Roasting Tomatoes

Well here is a red recipe to kick off Valentine's week. Sometimes a cold winter's Monday doesn't just mean misery...it means it's time to make tomato soup, (and book a trip to Vegas!) then curl up on the couch. Here is a recipe I've had tucked away waiting for a day just like this. It was hearty and warming and is one of Kyle's new favorites. I fixed this this along with baked chicken breasts I seasoned with a maple and sage rub that my dad and Mary gave me for Christmas (it's the Lund's/Byerly's brand and I highly recommend it), and a sliced mango--my latest addiction.

Creamy Tomato Balsamic Soup


















Ingredients
1 cup less-sodium beef broth, divided
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
5 garlic cloves
2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, drained
Cooking spray
3/4 cup half-and-half
Cracked black pepper (optional)

Preparation
Preheat oven to 500°.
Combine 1/2 cup of broth, sugar, vinegar, and soy sauce in a small bowl. Place onion, garlic, and tomatoes in a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Pour broth mixture over tomato mixture. Bake at 500° for 50 minutes or until vegetables are lightly browned.

Place tomato mixture in a blender. Add remaining 1/2 cup broth and half-and-half, and process until smooth. Strain mixture through a sieve into a bowl; discard solids. Garnish with cracked black pepper, if desired.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1/2 cup)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 120; FAT 4.7g; PROTEIN 3.8g; CHOLESTEROL 23mg; CALCIUM 120mg; SODIUM 452mg; FIBER 1.7g

Julie Grimes , Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2005