super sauce?

AP tests start in a week, and my allergies are deterring me from spending my time outside today. So I bet you could guess what that means... instead of spending my entire day hidden behind my textbooks, I've been searching for recipes and looking up new things to try. Before I leave for college next year, I want to force myself to make new types of recipes also. I'm always quick to try new granola recipes, new vegetable side dishes, etc. But very rarely am I as eager to try something entirely new.

So today I decided to try making a homemade tomato soup. As a healthy and clean alternative to canned soup that had lots of hidden sodium and ingredients none of us can pronounce, and instead of driving over to Panera Bread to get their creamy tomato soup, my mom and I got down to making ourselves a new lunch recipe.

The strange thing about this is that as we were cooking, the soup looked more like a sauce than a soup. It smelled amazing and it tasted great as well, but to me it tasted very much like a good pasta sauce. Once we used the emulsifier and added the milk and honey though, the soup became a little soupier and I was a little more satisfied.

Don't get me wrong though, feel free to use this recipe as a tomato sauce over pasta, spaghetti squash, or eggplant. It's a very simple recipe, with basically tomatoes and herbs. You can't get much cleaner than that.

What is also interesting with this recipe is the science behind the small amount of baking soda included. When I told my mom that the baking soda is necessary to help neutralize the acids from the canned tomatoes, she was very impressed that I knew it. I felt guilty taking the credit though, since I didn't know that before reading the original recipe post on another blog earlier today.

Here's what you'll need:
Yields 4 servings
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 28 oz can of tomatoes, pureed, diced or whole
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 large bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp fresh basil
1 tbsp honey
1/4-1/3 cup milk

1. In a medium sized pot, heat oil. Saute onions until they begin to brown (about 5 minutes), then add garlic. Saute for a few more minutes.

2. Add tomatoes, baking soda, parsley, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Remove bay leaf. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then use an emulsifier (or a blender) to blend until smooth. Add milk and honey while blending.

4. Enjoy!