2013 – Gluten Free Living

This is a wonderfully, tasty soup filled with lots of roasted tomatoes and other roasted vegetables like garlic, bell peppers, leeks, scallions, mushrooms, celery and carrots, and spiced with lots of fresh herbs. I am a huge tomato lover–I like them raw, in salads, cooked in sauces, soups, and casseroles–anyway tomatoes can be made–I enjoy them. The roasting of the vegetables concentrates the taste and further flavors this delicious soup. We find this chunky vegetable soup has excellent taste and is even better reheated the second day.

I was wanting to make a chunky tomato and vegetable soup but not one that’s pureed like most tomato basil soups so I came up with this concoction a month or so ago. This is the second time I’ve made this great recipe. The first time I made it with coconut milk. Yesterday, I forgot the coconut milk and thinned it with water instead. Coconut milk makes the texture a little creamier. For those who aren’t vegan you can use cream or even Greek yogurt to give it a creamier texture. I wanted to keep the calories lower so I used vegetable stock and water as the base.

If you’re looking for tasty, healthy, low calorie, gluten free, vegan recipes to assist your weight loss goals for this year, this recipe is one of those that will do it.

A wonderful, tasty soup with roasted vegetables. So yummy.

Lots of chunky roasted vegetables in a delicious broth.

Here’s a bowl of this great tasting soup. The fresh herbs give it such a great taste.

This healthy, low calorie, gluten free, and vegan soup has such a wonderful taste.

This soup is rather easy to put together. Chopping the vegetables is the only labor-intensive part.

Here’s what I did.

Cut the tops off  a whole bulb of garlic.

Place in a small roasting pan and roast in the oven at 350 for about 30 minutes.

Wash tomatoes and cut in half. Place on large cookie sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray.

Cut the green tops off the leeks. Wash carefully, removing any sand in between the layers.

Then slice the leeks.

I only had 2 scallions instead of the 4 I used last time. For the record, scallions and green onions are the not same thing.

Place halved tomatoes, peppers that have been cut in strips, sliced mushrooms, sliced leeks, and sliced scallions on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray.

Slice carrots and celery place on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Then sprinkle olive oil over all the vegetables.

Sprinkle vegetables with olive oil.

Sprinkle salt and pepper over all the vegetables. I used over a tablespoon of Kosher salt, and a couple of teaspoons of pepper, but that will be too much pepper for some of you who don’t like a little heat in their soup.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Here’s what the vegetables look like after being sprinkled with olive oil, salt and pepper.

After 30 minutes remove the garlic from the oven. Peel and set aside.

Roast vegetables about 45 minutes to an hour at 350. Here they have just come out of the oven.

Pour all the vegetables including juice into a large stock pot. Add garlic.

Add one quart of vegetable broth.

Remove thyme leaves from stems. You will  need about 1 tablespoon.

Here the thyme leaves have been removed from the stems. Add to stockpot.

I took one stem of fresh thyme and removed all the needles from it.

Here I’ve chopped up the thyme. Add thyme to stock pot.

Chop the basil.

Here I’ve chopped the basil. Add to stock pot.

Chop the parsley.

Here I’ve chopped the parsley. Add to stock pot.

Add all the fresh chopped herbs to the soup pot. I used plenty of salt and pepper when I roasted the vegetables so I didn’t need to add any more.

Here I’ve simmered the vegetable soup about 30 minutes to mingle all the flavors. Add water or more vegetable broth for a broth-type taste. Add coconut milk or almond breeze for a creamier taste. If you’re not vegan you can add cream or vanilla Greek yogurt for a creamier texture.

Here’s a bowl of this delicious soup. This is even better served the second day!

Here’s another close up. I used a lot of pepper in this soup which gave it a nice kick. You can add dollops of sour cream or vanilla Greek yogurt on top if you need it to cool your palette.

The flavors of roasted vegetables in this soup are spectacular.

Comfort food at its best.

If you like other vegetables like zucchini, yellow squash or green beans you can add those to this tasty soup recipe too.

Serve with crackers or chips.

Here’s the recipe.

VEGAN ROASTED TOMATO BASIL VEGETABLE SOUP

(My own concoction)

4-5 lbs. Roma tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise

1 whole bulb garlic, roasted

½ cup olive oil

1 ½ tbsp. plus 1 tsp. Kosher salt

1 tsp. plus ½ tsp. black pepper

2.5-oz. fresh basil

2 leeks, green top removed, sliced

1 large onion, diced, or 4 large scallions, diced

8-oz. mushrooms, sliced, if desired

1 orange pepper, cut in strips

1 green pepper, cut in strips

1 yellow pepper, cut in strips

1 qt. vegetable stock

3 ribs celery, diced

3 large carrots, sliced

1 tbsp. fresh rosemary

1 tbsp. fresh thyme

½ cup fresh parsley

2 cups coconut milk, almond breeze, or water (or if you’re not vegan use cream or vanilla Greek yogurt to the creaminess you desire)

Place tomatoes, leek, onion/scallions, mushrooms, celery, and carrots in a large mixing bowl or on cookie sheets that have been sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with 1-2 tablespoons Kosher salt and 1 tbsp. pepper (more of each if desired). Sprinkle 1/3 to ½ cup olive oil over top. Stir to combine or just lay out on cookie sheets. Spread all the vegetables onto one or two large cookie sheets that have been sprayed with olive oil cooking spray. Roast vegetables in a 400° oven about 45 minutes. (I actually used a 350 oven this time). Meanwhile, cut the tops off the garlic bulb and place in a pan. Drizzle with a little olive oil over top. Roast the garlic at the same time as the vegetables. Once vegetables are done place in large stockpot. Add seasonings and vegetable stock. Mash down slightly with a potato masher if you prefer a finer texture. I didn’t do this as we like chunky texture in soups. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer until seasonings blend about 30 minutes. Stir in coconut milk or almond breeze to make the soup creamy, or water if preferred, and to your desired taste. Check seasonings. Add more basil if desired. Serves 10.

NOTE:  If you’re not vegan you can use cream or vanilla Greek yogurt to the soup after it cooks. Stir in but do not boil. You can also add stew beef, if desired.

This is a great soup for cold winter nights. It goes down so well!

Healthy and kid-friendly. What more could you ask for?

Lots of delicious tomatoes, leeks, bell peppers, carrots and celery in every bite.

Here’s a close up of this wonderful and flavorful soup.

Grab a spoon and have a bite!

We really enjoyed this soup, and I think you will too.

Garnish with parsley or chives, if desired.

This is a great recipe to share with your family.

Here’s one final look at the soup pot.

You may also enjoy these recipes:

Vegan Tuscan Kale and White Bean Soup

Vegan Roasted Tomato Soup

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

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