I grew up with Campbell’s tomato soup and grilled cheeze sandwiches. I honestly still love the thought of that meal. There’s a simplicity to a simple soup and sandwich. And the comfort of the tangy yet soft feel of the soup with the crunchy bread…. ahh.

When a friend of mine gifted me some beautiful organic fresh tomatoes, my mind went right to tomato soup. My tomatoes aren’t doing as well as last year so I traded her for some fresh tulsi. I love a good garden barter.

I didn’t have a tomato soup recipe on hand to follow so I used what I had in the kitchen.

Right now we have a lot of onions, garlic, basil and rosemary from our farm and back yard herb pots. I wanted to use a lot of the fresh garlic because tis the season to back to school colds. Ezra just started first grade a few weeks ago and I’m already hearing rumbles of kids getting sick.

Garlic is an absolute life saver in my opinion. It’s helped us stay healthy so many times. I like to use it as a remedy but I also love using it in the food I prepare for my family. This is the true meaning of “food is medicine”. So I decided to put 20 cloves of garlic in this soup and it turned out so flavorful and amazing. You can check out my blog about some of my favorite garlic remedies here.

 

So let’s dive in to the recipe!

 

Ingredients you’ll need:

• 6 large fresh tomatoes, cored and chopped

• 20 cloves fresh garlic, diced

• 1/4 of a yellow onion, or two small ones (mine were pretty small this year), chopped

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 tablespoon of sea salt

• 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

• 2-3 large sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped

• 1 cup fresh cashew milk

 

Making your soup

1. To make my soup, I started with my favorite wide and deep stainless steel cook pot. I love it because it gives me room to groove and I feel like my soups cook really well in it.
2. Start with your heat on medium/low and add your olive oil, garlic and onion. Let them cook until they start to turn kind of golden brown. Be careful not to burn your garlic. Turn your heat down if you see olive oil sputtering and the garlic jumping around. Low and slow is where it’s at.
3. Add your tomatoes and sea salt and turn heat up to medium high. Stir occasionally and allow to cook there for about 20 minutes.
4. Now add your herbs and stir. This is where I’m squashing the tomatoes and stirring some more. Allow to cook for another 15 minutes or so.

5. The next step is to blend. I like to use my immersion blender here. If you don’t have one or don’t want to use it, you can add your soup to your blender and blend until smooth. To blend though you’ll want to allow your soup to cool down a bit. Blending super hot liquids can be dangerous and messy. I love my immersion blender because it’s quick and easy.

6. Once blended, I add in my cashew milk, stir and turn down to low. This is where you let your soup just chill on low for a bit and finish cooking for another 10-15 minutes.

While my soup is finishing up, I’m getting dishes washed, the table set and any sides finished up. I love eating this soup with some crusty gluten-free bread, rubbed with a fresh garlic clove after it’s toasted and then drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with a bit of sea salt. I might also have some sauteed kale on the table or steamed garlic as a side.

You’ve got a power house of immune boosting power with the garlic and brain stimulation with your rosemary.

 

Remember, when you are cooking for those you love, you are the medicine person. The healing powers of that dish is literally in your hands.

 

I love to think of what my family needs at the time I’m cooking. I’ll create the dishes for them accordingly. It’s a beautiful way to show them love.

I hope you get to make this for those you love.

 

Gaia Blessings,

Audrey

 

We have a circle of women learning to use plants to heal and thrive.

My program, Medicine Woman, is an amazing place to learn plant-based recipes, how to use safe simple herbs to create remedies in your home, and how to grow your own food and herbs using permaculture practices. Interested in joining? Check it out.