Vegan Tomato Soup

  1 cup diced onion (about ½ onion, diced)

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon + 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (divided, optional)

½ cup raw cashews (soaked for a few hours, if you're not using a high-speed blender)

½ cup water

4½ cups stewed tomatoes (about three 14.5 ounce cans)

¼ cup coconut milk

1½ teaspoon dried basil (or a few tablespoons of fresh, if you have it)

¾ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

In a pan, saute onion and garlic in 1 teaspoon olive oil for 1 to 2 minutes, just until they are soft and fragrant.

Place cashews and water in blender. Blend on high for about 30 seconds, or until the mixture is fairly smooth and creamy. If you need more liquid, add a cup or two of your stewed tomatoes and blend again until all the cashew pieces have disappeared.

Add your sauteed onion/garlic and remaining stewed tomatoes to blender and blend until smooth.

Pour blender contents into a saucepan on medium to medium-high heat. As soup begins to simmer, stir frequently to prevent lumpiness and burning. Simmer for about 8-10 minutes, or until soup color has darkened slightly.

Add remaining ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil, coconut milk, granulated sugar, dried basil, and salt to your saucepan.

Taste for salt and serve immediately

                Total calories: 1050

                Per serving: 260