Elephants Tomato Orange Soup

Sometimes, you want something warm and tasty.  Sometimes, you want soup.  Perhaps, most of the time you don't like soup.  That's me.  Most of the time, I'm not a fan of soup.  I'll pass.  Most of the time, I never quite feel satisfied with soup.  You go through the whole labor of soup, and it takes me forever to slurp it down...and then, still hungry.

But this soup...this soup is worth the effort.  It does not contain any protein, so this soup is best served as a side or with a nice salad.  I was thinking the savory flavor of bacon might compliment this well, but I have yet to try.  A couple of months ago, I ate this soup along with a simple baked chicken breast.  And, I have modified this soup to be Paleo/Whole30 compliant.

Anyways, here it is.

Elephants Tomato Orange Soup
recipe adapted from the blog of Elephants Delicatessen

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup clarified butter or coconut oil
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup coconut milk

Directions

• In a saucepan, melt coconut oil or butter; add onion and sauté until translucent.
• Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, baking soda and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered about 15 minutes or until slightly thickened.
• Puree in a food processor or blender (I used an immersion blender and left some chunks for texture; if you want it smooth you can also strain your soup here).
• Return to saucepan and stir in orange juice and water. (You could use a full cup of orange juice here and omit the water; I wanted to dilute the sweetness of mine a bit).
• Add the coconut milk and adjust seasonings if necessary (I added an extra splash of coconut milk to make the soup a little thicker and creamier). You can drizzle coconut milk from your measuring cup or can for a decorative look.

Enjoy!

30 Days of Healthy Choices

Wow, I feel like I have a lot to say on this, but don't know where to begin.  

Last year my husband and I participated in a Whole30®.  Over the last several months we (more specifically, I) have fallen into poor eating habits....so, it is time to do it again and remember why we were so impressed the first time around.

Never heard of Whole30®? Check it out here. Or, a bit more about the program here.

The website is fantastic, so I don't need to tell you much about how Whole30 works.  What I will tell you though, is that it does work.  When I fuel my body with healthy foods I feel better. I sleep well. I have more energy. My skin clears up.  My digestive system feels good. Headaches disappear. I am a better person.

I know, you are probably thinking that this is a load of horse pucky (that's right, I said it) and that in moderation, you can consume whatever you want.  I agree...and trust me, I am going to miss chocolate very, very much.  In fact, after a long weekend of eating tasty foods (like goat cheese and kettle chips) and drinking delicious wine, I am almost regretting my decision.... almost.

To back out before I even begin would be ridiculous.

Here we go.