Confessions of a Social Media Junkie

It seems a little early to be making soup…but…I’m in a soup club. Every year a group of us get together to swap soup and recipes and have a grand old time catching up.

The first rule of Soup Club is…have fun of course! (Did you think I was going to say something different?) 😉

This year the hostess with the mostest is expecting a baby. Like any day now. So instead of hosting the Soup Club meetup later into the fall, she’s getting the club members together early.

I thought I would share my Soup Club contribution here. If you decide to make the recipe – let me know what you think!

Tomato Soup with Roasted Vegetables & Garlic

Preheat your oven to 400F.

Chop up 5 cups of a whole bunch of veggies – I used onions, carrots, red peppers, parsnip and garlic but you could do sweet potato, regular potato, turnip…etc.

Mix 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp salt and pepper to taste. Add veggies to shallow casserole dish and toss mixture to coat them well.

Bake 30-45 minutes.

Roasted yum

While your veggies bake, crack open a can of crushed tomatoes and a couple litres of chicken or veggie stock.

I cheat and buy crushed tomatoes b/c I can’t grow them worth squat.

Add 1 cup of pearl barley and 3 cups of water to a pot. Bring to a boil then turn heat to low. Let simmer about 30 minutes. Set aside.

Side note: You could easily swap the barley with rice. For example, wild rice would make a nice alternative.

Holy boiling barley, Batman!

Once your veggies have finished baking, let them cool a bit and then puree them. You want serious veggie mush so add a little water to the blender if needed to really achieve that mush effect.

Veggie mush – looks blegh. Tastes yum.

Add all of the above to your favourite soup pot. Add a bay leaf and some fresh marjoram or oregano. Dried herbs are fine too. (I didn’t have either so I used dried parsley). Let simmer gently until heated through and your stomach starts to grumble.

Pot o’ soup!

Eat up a bowl basking in the proud feeling of having just made delicious and nutritious comfort food. Freeze the rest to share with family and friends at a later time!

Mmm…soup.

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I’m looking forward to receiving a variety of soups in exchange for the above. Tasty meals already lined up for the chilly season that’s ahead.

Do you participate in a food exchange with family or friends? Cookies? Soup? Other?