Chocolate goodness without the guilt

I have been super procrastinating and know I've been saying I am going to keep up with blogging and have neglected to; however, I am determined to keep up with it lol!  Well today is such a beautiful day and the temperature has dropped back down to a really good soup/stew kinda day and plan to make a healthy version of a Hungarian beef stew.  My boyfriend and his best friend are going to be doing a 5k obstacle run in a few months which gives me even more of an opportunity to do more of my recipe/meal planning plus it also helps that he is so open-minded about food and has yet to really dislike anything I have made in the health department.

With the Hungarian beef stew, I wanted to make a good dessert; however, I want something that is sinful tasting but healthy.  Cesar is a massive chocoholic so it gives me the opportunity to work on a Chocolate Almond Torte that he can enjoy without any guilt.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 Tbs Balsamic vinegar

3 large egg whites (at room temperature)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp kosher salt

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup sliced almonds

Preparation:

In a small saucepan, combine the almond milk and cocoa powder, and heat over medium heat 

Whisking constantly until smooth and just comes to a boil

Remove from heat; whisk in chopped chocolate and vinegar until smooth. 

 Cool down to room temp.

Preheat oven to 350, and lightly coat a spring-form pan with cooking spray.  In a large bowl stir the flour, 2/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  

Stir in cooled chocolate mix into flour mix.

Stir well until combined.  Set aside

Beat egg whites with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form.  (your eggs must be a room temperature or you will not achieve the right texture/peaks).  

Gradually add 1/4 cup sugar, about 1 Tbs at a time, increasing speed to high until stiff peaks form (peaks should stand straight up). 

Gently fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mix, **Make sure you do not stir or you will break the eggs and your cake will not be fluffy**)  

Fold in the remaining egg whites until combined.  

Spread batter into the prepared baking pain, and sprinkle almonds all over the batter.

Bake for 25 to 30 min or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (mine took 25 min).  Cool on a wire rack for about 20 min.  Run a small spatula or thin knife carefully around the edges of the cake to loosen from the sides of the pain; unlock the pain and remove the bottom.  Return to the wire rack and allow to cool completely.  Makes 12 serving.

What do the numbers look like? 

Calories 136

Fat 4.2 g

Cholesterol 0

Sodium 78 mg

Potassium 152 mg

Carbs 25.3 mg

Fiber 2.5 mg

Sugar 15.5 mg

Protein 3.5 mg

Also per my recipe analyzer this recipe is very high in Manganese and Zinc.  Sodium is way lower and the fiber is above the allowable per calories.  The sugar is a tad higher than the allowable but is okay considering you're only having one serving and are being mindful of everything else throughout the day.  Next time, I may try the coconut sugar to see how it tastes as this would change the sugar content considerably.

Can you say sinful?  Look at all those little bubbles created from the egg whites making this so light and fluffy as opposed to heavy and dense.  You can sprinkle a little powdered sugar on top if you like.

Until next time, Happy Eating!

So I've been MIA from my blog for a while now, but not because I purposely was neglecting it, but merely because I had been dealing with some crazy health issues.  I found out I have practically no iron or Vit D in my system and have been taking huge doses of prescription vitamins to see I feel better; I have had like zero energy for anything and have been having trouble concentrating and thinking. Thankfully, I think the vitamins are starting to get into my system after 3 mos, so here I am bringing you another tasty dish.

Tomorrow is my boyfriend's father's birthday, and I will be meeting him for the first time.  Ya know, I still can't believe it has been nearly a year since we first started going out; it still boggles my mind that we are where are now.  Funny how when you're definitely NOT looking for a relationship, and the person you've always been in search of was practically in front of you the entire time!  

Since it is a birthday, naturally I wanted to make a birthday cake; however, Cesar says his dad actually prefers pies over cakes just like him.  He also said that his dad is very simple and really likes apple pie so why not.   I thought it was great because I haven't really baked any pies in years and am pretty good at it.  

Important facts about pie pastry:

1.  Cold butter blended with flour will, during baking, melt & leave behind pockets of air that separate layers of the pastry and create a flaky crust.

