Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

My favorite soup is tomato basil and my daughter, Morgan, from Little House of Veggies created my very favorite recipe. She uses delicious cashew cream in place of dairy. You add both the cashew cream & the fresh basil at the end of a 20 minute simmer of the tomatoes and blend with either an immersion blender(which I used) or put batches in the blender. We created this recipe at the last cooking class I taught and I have been getting emails on the success everyone is having.  People are making it for their families and they are all loving it.  This is a very easy soup so full of delicious flavor.  I hope you enjoy it too. I added 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper to make it a little spicy and 1 Tbsp. maple syrup. With or without this addition, this soup is amazing. Thank you Little House of Veggies:)

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup
Printable Recipe
Serves 4-6

1 tsp.  Extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. Earth Balance whipped non-dairy butter
1 medium yellow onion, diced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
2 28-ounce cans of diced tomatoes in tomato juice (a good organic one)
2 cups salt-free vegetable broth (Rupunzel Brand is good)
2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
black pepper
2 handfuls of fresh basil
1 recipe for cashew cream (recipe below)

Cashew Cream:
1/4 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup filtered water

Soak cashews for at least 2 hours. Soaking them will make them creamier. Drain and rinse the cashew well, and place in a blender with about 1/2 cup of water. Blend until smooth and creamy. Place in the fridge until ready to use for soup.

To Make the Soup:

Heat a large soup pot over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and butter, onions, garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper and saute until the onions become tender, about 5 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes, vegetable broth, 2 tsp. salt, and a few cracks of black pepper. Bring up to a low boil, then cover and simmer soup on low for about 20 minutes. Add a few large handfuls of fresh basil to the soup, and stir in the cashew cream. Blend the soup in batches in a blender or use an immersion blender to make the soup smooth. Top soup with Mochi Croutons if you would like.  Recipe at Little House of Veggies.  The Mochi Croutons look really yummy so check it out.