Afternoon, everyone!
I hope everyone is doing well.
Today, I got creative in the kitchen.
I wanted tomato bisque, but I had no idea how to make it. I looked online for a non-dairy version, and still couldn’t find any information on it.
Fine. I’ll do it myself.
So, yeah.
I have never made tomato bisque before, and as far as I know, I’ve never even tasted it. However, I was craving my own mental-image of what I thought tomato bisque would taste like, and thus this recipe was created.
I gathered my ingredients — basil, sage, oregano, rosemary, garlic, thyme, green peppers, onion, hot red pepper, full-fat coconut milk, and a tin of unsalted diced tomatoes.
In a slightly oiled pan, I added 1/4 cup of chopped tomato and 1/4 cup chopped onion.
When they were aromatic and tender, I added a teaspoon each of the oregano, basil, thyme, garlic, and rosemary. I added a quarter teaspoon of sage, and a pinch (1/8 tsp?) of hot red pepper flakes.
I sauteed them in the pan until sizzling and fragrant.
I then transferred all the ingredients into a tall container, and added in the tomatoes. When they were thick and chunky, not totally emulsified, I added them back to the pan.
I let it simmer over medium heat for approximately ten minutes, until the tomatoes had broken down (and confessed to where they had hidden the jewels and vowed to give up the life of crime) and about half of the liquid had cooked off.
At that point, I prepped myself a toasted cheese sandwich.
I heated up another pan over medium-high, and slipped a bit of vegan cheese (it’s over a month old, wish me luck that I don’t re-encounter this sandwich later tonight) between two slices of Udi’s. I sprayed some olive oil directly onto the bread, as well as the pan.
When it was browned, I threw it into the microwave for fifteen seconds on half-power to melt the “cheese”.
When my tomato soup was ready, I slowly stirred in 1/4 cup of full-fat coconut milk.
Mmm, perfection!
I drizzled a tablespoon of coconut milk onto the bisque, then sprinkled a dash of salt and a few grinds of fresh-cracked black pepper onto it as well.
After dipping my sandwich into the bisque, I threw my spoon out the window — the sandwich was the perfect vehicle for this delicious bisque.
However, three bites later and I was out of sandwich, thus obliging me to crawl out the window after my spoon to retrieve it.
Vegan Spicy Tomato Bisque:
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup green pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp rosemary
1/4 tsp sage
1/8 tsp hot red pepper flakes
1/4 + 1 tbs full-fat coconut milk
Sautee onion and pepper until tender and fragrant. Add spices. Remove from heat, add tomatoes, puree until thick but not liquid. Return to heat. Simmer ten minutes, until liquid is reduced. Slowly stir in coconut milk. Remove from heat, add to bowl. Drizzle remaining tbs of coconut milk onto bisque.
Honestly, it tasted like a frikkin’ awesome spicy marinara sauce, which is probably what I made, since I have no idea what bisque tastes like. So, if you’re in the mood for a creamy, vegan marinara sauce for your pasta, give this recipe a whirl. Or eat it as a bisque, which is what I did, because I’m cool and that’s what all the cool kids are doing these days.
For dessert, I had the Pear of Frankenstein staring me down, so I decided that since I already had some adzuki beans prepared and a tin of coconut milk open, why not use all three?
Plus, it would give me a chance to sneak in some protein, since my lunch was a bit light on the satiety scale.
I chopped up this deliciously over-ripe pear, then mashed 3/4 of it into about a half a cup of adzuki beans. I threw in a teaspoon of sugar, for good measure.
After transferring it to a clean bowl, I topped it with the remaining pear slices, and tablespoon of coconut milk.
After tasting it, I realized it needed a bit of cinnamon, and sprinkled it directly onto the mess.
Delish! Seriously. Not too sweet, but curiously tasty.
Do you like tomato soup/bisque? What is your favorite soup/stew? Feel free to share a recipe, if you wish!
Thanks for reading!
❤ Kaz
14 comments
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August 4, 2010 at 18:38
glutenfreemuse
I love the grilled cheese tomato soup combo!! So classic yet so good! Good job on recreating it!
