Delicious Tomato Soup, Plain or Fancy

Updated: 1/9/16

We love this tomato soup recipe but with so much butter, I wondered if I could do it vegan but make it taste just as good. I think I've succeeded and it wasn't all that hard. Here's a vegan version of a favorite:

2 T olive oil
1/2 t dill
1/2 t thyme
1/2 t basil
3 T tomato paste
1 lg onion thinly sliced
3 cans diced tomatoes

1 can lite coconut milk
4 c vegetable broth
1/2 t stevia
1 t salt
1/4 t white pepper

Saute spices and onion in oil for a few minutes, then add the tomatoes. Let it simmer for 10 minutes for all the flavors to meld. Off the heat blend either in a blender or with an immersion blender the soup with the coconut milk, stevia and white pepper. Let steep for a few minutes. Serve.


Another fabulous recipe from Nana! I normally don't care much for tomato soup, but I couldn't help scarfing down this stuff as fast as it came available.

On the other side of the recipe card is a quote by one of the modern-day prophets of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, David O. McKay:

FAMILIES
The problems of these difficult times cannot better be solved in any other place, by any other agency, by any other means, than by love and righteousness, precept and example, and devotion to duty in the home.

1 c butter
2 T olive oil
1/2 t dill
1/2 t thyme
1/2 t basil
3 T tomato paste
1/4 c flour

1 lg onion, sliced thinly
8 medium tomatoes, peeled and cut in chunks OR 43 canned plum tomatoes, drained
3 3/4 c chicken broth or stock

1 t sugar
1 t salt (to taste)
1/4 t white pepper

1 c cream, whipped
1 c freshly grated parmesan cheese

Saute onion and herbs in oil and butter. Add tomatoes and paste, simmer 10 minutes, stir. Blend flour and 1/2 c stock. Add to tomato mix with remaining stock and bring to just below boil; reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes, stirring frequently. Add salt, sugar, pepper. Puree soup. Reheat slowly. Serve with yogurt, croutons and snipped fresh dill; may be served chilled.

For a fancier version: whip cream stiff; fold in 1 c parmesan. Put bowls of soup under broiler with dollop of cream and parmesan mixture and add parmesan sprinkled on top. Broil 30-60 seconds WATCH CAREFULLY.

A heary version: cut frozen puff pastry (which has been thawed) into rounds the size of single-serving bowls. Place soup in bowl, pastry on top, bake 15 minutes at 400.

Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes

My favorite mother-in-law, affectionately "Nana" far and wide, made these amazing pancakes for us this morning. This is my quick intro. Love you Nana!

Let batter stand to thicken, about two hours. Cover and refrigerate.

2 c oats
1/4 c flax seed, golden, milled
1/2 c all-purpose flour
3 T sugar
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt

2.5 c 1% buttermilk
2 large egg whites
2 T Egg Beaters 99% egg substitute (or just use the yolks from the eggs)
2 T unsalted butter, melted
1 t vanilla extract
pecans

Combine first 7 ingredients in large bowl.

Whisk buttermilk, eggs, butter & vanilla in bowl. Add to dry ingredients. Whisk until blended.

Let batter stand to thicken, about two hours. Cover and refrigerate.

Working in batches, ladle onto hot skillet in 1/4 cupfuls

Top with warm maple syrup, berries, and toasted pecans

Ranch Dip

I had no idea ranch dip was so simple to make and so much better than the store-bought stuff. Try it and you'll make this all the time.

In a large bowl, whisk the following:
- 1 c mayonnaise
- 1/2 c sour cream
- 1/2 t dried chives
- 1/2 t dried parsley
- 1/2 t dried dill week
- 1/4 t garlic powder
- 1/4 t onion powder
- 1/8 t salt
- 1/8 t ground black pepper

Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

adapted from allrecipes.com

Juicing

Like thousands of other people, we watched Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead and have since become juice converts. We did a juice fast for two weeks and it was amazing how it changed us. We felt great, we were never hungry, our skin glowed, we slept amazing, and woke up energized. It was a hard commitment to make, but seeing how good we felt is what kept us going.

Now going into the holidays and the cold winter days that bring on colds, I'm back to thinking of juicing and getting more veggies into our bodies. It's early today and my sweet P has waken up yet, so I'm going to jot down some juice recipes and links I found this morning.

P.s. we're here in Salt Lake for another week so I thought I'd throw together my own quick five-day plan to get us through this week (and my scant supply of kitchenware). These are very fruit-heavy at the beginning of the week, based off of a strategy from a 30-day plan from the Williams-Sonoma site. Sounds like a good way to convince a toddler of juicing.

Now: adapted plan from Williams-Sonoma
Whenever: solid recipes from Raw Foods Diet
After Thanksgiving: 15-day food-juice reboot plan from Reboot your Life


Mucus Buster
- 1/2 pineapple
- 2 plums
- 2 grapefruit

Detox
- 5 carrots
- 4 celery
- 1 small cucumber
- 1 beet
- 1 apple
- 1/2 lemon


Day 1
- 1/2 pineapple
- 1 c. strawberries
- 1 pear
- 30 mint leaves

Day 2
- 2 c blueberries
- 2 kiwi
- 16 strawberries
- 2 c mint leaves

Day 3
- 1 small orange
- 1/8 pineapple
- 2 carrots
- 1/2 lemon

Day 4
- 1/4 pineapple
- 6 kale
- 2 c. spinach
- 1/2 cucumber

Day 5
- 6 kale
- 2 c spinach
- 1/2 cucumber
- 4 celery
- 2 apple
- 1 piece ginger
- 1/2 lemon

Day 6
- 1 pear
- 1 apple
- 1 beet
- 1 carrot
- 1.5 c chard