I have a confession: my sweet-tooth hasn’t always ruled my palate or my food choices.
In fact, I was raised in a home that restricted all sugar intake, and avoided over-processed, and high-carb, high glucose foods.
My mother, and her mother before her, knew the power of food and she filled our house with whole grains, dairy alternatives, fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, natural and unprocessed foods, and snacks.
In today’s world, that’s not uncommon and pretty easy to find. Most stores seem to have a decent selection of alternative, healthy versions and easier access to a less-processed and ‘healthier’ diet. Whole Foods seems like it’s taking over the world.
But, in the late ’60s and ’70s during my formative childhood years, that type of diet and those types of stores and sections within big stores was unheard of, as well as not easy or convenient in any way. We had one, tiny little store, (Eliott’s Natural Foods ) that my Mom thankfully had access to. Over the years it has expanded, and is still in business!
In case you’re wondering, this ‘healthy’ type of diet is not something that is easy to maintain when a kid discovers what they’re missing! PB&J on soft white bread with Skippy peanut butter and Smucker’s grape jelly, a pudding cup, and a soda looked so much more appealing than my dark brown natural wheat bread, natural peanut butter and honey sandwich, a box of raisins or an apple, and a carton of milk or apple juice. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I appreciated what my Mom and Grandma instilled in me.
Raised by smart women, raised with smart food choices
Today, I can say that being raised by women who believed in the power of food to heal, the power of food to fuel, and the power of food to stay healthy has impacted the way I feed myself. But, I also believe how I was raised fueled my intense sweet-tooth!
Kick your sweet-tooth to the curb
Savory hasn’t been my “thing” but that changes today. I’ll be spending the year focusing on savory, sugar-free, and cancer-starving foods. I’ll still be baking my sweet treats and sharing those too, of course, but I’ll be cultivating my savory palate, which I’m excited to learn new flavor combinations, new foods, and new dishes!
A recent savory attempt is a recipe from my friend Karen Rayne Henning, who I hope will start her own blog! She has posted and shared some AMAZING dishes to her friends on social media that she creates for her family, and this recipe caught my eye.
She’s given me permission to try her recipe, post, and share…and it’s SO good! I hope you enjoy venturing into some new savory dishes, too!
Roasted Red Bell Pepper Bisque
Ingredients
- 5 red bell peppers, cut in half, deveined and de-seeded
- 1 large yellow onion
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tbsp tomato powder or 2 tbsp Tomato Paste
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400°F
- Prep the red bell peppers: Cut them in half, remove stem and all seeds
- Place halves skin side up on sheet pan or large baking sheet
- Drizzle tops of peppers with olive oil and oven roast for 45 min
- After baking them, change your oven to the Broil setting, and move the rack up and broil for a few minutes
- Watch carefully until skin blisters a little more, it will make peeling them easier
- Remove from oven, remove from sheet pan and place all roasted peppers in a medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap. This will help them ‘sweat’
- Leave in a covered bowl for 15 min
- Dice onion
- In a large pot, sauté diced onion in olive oil (or butter) on medium heat until very soft and clear
- While onions cook, remove and discard skin from peppers
- After the skin has been peeled and discarded, rough chop the peppers
- Add minced or fresh pressed garlic to the pot with onions, stirring until fragrant, be careful not to burn
- Add the roughly chopped peppers and chicken stock to the pot, stir to combine
- Turn off the heat and use an immersion blender to puree the mixture in the pot (end result has a little bit of ‘texture’ or bite),
- If you would prefer a really smooth bisque, add contents to an emulsifying blender and blend until smooth
- Add cream and tomato powder (or paste) to the blended soup
- Return to medium heat and stir until incorporated and serving temperature of your choice
- Add salt and pepper to taste
- Fry sprigs of rosemary in hot olive oil and butter over medium-high heat in a small saucepan. It only takes a few seconds
- Remove when sizzling sound slows down, place on a paper towel to remove any excess oil
- Serve soup with crumbled feta and fried rosemary, enjoy!
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