2.  Do NOT overwork your dough; the more you stir and handle, the more gluten will develop and toughen your pastry.

3.  Do not add water all at once, use minimum amounts to moisten the flour or your pastry can get soggy.

4.  If doing a double pie crust, such as this one, always cut slits in the top to allow steam to escape or you will also end up with a soggy mess.

Ingredients for crust:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter, cut into small cubes
6-7 Tbs ice water

Ingredients for the filling:

6 cups of peeled, cored & sliced apples
1 Tbs lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 Tbs all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 Tbs finely chopped crystallized ginger
2 Tbs butter
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

Preparation:

In a large bowl, mix flour and salt.   With a pastry blender (or 2 knives), cut in shortening and butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs or small peas.

Sprinkle in 6-7 Tbs ice water, one Tbs at a time.  Mix with a fork after each spoon until your dough is moist enough to hold together.  Shape into 2 balls, one slightly bigger than the other.  Wrap and refrigerate 30 min.

On a lightly floured surface, with a floured rolling pin, roll larger ball 2-inches larger all around than inverted 9-inch pie plate.  Roll dough round gently onto your rolling pin, and gently ease into pie plate.  Trim the edge, leaving 1-inch over hang; set aside.

Combine apples and lemon juice in a large bowl.  Combine 1/2 cup sugar and next 5 ingredients, and mix well.  

Spoon over the apple mixture, and toss gently.  

Spoon filling evenly into the pie shell, and dot with butter.

Roll small ball of dough into 10-inch round.  Cut several slashes; center over the filling.  Trim the edge, leaving 1-inch over hang; fold under and crimp edges.  Brush pastry lightly with beaten egg yolk.  Combine 2 tsp sugar and 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon, and sprinkle all over the pie.

Cover edges of pasty with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning.

Bake at 450 for 15 min; reduce heat to 350, and bake 50 more min.

Tomorrow this bad boy gets cut and served; however from the small amount of sauce that dripped onto the baking sheet, it tastes divine.....oh and my apartment smells amazing!

Until next time, Happy Eating!

Healthier Chocolate Bread Pudding (for two)

Well I am back & hoping to be more present in my blogging now that everything seems to be falling into place in my life once again.  I have a new boyfriend who is a few months older than me (YAY!) and who is incredibly awesome to me, and makes utterly happy.  I have currently been presented with a new challenge: my babe is lactose intolerant (boo).  I have been on the hunt for all things lactose free including trying to make dishes and desserts friendlier for him. Now one thing that I find funny is that he LOVES chocolate, and chocolate does not seem to bother him and lucky for him I prefer darker chocolates as opposed to milk chocolates which is better also.  

I found an amazing recipe for Chocolate Chunk Bread Pudding which turned out to be perfect for 2 people, but I decided to doctor things up and try to not only make it lactose free but also a bit more healthier.  Who says you can't have your cake and eat it too?  As long as you do your homework and, of course, in moderation, you definitely can!

Before I get into the recipe, let's talk about some of the changes I made and how you can change them also.  Immediately you will notice, of course, that I use Lactose Free 2% milk; should you decide to use regular milk, take into consideration some of the nutritional values may change a bit especially if you decided to do full fat milk or even heavy cream.  Like I said, I am on a lactose free mission and have found the perfect cheese at one Whole Foods Market made from almond milk and tastes like regular cheese; Green Valley Organics also makes yogurt, sour cream, kefir and cream cheese; and Sprouts Farmers Market carries lactose free cottage cheese.  

Let me not forget to mention that you can use fat free or light whipped topping instead of the CocoWhip; again, just remember there may be slight nutritional differences. However, I MUST tell you how delicious this is, and the bf was blown away and amazed by the taste.

Also you will notice, I use Raw Cacao Powder instead of cocoa powder.  Raw cacao is made by cold pressing unroasted cocoa beans; this keeps the living enzymes in the cocoa and removes the fat.  Raw cacao powder is much better than cocoa powder in that it lowers insulin resistance; is high resveratol (a potent antioxidant); reduced risk for cardiovascular disease; reduces risk for stroke, reduces blood pressure; is rich in magnesium, iron, potassium, calcium, zinc, copper & manganese; boosts your mood promoting a better sense of well being.  I use raw cacao powder in place of cocoa powder in lots of recipes including my overnight oats; it has a strong, rich, deep chocolate flavor.   The brand I buy is NavitasNaturals which can be found in the nutrition/health food section of HEB for $9.99; you might think that is too expensive, but a little goes a LONG way!

