red peppers – BIG EATS tiny kitchen

My husband and I ran the KC half marathon this past Saturday. One of the best things about running in the early morning is getting to see the city wake up as the sun rises. You see a view that is typically missed while enjoying the coziness of bed. Chilly morning runs sound so much better, right? I’ll tell ya, that the early morning air was perfectly crisp for me. Plus the trees were all in full amazing bloom of color like they saved all their peak beauty just for us!

It’s crazy to realize that five years ago I completed the full marathon. *shudder* I will say that I definitely enjoy running half marathons MUCH better than full marathons….obvi. The full marathon is a torturous journey that I’m glad I did once…and will likely never repeat. (Similar to trying to drink a pint of vinegar on a dare….great to do once, but never again. Am I right?)

For some reason, I really like running half marathons. It’s a decent length of race to push my training and fitness level a little higher, while not ruining my life or body. Usually. This past training season I pulled a calf muscle three weeks ago but since I gave myself three weeks off from running, I was able to bust out the race. Needless to say, after running 13.1 miles this weekend, I’m in super recovery mode. Give me carbs, give me nutrients….more importantly, give me ice cream!

On Sunday, I did a lot of stretching, drank plenty of water, and worked in my yard enjoying the fall day. I also harvested the end of season crops and late bloomer tomatoes and peppers. I wasn’t sure what to do with my bounty until I remembered this delicious Smoky Red Pepper Soup in one of my favorite new cookbooks, Vibrant Food by Kimberly Hasselbrink. I decided to adapt the soup a bit and roast the peppers and tomatoes in the oven together and whip up this nutrient-dense soup to aide my recovery. Winner winner.

This soup is the easiest thing I’ve done all weekend. It is so easy since all of the vegetables are roasted together on a single baking sheet under a broiler. Then all of the roasted vegetables are then pureed with spices in either a high speed blender or in a stockpot using an immersion blender. So easy I could sleep and do this. Maybe I am.

The broiler gives a great smoky flavor to the tomatoes and peppers. It is also spiced with both smoked paprika and chipotle powder which add extra smoky punch of flavor. If you are sensitive to spice or serving this to lil tikes, then I would recommend skipping the chipotle powder since it is a bit spicy. This is perfect as a main meal with a dollop of greek yogurt or served as a first course with this kale salad with garlic tahini dressing or this Peruvian Roasted Chicken.

Oooh….or grilled cheeeeeeese pleeeeeease. Sorry folks. As you can tell I’m in carbo load mode. I’ll get back to being a green machine tomorrow.

You don’t have to run a half or full marathon to deserve this soup. It’s easy, light, and provides your body the nutrients it needs to get through these fall days. Get on it!

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup (Gluten Free and Dairy Free)

Servings: about 10 cups
Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
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Ingredients

4 medium sweet red bell peppers (about 2 pounds), quartered with seeds/membranes removed
3 whole cloves of garlic (skins on)
1 medium onion, quartered
2 pounds of whole tomatoes (about 8 Roma tomatoes or 4 larger tomatoes)
4 cups of vegetable broth
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder (optional if you don’t like spicy dishes)
Optional toppings: plain greek yogurt, fresh cilantro, roasted pumpkin seeds

Instructions

Preheat the broiler. Place oven rack in the upper portion of the oven about 6 to 8 inches from broiler.
Place cut peppers skin side up, whole roma tomatoes, whole garlic, and quartered onions in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the oven on the top rack. Broil the veggies, watching carefully, for about 10 to 15 minutes until the pepper and tomato skins are mostly blackened on top.
When the peppers are cool enough to touch, remove the pepper skins by running them under running water. Peel and remove the skin from the garlic as well.
In a large dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat, heat the roasted vegetables, vegetable broth, salt, and spices. Puree the soup smooth using an immersion blender. This step also can be performed using a high speed blender or food processor.
Serve soup topped with greek yogurt, chopped cilantro, and toasted pumpkin seeds.

Note – Recipe adapted from Kimberley Hasselbrink’s Vibrant Food.