Green Tomato Soup

The end of summer, days grow shorter, and the leaves are starting their annual transformation. Soon, the long lazy afternoons will give way to bundled up walks, and scrapping ice off the windshield. But never fear, I have something to make it all a little easier to…err, stomach. Soup!

Ah, soup, the endearing meal of warm fuzziness (be sure to check out our recipes tab for killer stock recipes).

Speaking of the end of summer, I don’t know about you fine folks, but I always have a late growth of tomatoes in the garden that never quite get ripe. What to do with these tart little beauties? It would be a shame to waste them. We will not be frying them, nor will we be making jam with them. So, how about a vegetarian (or vegan!) soup to warm you up and keep the shivers away?

Recipe

Serves 2 people

• • 5-6 medium sized firm green tomatoes peeled and chopped*
  • 2-3 medium sized firm roma tomatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 1/2 C large diced green pepper (seeds and stem removed)
  • 1 Tbsp minced jalapeno pepper (seeds and stem removed, more or less depending on the heat you like)
  • 1/2 yellow onion, large dice
  • 1-2 cloves garlic, rough chopped
  • 1/2 C cilantro divided – Stems for soup, leaves for garnish
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • Two cups + 1/4 (if necessary) C chicken or veggie stock (low sodium, or homemade)
  • 1 can low sodium chickpeas, drained (three oz per person)
  • 2 oz sunflower seeds (1 oz per person)
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • jicama (small cubes)
  • diced avocado – 1oz per person

Directions

1. Heat oil in heavy four quart pot, medium high heat.
2. When oil is shimmering add ingredients 1-7 (7* stems only), and sauté until veggies are softened and onions translucent. 
3. Add stock, salt and pepper, stir and cover until soup comes to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, tilt lid and cook for about 15 minutes more.
4. Remove from heat and, using a fine mesh strainer (or normal strainer with cheese cloth), drain and reserve liquid. Note: let strainer drain into reserve liquid until no more liquid comes out, shake strainer to be sure.
5. Place drained vegetable mixture in a food processor, pulse until it is thick and has a smooth consistency. Place mixture back into clean pan.
6. You will need to re-heat the broth and vegetable puree separately before serving. You may also need to add the additional 1/4 cup of stock.
7. Meanwhile, in a small sauté pan, heat up drained chickpeas with some garlic and onion powder (optional, just plain if you prefer).
8. When serving, portion veggie mixture into bowl (depending on your meal allotment), allowing for an ounce or two of jicama as garnish.
9. Add warmed chickpeas to bowl, and ladle 8oz hot stock, top with sunflower seeds,avocado, jicama and cilantro for garnish.

Note that the stock should be quite hot, as it takes a few minutes to assemble the whole meal. Serve immediately and enjoy!

*tomatillos can be substituted for green tomatoes.

If you are so inclined, a nice Mexican lager such as Modelo Especial is a good way to go.

Cheers, Blue

BLE: This recipe serves two people, and the fat is divided between the oil and avocado. The protein was divided between chickpeas and sunflower seed. A nice non-vegetarian option would be grilled pork loin