Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Soup's on - Tomato Basil



I wanted soup and sandwiches because it's a fall thing to me. So, I came up with my version of tomato basil soup based on what I had on hand. Sub out whatever tomato products you happen to have. I dont think you can mess this up and whatever you do will put Campbell's to shame!


Joni's Tomato Basil Soup

6-8 medium tomatoes
2 T tomato past
1 can chicken broth
1 can water
1/2 medium onion
1 clove garlic
1 sweet red pepper
1 T canola oil
1 cup basil leaves
Salt/pepper to taste
1/2 cup fat free half and half (any milk product would work)
1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese (plus extra for topping)
1/4 cup butter (I used Smart Balance)
Saute onions, garlic and peppers in canola oil until soft. Add broth, water, tomatoes, tomato paste and basil. Simmer 30 minutes. Using a blender, food processor or immersion blender, blend until smooth. (If using a blender or food processor, make sure you vent the top a bit and only blend in small batches - don't burn yourself!). Return to pot and add half and half, butter and cheese while on LOW heat. Take off heat, garnish with more cheese and serve.

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The sandwich part of "soup and sandwich" was really good and used up some leftovers.
Stack the following:
1/2 Arnold's bread round (just use one circle - this is open-faced)
2 tsp Alfredo sauce
1tsp real bacon bits
shredded chicken
cheddar cheese

I put these in my convection oven at 375 degrees until the top was browned. If you dont have a convection oven, I would broil for a few minutes to get the top browned. These were YUM!

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