Mmmm, mmmm good!

I'll admit it. I've always been Campbell's soup girl. And, I've always disliked tomatoes. Well, growing up, my "like" list was easier to make than my "dislike" list, so that's not too surprising. It always drove my mom to distraction! As a side note, when she'd order pizza, I'd spend the first 15-20 minutes picking off every last bit of topping that didn't have the word "pepperoni" in it. It made her so crazy to see me do that. Now, I'll easily order a Supreme pizza & while I still can't stand mushrooms, I'll eat the onions, peppers, etc that I once so methodically removed. Anyway, tomatoes. I don't remember EVER eating tomato soup growing up. I mean, hello! It's a vegetable. Puh-lease! Somehow, though, when I met Don, I was introduced to the wonderful world of grilled cheese & tomato soup. I never got into the whole dunking thing, but I discovered that Campbell's makes a tomato soup that I really liked! Especially made with milk. Yum! So, for years, that was a fairly common meal at our house. When I threw out all the preservatives and un-pronouncable ingredients 2 years ago when we revamped our diet, out went the Campbell's. Many of them have MSG in them, which I discovered made me really sick. I haven't cracked a can of soup in over 2 years.

Before you get to feeling too sorry for me, the story does not end there. I have discovered a tomato soup recipe that I absolutely love. And, it is made with real tomatoes. My mom is rolling over in her grave, I'm sure. Honestly, the kids aren't thrilled with it, but they do eat it without too much complaint. Don & I love it though. Here's the recipe. It comes from Nourishing Traditions, but I've adapted it slightly (we couldn't stand it with the cultured cream!)

Tomato-Dill Soup
Serves 6

2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
3 tbsp butter
8 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded & chopped
2 cups chicken stock (I use homemade, leftover from cooking chicken in the crockpot)
sea salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup snipped fresh dill

Saute onions & celery gently in butter until tender. Add tomatoes & stock, bring to boil & skim. Simmer 15 minutes. Puree soup with a handheld blender. Thin soup with water if necessary, and season to taste. Stir in the dill. Simmer gently 5 minutes.

It is so easy to make. The hardest part is peeling, seeding & chopping the tomatoes. I need to find an easier way to do that! But, once that's done, it's very quick & simple. not quite opening a can & adding milk, of course, but simple for homemade goodness!

As an aside, whenever we have this soup, Don always comments on the color. Real tomato soup doesn't even come close to the deep red of Campbell's. What are they putting in that stuff anyway??? My soup is much lighter.