I recently hosted a dinner party for 14 of my girlfriends. I was excited to show them that a dinner party and/or celebration doesn’t necessarily have to involve heavy and unhealthy food, but can instead be based around plants and healthy proteins. I was even more thrilled when I found out Domino Magazine was going to feature the dinner on their fabulous site!! Click here to check it out!
For the first course, I served my friend Balir’s Roasted Vegetable Soup. It is one of my absolute favorites and is the most versatile recipe (you can throw in any veggies you have around, you can alter the spice, and you can make it vegan or not!). It is also super healthy and a great option if you’ve had an overindulgent weekend or holiday and need a little detox!
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
- 1 yellow onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 orange bell pepper
- 1 zucchini
- 1 bunch asparagus
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 jalapeno (optional if you like spice)
- 1 32oz box low-sodium vegetable broth
- ½ tsp thyme
- ½ tsp celery salt
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ black pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut peppers, zucchini, and onion in wide strips. Quarter tomatoes and remove seeds. Cut top off jalapeno, slice in half lengthwise, remove seeds and most of the white rib. Place all vegetables on a large baking sheet and toss with oil and spices. Roast until soft about 25 minutes. Carefully place in blender pitcher and add half the broth. Starting at the lowest level, slowly increase speed until pureed smooth. Add additional broth until you’ve reached your desired consistency. Add to pot and simmer until ready to serve.