Tomato Bisque and the Mistletoe of Spring

The tomatoes are ripening in the bath tub in the yard. Yellow flowers peak out from the tops of the Roma vines like springtime mistletoe and promise more and more and more. You gotta find a good bisque recipe if your yard too burgeons with ripe reds. May I offer this for the sampling.

Tomato Bisque and Grilled “Cheese”

Adapted from The Edgy Veg

¼ cup vegan butter

2 garlic cloves

½ cup +2 TB tomato paste

4 roma tomatoes

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

½ tsp dried basil

½ tsp dried thyme

1 tsp onion powder

2 vegetable bouillon cubes

4 cups water

1 TB maple syrup

1 bay leaf

½ tsp salt

1 cup cream (non-dairy)

¼ tsp black pepper

Grilled Cheese

Bread, (vegan) butter, and the Art of Cheese Sauce.

For the tomato bisque, heat butter in a saucepan. Add garlic and saute for one minute. Stir in tomato paste, then tomatoes, cayenne, basil, thyme and onion powder and cook for five minutes, stirring constantly, until fragrant. Add bouillon, water, maple syrup, bay leaf and sea salt—bring to a boil. Simmer on medium low for 10 minutes. Make sure all the bouillon dissolves. Then transfer to a blender, reserving one quarter of the mix in the pot. Blend on high until smooth. Return to saucepan and simmer on medium for 20 more minutes. Stir in the “cream” and keep warm while making the grilled cheese. It’s easy to do, just put butter on the toast and cook on a skillet with the cheese between the slices. This is SOOOO delicious. All of it.

Gosh, I’m still not over Jazz Fest. What a wonderful time with family and fabulous weather and unparalleled musical talent, seven perfect days full. So grateful.

Here’s a snazzy tool for the kitchen. Ever been stabbed by your own Wusthof lurking in the bottom of the soapy dishwater? Or pricked by a knife blade standing up in the silverware tray? For those of us doing our dishes by hand (so as to meditate), Sink Safe Multi-Purpose Knife Caddy is a nice safety addition to the kitchen milieu.

I’ve been reviewing some diabetes cookbooks that I keep in my clinic for patients looking to watch their sugars, and most of these are pretty good. Several have nice meal planning guides and shopping lists to help those who feel overwhelmed at the idea of cooking more at home. Even just adding one meal a week will pay huge health dividends.