Roasted Red Pepper and Avocado Soup with Sausages
In our column this week, we are putting together a mixture of recipes we brought in over the past few months, but have not yet used.
Roasted Red Pepper and Avocado Soup with Sausages
Total Time: 20 min.
Yield: 3-4 servings
3-4 roasted red peppers, roughly chopped (jarred in water kind. but you could roast your own)
1 avocado, pitted
1 yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 c. canned coconut milk
1 c. vegetable broth
1/2 lime, juiced
1 T. smoked paprika
1 T. paprika
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. dried oregano
2-3 T. fat of choice (bacon fat, olive oil, etc.)
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 avocado, diced (to garnish)
Chopped cilantro (to garnish)
4-5 cooked sausages of choice (I used a sundried tomato chicken sausage)
Place a saucepan over medium heat, add in your fat, garlic and onion. Cook up onions until they are translucent.
Then add in your roasted red peppers with broth and coconut milk along with your smoked paprika, paprika, red pepper flakes, oregano, and salt and pepper. Let simmer for 8-10 minutes.
While soup is simmering, slice up your sausages and cook on a skillet on both sides.
Once everything has simmered, scoop out your avocado and add to the saucepan along with your lime juice. Then use an immersion blender or hand-held blending stick to mix until soup is smooth and creamy. If you don’t have an immersion blender, add it to your food processor.
Top soup with diced avocado, chopped cilantro, and sausage. So divine.
Recipe Notes: Use ALL the garnishes, they really do make a huge difference in flavor. do not cheat your tastebuds.
Bacon Pea Salad
1 (16 oz.) pkg. frozen peas
4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. sour cream
1 sm. red onion, finely chopped
1 tsp. snipped fresh dill weed OR 1/4 tsp. dried, opt.
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 slices bacon, crisp-cooked, drained & crumbled
Place peas in colander and rund under cold water until just thawed, but still cold. Drain well. Stir peas, cheese and celery together in medium bowl.
In small bowl stir together mayonnaise, sour cream, onion, dill weed, salt and pepper. Add to pea mixture; stir to combine. Cover and chill for 4 to 24 hours. Just before serving, top with bacon.
Beef Roast
3-4 lb. beef roast (round roast)
1/4 cup soy sauce
3-4 peppercorns
1 T. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1/2 tsp. thyme
1 bay leaf
1 beef bouillon cube, dissolved in 1 c. hot water
Put roast in crockpot. In small bowl, combine remaining ingredients; pour over roast. Add enough water to almost cover the roast.
Cook on low for about 10 hours.
Creamy Tortellini
1 jar (15 oz.) Alfredo sauce
1 c. milk
1-1/2 c. shredded Italian cheese blend, divided
1 pkg. (20 oz.) refrigerated cheese tortellini, uncooked
2 c. chopped cooked chicken breasts
2 c. frozen broccoli florets
1 c. chopped red peppers
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
Heat oven to 350°F.
Mix pasta sauce and milk until blended.
Reserve 3/4 cup cheese for later use. Combine remaining cheese with all remaining ingredients in large bowl. Add pasta sauce mixture; mix lightly.
Spoon into 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; cover.
Bake 20 minutes. Stir tortellini mixture. Top with reserved cheese; bake 5 minutes or until melted.
Blueberry Rhubarb Crumble
6 c. fresh or frozen unsweetened blueberries
4 c. diced fresh or frozen rhubarb
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
TOPPING:
1 c. quick-cooking oats
1 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 c. cold butter
Whipped cream, optional
Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, combine blueberries, rhubarb, sugar and flour. Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish.
For topping, in a large bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, flour, nutmeg and cinnamon; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over fruit mixture.
Bake 45-55 minutes or until the fruit is bubbly and topping is golden brown. Let cool 10 minutes. Serve warm; dollop with whipped cream if desired.
Editor’s Note: Cobbler may also be grilled. Place fruit mixture in a disposable foil pan; cover with foil. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 40 minutes or until bubbly. Carefully remove foil and sprinkle topping over fruit. Replace grill cover; grill 15-20 minutes longer or until topping is golden brown.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Tassies
Yield: about 4 doz.
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 lg. egg, room temp.
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1-1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1-1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1-1/4 c. miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
BUTTERCREAM:
1 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. canned pumpkin
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
4-5 c. confectioners’ sugar
Washed raw sugar, opt.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk the next 7 ingredients; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips; mix well.
Shape level tablespoons of dough into balls; press evenly onto bottoms and up the sides of greased mini-muffin cups. Bake until golden brown, 10-12 minutes. Cool in pans 5 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
For buttercream, beat first 6 ingredients until blended. Gradually beat in enough confectioners’ sugar until mixture is smooth and reaches piping consistency.
Cut a small hole in the tip of a pastry bag. Transfer buttercream to bag. Pipe into cookie cups; if desired, sprinkle with raw sugar. Refrigerate in an airtight container.
Editor’s Note: Recipe makes enough buttercream to double the recipe.
Salted Nut Roll Bars
16 oz. jar salted, dry roasted peanuts
4 T. butter
12 oz. pkg. peanut butter chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 pkg. miniature marshmallows
Pour half of the peanuts in bottom of a 9x13 inch, greased pan; shake to distribute evenly.
In a large, microwave-safe bowl, melt butter, about 35 seconds. Add peanut butter chips and microwave about 2 minutes to melt. Add the sweetened condensed milk and stir. Microwave for 1 minute. Quickly add the miniature marshmallows; stir to combine.
Press on top of peanuts in the pan. Pour remaining peanuts on top and press in. Refrigerate until set.
Quote of the Week:
“What the new year brings to you will depend a great deal on what you bring to the new year.”
~ Vern McLellan
