Healthy Tomato Basil Soup

I had a request from a good friend to post a healthy tomato basil soup recipe. So I took on the challenge since I have been craving soup non stop now that the weather has changed. This is perfect for those cold nights when your craving good ol' comfort food and want to be warm and cozy.

(Why did I waste all those years on canned tomato soup?! This was delicious!)

 Healthy Tomato Basil Soup

Ingredients:

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 - 14 oz. can of diced fire roasted tomatoes

1 - 28 oz. can of whole tomatoes

2 cups of chicken stock

1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 teaspoon of stevia

1/2 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper

1/4 cup of heavy cream

1/4 cup of fresh basil, julienned

grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

In a saucepan, saute garlic in olive oil on medium heat for 1 minute - being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the crushed tomatoes and then the whole tomatoes.  Smash the tomatoes with a potato smasher and then add chicken stock, salt, pepper and stevia. Simmer for 10 minutes. Pour soup in a blender and blend until desired consistency. Pour soup back into saucepan and simmer for another 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to low and stir in heavy cream and basil. Serve and top with grated parmesan cheese and grilled triple cheese sandwich.

Health Benefits of Tomatoes:

Tomatoes are a treasure of riches when it comes to their antioxidant benefits. In terms of conventional antioxidants, tomatoes provide an excellent amount of vitamin C and beta-carotene; a very good amount of the mineral manganese; and a good amount of vitamin E. In terms of phytonutrients, tomatoes are basically off the chart!

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