Another thing you will notice is that I use Coconut Sugar in place of regular sugar.  Why?  Coconut sugar is MUCH better than regular sugar as it has a lower Glycemic Index measure of 35 as opposed to 60 in regular sugar.  (BIG plus for diabetics)  Also research has shown that coconut sugar has impressive amounts of nutrients such as zinc, iron, potassium and calcium.  The brand I buy is Madhava Organic which can be found in the baking section at HEB for less than $5.00.

Ok, so I've rambled on for too long so lets get on with the recipe.  Since this is a 2 person recipe, you can definitely get away with buying those cute little 4-pk King's Hawaiian rolls; of course you can double this recipe for 4 people.

Ingredients:

3 1/2 King's Hawaiian Sweet Rolls, cubed
2/3 cup Lactose-Free 2% Milk
1 1/2 tbs Raw Cacao Powder
2 tbs Coconut Sugar Pure & Unrefined
1 tbs Kahlua
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Eggland's Best large egg
1 oz Baker's Semi-sweet Baking Chocolate Squares
1 tsp SoDelicious CocoWhip Light
Cooking spray

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°.

Arrange bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 5 minutes or until toasted. Remove bread from oven.

Combine milk and next 5 ingredients (milk through egg) in a medium bowl, whisk well until thoroughly combined. 

Add bread

Toss gently to coat.

Cover and chill 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.

Divide half of bread mixture evenly between 2 (6-ounce) ramekins or custard cups coated with cooking spray; sprinkle evenly with half of chocolate. Divide remaining bread mixture between ramekins; top with remaining chocolate.

Place ramekins in an 8-inch square baking pan (I only had a loaf pan at the moment which had the perfect depth); add hot water to pan to a depth of 1 inch.

Bake at 325° for 35 minutes or until set

Serve each pudding warm with 1 tsp whipped topping.

Looking at the values of the healthy version I encountered, I managed to bring the calories down by 68, I brought the total fat within the range it needs to be for the calories involved, lowered the carbs by 14 mg AND brought the sugars down 15 g.  Granted based on these numbers the sugar level is about 8 g over the mark for the calories involved, but I still brought those numbers WAY down from the original recipe so that's a major thing to take into consideration.

Calories         327

Total Fat          10.7 g

Sat Fat              5.7 g  (2.43 g over)

Cholesterol    120 mg 

Sodium          223 mg (169 mg under)

Potassium      112 mg

Carbs               44 g (5 g under)

Fiber                  2.6 g

Sugar                20.9 g (8,4 g over)

Protein              13.7 g (5.5 g over)

The dessert was, however, a true and utter success.  My babe polished it off and, as I stated earlier, loved the CoCoWhip ;so if you or someone you know is lactose intolerant and don't mind a little coconut flavor, try this stuff out.

Hopefully you'll try this out and enjoy as much as we did.  If you like the blog, please feel free to like/follow the page.  

Until next time, Happy Eating!!

Gobble Gobble, It's a Wrap!

Well I am trying to be diligent in keeping up with my blog; I seriously need something to occupy my brain from thinking about the crap that has been going on over the past several months: the lies, the games & the deceit.  Cooking has always been such a therapeutic measure for me so being able to use my knowledge and talents to create healthy meals AND get paid for them is actually keeping my mind and thoughts occupied.  

I met an individual almost 2 mos ago who works for a very prominent oil & gas company who is also an avid baseball player.  He has been thoroughly impressed with my knowledge of nutrition and my cooking so he asked me to help him get leaner and faster.  As a person who runs several miles daily, works out in the gym daily and lives at a baseball lab to hone in on his skills, my goal was to watch carb intake but not delete it completely, increase his protein intake, fiber, and stay under the fat per calorie ratio as well.  After talking with one of my friends, who happens to be a medical professional and avid Crossfitter, I take into consideration several Paleo aspects when meal prepping for him.  It has now been 5 wks, and he was excited to report the other night that his energy has increased tremendously and he can see more muscle definition.  My other client is an MMA fighter, and his needs are on the severe opposite spectrum of the board since he needs to stay bulked and build more muscle.

