Creamy Tomato Soup

    

Life in a bowl of soup...

     Moving to Guam three years ago was a significant life change. Any move is significant but this one was really different. I needed a serious change in life and life was making that change for me. It was time for a clean slate. This meant down sizing from the home I had lived in for 27 years and living minimally. My husband left seven months before me with two suitcases to begin his new job. I stayed to clear out our home, sold or donated most of what we owned, put some things in storage, and arrived here as well with two suitcases of clothes. 

     It is interesting how life can thrust changes on you and in hindsight now I am able to recognize this was one of the best changes that happened to me. It was the right time in life for this change. I do miss the closeness of being near our two children but they are young adults now and life was already in the process of changing our family. My husband and I are feeling more settled with this shift in life. We have thoroughly been enjoying our life here on this island, our annual destination trips to the nearby countries and embrace whatever else life has in store for us to experience. The home we lived in for those 27 years gave us many memories with our family. I know it wasn't favorable with our kids to loose their childhood home or the security of having us nearby. This experience has taught me the value of not holding on to things. Hanging on to something that has out lived its purpose hinders other things we can possibly experience in life. We have all learned to adjust, adapt and I think have done an amazing job at staying connected regardless of the distant miles.

     Cooking is a lot like life. Be creative, be flexible, experiment, don't be afraid to try new things, and be open to making things with what you have on hand. Now for the recipe...this tomato soup recipe is simple to make and comforting to eat. When I first made this recipe I was looking for something thick, creamy with a non-dairy alternative and this recipe hit the spot for me. There is a lot a flexibility with this one, use more seasoning, more tomato, less tofu, etc.. For the first time though you may want to follow the recipe exact and then adjust for your own taste from there. 


Creamy Tomato Soup

Dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan/vegetarian

Serves 4
printable recipe

Ingredients:

1-15 oz. can diced tomatoes, no salt

½ cup cooked brown rice (a good way to use left over’s, if you don't have any try it without or use another grain, like quinoa)

1 clove garlic, finely minced or ¼ tsp. garlic powder

¼ cup fresh basil or 2 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. paprika

1- 12 oz. carton Morinaga Soft Tofu (or other non GMO soft tofu)

3 T. tomato paste, no salt

2 cups vegetable broth (I use Kitchen Basics Vegetable Cooking Stock, no salt)

2 tsp. olive oil

Salt & pepper

Directions:

In a blender or food processor, puree the tomatoes, brown rice, garlic, basil and paprika. Add the tofu and continue blending until everything is creamy. Add some of the vegetable stock if you need more liquid to help with pureeing.

The color will change when you add the tomato paste.

Add the blended ingredients to a 2 qt. stock pot. Add the tomato paste, olive oil and 1 cup of the vegetable stock. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for about 5 – 10 minutes, until soup is heated. Stir to combine the tomato paste. Add additional vegetable stock to thin to desired consistency. Season to taste, add additional basil, salt and pepper if needed.

Variation: For a chipotle tomato soup, add ½ - 1 T. chipotle in adobo sauce. I buy a 7 oz. can, blend in food processor, then freeze tablespoons in an ice cube tray. Once frozen, I remove them from the ice cube tray and place in a freezer Ziplock bag.

Optional: Gluten-Free Croutons

2 slices gluten free bread (I used Food For Life Brown Rice bread)

2 tsp. coconut oil

Ground sage (optional)

Cut the bread into cubes. Add the coconut oil to a small non-stick frying pan, heat to medium high. When hot, add the cubed bread. Sprinkle with the ground sage, toss a few times until the bread is toasted light brown. Remove from heat. Garnish each bowl of tomato soup with the croutons.

KITCHEN TIPS: 

Here is what I do with extra tomato paste. I put tablespoons onto parchment paper, freeze on a tray and then place them in a Ziplock freezer back. You can thaw what you need for a recipe. Often I am adding it to something hot so I just drop in the frozen tomato paste.

Today I didn't have any vegetable stock on my shelf but I had plenty of fresh vegetables, some dried shitake mushrooms, so I made a pot of broth. Here I tossed into a soup pot with 6 cups of water, cabbage, kale, 1 carrot, 1 celery rib, 1/2 onion, 1 clove garlic smashed, 1" piece ginger sliced, 6 shitake mushrooms. Parsley would have been nice to add if I had some. Just bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and let simmer for 30-45 minutes. Strain the liquid and ready to use. I had enough to use for the next few recipes I made as well.