I created this soup for my uncle who came up with the concept but didn’t have a recipe. I created by morphing several recipes I was able to find for tomato basil soup, tomato bisque, and roasted garlic soup. I omitted the cream found in traditional bisque to keep the saturated fat content down.

1 head garlic
1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 lbs ripe Italian plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
3 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato paste
1/2 cup shredded fresh basil, loosely packed
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Whole basil leaves, to garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Remove loose, papery skin from garlic, leaving heads intact.
3. Place garlic on a sheet of heavy-duty foil; drizzle with 1/4 teaspoon olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper.
4. Loosely wrap foil around garlic, folding foil edges securely.
5. Roast until garlic has softened, about 40 minutes, and then transfer to plate.
6. Open carefully and discard foil; let garlic cool.
7. Separate garlic into cloves.
8. Squeeze soft garlic from each clove into a small bowl; set aside.
9. Heat about ¼ water or broth in a large saucepan until simmering

10. Add the onion and roasted garlic. Cook gently for about 5 minutes, stirring, until the onion is softened.
11. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, then add the stock, white wine and sun-dried tomato paste, with salt and pepper to taste.
12. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, half cover the pan, and simmer gently for 20 minutes, shirring occasionally to keep the tomatoes from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
13. Process the soup with the shredded basil in a Vitamix or food processor until smooth and return to the pan.
14. Do not allow the soup to approach the boiling point.
15. Check the consistency and add more stock if necessary, then season with salt and pepper.
16. Pour into heated bowls and garnish with basil.
17. Serve at once. (Can also be frozen and served later.)

The colors and flavors of this untraditional chili are wonderfully diverse and complex. Like many chilies, this one tastes better the next day! Serve over brown rice or in a large baked potato.

2 tsp. olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 tsp. chipotle powder (or 3 dried chipotle chilies ground in a spice mill)
1 tsp. cumin
2 cups vegetable broth (or water)
1 large garnet yam, peeled and diced
2 large zucchini, chopped
1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
1 14oz. can crushed tomatoes, preferably fire roasted
1 15oz. can No Salt Added pinto beans, drained
1 tsp. orange zest
1 tsp. lime juice
4 tbsp. cilantro, chopped, and more to garnish, if desired.

Heat olive oil on med-high. Add onion and sauté until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add chili powder and cumin and cook, stirring for one minute. Add vegetable broth and yams. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, until yam is softened. Add corn, zucchini, tomatoes with their juices, and beans. Cook, uncovered, for 10 more minutes, until chili thickens and yam is very tender. Stir in orange zest, lime juice and cilantro. Spoon into bowls and garnish with additional cilantro, if desired.

Serves 4.

Recipe taken from Pioneer Organics Healthy Home Delivery Newsletter, week of 11/08/04

250 calories, 6.6 grams of protein, 47 grams carbs, 4 grams of fat per serving (a recipe makes 4 servings)

Looking through my kitchen, I noted I had some chard and yams that were beginning to look a little past their prime. Utilizing the power of Cookin’ With Google, I found a recipe for African Yam Stew, which I altered to suit my own tastes. Below is the modified recipe, which yielded fantastic results.

African Yam Stew

4 cups vegetable broth

1 tsp. chili oil

1/2 chopped onion

3 cups diced yams

1 can canned chick-peas

1 cup uncooked quinoa
1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup “The Heat is On” Spiced Peanut Butter

2 cups chopped collard greens
1 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon kosher salt

Saute’ onion in chili oil until soft. Add broth, yams, chickpeas, rice and salt; simmer for 30 minutes.

Blend peanut butter with 1/2 cup stock to make a smooth paste. Stir into the stew along with the greens and turn heat to low, allowing flavors to marry for 5 minutes.

Add salt, pepper, and additional chili oil or chili sauce to taste.

Serves 4-6