Tomato Cream Soup and Italian Chef's Salad

What better on a hot summer night than tomato soup, right?  Well...maybe not, but what else can you do with a bunch of tomatoes and carrots that have seen their better days?  So, here you have it (file it away until fall if you must), Tomato Cream Soup.

 the inspiration veggies

Tomato Cream Soup

I started by slicing and dicing some veggies that were in my fridge, and sauteing them together with a spoon of Earth Balance:

• onions (from the bucket)
• celery
• garlic clove
• carrots (from the bucket)

After the veggies were softening up, I added 4 tomatoes- diced with the skin on, and a handful of chopped basil leaves.  When the tomatoes began to get mushy, I added about 2 cups of chicken broth, a cup of half and half, and a splash of white wine.  I also added roughly a quarter cup of freshly grated Parmesan and Romano.  The seasonings were fairly simple, Penzey's Black and Red, Penzey's Italian Seasoning, salt, and ground black pepper.

I kept tasting the soup as it simmered, thinking that it needed a bit more flavor.  I kept adding salt a little at a time, but ended up with it too salty.  I think it became more flavorful as it simmered, so next time I would add less salt, but overall it was chunky, fresh, rich, and delicious!

 simmering on the stove

topped with fresh basil

And, because the meal needed a little more protein, I served it with a hearty salad

Italian Chef's Salad

• mixed greens
• sliced fresh mozzarella cheese
• pepperoni
• hard boiled egg
• dressing- a simple mix of 1/3 salad vinegar to 2/3 olive oil seasoned with salt and fresh pepper

The bread in the picture was a baguette (from Marquette Bakery) sliced lengthwise, topped with Earth Balance, garlic salt, and fresh parsley (from the bucket) and broiled in the oven until brown.  A tasty, light, but not exactly summery meal.