Minestrone with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and White Beans & Roasted Tomato Bean Dip

 

Ok this might ba a long post. 1^st off I ate so bad this weekend but it was oh so good. It started out Friday night at Chico’s in Hialeah for two of my closest friends birthday dinner I had what I always have there Mariquitas de Platano with lots of Mojo then Churrasco with black beans and rice and then a piece of the oh so yummy flan…

I ate my leftovers the next day b4 my show at the Poor House.

On Sunday after spending the day at the Boat show with my Dad and Luke we went to B&B (Burger & Beer Joint) I had Fried green beans yum, the Thunder Road with skinny fries… And of course a Beer… 

So that brings us today since I ate horribly over the weekend so for lunch today I had a side garden salad, green beans and baked chicken at the Piccadilly. I so love that place. 

Once I got home I decided to make some soup for the weeks lunch and some tomato roasted garlic hummus to eat with various veggies and brown rice cakes as snacks while at work.

 Here are the recipes for both the soup and hummus.

Minestrone with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and White Beans

From Vegetarian times

 Serves 8

1 Tbs. olive oil  

1/2 tsp. dried oregano  

1/2 tsp. dried basil  

1 medium onion, diced (1 1/2 cups)  

1 large or 2 medium carrots, sliced into rounds (1 cup)  

3 stalks celery, sliced (1 cup)  

6 cloves garlic, minced (2 Tbs.) 

1/2 cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes  

1 15-oz. can white beans, rinsed and drained (I used some chick-peas I had sitting in the fridge too)  

1 cup fresh or frozen peas or green beans, cut into 1-inch lengths  

2 Tbs. white wine vinegar (Didn't have any so I used a mixture of cooking wine and white vinegar) 

I was drinking woodchuck pear cider as I was cooking lol...

Directions

1. Heat oil in 3-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Add oregano and basil, and stir 30 seconds. Add onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Cover, and cook 5 minutes, or until onion is translucent.

2. Add sun-dried tomatoes, and cook 5 minutes more. Add white beans and 4 cups water, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Bring soup to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 10 minutes. Add peas, and simmer 3 to 5 minutes more. Stir in vinegar, and season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Per 1-cup serving: Calories: 113, Protein: 5g, Total fat: 2g, Saturated fat: 1g, Carbs: 19g, Cholesterol: mg, Sodium: 359mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugars: 4g 

Roasted Tomato Bean Dip
from Fatfree Vegan

2 medium-large tomatoes (I only had cherry tomatoes so I used 6 of them)
4 cloves garlic, minced (divided)
freshly ground black pepper, dried oregano, and salt (optional)

1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas, drained
2 tsp. white balsamic vinegar (or lemon juice)
10-12 large leaves fresh basil
salt, to taste (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Slice the tomatoes into 1/2-inch slices and place them in a large, oiled baking dish in a single layer. Sprinkle each slice with garlic, using only half of the garlic. Add a sprinkling of black pepper, oregano, and salt to the top of each slice. 

Place in the oven for about 30 minutes, until tomatoes are totally cooked but are not burning. Remove from oven to cool (or use warm and then chill the dip after preparing).

Place the remaining garlic into the food processor along with the chickpeas, vinegar, and roasted tomatoes. Blend well. Add the basil leaves and salt, if you like, and blend again. Serve chilled with vegetables or crackers for dipping. Also makes a good sandwich spread or salad dressing.

I didn't take a pic of the finished product but I did have some on a rice cake... OMG Delish! Kinda really garlicky, but I really love garlic so that's ok with me... I just wont be talking to anyone after I eat some lol...