Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Hot Soup on a Cold Day

Mmmmm...hot soup on a cold day is so good!
When it's homemade it's even better!

I love tomato soup and have started making it from scratch.  I'm amazed at how fast and easy it is to make.  And, blown away by how delicious it is...better than any pre-made soup from a can!
Even my husband likes it and he never liked tomato soup before.  


To make it, I finely chop some fresh garlic (a small clove or about 1/4 teaspoon or so) and put it in a pan with a bit of olive oil.  I turn the heat on low to medium...just long enough to let the garlic flavors bloom (smell really good) but not toast and turn brown.  I turn off the fire and carefully (it might splatter) add a 15 ounce can of tomato sauce.  Then, I add a can of milk (I use unsweetened coconut milk), a dash of pepper and some finely chopped basil.  If I don't have fresh basil I use two cubes of frozen basil I get at Trader Joe's.  I love this stuff!  It tastes fresh and it's super convenient...


Sometimes, I add a dash of Cayenne for a little extra yum.
Then, I just leave it over a medium heat, stirring occasionally until it's hot.

I love having tomato soup with a grilled sandwich.  I used to love it with grilled cheese but I no longer eat dairy.  So, two slices of Rudi's gluten free bread, a thin spread of Earth Balance spread (buttery side down in the pan), and some lean turkey or chicken grilled in a skillet until golden brown on both sides is just as good.  I like to put a dollop of mustard on my plate to dip it in.  Yum!
Sometimes I even dip my sandwich into the soup. Double yum!

Since I'm posting about dairy and gluten free food...some people who follow my blog have asked
about health issues my daughter was going through at the beginning of the year and the results of the "Total Elimination Diet".  One blogger even sent me sweet, long email asking about it.  I tried several times to reply and had a hard time getting it to go through.  I'm not sure if she ever got it.  I hope so. If not, please know that I tried.  Since then, my computer completely crashed and I lost that email and all my email addresses.  So, I'm not even sure who sent it.  I'm sorry.

My daughter is doing great.  It turns out that she has a gluten sensitivity.  It's been a tough change because so many foods have gluten in them.  In a lot of ways we've had to almost completely change how we eat.  It's all for the good though because we eat very few pre-made/processed foods now.  We mostly eat things we make from scratch and LOTS of veggies.

My daughter is feeling a lot better.  Hubby and I eat mostly gluten free and like how we feel.  My daughter and I even noticed that eliminating gluten improves our overall mood and sense of well being.  I've lost weight and dropped to my goal and holding.  I think that's due to reducing carbs and that healthy, gluten free eating makes us feel more satisfied with what we eat and we don't have the urge to snack as much.  I can't believe we're coming up on one year since we started this.

Thank you for thinking of us and asking how it's going.  :-)

8 comments:

Teresa Kasner said...

Your meal looks scrumptious! That is a family favorite of ours. I'm glad you're all feeling better and healthier!
❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉
*M*E*R*R*Y* *C*H*R*I*S*T*M*A*S*!*
❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉

((hugs)), Teresa :-)

gilly said...

That looks yummy... I don't like raw tomatoes, but I love fresh, homemade tomato soup! Good to hear that your daughter is doing well and you're all feeling much healthier.
Xx

Anonymous said...

Let me tell you something, I think coconut milk and coconut oil are to magic bombs. Anything you add them to automatically tastes like mana. I made my pumpkin pies this year with coconut milk and they were amazing!
Have a great day and thanks for the recipe.
~Dawn

roxie said...

Bob's Red Mill n Milwaukie Oregon has lots of gluten-free options. You might check them out. I'm pretty sure your stare would order for you. Bob's may even do mail order. (Not a problem for me since, on a good day, I can walk to the mill and back.)

benita said...

Goodness, that meal looks (and sounds) delicious!

Susan said...

As a (fairly) recent convert to gluten free living, I agree that it makes a world of difference in how you feel. I discovered Gluten Free Mama's flour blends (almond and coconut) and haven't looked back. You're absolutely right in that it forces you to cook from scratch -which has to be a good thing.

kathyinozarks said...

your soup sounds delicious I have been gluten free for over 15 years now-I was sick at the time and no doctor figured it out-I did it myself with the elimaintion diet too til I figured out it was the gluten.
if you search my blog for gluten free I have lots of recipes posted including the baking flour I mix together-its awesome.
Oh and I am having a christmas basket giveaway so if you have a chance drop by Kathy

Quinn said...

That soup sounds delicious! I never thought of using coconut milk in soup, but will remember to try it. The way the weather is going, there will be plenty of soup-making going on here...
Very interesting about the dietary benefits. I'm reading up on elimination diets, and thinking about giving it a go, Unfortunately, several years ago an 8-month experiment in gluten-free had no effect, so I have to do enough reading to be sure the effort of an elimination diet will be worthwhile before committing to it. Especially in the dead of winter, when little food treats can sometimes make all the difference in attitude. Or is that just me? ;)