Fresh Tomato Basil Soup

I love fall.

I can't say it enough! There's just something about this time of year that sings to me.

Sunshine

Crisp morning air

Leaves crunching under my feet

Warm colors

Cinnamon scents

Raking leaves

Pumpkins everywhere

We had warm fall weather this weekend but I'm still craving soup. This soup combines the flavors of summer with the cooler fall weather. Our tomato crop is starting to wind down, so we're eating them as much as possible before they're gone. The basil leaves are getting cold spots on them, so the first frost must be coming soon.

In other interesting news, one person found my blog by doing a google search for "пиво и девушка." I wonder what they were looking for...I hope they found it.

Hopefully you're enjoying fall as much as I am! Take some time to go for a walk and admire the changing leaves and breathe in the fresh autumn air. Then come home and warm up with the last flavors of summer in this easy to prepare soup.

Fresh Tomato Basil Soup
Serves 4-6

12-15 fresh tomatoes, any variety (should be 6 c once pureed)
1/2 c fresh basil, packed
1/3 c nutritional yeast
1 small onion
1 T minced garlic
1/2 c raw cashews
1/2 c water
1 T Italian seasoning
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
sucanat, to taste (or substitute sugar)

Measure cashews and cover with water. Set aside to soak for 30 minutes or overnight. Quarter tomatoes and remove the white stem/core. Fill VitaMix/blender with tomatoes and process until smooth. If all of the tomatoes did not fit in the blender, hold the rest for later. There should be no skins or seeds visible at this point - they should be blended together with the juices. Add basil, nutritional yeast, onion, and garlic. Process again until smooth. Transfer to a medium pot and heat over medium heat. At this point, if there are any tomatoes remaining, blend those and add to pot. Drain the soaked cashews and blend with 1/2 cup of water in the same blender (no need to wash it in between) until it reaches a creamy consistency. Once the soup comes to a low simmer, add cashew cream, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Let cook on medium low for 15-20 minutes to allow flavors to develop, stirring occasionally. Taste the soup. If it is bitter, add sucanat, 1 teaspoon at a time. Ladle into bowls and serve!

Note: If you do not have nutritional yeast on hand, substitute parmesan cheese for a similar flavor.

Note: I find that making the cashew cream is well worth the effort. Not only does it provide additional nutrients & healthy fats, but it also doesn't curdle like dairy would. You can use milk or cream, but be cautious and do not allow soup to boil.

Foods We've Been Loving

Apple Pie

Behold, my very first 2 crust pie!

It's a little shaggy around the edges, but the taste & texture are what pie is all about. Everyone says the crust is the worst part of making pies, but if you ask me, it's all the chopping/peeling. As you can see if you look closely at the picture, many of my apple slices still had peels on them. I did a haphazard peeling, mostly because I hate doing it, but also because the skins hold so many of the nutrients. I hate to throw them into the compost!

I followed a Betty Crocker recipe from an old cookbook I got at our church bazaar. The apples came from trees around our cabin. Most of them got made into applesauce for a grand total of 65 pints & 6 quarts of applesauce.

[Almost Chipotle Burritos]

Enchiladas

After my Chipotle burrito remake last week, I was still hungry for more beans & tortillas. I had a link saved for Roasted Butternut Squash & Black Bean Enchiladas from Daily Garnish that I was anxious to try, so I made it for dinner with my parents. I made a few changes & additions, as usual, but not as many as I do for some recipes. These were SO good. All of the textures & flavors just blended together perfectly. The prep time was long, with cutting & roasting the squash & cooking the sauce, but it was completely worth it!

Green Smoothies

Our kale crop is seriously out of control, and this is the fastest way of ingesting it (kale chips rank right up there, though!). Kale is pure health food, nourishing our bodies in so many ways. Just a few examples include Vitamins A,C & K, manganese, fiber & calcium. With the addition of the VitaMix to our lives, we're especially loving these thick & creamy smoothies.

Fresh Tomato Soup

The tomato crop is slowing down, but they're still coming in. With all the rain we've had lately, they're a little ragged & split, so I've had to use them quickly. The best use we've found so far is tomato soup. We can't stop eating it! I've made it several times already, with plans to make it again this weekend. I just chop & core the tomatoes, add a few handfuls of basil, and puree it in the VitaMix. (Can you tell I'm obsessed with this thing? It's crazy!)

Recipe coming soon!

What are you loving right now?

Multi-Generational Blenders

The Vitamix is here! The Vitamix is here!

Sorry if you heard our excitement from miles away on Monday! I haven't been so excited for a kitchen appliance since receiving my KitchenAid for Christmas a few years ago. Thanks Mom & Dad for the great gift!

The first thing we made was salsa, like the stuff you get at Mexican restaurants. I used a recipe from the cookbook that came with it, but subbed fresh purple basil for the cilantro because that's what we had. Hence the purplish hue.

The Bup informed me that we have a multi-generational collection of blending/chopping appliances.

Hamilton Beach Hand Blender

Actually, this was on loan from my mom up until a few days ago when we bought her one so we could keep it. The sole purpose of this is blending soups or other stuff that's hot and in a pot. It's fun to watch the chunks get sucked into the whirlpool and come out smooth. (Yes, I'm weird!)

Bonus: it's super easy to clean. Rinse, wipe with soapy sponge, rinse, dry.

I use it for: soup

Foley Food Mill

Another donation from Mom's kitchen, this spends most of the year stored away. When I do use it, though, I'm so thankful that it has a home in my kitchen! Anything that goes through it comes out perfectly pureed and free of all seeds, skins, & miscellaneous chunks. Plus I get a good arm workout turning the handle!

I use it for: tomato sauce, peach butter, applesauce

Bella Cucina 17 piece Rocket Blender

This is super nice because the container is a cup so you can just blend, put on a lid, and go. I rarely use the multiple sizes, but maybe if I didn't have so stinkin' many other blenders, I would! :-)

I use it for: smoothies, lattes

Ninja Master Prep Professional

This thing is amazing. It works like a blender and a food processor. The only problem is that if you need to process something for a long time, you have to hold down the on button and then it starts to overheat. It also doesn't completely chop things, so green smoothies require extra blending and still aren't always perfectly smooth.

I use it for: hummus, banana soft serve, smoothies, pumpkin puree, cashew cream, cabbage slaw, Mmmm Sauce, dressing

VitaMix TurboBlend VS

Eeeeeeeek!! This was our anniversary present from my parents. Super sweetness!

We've only owned it since Monday, but I made fresh salsa and cashew butter so far. I'm still learning how it works, so I'm taking it slowly. Smoothies are up next and I can't wait!!

I'm going to use it for: Everything under the sun!

KitchenAid Food Processor 

I own this but it doesn't have all the parts so it only partially functions. Mine has a smaller bowl that fits into the large bowl, allowing me to process small portions of food. It works great that way, but I don't have the blade that lets me process in the big bowl. I rarely use it because the Ninja has bigger bowls. It would be great for nut butters if I could use the big bowl. But now I have a VitaMix! 

Anyone in the market for a small food processor??

*****

If you'd like further reading on helpful appliances, check out this great article on appliances that make healthy eating easier. I really can't imagine not having at least a regular blender. I use at least 1 of these almost every day. Just yesterday I used my Ninja (grate cabbage) & VitaMix (cashew butter).

Moral of the story: Get a blender! It doubles your food options!

Note: Please don't ever make me move to a smaller kitchen. I have more kitchen appliances than I can handle! You just never know what you might need.

**Photo credits go to Amazon.com and VitaMix.com**