Thursday, April 3, 2008

Creamy Tomato Soup

My spirited child tastes things intensely. We have had more than our fair share of battles at the dinner table. There's been weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth. We've bribed with dessert, used isloation and a couple of spankings (not all in the same night.) Twice he's been on a 24-hr hunger strike because he refused to eat what was given to him for dinner (he had all the water he wanted to drink).

Last night, when I served dinner, I was expecting a battle. Soup is not on the preferred pre-schooler list. However, he loves cheese and crakers. I made a deal with him (and this doesn't always work): If you eat your soup, you can have cheese and crackers.

He ate the soup. Just when hubby was handing him the cheese and crackers, the lil man said, "May I have more soup?"

What?! Oh-my-gosh. Did you just say what I thought you said?

We explained that because he ate the soup he could have cheese and crackers. His response? "But can I have more soup first?"

Is this really happening?

Of course you may have more soup.

It is a super yummy recipe modified just a bit from The Schwarzbein Principle Cookbook. I love the cookbook and also highly recommend The Schwarzbein Principle, which will help you understand her philosophy.

Read the reviews on Amazon for more details but my journey with Schwarzbein began almost two years ago my very health conscious neighbor (Gina) introduced me to the Schwarzbein Principle, the author is an endocrinologist. It's the first "diet" that I could prescribe to...because it's not a diet, it's a way of living. Schwarzbein's philosophy is similar to a Weight Watchers or "south beach" but using only natural ingredients (no artificial sweetners or "low-fat" ingredients.)

Back to the soup:
28 oz can of tomatoes w/ juice
~2t olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 medium carrots, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
2 minced garlic cloves
1/4 c finely chopped parsley*
1/3 c slivered fresh basil*
1 bay leaf*
2-3 c chicken broth, depending on how thick you like soup
1 c heavy cream
* optional, tastes super yummy if you use it and yummy if you don't

In a large heavy-bottomed soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. When hot, add onion, garlic, carrots and celery. Saute until veggies are softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, parsley, basil, bay leaf, stock and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce to low, partially cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove bay leaf. In a blender or food processor, puree soup in batches until smooth. Return soup to pot and stir in cream. Taste and adjust seasoning, and simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes. Do not boil.

Serve with cheese and crackers or if you want to be gourmet - a grilled cheese sandwich.

4 comments:

John and Pam Majors said...

On this day in history.....

momandkiddo said...

That soup sounds delicious! My son is also a very picky eater, which has been hard for me to understand, as picky eaters has always been my pet peeve. I'm sure lots of people have already given you unsolicited advice so at the risk of being annoying I would recommend a book, Child of Mine: Feeding with Love and Good Sense by Ellyn Satter. It really helped me realize that I choose the food, but he chooses whether or not to eat it. Somedays he doesn't eat much but now I am (slightly) less stressed, esp as it is clear he is very healthy.

Anonymous said...

Oh, and I think I'll copy your soup recipe too! -Jean

My Boys' Teacher said...

THANK YOU for the book recommendations! I just put the "your three-year old, friend or enemy book" book on my reading list and I'm putting this one on my list too. I'm always trying to do weight-watcher because I know it will work, but am disgusted by all the chemicals you ingest if you follow many of the recommendations. (drinking crystal light, fat-free dairy products, millions of recipes that include sugar-free Jello...) This looks like just what I was looking for.

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails