Tasty Tomato Soup

It was cold and rainy outside last night and I was craving the warm goodness of tomato soup. I didn't want a runny type of soup. I wanted something a little more hearty. That's when this idea popped into my head. The result was a success and my husband insisted that I add this recipe to my blog. I will try to remember all the proportions I used.

In a soup pot saute the following:

-1/2 sweet onion (chopped)

-a few drizzles of olive oil

-a few shakes of red pepper flakes

-a few good size shakes of pepper (I used a giant container from Costco with big holes. I'm really into black pepper right now)

-a few grinds of coarse sea salt

-a heaping tablespoon of crushed garlic

Saute mixture on medium to medium high heat until the onions become golden brown (don't let the onions get crispy). Remove from heat and set aside. 

In a food processor, add the following and blend until it becomes a slightly coarse yet creamy consistency: 

-1 can of stewed tomatoes with Italian spices (undrained)

-1 can of great northern beans (drained)

-4 or 5 good size shakes of dried parsley

-4 or 5 good size shakes of dried basil (If you have fresh, I'd use that instead. I didn't have any in the house at the time.)

-a cup of soy milk

-the sautéed onion mixture (Put soup pot aside and do not wash; we're going to use it next.)

-a few scoopfuls of sun-dried tomatoes (the wet type in oil): Warning!! The sun-dried tomatoes have a VERY powerful flavor that will overpower the soup, do not go overboard when adding this element. This is where you'll want to get the balance right. You can always blend up more later and add it to the soup if you think it doesn't have enough of the sun-dried tomato flavor. You could also top the soup with a few chopped up sun dried tomatoes when serving. . Remember - you can always add but you can't take away!

Pour mixture into soup pot and cook on medium to medium-high heat. Add the following: 

-A heaping spoonful of vegan margarine

-3 shakes of Bragg's Amino

-1 veggie bullion cube (break it up so it will dissolve faster)

-1/2 cup soy milk

Stir and let simmer on medium-low. If mixture is too thick, add more soy milk until you get the consistency you want. Also, you may want to add some ground pepper as well. 

This soup is pretty hardy. I served it with sauteed green on the side and it was extremely filling. It makes around 4 to 5 good-size bowls.