Recipe ReDux Post # 76 Roasted Red Pepper and Pumpkin Soup

The Recipe ReDux for December is “Souper Soups” and we were encouraged to create healthy soup recipes.  I wanted to develop something festive for the holidays so I decided to go with red peppers plus a hint of pumpkin as a base to combine with vegetable broth.  Adding some paprika and cayenne gave the recipe a nice kick.  These simple clean  ingredients come together to create a flavorful nutritious soup that is very low in calories and fat, yet surprisingly filling.  I hope you will give it a try along with all the other Recipe ReDux soup recipes.

Ingredients

5 medium red bell peppers, cored, seeded and quartered
1/3 cup pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)
3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

¼ teaspoon salt (optional)

cooking spray or parchment paper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Add the peppers to a baking sheet coated with cooking spray or lined with parchment paper. Roast them 10 minutes, flip them over and then roast for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Add the half of the cooled peppers and 2 cups of the broth to a blender or food processor and blend on high speed for one minute. Add the rest of the peppers, the last cup of broth and the spices in the blender and blend for another 1-2 minutes until smooth. Put the blended mixture back in a medium pot and warm on medium heat for 4-5 minutes until heated through.

Makes 4 -5 cups, four servings
Serving size: about 1 cup Calories   60  Protein 2  g Carb  15 g Fiber  1 g Sugars  2 g Fat  0 g Saturated fat  0 g Sodium  106 mg

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Cranberry Applesauce

A package of fresh cranberries sent to me by the Cranberry Institute was the perfect inspiration to come up with this simple, yet very tasty recipe. Adding a bit of orange juice and the cranberries gives basic applesauce a delicious flavor boost.

Ingredients

8 cups of peeled, cored and cut apples (chop into about 1 inch chunks), best to use sweet, softer varieties (I used Gala)

1 cup fresh cranberries

a few dashes of cinnamon

the juice of one fresh orange

brown sugar or maple syrup (optional)

Directions:

Add all of the ingredients in a large pot on medium-low heat in a large pot and cook, stirring occasionally until apples are very tender, about 15-20 minutes. Mash with a fork until the desired consistency is reached.  If you would like to add a little sweetness, stir in 1-2 teaspoons maple syrup (or brown sugar). Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Makes 4 cups, 8 servings

Serving size: 1 /2 cup Calories 90 Protein 0 g Carb 22 g Fiber 4 g Sugars 15 g Fat 0 g Saturated fat 0 g Sodium 0 mg

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