A fresh tomato soup to warm you up on cold nights, this recipe can either be made thin and smooth or chunky and thick. Try it with a pan of Simple Bread (page 283) and a crisp Romaine Salad (page 34).  

• 6 sun-dried tomatoes, not oil packed
•  2 cups of boiling water or broth
•  1 tablespoon olive oil or ¼ cup vegetable stock, for sautéing
•  1 small onion, diced
•  1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced
•  1 stalk celery, diced
•  10-12 fresh Roma tomatoes or 1 (28 oz) can of whole fire-roasted tomatoes with juice
• 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
• 1 cup corn kernels, frozen
•  1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
•  ½ teaspoon smoky sweet paprika
•  1 teaspoon Deb’s Seasoning (page 269)
•  ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes
• 1 cup unsweetened almond or rice milk
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
•  Homemade Croutons (page 270), for garnish

Begin by pouring 2 cups of boiling water over the sun-dried tomatoes. Let soak for at least 15 minutes before removing tomatoes from water and chopping them into small pieces. Return to soaking water. Set aside.  Over medium-high heat, sauté onion, celery and garlic in a soup pot using oil or vegetable stock until the onion is soft and beginning to brown. Add tomatoes and tomato paste, cook until the mixture begins to boil. Then add sun- dried tomatoes (with soaking water), corn, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, seasoning, and red pepper flakes. Reduce to simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes.  Stir in almond milk, parsley and taste for salt and pepper. At this point, if you want a smoother soup, use an immersion blender or food processor to reach desired texture. Use almond or rice milk to thin the soup as necessary. Turn off the heat to let the soup flavors blend together. Heat just before serving.