Tomato Bisque

I'll be going to the last movie showing at the Hollywood Cemetery tonight to watch "Night of the Living Dead." I love cooking for friends and I figured hot soup would be best for a cold picnic outside. I love this soup because you can basically serve it with anything and it would go great. It's also really quick to make, so you can be cooking your main dish while this one simmers.

For tonight, I plan to make pesto paninis. Anything warm please! Last time we watched a movie out there I was freezing. I'll take some pictures tonight and share them with you guys. Have a great weekend everyone! : ]

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Serves 6
Prep Time : 1 hour, 20 minutes

Ingredients

* Sea salt
* 4 Tb Earth Balance or vegan margarine
* 1 onion, chopped
* 1 carrot, chopped
* 1 stalk celery, chopped
* 3 cloves garlic, smashed
* 2 Tb unbleached all-purpose flour
* 5 cups faux chicken stock ( try Better than Bouillon brand )
* 1 ( 28 ounce ) can whole fire-roasted tomatoes, juice included
* 1 Tb minced fresh parsley
* Leaves from 2 fresh thyme sprigs
* 1 bay leaf
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 1 1/2 cups regular Cashew Cream or Soy Creamer
* Parsley for garnish

Directions
1. Place a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the Earth Balance and stir until melted, being careful not to let it burn.


2. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.


3. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and continue cooking and stirring for 2 minutes.




4. Add the stock, tomatoes with juice, parsley, thyme and bay leaf.


5. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.


6. Season with freshly ground black pepper (add a little salt if you wish but the "chicken" stock is already high in sodium, so only add if you think it's really necessary ), then add the Cashew Cream. Continue to simmer ( do not boil ) for 10 minutes.


7. Remove the bay leaf. Working in batches, pour the soup into a blender, cover the lid with a towel ( the hot liquid tends to erupt ), and blend on high for several minutes, until very smooth. Pour the soup through a fine-mesh sieve. Ladle into bowls and garnish with parsley.