Copycat Trader Joe's Tomato and Red Pepper Soup
By the Gracious Vegan
Someone told me recently about how good the Trader Joe's Organic Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup was. This person was a vegan, so I bought the soup without reading the ingredients. After trying it and liking it, I read the carton and saw there was milk in it! So I got out my blender and my cashews and experimented a few times. This result is super easy and tastes amazing! You can also add things to it -- cooked kale or other vegetables, also grated tempeh or other protein. It's a wonderful base for a creative lunch.
Makes about 5 cups (4 servings) (about 135 calories per serving)
Soak cashews in cold water at least 2 hours, or pour boiling water over them, cover, and let them soak 20 minutes. Drain the cashews and rinse under cold water. (You can skip this step if you have a high-speed blender.)
1/2 cup raw cashews (whole or pieces)
Place them in a blender with water. Blend for 30 second to several minutes, depending on your blender, until the cashews are completely dissolved.
2 cups water
Put the remaining ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth
1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup roasted red bell peppers (from a jar, rinsed)
3/4 cup tomato paste (6 ounces)
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Freshly ground black pepper.
Put soup in a Dutch oven, bring to a boil, lower and simmer for about 5 minutes until thickened.
Optional to add:
Fresh (10 oz.) or frozen spinach (1 package) or 4 cups chopped kale (loosely packed) from 3 very large leaves. Cook in Dutch oven, covered, with 1/4 cup water for 7 minutes (or about 4 minutes in a microwave with a little water)
1 can of chickpeas or, if you have more time, try 8 ounces tempeh, grated, boiled uncovered in 3/4 cup water, 1-2 Tablespoons soy sauce until water and soy sauce are absorbed, about 5 minutes.
Timing: 25 minutes total (if you need to soak the cashews) (10 minutes active)
Per serving (without add-ins): 133 calories; 7g fat; 1g sat. fat; 16g carbs; 1244mg sodium; 3g fiber; 4g protein
Gluten-free