Tomato soup

This is nice this time of the year. I found it in a Christmas mag. and they used slices of bread cut like Christmas trees and baked in the oven for ten to twelve minutes (with Italian sesoning) and floated them as one large crouton in each bowl. You can cut this recipe in half. The full recipe makes ten cups.

olive oil

3 garlic cloves minced

2 (28 oz ) cans crushed tomatoes

1 (14 oz) can low sodium chicken broth (or if vegan a substitute)

2 (12 oz ) jars roasted red bell peppers drained

1 TBS sugar (I didn't use this--could use a bit of Agave nectar if you want to sweeten)

1-2 tsp of Italian seasoning

2 cups almond milk (or 1/2 and 1/2 if desired)

1/4 tsp ground red pepper (if desired)

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Christmas Croûton (if desired)

Place oil in pot over med heat. Add garlic and saute 1 minute until slightly golden. Stir in tomatoes and next 4 ingredients. Cook, stirring occasionally over low to med heat for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for ten minutes.

Process mixture in batches in the blender until smooth. Stir in milk. Stir in ground red and black pepper if using. Serve with croûton.