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Tomato Basil Soup, Defatted

Papa Joe's, Eat YOUR Heart Out . . . Tomato Basil Soup, De-fatted!

Sue Ansari, Neighbor

Posted Thu, Jan 17, 2013 at 7:43 pm ET

Papa Joes’s, Eat YOUR Heart Out!

Tomato Basil Soup, Defatted!

A friend posted a Tomato-Basil Soup recipe this morning on Facebook and I immediately thought of that luscious concoction at Papa Joe’s that is so heavily laced with cream, my arteries nearly have a spasm when I think of it. I have been a good girl and not allowed myself to eat it for years, let along think of it. The recipe this morning had me salivating in remembrance!

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So what is a raw chef to do? I started dissecting my friend's recipe, adding comments on how to decrease the fat and increase the protein and fiber and felt bad afterward that I had no doubt taken the wind out of my friend’s tomato juice sails, so I decided to drop everything and throw “my” recipe together. Whoa, this is SO good! It is thick and creamy, full of flavor AND packed with nutrients!

Not raw, for sure, but when I look at the bigger picture of educating the general public on a healthier way of eating, everything begins to fall into place - the goal is high fiber, low-fat, gluten and dairy-free, nutrient dense and packed with flavor. This recipe scored a home run for me and totally satisfied my Papa Joe’s cravings! Try it and give me your honest feedback.

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2-28 oz cans organic fire-roasted whole tomatoes

¼ c raw cashews

¼ c chia seeds

¼ medium red onion

1 clove garlic

3-4 T fresh lemon juice (approx the juice of two lemons)

1 t turmeric

1 t dried basil

½ - 1 T sea salt (to taste)

2 T agave or pure maple syrup (or 4 Medjool dates and 2 t syrup)

a pinch of cayenne

10-12 basil leaves, chiffonade

Place the contents of one can of tomatoes in a blender, along with the juice of the other. Mash the remaining tomatoes with your hand and set aside. Place all remaining ingredients, except the basil chiffonade, in the blender and blend until everything is smooth and creamy. Pour contents of blender into a sauce pan, add mashed tomatoes and basil chiffonade. Cover and warm on low heat until the mixture reaches your desired level of heat.

Garnish with snipped sun-dried tomatoes and basil or a basil pesto, enJOY!

Santé…To Your Health!

Sue Ansari RN

www.santetoyourhealth.org

MICancerCoach

Raw Food Chef and Food for Life Instructor

HEALTH BENEFITS OF:

Chia Seeds - http://whatscookingamerica.net/CharlotteBradley/Chai-Seeds.htm

Raw Cashews - http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=98

Turmeric - http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=78

Tomatoes - http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=44

Red Onion - http://www.healwithfood.org/health-benefits/eating-red-onions.php