Tomato Soups for Vickie

It's been a lazy weekend here with me feeling yucky with my cold and DB healing. Nothing much new...I did shopping for Thanksgiving today and that took a lot out of me, but I'm ready for my modified, low-fat feast! :-)

Vickie asked about tomato soup recipes. I'm not a big tomato soup fan, but found these three in my favorite cookbooks (to avoid sodium, I'd put tomatoes in a food processor and make my own "juice"):

Lightly Spiced Tomato Soup

Very fast and easy recipe. Serve chilled in hot weather, hot in chilly weather.

1 c. finely chopped onions
1-2 T vegetable oil (I'd use less)
1 small chile, seeded and minced (or a pinch of cayenne)
1 t ground cumin seeds
1/2 t turmeric
1/4 t ground cardamom
1/8 t ground cloves
6 c tomato juice (46 oz. can)
1 c water or vegetable stock
---
plain yogurt

In a small soup pot, saute the onion in oil until translucent. Add the chile and spices and saute another minute, stirring constantly. Add the tomato juice and water and simmer for about 20 minutes to blend the flavors.
Serve topped with a spoonful of yogurt.
Variation: For a more hearty cold-weather soup, add one cup of cooked rice while the soup is simmering.

Chilled Moroccan Tomato Soup

2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 stalk celery, minced
1 scallion, finely chopped
1 quart chilled tomato juice
1/4 c chilled orange juice
--
1 T olive oil (I'd use less)
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
1 t ground cumin
1/2 t paprika
1/4 t cinnamon
--
2-3 T fresh lemon juice
Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce to taste

In a small saucepan or large refrigerator contained, combine the tomatoes, celery, scallions, tomato juice, and orange juice.
In a small skillet on low heat, warm the olive oil. Saute the garlic, cumin, paprika, and cinnamon for just a minute, being careful not to scorch them. Stir the spice mixture into the soup, and add lemon juice and Tabasco to taste. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Per 8 oz. serving: 71 calories, 1.9 g protein, 2.8 g fat, 12.1 g carbohydrate, 562 mg sodium, 0 mg cholesterol

Tomato Bulgur Soup (this one sounds best to me!)

3 c vegetable stock
1 c finely chopped onions
1 c peeled and diced carrots
3/4 c diced celery
2 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 t salt (you could leave this out)
1 t dried dill
1/2 t ground fennel
2 c undrained canned tomatoes, chopped (16 oz can)
1/4 c bulgur
ground black pepper to taste

In a large pot, combine the vegetable stock, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, salt, dill, and fennel. Bring to a boil, the reduce the heat, cover, and simmer gently for about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and their juice. Add the bulgur and mix well. Return to a boil and simmer, covered, for another 15 minutes, or until the bulgur is tender, stirring occasionally. Add pepper to taste.

Per 8 oz. serving: 78 calories, 2.9 g protein, .5 g fat, 17.2 g carbohydrates, .1 saturated fatty acids, .1 g polyunsaturated fatty acids, .1 g monounsaturated fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 538 mg sodium, 3.4 total dietary fiber.

YUM. :-)