Mostly Heirloom Tomato Soup

Just as cooler temperatures are settling in, I came across a basic cream of tomato soup recipe in the Soup & Bread Cookbook by Beatrice Ojakangas and was inspired to create.  As chance would have it, all my semi-ripe and green tomatoes on the vines had to be brought inside to finish ripening due to frost warnings.  But rather than looking at it as 'Darn, my dining room table is covered in unripe tomatoes',  I'm thinking this is a good thing.  I can keep tabs on their ripening progress and plan accordingly.  

The heirlooms I used are Dr. Wyche's Yellow, Cherokee Purple, and Mortgage Lifter, along with Green Zebra and Black Krim which are not pictured.
I also included some non-heirloom varieties: Franchi Reds and a couple of spicy Tomatillos.  Another plus for this soup, I didn't blanch, peel or core any of the tomatoes, which as you know requires more time in both effort and clean up.

With this colorful assortment, one would have thought I was making a fruit salad instead of a creamy, smooth tomato soup from a handful of wholesome ingredients.  By adding nutritional yeast rather than the often used flour, the health benefits in this soup are increased.  Nutritional yeast is a complete protein, providing all nine amino acids the human body cannot produce, as well as 35-100% of all B vitamins except for B12.  There are a few brands that fortify their yeast with B12.  Nutritional yeast is sold as flakes or a yellow powder and can be bought in natural food stores.

Mostly Heirloom Tomato Soup

Ingredients:
2 C  homemade vegetable broth

3 Tb nutritional yeast flakes
7 C fresh tomatoes, cut into 1 1/2" chunks
6 oz tomato paste
2 tsp smoked Spanish paprika
1 tsp white pepper

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

In a deep pot, on medium heat, whisk together the broth and nutritional yeast until blended.  Add the chopped tomatoes, spices and tomato paste, stirring to incorporate all.  Simmer 25-40 minutes, stirring occasionally to help the tomatoes soften.

Puree in batches and return to the pot.  Taste and adjust seasonings. 

It's hard to beat a comforting bowl of homemade tomato soup and a grilled panini sandwich made with Dave's Organic Killer Bread, apple slices, roasted chicken and aged cheddar when it's 42 degrees outside.