We just returned home from our trip to the Big Apple, and I can hardly wait to share it with you – SO much fun – and a city FULL of gluten free eating opportunities!
I wasn’t home long enough today to make a traditional New Year’s Day meal, and I just love black-eyed-peas, but I did want to share this recipe which was also served at our church staff and volunteer lunch at my house. The minestrone was so unapologetically “meat-atarian” as my friend Tracy likes to say, that I wanted to have an option for any of our vegetarians or vegans that might be there. This Roasted Tomato Soup is one I came up with after studying a few different tomato soup recipes. I have always loved tomato soup, but this particular one is just deliciously sweet – which is a nice surprise if you’re used to the acidity of canned tomato soup. One recipe I looked at had added sugar and a sweet potato in it to balance the acidity. I decided to just use the sweet potato, and the result was wonderful! One of our worship leaders, Ethan, made a point to tell me that he has never liked tomato soup, but thought this one was great.
For the gluten eaters I made regular french bread pizzas – cheese and pepperoni. For the gluten free folks, I used Against the Grain’s Artisan baguettes which are absolutely delicious! They are pretty expensive – about $7.99 for a package of two small loaves, but my kids think they are in heaven when they get treated to anything Against the Grain makes! And they even happen to be a local product for us – coming from Brattleboro, Vt, which is only about 30 miles north of here. I even went to a cooking demonstration by the founder of Against the Grain at our local Whole Foods store, and she would NOT give away any of her secrets, but if you read the list of ingredients, you can gather that her success has something to do with using lots of milk and cheese! (She had a powerpoint presentation on food chemistry and everything – very informative!)
But of course this soup would be just as wonderful with the traditional grilled cheese – or goldfish crackers. Enjoy!
1 white onion
1 Tbsp coconut oil (olive, canola, and butter would work, too)
4 carrots, peeled and diced
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
5-6 cups vegetable broth
1 Tbsp fresh thyme
1 Tbsp fresh marjoram
1 Tbsp fresh basil + some extra for garnish if desired
1 Tbsp ground coriander
10 Roma tomatoes, roasted and seeded OR 2 cans stewed tomatoes, drained a bit
1 can tomato sauce
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 can coconut milk
salt and pepper to taste
In stock pot, saute onions in coconut oil 5 minutes. Add carrots, broth, and sweet potato and simmer 15 minutes. Add herbs, roasted or stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, garlic, and coconut milk. Simmer 15 more minutes. Transfer, in batches, to a blender or food processor and puree. Transfer back to stock pot, simmer 5-10 more minutes and add salt and pepper to taste.
Yum! That says comfort food! I've never had anything by the Grainless Baker. It sounds amazing, though. I'm glad you all had fun on your vacation. Have a wonderful and blessed new year!
What a great idea on using a sweet potato in this recipe! I sooo love tomato soup. Mr. GFE is not a fan, but maybe I can reduce the recipe and make some for just me. 🙂
You know I'm not one for many gf specialty products, but I agree that those baguettes are fabulous. A friend makes bruschetta using them and all of us who get to enjoy her bruschetta on those baguettes are just thrilled! We'll all be gathering in two weeks and I'll be looking forward to them.
Thanks, Melanie. Happy New Year! Look forward to hearing about your NYC trip. 🙂
Shirley