Soup In The Summer

Just a few months ago, I opened the front door to my house as the sun was beginning to rise, stood in the doorway and gazed out for a moment with my hat, winter coat, gloves, scarf, snow boots on and shovel in hand, ready to tackle the 8 inches of newly fallen snow that covered the walkway, driveway and cars. The tree branches that no longer had leaves on them were covered with glistering white snow. The air was a chilly 25 degrees and there was a light winter’s wind that howled quietly and numbed my cheeks, my only exposed skin to the outdoors. I finished shoveling the walkway and my husband cleared the driveway. Once I was done, I grabbed the shovel to walk back in the house and slipped on some ice and did an awful imitation of break dancing, but caught myself without falling.

Soon I was back in my house gripping my hot tea to warm up my cold red fingers and looked over at the boots I kicked off by the door that had a melted snow puddle under them, wet gloves with some snow still stuck on them, and my scarf and hat next to them. My toes were still numb, my nose was a rosy red, and I said to myself, “I hate the cold, the snow and ice. I want the warm, scorching heat of the summer time and I want to eat fresh fruits and veggies from the farms.” Until summer comes, we sit by the fire place and eat winter time traditional warms foods—soups, baked casseroles, warm pies fresh out of the oven, and pumpkins, squashes, turnips and chestnuts.

It is now August and I sit in my house with a fan pointed in my direction with shorts, flip flops, and a tank top on, and the skin on my forehead is glistering with small beads of sweat. I have my iced tea next to me in a tall glass with lemon, and a bowl of cut up cold watermelon, blueberries and strawberries for a snack. The thermometer outside says it is a scorching 95 degrees and the humidity is so high that the air is thick and heavy.

The other day, my husband and I decided to head to the beach. We parked the car, grabbed my beach bag with my sunblock, towel, magazine to read, and a change of clothes. My husband carried the umbrella, chairs, and cooler stocked with cold vegan sandwiches, fruit, water, and other snacks. We walked across the hot, soft white sand, kicking up the small grains with our flip flops, passing other beach goers. We finally found a great open spot and set up the chairs and umbrella, lathered up on sun block, and went to test the waters with our feet. After we cooled off a bit, we sat in our chairs and listened to the waves rolling and watched the sea gulls. Then my husband turned to me and asked, “Can you make some soup for dinner?” I looked at him oddly and said, “It’s hot and it’s summer. You can’t have soup in the summer.” Summer time is for foods like corn on the cob, fresh fruits, light salads and salsas, and cold drinks to keep us cool. He replied, “Why not? I love soup anytime.” That got me thinking, yes why not? So, we stopped at the farm on the way home and picked up some seasonal tomatoes to make a tasty, warm tomato soup.

Here is a great soup recipe that I make during the winter months. Just be sure that when you do eat this hearty soup, you do it in front of a fan or an A/C because it will surely warm you up. I realized that even though there are traditional dishes for each season, soup can be good anytime of the year. You get the best of both worlds here with this soup—you have tomatoes, which are a staple for garden growers and farms in the summer, and the warm soup itself which represents cold winter days to warm the bones.

Roasted Garlic And Tomato Soup

Top this soup off with crispy tortillas cut up and toasted, avocado, black beans or vegan sour cream.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups cherry tomatoes
• 1 28oz can chopped tomatoes (fire roasted is great to)
• 1 head garlic
• 2 carrots chopped fine
• 1 celery chopped
• Fresh parsley
• Tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion
• 1 can garbanzo beans
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
• salt and pepper
• 2-3 cups veggie broth

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400˚.
2. To roast the garlic, slice the top off the garlic and brush generously with olive oil and wrap in aluminum foil. Place whole cherry tomatoes on a baking tray greased or on top of foil. Place both them both, bake tomatoes for 25-30 minutes until soft and 30-40 minutes for the garlic.
3. When the garlic is done, take out of foil and squeeze the cloves out to cool
4. When these are done, add some olive oil to a pot and cook the onion and celery until soft about 5 minutes. Stir in herbs, chick peas, tomatoes, carrots and roasted garlic and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Then add the 2 cups of veggie broth, bring to a boil the reduce to a simmer. Let simmer for 20 minutes.
5. While the broth is simmering, cut up the tortilla into strips and put in the oven or toaster oven long enough to get them crispy. You can add a splash of olive oil and see salt for added flavor. Keep an eye on them they cook very quick only a few minutes. Once soup is done, add it into a blender (may have to do it in batches) and puree.

 

Image sources: beach | lcaid.com, shovel | practiceofzen.com

Comment via Facebook