Tomato Coconut Soup

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 I'm about to introduce you to the best thing you've probably never had - Tomato Coconut Soup. Campbell's even has a version of this soup now! To be completely honest with you, I've eaten this for the last 4 days straight - and I'm loving every second of it. Some of you may be thinking: "this sounds terribly sweet", "but I don't like coconut...", or something along those lines. I love you, but unfortunately - all of these thoughts are wrong. This soup has a very deep flavor and uses coconut milk, which carries the creamy essence of coconut - not the typical sweetened coconut taste.

I first discovered this soup over Memorial Day weekend at India Palace in Dallas. It is surprising that soup is what I remember most from this meal because I probably ate 10 plates full of amazing food at lunch that day! My love of Indian food stems from my summer abroad in India, where I completely fell in love with the country as a whole - the culture, the cuisine, even the cows. This soup reminds me of the freshness and full-flavors indicative of Indian cuisine.

If you're not an adventurous eater, fear not - this dish will certainly be loved by all pallets. I would even venture to say that this soup could easily replace your classic tomato soup recipe; it certainly replaced mine! Since the coconut milk takes the place of the cream, this is a lower fat and more healthy version of the comfort classic. Creamy without cream - you're body will thank you!

This exotic take on tomato soup is healthy, amazingly simple, and surprisingly filling. So, next time you need a bowl of comfort, reach for this recipe and enjoy with a warm piece of naan or a good ole grilled cheese!

Notes:

• You can make this soup with as little or as much coconut milk as you choose. For more of a strong tomato flavor, begin with a quarter or half of a can of coconut milk and ease you're way up. If you're scared of the coconut flavor, this is a good way to decide where your coconut milk tolerance is.
•  It is vitally important to salt this soup throughout the cooking process. If you wait to the end, you will end up with creamy, salted tomato broth, which would be bad. Taste during the simmering step and adjust the S&P level!
• I poured the chicken broth into my tomato can to measure - fewer dishes!
• The chicken bouillon cubes are used to give the soup a deeper, more well rounded flavor. You can certainly leave them out. You can dissolve the bouillon cubes in the broth if you want to be sure they completely break down.
• If you want to be spicy (this would be really yummy!): cut up a Thai chili and add to the simmering step if you'd like to remove it later or add it to the saute step to make it extra spicy! Or, you can simply add crushed red pepper to individual bowls.
• If you have an immersion blender, this is the perfect time to use it instead of a blender / food processor.
• You could easily turn this into a vegetarian dish by subbing vegetable broth for the chicken broth and leaving out the bouillon cubes.
• To avoid fighting over the last bowl of soup, make a double batch. :)

Tomato - Coconut Soup
4 stalks celery, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1/4 c. olive oil
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
28 oz. chicken broth
2 chicken bouillon cubes (optional)
salt and pepper
1 bay leaf
1 t. oregano
12 oz. can of coconut milk

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Pour the vegetables into the hot pot and season with salt and pepper. Saute the vegetables in the bottom of the pan until completely tender and translucent, about 10 minutes.

Pour the tomato sauce and chicken broth into the vegetable mixture and stir, removing any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the bay leaf, oregano, and bouillon cubes (if using). Bring to a light boil, then reduce to simmer for 10 minutes. Stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat

Prepare a blender or food processor. Working in small batches (~2cups) blend the soup well, so that you have no chunks of vegetables.

Once the entire batch of soup has been blended,share and enjoy - or don't share and enjoy more...