I get asked where I find my recipes, but in actuality what happens are several things:  I have a wall of cookbooks, magazines, research online, do Pinterest and follow several individuals on Facebook.  What happens most of the time is I come up with an idea for something I want to work on, research and pinpoint about 3-5 different recipes.  I pay attention to the ingredients and start piecing components of each to create that dish; once that is done, I run a nutritional analysis to see how "bad" it is, lol.  Then what I end up doing is substituting ingredients with healthier options, scale down measurements for 2 people, add spice elements from my cupboard and find extra ways to sneak in protein and fiber.  Then I run another nutritional analysis and calculate everything to see how far under I came with things such as sodium, carbs, fat etc., and TADA, I have my recipe!

This recipe just so happens to be one of those gems I am thoroughly thankful and pleased to share with all of you because it tastes AMAZING!!!  The calories are awesome, the fat content is under the recommended per calories, plus the protein is super high, the fiber has been boosted past the recommended levels and the sodium is just under recommendation as well. There is absolutely nothing wrong with anything here.....PLUS HERE'S THE ADDED BONUS:  IT IS SUPER EASY AND FAST TO MAKE!!

Ingredients:

6 oz. Honeysuckle White Extra Lean Ground Turkey, cooked & drained

1 tsp rice wine vinegar

2 tsp low sodium soy sauce (I use Kikkoman)

1 tsp water

1 tsp Sriracha

1 oz water chestnuts, diced

1 Tbs chopped green onions

1 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro

2 tsp chia seeds

8 Romaine Heart Leaves

1 Tbs chopped raw, unsalted cashews

Preparation:

Brown and drain the turkey.  

Mix all of the ingredients (except the cashews) thoroughly until everything is completely incorporated.

I find that doubling the Romaine Hearts holds up better.  I see places that use iceberg lettuce, but there is really zero nutritional value in it so I went for the Romaine.  (I wonder how it would do with kale?!?! lol)  Spoon turkey mix onto leaves and sprinkle with chopped cashews.

Note:  this recipe is a one-serving recipe and easy to calculate double, tripe, etc...

Here's the nutritional skinny:

Calories:       333.0
Total Fat:         8.6 g
Sat Fat:             0.9 g
Cholesterol:    76.0 mg
Sodium:         544.0 mg
Potassium:     181.0 mg
Total Carbs:    11.5 mg
Fiber:                 8.4 g
Sugar:                8.9 g
Protein:             45.2 g

Vit A:      29%
Calcium:  4%
Vit C:       8%
Iron:       40%

Well I hope you enjoy making these and that they are enjoyed thoroughly as well.  

Until next time, Happy Eating!!

Feed your sweet tooth without the guilt!!

WOW, are your ready for something SUPER sinful but low cal, low carb and high in protein?  Well look no further because I've got JUST the thing for you.....AND if you're a peanut butter fan such as myself, these will be totally up your ally.

This evening, my friend Matt posted a low-carb recipe idea to my page.  The recipe was from a blog called Buttoni's Low Carb Recipes; HOWEVER being the stickler that I am, I was not impressed by a lot of the ingredients OR numbers.  Guess what? I have all the ingredients on hand to make this MY way by not only drastically cutting the calories but also the fat and did not compromise the fiber either.  

Note that I am being very specific about items and ingredients as these are items I keep on hand; any changes or substitutes you make, you will need to account for as there will be subtle changes.

