Vegan Mexican Roasted Red Pepper Soup

The weekend is ALMOST here WAHOO!!! Tori from Fraiche Nutrition is taking over today and sharing one last soup with you before summer hits!!!! With all of the cold rainy weather we’ve been having in Vancouver this week, I could TOTALLY go for a cozy night in next to this roasted pepper goodness. Before soup season is over, I will let Tori take it from here ….

I don’t know about you but I am a total Mexican food lover. It’s crazy how many hidden fats and calories can be found in the real deal Mexican food. So … I have created this HEALTHY, full of flavour, vegan alternative that will hit all the right taste buds. If you’re not vegan, no problem, I have starred what you can swap out ….

Ingredients:

5 red peppers (or a mix of red/orange/yellow), cut in half and seeded
3 medium tomatoes, cut in half
1 large sweet onion, peeled and cut into quarters
6 whole cloves garlic, peeled
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
900 mL (1 carton) vegetable stock*
½ tsp. cumin
½ tsp. smoked sweet paprika
salt & pepper to taste
1 avocado, diced
1 c. tortilla chips, crushed
½ c. cilantro
vegan sour cream*

*If you aren’t vegan you can substitute chicken stock and real sour cream

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the peppers and tomatoes skin-side-up on the baking sheet along with the onion and garlic. Toss with the olive oil and roast on the top rack for 30 minutes or until the peppers are black and blistered.
Remove the tray from the oven and place the peppers and tomatoes into a bowl: cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes to cool.
Once the peppers and tomatoes are cooled, peel the skin off of both the tomatoes and the peppers and discard.
In a large stockpot, add the peeled peppers, tomatoes and the garlic and onions (make sure you add any juices that are left on the parchment paper) along with the stock, cumin and paprika. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and puree with an immersion blender or a good blender (be careful that it doesn’t splash on to you!) until smooth. Return the soup to the pot and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Garnish with the avocado, tortilla chips and cilantro and serve immediately.

My mouth is watering just looking at it … I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!!!

xo
Tori