Along
about Thursday I start thinking of the scrumptious dishes can I fix for the
weekend. I treat myself to wonderful foods every day of the week but on the
weekends I kick it up a notch.

Last
Friday, when I did my weekly grocery shopping Whole Foods had some beautifully
ripened red bell peppers so I bought a bag and fixed red bell pepper soup.

Red
bell pepper soup is one of my favorites. Being a vegetarian since 2012, I’m
always looking for new and wonderful ways to prepare fresh vegetables, fruits
and leafy greens and soup is one of my mainstays.

This
particular soup is made mostly with bell peppers which makes it a little
different than others you’ll find online. Many red pepper soup recipes have other ingredients in considerable abundance like cheese, milk, cream and tomatoes. I think my
recipe rivals these in flavor, nutrients and texture. But please try it this weekend judge for
yourself. I don’t think you’ll be at all disappointed.

The
keys to making this and any soup delicious are using healthy fat (I like olive oil), vegetable
broth (I love all natural Pacific Brand
Vegetable Broth) and Himalayan salt. This soup is particularly good garnished with fresh avocado
slices and coconut yogurt mixed with lime juice, salt and jalapeno. I’m crazy for yogurt as
a sour cream substitute! See the one I like best below. For a richer taste, you
can garnish with cheese too if you like.

Toppings

I
use LaClare Farms Raw Goats’ Milk Cheddar
as a topping for my soups and salads. I buy one package a week.  I think they are about $6 or $7 per package.
It looks small but it goes a long way. Goats’ milk is easier on your digestive system which is so important with chronic illnesses like arthritis. It’s less
acidic. I keep cows’ milk out of my diet which puts weight on you
and is very bad for the intestines and allergies. Some people don’t care for
the taste of goats’ milk cheese at first however, I think LeClare is very tasty.

The main
reason I have opted out of cows’ milk products is because of the horrendous
cruelty of the factory farming dairy industry. 


I’ve found delicious non-dairy
substitutes for all cows’ milk products. In place of butter I use olive oil,
grapeseed oil and coconut oil. For ice cream I absolutely love Van Leeuwen’s Oat Milk Ice Cream. For
milk in my granola and over ice with real maple syrup I love Malk Almond Milk. In place of sour
cream Coyo Coconut Yogurt is perfection.  In place of cow’s milk yogurt Cocoyo Coconut Yogurt is absolutely amazing. I love it on the mornings when I need more than
green juice. I eat it with real maple syrup and blueberries or strawberries. It’s
like a rich Italian dessert. It’s a bit effervescent and if that bothers you simply add a little of the other brand, Coyo and it cuts the bubbliness. I don’t care for Coyo alone as a yogurt, only as a topping. 


For a coffee creamer I think Nut Pod’s Creamer very good. Yes, it
has some not so great ingredients but if you’re only using it a few mornings a
week like fixing yourself a Sunday morning latte, it’s really the lesser of the
creamer evils. For the rare occasions I use butter I use Kerrygold Pure Irish Grass Fed Butter. Using these products in
place of cow’s milk products is no hardship what-so-ever for me, and it needn’t
be for you either. I need to emphasize this to you because these products are
seriously delicious and so much healthier than cow’s milk. I won’t eat anything
that’s short of amazing. I’m spoiled! I admit it. 

Other
possible soup toppings for this particular soup are minced onion, cilantro, and
a tiny bit of chopped savoy or Napa cabbage. For me, I use the goat’s milk
cheddar and the coconut yogurt with lime, jalapeno and pink salt.