Tomato Soup

January starts the beginning of a variety of comforting, hearty, and healthy soups and stews!  Ok it may not be in the negatives yet or even freezing yet but winter will be upon us before we know it.  My mom makes this soup and is one of our family favorites; from a vegan cookbook called the Fexitarian Table and you will love it too. 

The soup is not a traditional "American" homemade tomato soup with milk and lots of tomatoes, instead this recipes requires lots and lots of onions (4 cups ahh!)  but surprisingly does not have a oniony taste (it tricks you kind of like French onion soup).  

This soup is also very easy however, requires a few kitchen tools including a food processor or blender and fresh organic ingredients (don't try and prove me wrong because you will be sorry).  Otherwise this just takes time, about an hour or so, but it's well worth it.

Enjoy this Just Good Food and serve soup with a nice loaf of french bread, and make it fancy with some cheve goat cheese on top (means French) and make a big batch because you'll want it over and over again!

Recipe:

3-4 white onions (about 4 cups thinly sliced)

4 cloves of garlic (peeled only)

1 medium carrot

2 Tbsp tomato paste

28 oz can diced tomatoes in juice

2 cups vegetable stock (use veggie stock, will have a richer flavor)

2 2-inch strips of orange zest 

A sprig of fresh sage

1/3 cup olive oil

Sea Salt

1/2-1 ted red pepper flakes

Directions:

In a large pot, heat the olive oil on medium high heat add add the onions and a pinch of sea salt and cook until onions are softened (about 5 minutes).  Continue to stir the onions during this process so you don't brown them.  Add the garlic cloves, peeled carrot and red pepper flakes lower the heat to medium low and cover.  Let sit for about 15 minutes until the veggies are nice and juicy but keep an eye as you don't want the veggies to dry out (if so add a little water).

Next, add the tomato paste and cook into the onions for a couple of minutes.  Add the diced tomatoes (juice and all), vegetable stock, orange zest, and sage and let simmer (medium low heat) and let sit for about 15 minutes and let flavors blend together.  

Remove the pot from the heat and discard the orange zest and sage (make sure to do this!).  This is when you need the food processor (or blender), as you will need to puree the soup in batches (it won't all fit in one batch).  Puree until smooth and season with more salt and fresh black pepper.  Reheat before serving and remember the crostini to go with it.  

Serve with red pepper flakes sprinkled on top and a little bit of orange zest for presentation.