NUTTY COCONUT PATTIES

Ingredients:

2 scoops Advocare Performance Elite Muscle Gain Vanilla Protein Shake Mix
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup Fancy Jr. Mammoth Pecans, finely chopped (found in bulk section of HEB)
4 Tbs Fage Total 0% Nonfat Greek Yogurt
1/4 cup PJ2 Powdered Peanut Butter (mixed w/ 1/8 cup water)
2 Tbs. So Delicious Dairy Free Culinary Coconut Milk Lite
1 Tbs Josephs Sugar Free Maple Syrup
1/3 cup Natures Eats Unsweetened Shredded Coconut (HEB)
1 Tbs Madhava Coconut Sugar Pure & Unrefined

Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a medium sized bowl.  Put muffin/cupcake papers in a regular sized muffin tin; spoon 2 Tbs of mixture into tin (I measured out exactly 9)

This currently is just a tad wet so I froze them, and they are absolutely DIVINE!  I am going to continue to tweak this recipe to the right consistency (I have an idea on what changes to make).  I also have an idea about using pure Cacao Powder because it is amazing, AND chocolate and peanut butter go great together.  As I make changes, I will update and re-post as it develops.

OOPS!  We HAD to try them first!

And here's the skinny on this recipe:

Recipe makes 9 patties - each serving is as follows:

Calories:             77.0

Total Fat:             5.1g

Saturated Fat:     2.3g

Cholesterol:         6.0mg

Sodium:              38.0mg

Potassium:         12.0mg

Total Carbs:        3.6g

Fiber:                   1.3g

Sugar:                  1.7g

Protein:                5.1g

Vit A:        0 %

Calcium:   1%

Vit C:       11%

Iron:         14%

Good points:  Low Sodium, High Vit C & Iron.

Hope you try these out and enjoy them as much as we did.  One is very filling because of the protein content plus the fiber is practically on point which is also very good for your body.

Until next time, HAPPY EATING!!!

Pasta without the pasta!

I am back!  I've been going through some trial and tribulations over the past several months that have been clogging up my mindset and my heart thus leading me to want to do absolutely nothing.  Now that I have somewhat, not completely, overcome the situation and ordeal, I am now back in the kitchen.  I have been fortunate to have met someone who has a serious interest in his health as he is a baseball player and works hard daily in the gym.  He has brought a breath of fresh air into my lungs and has his priorities set and is very kind, affectionate, passionate in what he does and works very hard.  He has asked me to help him stay fit and get even leaner by prepping his daily breakfast and lunch, and I now have meaning again, not only in what he has brought to my life but my love of cooking.

I have been following a blog lately My Whole Food Life and have found a couple of interesting recipe ideas.  I of course run them through my recipe analyzer and tweak them to fit our goals and needs a lot better including dropping the sodium and fat content and increasing the protein, and in some cases, the fiber.  One such recipe idea I loved was the Peanut Noodle Stir Fry and below is my version of her recipe.  (By the way, I seasoned my chicken with a little Chinese Five Spice & garlic powder)

Here is my version:

Ingredients

6 oz. Simple Truth boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked & cut into cubes
4 oz Explore Asian Organic Black Bean Spaghetti
1/2 cup broccoli
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
2 green onions, cut into strips
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 Tbs PB2 mixed
1/8 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1/8 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Preparation:

1.  Cook noodles according to package direction (very low simmer for about 7 min) & set aside.
2.  In a small bowl whisk together PB2, orange juice, soy sauce & red pepper flakes & set aside.

3.  Thoroughly spray a large skillet with cooking spray &, saute carrots, mushrooms, celery, broccoli & onions over medium heat for about 5-7 min.

4.  Add the sauce & saute for another 4-5 min; you may need to add about 1/2 cup of water to keep sauce from thickening too much and sticking to your skillet and to keep it creamy.

5.  Add the noodles and chicken & stir well to coat.  Continue to saute until well incorporated.

You may be wondering about the noodles; honestly they do not even taste like beans at all!  They are extremely high in fiber which is good because fat binds to fiber so you can expel it (LOL).

This recipe makes 2 servings, and here are the nutritional comparisons (cutting hers in half):

                                      MINE                    HERS

Calories                        520.0                       466.0
Total Fat                          5.8                         15.4
Saturated Fat                  2.0                           3.1
Cholesterol                    49.0                            ---
Sodium                         682.0                     1059.0
Potassium                     370.0                       561.0
Total Carbs                    46.1                         63.3
Fiber                               27.4                           5.7
Sugar                              14.7                           6.2
Protein                           74.8                          20.2

Vit A                              103%                     103%
Calcium                             8%                       28%
Vit C                                70%                       65%
Iron                                448%                       36%

I hope that this dish is a hit and that you enjoy it as well.  Until next time, Happy Eating!

