Utterly Butterly!!!

Oh how I've missed you!!
After trying every brand of butter available this is still my favorite.

Roasted red pepper soup

Husband made this yummy winter soup tonight!!

Here is how! This serves 6
You need:
6 red peppers
2 tbs olive oil
1 onion chopped
2 garlic cloves crushed
3 ripe tomatoes peeled and chopped
1.2 lt vegetable stock
6 tbs mascarpone cheese or cream cheese
Fresh basil
Salt, pepper

How:
Preheat the oven to 450deg F. Arrange the peppers on a baking tray and cook for 30 mins turning over once, until charred. Transfer to bowl cover with cling film until cool enough to handle.

Heat oil in a large saucepan cook onions and garlic for a 4-5 mins, add tomatoes and stock. Boil reduce heat cover and simmer for 10 mins.

Peel peppers, remove the seeds and blend the flesh. Add the cheese and blend some more. Pour in soup some basil leaves and blend till smooth. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
I sprinkled some Parmesan and crispy onions over the soup to add yumm and texture.

Happy Valentines Day

Made these yummy red velvet cupcakes for the first time today!! Baking probably for the first time in my life it took me 4 hrs to figure this out. But the recipe is perfect and they turned out heavenly!!

Recipe from:
http://www.carrottopmom.com/?p=290

Toothpicks!!

Found these great party toothpicks in Mumbai, cant wait to use them

CHUNKY SALSA

I made some for myself today as a snack. Its a great healthy snack (Without the tortilla chips. I ate it with saltine crackers not bad at all).  A year ago my husband showed me how to load a dishwasher, obviously I hadn't been in a kitchen much though this was one of the few things I knew how to make. This is how I do it

1 tomato

1 onion

2 tbs cilantro chopped fine

1 jalapeno chopped fine (makes it quite spicy)

Juice of 1/2 a lime

and my favorite, a dash of chipotle tobasco which gives it the perfect kick.

Mix it all up in a bowl and dip in!!

AND I couldn't have done it without my handy helper. I LOVE this onion chopper, recommended by a friend and mother of two. Thank You!!!

HERE YOU ARE!!

Welcome to my first blog first post!! Last year and a few days ago I moved to foodie city as I call it, Chicago. For the last year I have googled and yelped restaurants for great vegetarian food, found a few worth mentioning and not just in this city. SO here is my list of "best ever"...Vegetarian foods at restaurants, a few recipes that I like, kitchen tools I cant live without, healthy ideas (I have to lose weight) and other musings that distract me from eating.

If you have a veggie recipe, product or restaurant you love send me a link, I would love to try it out and feature it.