Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup

This is a slightly upgraded version of the Tomato soup that I had posted earlier in the blog.
Roasting the tomatoes brings out a deep and rich flavor that makes this soup delectable.

If you are short on time, you can use the canned San Marzano roasted tomatoes and those will work just as wonderfully as roasting them in the oven yourself.

Ingredients:
Tomatoes - 3 large ones
Red bell pepper - 1 large
White/Yellow Onion - 1
Milk - 1/2 cup
Garlic Cloves - 1 bulb
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Paprika - a big pinch
Greek Yogurt - 3 Tbsp

Pre-heat the oven to 450F or higher if possible. Rub the bell pepper with some oil and place it on a foil lined baking tray. Broil of possible. Bake for 15 to 20 min until the outer skin is completely charred and black. Remove the pepper and place in an air tight container.
In another tray, add roughly chopped tomatoes, onion and peeled whole garlic cloves. Drizzle with oil and bake in the oven for 20 min.
Remove the cooled pepper and peel the outer charred skin. Roughly chop and add the pepper along with the other baked veggies to the blender. Cool and grind.

Add to a pan and bring to a simmer. Once it starts simmering, add the milk and the seasonings.
Simmer for a few minutes and serve hot, topped with some beaten greek yogurt.

Tastes best when served with some crusty bread. Garlic bread would take it up a notch.

Dates and Almond cake

This is my first attempt at baking a cake from scratch. It is a very simple recipe, and quite tasty. One does not miss the eggs or the butter in this cake. I made this cake twice in a week, and it was a winner. My mom got me Lion dates syrup from India, and I used this in place of sugar in this recipe. This cake does not require any icing on it, however I glazed the cake with some orange flavored glaze. I adapted this cake from several dates cake recipes I found on other blogs.

Dates - 15
Milk - 3/4 cup
Date syrup - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Flour - 1 cup
Baking soda - 1 tsp
Oil - 1/2 cup
Almonds - 1/4 cup

For Glaze: (Optional)
Powdered sugar - 1/4 cup
Orange juice - 2 tbsp

Heat the milk and dates in the microwave for 3 minutes. This will make the dates soft and help with grinding them. I used Lion dates that were pitted and soft. If using dried dates, soak them in milk over night.

Grind the dates with the milk. Add the date syrup and sugar and grind. If you do not find date syrup, substitute it with sugar. Just use 3/4 cup sugar instead of the date syrup + sugar combination. 

Add the oil to this mixture and whisk well. Mix the flour and baking soda and add to the liquid one spoonful at a time. Mix well. When the mixture is well incorporated, grease a cake pan, and pour the batter into the pan.

Chop the almonds, and top the cake with the chopped nuts.

Pre-heat the oven to 350F and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes. A knife inserted in the middle should come out clean. If the cake is not cooked through, the knife will have some batter on it.

Cool and remove.

Powder some sugar, else use a 1/4 cup of powdered sugar. Mix the orange juice into the powdered sugar. The glaze should be runny, and you should be able to pour in onto the cake with a spoon. Use more juice if required.

Drizzle the glaze onto the cake with a spoon. Cool and serve.