Bouillabaisse for Your Soul

Wow, these past 30 days have flown by; I can't believe we have been in our new apartment now for one month.  Thankfully most of the boxes are done (only 3 meaningless ones left), the kitchen is in the order I like and all of our new living room pieces were finally delivered yesterday (thank God).  I will be on a mission to pay more loving attention to my blog, lol.

The past couple of days that Chris has been home from work, I made tacos and carne guisada so today I was in the mood for something along the line of a more lighter fare like seafood.  The weather today was cool and crisp which made it perfect soup weather so I decided I would make Bouillabaisse. 

You may be asking yourself, "What is this Bouillabaisse?" Bouillabaisse is really a fish chowder; whole small fish or large fish cut into serving pieces are boiled in a deliciously aromatic fish broth.  It is a traditional Provencal fish stew originating from the port city of Marseille.  

Ingredients:

Rouille (recipe below)
1/2 lb sea scallops
1 dz littleneck clams
1 dz mussels
1/2 lb shrimp, shelled, deveined & tails removed
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 lg leek, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp saffron threads
1 can (14 1/2 oz) San Marzano tomatoes
1 lb cod fillet, cut into chunks
1 Tbs chopped fresh parsley

Preparation:

Let's talk about your leeks; make sure to submerge your sliced leeks in cold water to remove all the grit and sand.  Place leeks in a colander and submerge in a large bowl of cold water; let sit for about 5 min, swishing occasionally to help remove all the dirt.  Pull the colander out, give a few shakes and set aside.  You will notice your bowl has a lot of dirt.

If for some reason you are unable to find any cod in stock, ask for scrod or red fish which will work equally as well in this dish.

Rinse scallops under cold water to remove any sand.  Slice each scallop horizontally in half.  

Make sure to scrub your clams and mussels under cold running water to remove any sand; remove any beards from the mussels.

In a Dutch oven, heat 1 cup of water to boiling over high heat.  Add clams and mussels; heat to boiling.  Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook about 5 min, stirring occasionally until shells open.  Discard any clams or mussels that do not open.

With a slotted spoon, transfer cooked shellfish to a bowl.

Transfer broth to a measuring cup or small bowl and let stand until sand settles to the bottom.  Carefully pour through a sieve into another measuring cup or bowl making sure to leave behind any grit or sand that was settled in the cup; set broth aside.  

Dry your Dutch oven.  Heat oil over medium heat; add leeks and garlic and cook until tender.  

Add salt, thyme, saffron, tomatoes with their juice,  clam broth and 1 cup of water; heat to boiling over high heat, breaking up tomatoes with the back of your spoon.

Add cod, shrimp and scallops; heat to boiling.  Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, 8 minutes until seafood is opaque throughout.  

Add the clams and mussels, and heat through.  

So what is Rouille?  Rouille is a French word for rust!  It is a sauce made of  bread or breadcrumbs, olive oil, garlic, saffron and cayenne pepper and is served as a garnish.

To make the Rouille:

1 slice firm white bread, crusts trimmed

1 red pepper

2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat your broiler; line a pan with foil.  Cut your pepper lengthwise in half; discard any stems and seeds.  Place peppers, skin-side up, on the pan.  

Broil at closest position to the heat source, about 10-12 min or until charred all over.  

Wrap in foil, and let stand 15 min.  

Remove foil, and peel off skin.

Soak bread (I use sourdough) in water to cover 5 min; squeeze out water.  

In a blender or food processor, puree bread, roasted and peeled red pepper, olive oil and cayenne pepper.  Create a paste with the salt and finely chopped or minced garlic; stir into the bread mixture.

Ladle into bowls, and sprinkle with parsley.  Top each serving with a dollop of Rouille.

Serve with crusty bread and enjoy!

Well I'll be on a very long, well deserved and seriously overdue vacation really soon so hopefully I will have more tasty posts coming.

Until next time, Happy Eating!!