No Cook Tomato Soup

I'm one of those people whose work schedules mean that I eat lunch and dinner at work. Trying to think of meals that are easy and portable had been challenging up until recently. I used to live on Lean Cuisine or Weight Watcher's meals because they took the guesswork and messwork (I made that word up) out of one meal of the day. I could eat one meal with a piece of fruit and maybe a side salad if I was feeling up to it. Or hungry.

"Wow - those Lean Cuisines make me feel stuffed. Said no one. Ever."

Seriously. Am I the only one to eat one of those things who afterwards felt like driving to get a cheeseburger because they felt shorted in the lunch department?

One of things I love about the raw food lifestyle is there's no cooking, no reheating, the food is easy to pack, it's fresh and colorful, and my hunger is always satiated. There's minimal mess in making food too, which is exactly what I need right now. I need easy. I need uncomplicated. I need fast. I'm just in one of those moods where I don't feel like using my brain cells to make dinner.

Know what I mean?

This tomato soup has become one my new favorite meals because there's minimal prep work, everything goes into the blender, and it's done. I pack it up into a mason jar, and that's dinner. It's also very inexpensive to make right now since tomatoes are in season and gardens are overflowing with herbs - I know mine sure is! If you have an abundance of tomatoes from the garden, this is an easy way to use them up.

I've written out a basic recipe but consider it to be freeform. The only thing I measure when I make this is the olive oil, just to be sure that I'm not going too crazy with it since I'm still working on reducing my body weight. Not all fat is created equal, so keep in mind that olive oil is one of the "good guys" - a healthy, monounsaturated fat that has polyphenols, which are natural antioxidants. In addition to the antioxidants in the extra virgin olive oil, you'll be receiving lycopene from the tomatoes, which protects the cells from free radicals. Tomatoes are also very high in Vitamin C and potassium.

Make sure you are using the best ingredients you can get your hands on, preferably organic. The quality really comes through in this soup. You may even want to make a really big batch to freeze and reheat on a chilly winter day.

No Cook Tomato Soup
2 large tomatoes, seeded and roughly chopped (around 4 cups chopped)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
1/4 of a medium red onion
1/2 - 1 garlic clove
5 large basil leaves
3 stems oregano, leaves removed and stems discarded
1/2 tsp fennel seed
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbls extra virgin olive oil
Crushed red pepper flakes, optional


Directions:
Put everything in a blender and blend for at least one minute or until smooth.

Serves: 2

6 Weight Watchers Points+ counting veggies

4 Weight Watchers Points+ not counting veggies