Soulful Tomato Soup

When it’s cold outside, why not warm your body and soul with delicious homemade tomato soup? Tomatoes are full of nutrients and minerals that are great for your body. Tomatoes are full of vitamin A, which helps maintain healthy skin, and potassium, which helps your nerves and muscles. They also have vitamin C is an antioxidant that can help with colds.

There are also many other benefits of tomatoes:

1. Heart Disease Prevention. The American College of Cardiology reports lycopene can reduce heart disease risk in middle aged women by 1/3.  German studies show men with the lowest levels of lycopene were twice as likely to suffer a heart attack as those with the highest levels.  Other studies show lycopene was found to be the most protective carotenoid against heart attack.
2. Lowered Cancer Risk. Harvard study found in 48,000 men surveyed, those who ate 10 or more servings of tomatoes a week reduced their risk of prostate cancer by 35% and their risk of aggressive prostate tumors by 50%.  The higher the tomato intake the lower the cancer risk.
3. Reduced Cholesterol. Tomato products reduce LDL, the bad cholesterol by 13 %, reports The British Journal of Nutrition.

Looking for a simple recipe for tomato soup? Look no further. This tomato soup is an instant crowd pleaser, especially on cold nights.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoon of vegetable oil
• 1 clove of minced garlic
• 1 chopped onion
• 3 chopped carrots
• 3 chopped celery stalks
• 2 cans of crushed tomatoes (or 6 chopped fresh tomatoes)
• 1 quart of vegetable broth
• Seasoning to taste
• 1/2 cup of cream (if you would like to turn it into a bisque)

Directions:

1. Bring the oil to low heat in the pot.
2. Put in garlic, onions, celery, and carrots.
3. Saute until soft (and the onions are nicely caramelized).
4. Put the tomatoes and broth into the mixture.
5. Let simmer for 30-45 minutes.
6. Add seasoning to taste.
7. Remove from heat, let cool, and puree in blender.
8. Put the soup back in the pot and add cream/ milk (if desired) and warm mixture up.

Need some serving suggestions? You can top your bowl of warm tomato soup with croutons and Parmesan cheese. Or you can serve the soup with grilled cheese sandwiches.