Tomato soup takes me back to my childhood.  It was, by far my favorite soup, especially with a grilled cheese sandwich.  Even though I rarely eat grilled cheese sandwiches, I still enjoy tomato soup.  When fresh tomatoes and basil in season, it's less expensive to prepare this dish.  Even though the recipe calls for canned tomatoes, feel free to use homegrown ones right out of the garden.  Blending the ingredients together at the end thickens the brew without the need to add flour or milk making it a hearty and healthy choice.

Tomato and Basil Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 TBSP butter

• 1 cup chopped onion

• 3/4 cup sliced carrot

• 3 cloves garlic

• 2 small shallots

• 1/4 tsp black pepper

• 10 large basil leaves

• 3 drained sun-dried tomato halves, packed in oil

• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans organic diced tomatoes, undrained

• 2 cups water

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, garlic, and shallots to pan, and cook 5 minutes or until vegetable are tender, stirring frequently. Add pepper and basil leaves, and cook 5 minutes.

2. Add sun-dried tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and water and bring to a boil.

3. Reduce heat and simmer 1 hour.

4. Remove from heat.

5. Place 1/2 of soup into a blender. Blend until smooth. Repeat with remaining half; OR using an immersion blender, blend until smooth

6. Divide into individual bowls and serve.

Yield: 6 servings