Cream of Tomato Soup and an Earth Balance Giveaway

Who needs dairy cream? This soup is rich and luscious with a cashew-based cream. Here it's garnished with a sprinkle of chives (the only thing the whiteflies left in my container garden!) and served with sourdough rosemary-olive toasts.

Cream of Tomato Soup

1 ¾ c raw cashew pieces
5 to 6 pounds plum tomatoes
1 T olive oil
1 onion, diced medium
2 shallots, sliced
2 carrots, diced medium
4 cloves garlic, sliced thick
4 c unsalted vegetable broth (if salted, cut salt in recipe by at least 1/3)
Bay leaf
1/8 – ¼ c packed whole basil leaves
Pinch nutmeg
1½ t salt
½ t freshly ground white pepper

Soak the cashew pieces in water, at least three hours, and preferably overnight. Rinse and place in a blender. Cover with water to the top of the nuts. Blend at least five minutes over time, giving the blender motor a rest at least twice. You want the cashews as smoothly blended as possible. Set aside.

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Immerse the tomatoes in the water, working in batches so you can keep an eye on each one. After thirty seconds to one minute, the skins should burst open. Remove from the boiling water and set aside. Repeat until all the skins have split. Slip the skins off of the tomatoes and core them. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Sauté the onion, shallots, and carrots for ten minutes over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté two additional minutes. Add the broth. Now add the tomatoes, one at a time, tearing each tomato roughly as you add it to the pot. Take care to tear them away from you or wear an apron! Add the bay leaf, basil, nutmeg, salt, and pepper, bring to a boil, and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer one hour.

Puree soup using an immersion blender and add cashew puree. Let the soup sit for twenty minutes and serve.

And now for a giveaway! Today I have for you a coupon for a free Earth Balance product. Buttery deliciousness for baking, fun on your toast! Did you know they make peanut butter and soy milk as well? To enter, please leave a post below, telling me your about your favorite use for Earth Balance, what brings balance to your life, or anything at all. This giveaway is open to anyone who can get Earth Balance products. The coupons do not specify where they can be used, so enter if you can buy Earth Balance where you live!


The winner of yesterday's Coconut Bliss giveaway is Stephen! Please send your name and address to me at miso...@yahoo.com. Congratulations!