Tortellini & Zucchini Soup

Hi there everyone! I'm so sorry for being such a blog slacker! I can't believe it has been two months since my last post. I will do my best to make my posts more regular.

This is a soup recipe that I found on eatingwell.com. It is one of my favorite winter recipes because it's so easy, flavorful, and is healthy! I love finding new recipes that not only taste great but are not full of fattening ingredients. According to eatingwell.com, one (1.5 cup) serving only has 203 calories. It is very filling too. So even if I am only serving this for dinner I don't feel hungry at all when I'm finished. Definitely don't skip the red-wine vinegar, it gives it such a great flavor. Enjoy!

Tortellini & Zucchini Soup

Serves 6 (1.5 cups each)

Extra-virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons
Carrots, 2 large, finely chopped
Onion, 1 large, diced
Garlic, 2 tablespoons, minced
Fresh rosemary, 1 teaspooon, chopped
Vegetable broth, 2 14-ounce cans (low sodium)
Zucchini, 2 medium, diced (about 9 ounces or 2 cups)
Tortellini, fresh or frozen, preferably spinach-&-cheese
Plum (roma) tomatoes, 4, diced
Red-wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add carrots and onion; stir, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and just beginning to brown, 6 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic and rosemary and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in broth and zucchini; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add tortellini and tomatoes and simmer until the tortellini are plump and the tomatoes are beginning to break down, 6 to 10 minutes. Stir vinegar into the hot soup just before serving.

Cold Cucumber and Cubanelle Soup with Cashews and Chives

Fall may officially be here but that doesn't necessarily mean us Texans will have cool weather every day from here on out. Which is why I don't feel so bad about posting this recipe right now. Though the ingredients might seem a bit odd, the flavor is amazing! It is a very refreshing dish that I will be making often. I made this on a Sunday afternoon to serve later in the evening with a salad and it was so nice to have a portion of the meal already prepared. It is perfect to serve with a salad or grilled shrimp/fish.

This recipe is from Gourmet magazine's September 2009 issue. This issue featured recipes from A to Z. Though my photo below might not be the best (Gourmet's photo is much prettier), it is still a delicious recipe that you should definitely try! I hope you enjoy this soup as much as my husband and I did!

Cold Cucumber and Cubanelle Soup with Cashews and Chives
Serves 4 as a main dish, 6 as a starter dish

Cucumbers, 3 large (2 1/2 lb total), peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
Cubanelle pepper, 1 (Italian green frying pepper), halved lengthwise and seeded
Water, 2 1/2 cups
Extra-virgin olive oil, 1/3 cup
Unsalted roasted cashews, 1/2 cup
Red-wine vinegar, 2 Tbsp
Garlic clove, 1 large, chopped
Garnish: diced tomato, chopped chives

Puree cucumbers and half of Cubanelle (finely chop remaining half for garnish) with water, oil, cashews, vinegar, garlic, 1 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper in a blender (in batches if necessary) until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and chill until cold, about 2 hours. Whisk before serving and season with salt and pepper.
Note: Soup is best the day it is made.

(If you can't find Cubanelle peppers, you can substitute with another mild pepper. I had to substitute Anaheim peppers. And please, always use a spoon to take the seeds out of peppers.)