Yeah, that's right. You can still have salad dressing!
I know. I, too, thought it didn’t exist.
You know how low-fat dressings are always a weird texture and kind of sweet? Well, I’ve found a solution that works. AND it has protein. Yeah, I’m pretty stoked.
Here’s what you do, and I know the measurements are not exact but I’m pretty sure you can all figure it out because you’re smart. Just add amounts that make it taste good!
Puree some low-fat cottage cheese. (I don’t use fat-free because it tastes like plastic.) Add some ranch dressing mix. (My favorite is Penzey’s Buttermilk Ranch mix.) Add a little lowfat buttermilk (or some lowfat or fat free milk and a splash of vinegar) and blend until you reach the desired consistency.
That’s it. It comes out creamy, much like mayo-based dressing thanks to the cottage cheese and has a good tangy taste from the buttermilk or vinegar.
This is a recipe I adapted from a website with some p90x recipes. It was really, really good and I will be making some more of it soon.
One thing to consider: I followed the instructions of the recipe and found that the little bits of bell pepper skin in the soup were kind of unpleasant so I strained all of the soup through a sieve. That helped tremendously, the texture of the soup was way better. If you don’t want to have to do that, I think you could probably roast the peppers on the grill or in the oven first and then close them in a plastic bag for a while and then peel the peels off. That would probably taste pretty rad too. But that’s a lot of work, so I’m just gonna stick with the straining method, myself.
Red Pepper & Tomato Soup
5 red bell peppers, seeded & chopped
1.5 cups white wine
1.5 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
2 cans diced tomatoes
4 tbsp tomato paste
4 tsp sugar, if desired
thyme, garlic powder & onion powder to taste
salt & pepper to taste
Bring wine and peppers to a boil. Allow to boil for 5 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, and seasonings. Bring to a boil & lower to a simmer. Simmer for about 25 minutes or until peppers are fork-tender. Blend til smooth. Strain, if desired.
See? That’s it. Super, super, souper (har har) easy. I love soup.
I thought it was really good with a wedge of Laughing Cow light Swiss chunked up into it.. also, it’d be terrific served with croutons or a piece of toast… or a grilled cheese, which my diet doesn’t allow right now. Mmmmm, grilled cheese….
