I should probably give you some background knowledge as to where the desire to come up with this recipe came from.. SO. A few years ago I worked at this summer camp. Working at this summer camp is a place where some of my fondest memories of life as I know it were created. I mean at this camp people from various countries join on as staff and live there for about 3 months and really bond and become a family. It's hard work but man do I miss it! Anyway.. especially when the weather started getting cold out one of the things that was made for the staff a lot to eat was Tomato soup and Grilled cheese.
As you now see by me telling you only just a small part of the story its obvious that perhaps I may have developed a liking for said food items. Every time the weather starts getting colder or I find myself working hard outside for the day the desire for these food items is nearly unbearable.. (joking of course..) but I do find myself remembering fondly days sitting with the other camp counselors eating our grilled cheese and tomato soup.
Little did I know at that point that I was intolerant to Gluten, Dairy, Soy, Corn, Sugar and all grains.. yah.. I guess you could say that meal wasn't so good for me.. Figuring out how to make grilled cheese was hard yes but I managed.. (I'll show you my fav. GF bread and cheese replacement!!) But trying to figure out how to make the perfect Tomato soup or even finding a product just to buy with no milk or sugar or gluten... IMPOSSIBLE!! So tonight the craving grabbed ahold of me full force plus the added effect from the wintry cold and off I went!! So this is what I came up with.. hope you like it. :)
My Kind Of Tomato Soup
Ingredients:
Olive Oil 2 tbsp.
Onions 1/4 cup (sliced or chopped... I used some white and some shallots)
Agave 2 tbsp.
Honey 1tbsp. (I used a light clover.. substitute for possibly more agave or maybe maple syrup to make this recipe vegan.)
Cinnamon 1/4 tsp.
Mushrooms 1/4 cup (optional.. I used canned this time.)
Rosemary approx. 1/2 tsp (FRESH! approx. 20 leaves chopped)
Garlic Chopped/Minced 2 cloves
Tomato Sauce approx. 1 cup (My home canned went bad in the fridge so I substituted for Cadia brand pizza sauce.. ha!)
Coconut Aminos FULL 2 tbsp. (like soy sauce but 1million times better. Coconut Secret brand. Can never have too much..)
Canned Coconut Milk approx. half can or more to taste (full fat.. Native Forest brand)
Directions:
1. In a small sauce pan over medium heat put in your olive oil, onions and mushrooms. Sauté. (I like my onions just starting to get little bits of golden color.)
2. Add the garlic and fresh rosemary cook for about 30sec until fragrant and then add your agave and Honey. Let it come to a boil and stir frequently. Add cinnamon. Continue cooking this mixture until you really caramelize the onions.
3. Add in your tomato sauce, coconut aminos and canned coconut milk. Bring to a boil. (I tried to use my mother's canned tomato sauce but like I said it went bad so I ended up using Cadia Pizza sauce.. I think just regular organic tomato sauce would be just as good if not better.. don't get a cheap brand with lots of fillers as it will change the outcome of the soup. Well you can if you want of course. :) )
4. Optional step.. you could also put this soup into a blender or food processor until smooth but I personally like the chunks of veggies.. I leave the choice in your hands. :)
Feel free to play with this recipe.. I give you full creative control.. The only way to learn how to use your ingredients and to learn how they work is to get into the kitchen and try it out! :) So try it out an let us know. :) I thought about adding some red bell peppers or sweet potatos.. mmmm..
Anyway.. tonight I just had this soup with some of my happy camper GF bread. (www.happycampersGF.com) and I cooked up a potato in the microwave and then poured my soup over the top of it..mmmmmm! :)
Oh! I almost forgot!! I will show you my favorite brand of bread and my favorite brand for cheese replacement.
This is my favorite brand of bread!! They use all seed based flours.. no grains! Therefore more nutritional value and.. I can eat it!!
Ingredients for classy slice style: Water, Flour Mix (Whole Millet Seed, Whole Teff Seed, Whole Buckwheat Seed, Whole Quinoa Seed, Whole Amaranth Seed) Tapioca Flour, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Inulin, Pea Protein, Raisin Juice, Psyllium Husk, Yeast, Xanthan Gum, Sea Salt, Chia Seed, Cultured Tapioca Dextrose, Cumin.
Check out there website! www.happycampersGF.com
Oh and here is my fav. cheese replacement thus far.. :)
Works great for pizza, Grilled cheese and much much more! My fav. is the chedder style shreds but I just so happen to have a picture of the pepperjack style. :)
Ingredients of pepperjack style: Filtered water, tapioca and/or arrowroot flours, non-GMO expeller pressed canola and/or non-GMO expeller pressed safflower oil, coconut oil, pea protein, salt, inactive yeast, vegetable glycerin, xanthan gum, vegan natural flavors, lactic acid (vegan, for flavor), spices, garlic, titanium dioxide (a naturally occurring mineral).
Anyway get that bread in the toaster and get your grilled cheese on! its time to munch on some grindage. :) Have a good night guys!! :)
yum :) very creative!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jen! :)
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