This dish contains no oil, meat, or fish. The inspiration for this recipe came from a friend who adheres to a heart healthy, fat-free diet. His complaint was that the food that he was preparing lacked flavor. He asked me if I could conceive some recipes that would allow him to still follow his diet but taste good. Lipids (oil, meat, or fish) were out of the question.

Eight Whole Red Peppers
3/4 Pound Of Cooked Orzo Pasta
28 Ounce Can Of San Marzano Tomatoes Hand Crushed With The Can Juice
3 Ounces Of Tomato Paste
Two Teaspoons Of Red Wine Vinegar
Three Cloves Of Minced Garlic, Divided
Two Cups Of Diced Red Onions, Divided
¼ Cup Of Chopped Fresh Italian Parsley
¼ Cup Of Chopped Fresh Basil
Four Teaspoons Of Sea Salt Or Salt Substitute (Optional), Divided
Two Teaspoons Of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, Divided
1/4 Teaspoon of Ground Black Pepper

Cut off the tops of the red peppers. When cutting, slice off at about one inch from the top of each pepper. Discard the stems, the seeds and the white membranes. Dice up any useable pepper flesh and set it aside.

Combine the diced excess red pepper flesh, a cup of the red onions, two cloves of the minced garlic, two teaspoons of salt, one teaspoon of the crushed red pepper flakes, the tomato paste, the red wine vinegar, the parsley, the basil, and half of the San Marzano tomatoes in a large oven proof pot with a lid. Stir well. Bring the mixture to a boil. When it begins to boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Allow the tomato mixture to cool for 10 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, add the cooked orzo and the tomato mixture. Mix thoroughly. Taste and add more salt, crushed red pepper flakes, and/or black pepper, if desired. Fill each red pepper with this mixture generously.

In the same pot that the tomato mixture was cooked in, add one clove of the minced garlic, a cup of the red onions, two teaspoons of salt, a teaspoon of the crushed red pepper flakes, and the other half of the tomatoes. Stir to incorporate. Add the stuffed peppers to the pot (bottoms down) and cover it with a lid.

Cook in a preheated oven set at 350 degrees for one hour.

This soup is a tasty alternative to cream of broccoli. You will not even miss the cream. A hand blender is recommended but the soup can be pureed in a conventional blender. If you use a regular blender, allow the mixture to cool before blending and blend it in batches.

Three Large Broccoli Crowns Roughly Chopped
30 Ounces Of Canned Cannellini Beans Drained And Rinsed
Five Minced Garlic Cloves
One Peeled Garlic Clove Cut In Half
A Cup Of Roughly Chopped Red Onion
Two Teaspoons Of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (Or More If You Like Spicy Food)
¼ Teaspoon Of Black Pepper
A Tablespoon Of Sea Salt Or Salt Substitute (Optional)

Combine the broccoli, the garlic, the red onion, the crushed red pepper flakes, the black pepper, and the salt in a large soup pot. Add enough cold water to just cover the broccoli. Bring the mixture to a boil. When it reaches its boiling point, turn the heat down to medium and simmer partially covered for 10 minutes. Add the cannellini beans. Continue to simmer partially covered for 30 minutes.

Using the hand blender, puree the mixture until you get the consistency that you like. It is perfectly fine to have small chunks of broccoli present in the soup. Taste and add more crushed red pepper flakes, black pepper, and/or salt, to taste. Keep the soup on low heat until you are ready to serve it.

Toast some Italian bread. While the bread is still hot, rub it with a peeled garlic clove (cut side down). Cut the toast into cubes. Use these croutons to garnish your soup.

This dish contains no oil, meat, or fish. The inspiration for this recipe came from a friend who adheres to a heart healthy, fat-free diet. His complaint was that the food that he was preparing lacked flavor. He asked me to see if I could conceive some recipes that would allow him to still follow his diet but taste good. Lipids (oil, meat, or fish) were out of the question.

Ten Whole Wheat Soft Taco Size Tortillas
Five Fresh Roma Tomatoes Diced Into About ½ Inch Cubes
Two Finely Diced Fresh Jalapeno Peppers, Divided
Four Minced Garlic Cloves, Divided
Two Tablespoons And 1/3 Cup Of Finely Diced Red Onion, Divided
The Juice Of A Lime
Sea Salt Or Salt Substitute, To Taste (Optional)
One Can (15 Ounces) Of Black Beans, Rinsed And Drained
One Can (14 ½ Ounces) Of Stewed Tomatoes
2/3 Cup Of Water
½ Teaspoon Of Dried Oregano
½ Teaspoon Of Ground Cumin
½ Teaspoon Of Paprika
A Tablespoon Of Chili Powder
1 ½ Cups Of MINUTE Brown Rice, Uncooked

To Make The Pico De Gallo

Combine the diced tomatoes, half of the diced jalapeno peppers, half of the minced garlic, two tablespoons of the diced red onion, and the lime juice in a mixing bowl. Mix well. Taste and add sea salt or salt substitute, to taste (optional). Set the pico de gallo aside.

To Make The Rice With Black Beans

Combine the black beans, the tomatoes, 1/3 cup of the diced red onion, two of the minced garlic cloves, the oregano, the cumin, the paprika, and the chili powder in a large pot with a lid. Stir the mixture well. Put the pot on medium high heat and bring the contents to a boil. When it starts to boil, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer while stirring frequently for 10 minutes. Add the water and stir well. If you want to add sea salt or salt substitute, now would be the time.

Stir in the rice and return the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Let the rice and bean mixture stand covered for 5 minutes.

Final Assembly

Wrap the tortillas completely in a dampened paper towel. Microwave the tortillas for a minute just to get them warm. Fill the tortillas with the rice and the beans. Top the rice and the beans with the pico de gallo.