Creamy Tomato Soup

For the past week or so I've been reading about "eating clean." I'm intrigued and inspired to do it. It's challenging, especially when eating out, but I've decided not to kill myself trying to do it, just to do it as best as I can. Eat clean at home, and make the best food decisions when I'm out. Fair enough.

Tonight I made Creamy Tomato Soup from Veganomicon. Yes, this is a book of vegan recipes. And don't roll your eyes. This soup is delicious. Well, at least I think so. My daughter didn't like it, and my husband declared it "OK," of course, he has a cold and can't taste anything, so his opinion has no weight. (nose in air).

I substituted yucca for the potatoes just because I wanted to. I think it may have made it too thick, and the thickness was a turnoff for the offspring.

I may make it again, just make it a bit thinner.


Creamy Tomato Soup
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped coursely
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary (crushed between fingers)
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. salt
Lots of freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. waxy potatoes (2-4 averaged-size potatoes) peeled and cut into 1" chunks
1 c. sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed!!!)
6 c. water or vegetable broth
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes (the fire-roasted are especially worth it here)
Juice of 1/2 lemon, or to taste

Preheat a large soup pot over medium heat. Saute the onions until translucent. Add the garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper. Saute for 1 more minute, until the garlic is fragrant.

Add the potatoes and sun-dried tomatoes. Pour in the water. Cover and bring to a a boil. Once the soup is boiling, lower the heath to medium, cover, and let simmer for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the sun-dried tomatoes are soft.

Add the crushed tomatoes and heat through. If you have an immersion blender, you're in luck! Puree the living hell out of it until it is very smooth. If you don't have one, just transfer the whole shebang to a food processor or blender, in cooled batches, then transfer back to the pot. Add the lemon juice and adjust the salt if you need to.

Serve!