Jamie Oliver's 15 Minute Meals are truly fantastic. The objective of course, is to show people that cooking good, healthy, real food at home is entirely possible, even with our crazy, busy, stress filled lives to contend with. I'm all for that. But what I really find appealing about Jamie's style in his videos and recipes, is how natural and inspirational he always is. He chooses foods that are bright in colour, flavours that are bold in taste, ingredients from all over the world, and combines everything in this fantastically messy, yet beautiful way. I mean, who wouldn't want to eat like that?
Like this Mexican Tomato soup. Bright red, with creamy jalapeno sauce, and chunks of fresh red tomatoes, smooth green avocados, cilantro, feta, green onions, and lime, it's completely beautiful and totally appetizing. It's also an absolute delight to eat. You start with the basic soup in your bowl, and then you get to throw in as many extra's as you want. Like my partner in crime for example, he probably used about half a cup of the jalapeno sauce in one bowl of soup, but hey whatever makes you happy. And this soup made us both, very, very happy.
This could definitely be a light supper on its own in my opinion, but I was feeling a bit celebratory (for no reason whatsoever) so I decided that another delicious dinner component was absolutely necessary. Tacos for instance. But it had to be tacos that are all toasty and crispy on the outside, and warm and gooey on the inside. To go with the soup of course. Kind of like a quesadilla, but in my mind, simply a crunchy taco. The best part? Using that amazing jalapeno sauce from Jamie's soup recipe as a dipping sauce for the crunchy taco.
On that note, this jalapeno sauce is now going to be a staple in our fridge. It takes seconds to make, but it is so good, I've already used it as a veggie dip, a sandwich spread, a salad dressing, and then I made more and used it as a pizza crust dipping sauce too. Basically any excuse to eat this stuff, and I will take it. It's got kick for sure, but you can use as many or as few jalapenos as you like, and since I used 0% greek yogurt it's also guilt free. Right? It is, right?
Okay, here's the link to watch Jamie's 15 Minute Meals episode (the Mexican Tomato Soup is in the second half of the video) and I've also included Jamie's recipe below for the soup (with a few adaptations) and my own recipe for Crunchy Tacos.
Jamie's Mexican Tomato Soup (slightly adapted)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small bunch of green onions
1 bunch of fresh cilantro
4 garlic cloves
1/2 cup basmati rice
450g jarred red peppers
28oz can of diced tomatoes
1 cup 0% plain greek yogurt
2 tsp pickled jalapeno chilies
2 limes
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1 ripe avocado
1/4 cup feta cheese
Trim and finely slice the green onions. Reserve some for garnish and put the rest into a pan on high heat with 2 tablespoons of oil. Add in the cilantro stalks (reserving the leaves). Mince the garlic and add to the pan with the rice, drained jarred peppers, and the canned tomatoes. Pour in 850 ml of boiling water, add a pinch of salt and cover with the lid. Half the tomatoes, and slice the avocado, and place them along with the feta, reserved green onions, cilantro leaves, and lime slices onto a serving board.
In a bowl, use an immersion blender to mix the yogurt and the jalapenos along with a splash of their pickling vinegar (crucial, it's so good!). Then use the immersion blender in the soup until the texture is smooth. Add in the juice of 1/2 a lime, and season to taste. Serve in bowls, and let everyone add their own sauce and toppings.
Crunchy Tacos
1 large gluten free tortilla (I used Fit For Life Brown Rice, but I think any would work)
1 avocado, chopped
1/4 cup tomato, chopped
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
1/4 shredded cheese (I used a provolone/mozza mix, but cheddar or mozza would work just fine)
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, except the tortilla. Heat a pan on high, and coat lightly with oil. Place the tortilla in the pan for about one minute, until slightly browned, then add the mixture to one half of the tortilla, and fold over the other half. Cook about one minute, then flip over to the other side for another minute. Remove from pan, cut in half and serve with the jalapeno sauce from above. Serves 2.
Jamie's Mexican Tomato Soup paired with Crunchy Tacos makes a food fiesta you won't want to forget. Quick and easy, it's a great Friday night dinner that gets in lots of good healthy stuff along with tasty things like cheese that are also necessary in a whole different kinda way. Let the fiesta begin!
No comments:
Post a Comment