~Alyssa
August 4, 2010 at 18:53
Jenn (Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog)
That soup + sandwich looks heavenly! I love tomato soup and grilled cheese. Totally delicious. 🙂 I’ve never made homemade tomato soup, though. I need to overcome that anxiety. hehe
Jenn
August 4, 2010 at 19:16
couchpotatoathlete
I love tomato soup, although I’ve never made it myself. I love the Imagine brand soups — most are made without dairy and they taste incedible. I could eat soup and a grilled (nondairy) cheese sandwich every day for lunch. It is delicious and so filling.
August 4, 2010 at 19:25
spabettie
OMG you are NOT going to believe this !! I made tomato + rice soup tonight, and had a (millet bread) grilled cheez! 🙂 so crazy.
it was SO good.
that pear looks wild! 🙂 frankenstein, indeed!
August 5, 2010 at 11:52
kaztronomic
It’s like our minds were aligned to crave the exact same thing…! -dons foil cap and glances around shiftily- 😀
August 4, 2010 at 19:29
Wendy
You’re such a question copycat. Ha!! 😀
All that tomato bisque talk is making me reeeeally hungry. Looks great! Way to go – whipping it up on the fly!
August 4, 2010 at 20:19
Gaby
I need to remember to buy vegan cheese at the store next time I’ve been craving it for a while! Don’t remember if I told you but just in case, I also finally realized I feel ok giving in to my egg cravings because I met a nice little old farmer at the farmers market and he showed me pictures and told me about his happy chickens. Right now I’m kicking myself because I had planned to put an egg in my oats all day and I just sat down to eat a giant quinoa/ oats with peaches, yogurt and cashew butter( aka peaches and cream oats) and realized I completely forgot the egg!!
Your dessert looks absolutely scrumptious! Adzuki beans are one of my favorites, specifically because they are the best in sweet dishes. For savoury, I love the giant butter beans.
August 5, 2010 at 11:55
kaztronomic
I’m glad you were able to alleviate those cravings! I think if they’re from humanely raised chickens, there’s nothing wrong with eating eggs, and it’s wonderful that you made sure that you got your eggs from a good source. =)
Guess what, girl. You inspired my breakfast this morning. 😀 I was like, “Peaches and cream, why am I craving peaches and cream?” Heh.
I love butter beans! I grew up with butter beans and cornbread — a Southern thing, I think — so they make me all sorts of nostalgic. 🙂
August 6, 2010 at 13:51
Gaby
I saw your breakfast post, I feel so special!!! I love dessert style oatmeal. Really, anything dessert like, I think over half my meals are actually better for you (sometimes :X) versions of dessert. We only live once!
And yeah, it’s so weird because I can go months and months and not even think of things like cheese and eggs then suddenly see it somewhere and not get it out of my mind. But now I’m not even halfway through the carton and the craving is kind of gone. I think I need to make MIM’s!
August 6, 2010 at 15:49
kaztronomic
Sorry, I’m trying to reply your most recent comment, but it’s not letting me. x)
I’m glad you liked it! 😀 Yes, dessert porridge is the BEST, I agree! Turning dessert into healthful meals is all part of enjoying life, I think. =) Or heck, just eating dessert is all part of enjoying life!
I know what you mean, about burning out your cravings. That happens to me all. the. time. I hope you try/enjoy MIM’s! 😀
August 4, 2010 at 20:56
Aimee
Nothing like a melted cheese dipped in tomato! Yum! Good for you on creating your own recipe too. How fun! 🙂
August 5, 2010 at 04:21
a theme for the day «
[…] tonight, I went old school. I was craving grilled cheese + tomato soup. Wouldn’t you know, great minds think alike! Although Kaz actually made a great looking tomato bisque from scratch, while I opened a can. I […]
August 5, 2010 at 10:12
theeverloving&admiringbff
oMG this looks soooo good, i want it… now… all of it
August 5, 2010 at 11:52
kaztronomic
I’ll feed you anytime! ❤