Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

As you might have noticed in a previous entry, I have this thing for buying resturant take-out containers. Probably because I have this thing for washing dishes, namely hate. So I happily clapped my hands when fedex sent me an email confirming delivery of these. Yes these dandies hold 2 cups of deliciousness that I can write on with a sharpie and throw in the freezer or take spill free to work! And it can withstand temperatures from 0 to 250 degrees Fahrenheit, so hopefully I won't have to worry about toxins and all that nasty jazz when I microwave these bad boys. They will also stand up to dishwasher and reuse for days I'm feeling more earth friendly. At least I'm switching to tote bags instead of plastic bags they give you in the grocery store to off set this a bit.

Anywhosal, I find that I eat so much better throughout the week when I can take a night and cook like crazy, throwing together tons of single serving meals, ready to go. Not to mention, when you're a single girl it's hard to cook for one! This way, I don't have to- I can make a big pot of this delicious tomato soup and -boom-sauce- no waste and a supply of soup in the freezer for another day.

I stole this one from Ina Garten and you can go straight to the site here. I've only made a few modifications to make the recipe smaller, come together with fewer manhours, and to make the end product smoother- a personal preference. If you have the time and a big enough pot, I would suggest using the original recipe. The smell of tomatoes roasting is surprizingly heavenly. You might notice from the picture that I threw in a pepper and some carrots too. Although, if you decide to do the pepper too, remember to cool and peel off the skin of the pepper before blending. I also just used mainly canned tomatos and roasted a few cherry tomatoes I needed to use up. The end product was delicious, so no harm, no foul.

Ingredients

• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1chopped yellow onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 dash of crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 28-ounce and 1 15-ounce canned (plum and different varieties) tomatoes, with their juice
• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (if you've got em. If not, use 1/4 teaspoon dried. You can throw some oregeno in there too.)
• 1 10-ounce can of chicken stock (or if you want to be vegetarian friendly, substitute water or veggie broth)
• have some olive oil on hand.

Directions

In an 4-quart stockpot over medium heat, (I use my dutch oven) saute the onion and garlic with 1 tablespoons of olive oil, the butter, and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes, until the onions start to brown. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Let cool for at least 20 minutes. Once cooled a bit, put in your sturdy blender and blend to the consistency of your preference. I prefer to do it in two batches, leaving one batch more chunky.

I filled up 4 of these two cup containers with my recipe with a little left over for slurping. Only about 185 calories for a 1 and a half cup serving not to mention it was a super cheap recipe.

Black Bean Brownies

Not all brownies are created equal! I was sooooo angry this past weekend when I had tried my hand at making some healthy brownies as my quest to find healthy indulgences. Whilst these brownies may be more nutritious, with more protein and fiber, they actually have more calories (211!) than the sugary box mixes (about 110)!

Now then, below I've posted the same recipe from above, but with some healthy baking modifications. What's the damage? Only about 83 calories and still all the health benefits of that first brownie!

However, be forewarned! Not everyone likes the idea of a black bean brownie. My darling, sweet grandmother literally stuck out her chocolate covered tongue and yelped, "OHHH! Guuuuuuu- Yuck!!" when I revealed the secret ingredient. Hahaha! WORTH IT! Further, I would never compare these brownies to the delicious crack-cocaine brownies made by an old school-mate's wife. I wrote that woman a civil war-esque love letter professing my love for said brownie and the brownie was shortly thereafter named after me. But enough about once-a-year-crack-brownies. Let us give a fair shake to the humble, healthy indulgence, get-you-through-the-week-brownie.

Ingredients

• Butter, for greasing pan
• 3/4 cup cooked black beans
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup + 1 Tbs sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 9-inch square baking pan.

In a blender, puree the beans with the oil. Add the eggs, cocoa, sugar, and vanilla. Melt the chocolate chips and add to the blender. Blend on medium-high until smooth. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the blender and pulse until just incorporated. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake until the surface looks somewhat matte around the edges and still a bit shiny in the middle, about 17-20 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes before cutting and removing from the pan.