Tomato, White Bean & Coconut Soup
The photo shoot for my upcoming book took place in Richmond, VA, last month and although we were shooting a “summer” scene, it was actually 22 degrees and snowing outside (we had to edit out snowflakes in some shots, a laborious process that photographer Chelsea Fullerton painstakingly accomplished).
Anyway, it was cold and damp and I was in bare feet and a t-shirt, sitting on frozen brick and channeling the sunny feel of an August day, while everyone watching and assisting us shivered in hats and winter coats. We had some great laughs.
Photo Stylist and Design Director, Jennifer Elsner is not only a talent in the design world but an amazing cook too, so, surprise, Jen had made a home cooked lunch for us and our crew. The centerpiece was a creamy, warm soup that she adapted from this recipe, over at Love and Lemons. Jennifer used red peppers instead of tomatoes, and smoked paprika.
I used a jar of organic tomatoes, see my recipe adaptation below, but I didn’t have any garbanzo beans on hand, so I used white cannellini beans instead and tweaked it too. It was delicious both ways.
This serves approximately 4.
Jen and I both served it with a Kale and Tahini Salad. She served a homemade gluten free, flour-free nut and seed bread that made the house smell, well, like fresh baked bread.
Yes, I’ll post that soon!
Ingredients
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon paprika (I used the Spanish variety)
sea salt
splash of balsamic vinegar (I added a second one, this is up to you)
1 14-ounce jar of diced tomatoes, with juice
a pinch of coconut sugar
fresh thyme, leaves from 2 or 3 sprigs (for me, this made the soup)
1 cup cooked white canneloni beans (rinsed, drained)
1 cup coconut milk
1.5 cups water
cayenne pepper
smoked ancho poblano pepper flakes (optional, I loved this smokey flavor)
a drizzle of olive oil for garnish, or a few thin slices of avocado
Preparation
1. Heat coconut oil in a medium size dutch oven. Add the onion, garlic a few pinches of salt and cook until the onion is translucent. Add the paprika and stir for 30 seconds or so. Add a splash of balsamic vinegar and stir, then add the tomatoes, coconut sugar and thyme leaves. Add the white beans, coconut milk and water. Cover pot and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
2. Pour soup into a blender and puree, or use your hand-held immersion blender in the pot. Taste and adjust the seasonings for salt and pepper. I added more sea salt at this step, cayenne pepper and smoked pepper.
3. Serve topped with a drizzle of olive oil, or a few very thin slices of avocado looks gorgeous and tastes delicious as well.
You can substitute dairy for coconut milk if you prefer, a half and half or cream would be appropriate. I used ground thyme since my herbs are not growing yet this spring, a scant half teaspoon did the trick.
