Rather inconveniently, I have a cold, again. For some reason, I seem never to catch viruses, or the flu, but I am ridiculously susceptible to colds. In some ways, having a cold is much more irritating than having a vomiting bug, because you’re still deemed to be well enough to live life as normal, and expected to go about your daily work, despite feeling utterly terrible. When I have a cold, all I want is comfort food, and I crave warm, hearty meals. The ultimate ‘sick food’, in my opinion, has to be tomato soup; I find it so warm and comforting, and it just seems to momentarily take all of the symptoms away. Of course, canned, or even restaurant prepared tomato soups are usually laden with unhealthy fats, sugars and additives, which is not something that I want to eat, especially when I’m trying harder than usual to take care of my body, in a desperate attempt to banish a cold.
Of course, I’m not claiming that this recipe will cure a cold, it’s not even cold season anymore, but it is still a delicious, healthy recipe, which will satisfy all of your cravings for warm, comforting food. The vitamin content in this soup is amazing, with 390% of your daily needs for vitamin C, 50% of your vitamin E, and vitamin A requirements, and 86% of the vitamin B6 that you need. As well as this, the use of tahini means that it has healthy fats and proteins. Another great thing about this soup, is that it fits so many different dietary requirements! It is vegan, gluten free, paleo, and dairy free, so is accessible to everybody.
Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup
Serves 2
Active time: 20 Min
Total time: 1h 15min
Ingredients
2 Medium red bell peppers
2 400g Cans of chopped tomatoes
1 Medium white onion
1 Tbsp Tahini paste
1-2 tsp Honey, adjusted to taste
1 Low salt vegetable stock cube
125ml water
2 tsp Smoked paprika
1 tsp Chilli powder (You can use less if you don’t like spice)
2 Cloves of garlic
Black Pepper
Optional: Infused salt mixture, I used one with pepper, parsley, and tomato flakes.
Method
- Heat the oven to 180ºC. Deseed the two peppers, and cut into thick strips. Put then on a baking tray, and roast for 35-40 minutes, until the skin is slightly charred, but not burnt.
- Finely dice the onion, and finely chop the garlic cloves. Sauteè the onion in a little EVOO for 4-5 minutes, until slightly caramelised., and then add in the garlic for an additional 2 minutes.
- Add in the paprika and chilli, and stir briefly to mix with the onions and garlic. Do not leave this for long, however, as the spices will burn.
- Pour in the cans of tomatoes, and the honey, and stir to incorporate the ingredients. Grind in the black pepper, and the salt mixture, if you choose to use it, as well as adding a vegetable stock cube, and 125ml of water.
- Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat, and let the soup simmer for 20 minutes.
- After 20 Minutes, add the pepper to the soup, and let simmer for a further 10 minutes.
- After the mixture has simmered, either use an immersion blender, or pour the mixture into a blender, and blend until smooth.
- Add in more black pepper, if desired, and serve. I like mine with a wholemeal pita, and a small side salad!
Berries and Stitches 