Roasted Red Bell Pepper Soup

Soup for Supper?  Absolutely!  Brrr, it is cold here in Kansas and a nice hot soup that is thick and as smooth as velvet is just the ticket.  I typically don't get very excited about cream or bisque soups, but this one is absolutely yummy.  A bowl of this is perfect for family suppers yet stunning and impressive enough to serve dinner guests.

You can adjust the hot sauce to your taste, but it has a nice "after burn" to it as written.  Serve it with grilled sandwiches made with my Pimento Cheese Spread or make a grown up grilled cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, provolone and bacon on ciabatta bread with a smidgen of mayo and yellow mustard) or simply serve it with some Ritz or your favorite crackers.

I won't lie, this recipe takes a bit of time to make, but I assure you that if you do make a batch, your tastebuds will be tickled pink.  Besides, what's better than spending time in the kitchen on a cold winter day making a tummy warming soup?

Be on the lookout for bell peppers on sale.  My local grocery occasionally has red bell peppers on sale 10/$10 and when that happens, you can guarantee that this will be on my weekly menu.  As written, this recipe is perfect for one or two people.  However, it  is easily doubled, so don't hesitate to double it for a larger batch if you have more mouths to feed or want leftovers (trust me, you will).

I hope you enjoy this recipe and keep warm this winter!

Almond Cookies

Today was a busy kitchen day that included lots of cool tasty treats, one of those being lemon ice cream.  As a result of making the lemon curd, I had egg whites I needed to use and was reminded of a recipe for these fabulous little almond cookies that I enjoyed on a trip to Italy.  While this isn't quite the same, they are good and I've altered the recipe to be more carb friendly so they can better fit into my way of eating.  

Almond Cookies

Yield: 48 Cookies

Ingredients:

6 egg whites

1 1/2 cups erythritol, or sweetener you prefer

4 1/2 Tablespoons Almond Flour

2 cups almonds

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon zest

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 

In a food processor bowl, add the almonds, almond flour, 1 cup of the sweetener and process to a fine powder.  Add the baking powder and lemon zest and pulse to mix well.

In another mixing bowl, add the egg whites and beat until frothy.  Gradually add the remaining sweetener and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.  I use my Kitchen Aid for this job.

Sprinkle about 1/3 of the ground nut mixture over the beaten egg whites and gently fold them in.  Repeat 2 more times until all the nut mixture is folded into the egg whites.

Drop tablespoons of batter onto the parchment lined cookie sheets.  Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes.  (My time was closer to 15, but keep an eye on them because they brown fast once they start.)  Cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to complete cooling.

Store in an airtight container.

Per Cookie:  29 Calories; 2 grams fat; <1 net carb if using erythritol

...and That's What's Cooking at Cathy's ~ Enjoy!

Baked Apple Snacks

Making Baked Apple Snacks is an ideal project for a chilly winter day!  I'm anxious to put these snacks into a pretty bowl for after dinner munchies that will satisfy my sweet tooth and be light on calories!

As part of my healthier eating efforts, I eat apples a lot to satisfy my cravings for sugar.  I love this time of year when the apples are beautiful and crisp.  My favorites are Pink Lady, which I used for this recipe, a new variety that I discovered this year which is Jazz, and a couple of other favorites are Honeycrisp and Fuji.  I'll be experimenting with this recipe with the different varieties to find the one that I like best.

Yesterday I bought a new "toy".  Close friends tell me I'm the queen of kitchen gadgets.  And, uhm...well, maybe this confirms it.  I purchased a Mandoline.  I believe that having the right tool for the job is very important and in this case it was indispensible in saving me time and achieving the very extremely thin apple slices called for in this recipe.   The apple slices need to be very thin so they crisp up easily.  
An apple corer is also a tool that you'll need to have handy to make these.

Baked Apple Snacks

Servings:  2

Ingredients:

2 Apples, sliced to an 1/8th inch thickness

Stevia

Cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 235 degrees F.

Wash and dry the apples.

Slice each apple into slices 1/8th inch thick.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place the apple slices on the parchment.  Sprinkle the apple slices with Stevia and Cinnamon to your taste.

