and cataracts, two disabling age-related eye diseases.

Lower Cholesterol Avocados are high in beta-sitosterol, a compound that has been shown to lower cholesterol levels. In one study, 45 volunteers experienced an average drop in cholesterol of 17% after eating avocados for only one week.

Heart Health
One cup of avocado has 23% of the recommended daily value of folate. Studies show that people who eat diets rich in folate have a much lower incidence of heart disease than those who don't. The vitamin E, monounsaturated fats, and glutathione in avocado are also great for your heart.
Stroke Prevention
The high levels of folate in avocado are also protective against strokes. People who eat diets rich in folate have a much lower risk of stroke than those who don't.
Better Nutrient Absorption
Research has found that certain nutrients are absorbed better when eaten with avocado. In one study, when participants ate a salad containing avocados, they absorbed five times the amount of carotenoids (a group of nutrients that includes lycopene and beta carotene) than those who didn't include avocados.
Glutathione Source
Avocados are an excellent source of glutathione, an important antioxidant that researchers say is important in preventing aging, cancer, and heart disease.
Vitamin E Powerhouse
Avocados are the best fruit source of vitamin E, an essential vitamin that protects against many diseases and helps maintains overall health.


Now onto the recipe that I came up with last week it was a baked avocado
Feeds 2 people
Ingredients:
2 Avocados
1 small onion
1 tomato
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp capers
salt
pepper
lime
jalapeno (optional)
cheese

Items needed:
knife
cutting board
spoon
juicer
food processor

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Peel onion and garlic and cut them into large chunks and place them into the food processor. Cut the tomato into large chunks and place that into the food processor and run it until all ingredients are chopped up and look like a salsa
3. Add the salt, pepper, jalapeno (optional) and lime juice into the food processor and set that to run, just so everything is incorporated.
4. Slice your avocados in half and carefully remove the pits
5. With a spoon, remove the flesh of your avocados carefully, making sure not to rip the skin. Put the skins to the side they will be used later.
6. Put the flesh into the food processor and set it to run so it turns into a guacamole consistency.
7. Take your capers and put them into the mixture and pulse the food processor 4-5 times (quick pulses) just so they get a rough chop.
8. Fill the avocado skins with your guacamole, split it evenly between the skins.
9. Sprinkle a little bit of cheese over the tops.
10. Place them on a baking sheet and put them in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is a nice golden colour.

Enjoy!!!