Red Bell Pepper Soup and Cheesy Jalapeno Cornbread

That was yesterday’s supper.

I got the inspiration for this dish when I saw that delicious looking cornbread on Monica’s The Yummy Life. It looked so unbelievably moist and yummy, I knew I had to make it sooner than later, but since I couldn’t eat just that, I had to find something to go with it. (Shouldn’t it have been the other way around?)

I figured some sort of soup would work great and decided to go with a sweet red bell pepper soup. Its sweet and mild taste would do a great job at toning down the heat of the cornbread and I find corn and bell peppers just go hand in hand. Good choice it was, great meal as well. I added a little bit of tofu for some added protein and texture. I was afraid it wouldn’t look good but, quite to the contrary, it added some very cool looking white velvety tiny little specks to the soup and they were quite pleasing both to the eye and the palate.

The cornbread? Oh my! It was exquisite. I think I could’ve eaten the whole pan. There was one piece left when we were all done eating and I had to take the plate away, else I would’ve eaten it. I decided to save it for my dad. I hope he likes it too. Seriously, that cornbread is just perfect. It has just the right amount of heat and cheese, and has a perfect balance between moisture and crunchiness. Hmmmm. I want some more. Give it a try, trust me, you won’t regret it!

Red Bell Pepper Soup

Ingredients
(serves 3-4)

• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 celery rib, sliced
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 2 large red bell peppers, diced (reserve a few dices for garnish)
• 150g extra firm tofu, diced
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp salted herbs
• ½ tsp paprika
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 0% plain greek yogurt
• Flat leaf parsley

Instructions

• Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add all vegetables and seasoning and cook stirring frequently until they start to colour, about 10 minutes.
• Add tofu cubes, cook for another 2 minutes.
• Add water and stir to combine.
• Puree in batches a food processor until smooth and creamy. Return to saucepan and add buttermilk. Reheat then ladle into bowls. Garnish with a dollop of plain yogurt, a few dices of pepper and flat leaf parsley.

Cheesy Jalapeno Cornbread
Source

Ingredients
(Yeld: 9 pieces)

• 1¼ cups yellow cornmeal
• ¾ cup whole wheat flour 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• ¼ cup chopped red onion
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 jalapeno pepper, minced (more or less to taste)
• 2-3 pickled jalapeno peppers, minced
• 125g shredded low-fat sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400F. Spray 8″x8″ baking pan with cooking spray
• Combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. Whisk together.
• In separate bowl, whisk the egg and buttermilk together. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients. Stir until just mixed, don’t over mix.
• Add onion, corn, jalapeno and cheese; fold into batter until mixed.
• Pour into baking pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes then cut into 9 squares. Serve warm.