Place the cookie sheets into the oven for 60 minutes.
After 60 minutes, remove the sheets from the oven and flip the apple slices.

Sprinkle them with Stevia and Cinnamon.

Return the cookie sheets to the oven and bake an additional 60 minutes.

Remove from the oven, cool on the cookie sheets and store them in an airtight container.

...an apple a day...in a whole new way!

 ....and that's What's Cooking At Cathy's ~ Enjoy!

Ruby Red Grapefruit Sorbet

Today I want to share how to quickly make a frozen treat that is refreshing and easy on the calories.  Ruby Red Grapefruits are plentiful and readily available at the grocery here in the heartland of America in the winter months.  I prefer the sweetness of the ruby reds to white grapefruit and their lovely color makes them eye appealing too.  This dessert is a tasty way to add some vitamin C to your diet.


This recipe doesn't have exact measurements.  I have instructions that include "sweeten to taste".  Ruby Reds are really sweet and tart and the sweetness may vary from fruit to fruit.  By either making and using simple syrup to use as liquid to the desire quantity or just adding water and artificial sweetener (I use Stevia), you can adjust this to your preference. 


If you are watching your calories, make this with Stevia, and you can indulge your love for frozen treats guilt free!


Ruby Red Grapefruit Sorbet


Ingredients:


2 Ruby Red Grapefruits, seeded and juiced 
1 teaspoon Grapefruit Zest
Water
Sugar or sweetener to taste*


*I used Stevia.  If you are using sugar you need to make simple syrup and use that instead of just water so you are sure to have all the sugar dissolved and avoid a gritty texture.
Directions:
Zest the grapefruit, carefully avoiding the white pith which will make it bitter.
Juice the grapefruits with a reamer or juicer.
Add the water and zest to the juice until you have 1 2/3 cups of liquid.  Mix well.  
Taste and adjust sweetness to taste.


Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze.

Serve immediately or repackage and freeze for use later. 

...and that's What's Cooking at Cathy's ~ Enjoy!

Balsamic Chicken Wraps

Like much of the population, I have made a goal for myself in the new year to lose some weight and eat healthier.  I have established my benchmark and goal and have enlisted a friend to keep me on track.  I am determined!
As a result, the blog will include recipes that I am making to help me on the way to becoming thinner and healthier.

To start the saga, I purchased some chicken breasts on sale at the local market.  They were a deal because they had skin on and ribs. 
I first set up my Kitchen-Aid and attached the meat grinder.  This machine is a beast and I love using it.  If you don't have one or don't have any desire to grind your own meat, you can purchase pre ground chicken at the market.  

 A good sharp knife and about 10 minutes and my chicken looked like I had purchased it skinless and boneless.

I carved each breast into strips that would easily go into the grinder and what resulted was lovely lean freshly ground chicken.

Balsamic Chicken Wraps

Ingredients:

30 ounces ground, skinnless, boneless chicken breast (4 large)
2 cups red cabbage leaves, finely chopped
14 green cabbage leaves
3 teaspoons roasted minced garlic
6 Tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

Grind or finely chop the chicken.  Mix together the chicken and garlic, vinegar, onion powder, grated ginger, salt and pepper.
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the chicken thoroughly.  With the balsamic, it is moist enough you will not need additional oil.

Finely chop the cabbage.  Red cabbage will provide interest and color, but I opted to use green since that is what I had on hand. 

Add the finely chopped red cabbage  (I used more green rather than buy red) and saute until the cabbage is tender.

Clean the green cabbage leaves and remove the core end by cutting a "v" at the base.
Microwave the green cabbage leaves in small batches for 10-15 seconds to soften them.

Place 1/3 cup chicken mixture on one cabbage leave and roll into a wrap.
Repeat untl all filling is used.

Wraps can be reheated in the microwave for 1 minute on high.

I ended up with the nearly white interior leaves and opted to use three of them to make "cups" to hold the meat mixture and promptly ate them up for lunch!

   ....and that's What's Cooking at Cathy's ~ Enjoy!