Course #2 of our Christmas Eve Dinner

I made a tomato soup. I had to improvise quite a lot and don't really remember what I put into it, so I share my normal recipe today :) You could serve it with rice or some fresh bread like ciabatta or baguette!

For 4 portions you need:

• a big can of peeled tomatoes (800ml to 1 litre)
• 2-4 carrots
• 1 zucchini
• 1 small onion or 1 shallot/scallion
• 1-2 garlic cloves
• olive oil
• salt, pepper, hot paprika/chili to taste
• basil pesto to taste
• pesto arrabiata to taste
• fresh basil for decoration
• optional: water and/or tomato purée depending on your  desired consistency

how to make it:

1. dice the onion, zucchini and carrots and steam them in a bit of olive oil until golden in a medium sized pot
2. pour the peeled tomatoes into the pot and cook on medium heat
3. once the carrots are soft enough purrée everything to get a thick smooth consistency
4. season the soup with spices, pestos and add the finely chopped garlic
5. pour in another tablespoon of olive oil and let the soup simmer for 5-10 minutes
6. If you don't like the consistency add a bit of water or tomato purée.
7. add chopped fresh basil before serving and decorate the bowl with a few whole basil leaves (If you don't have any fresh basil you can use dried basil instead but add it with the other spices!)

This recipe is pretty easy and very quick to make! It's warming, nourishing, delicious and a perfect fall/ winter recipe :) you can easily add other vegetables like zucchini (puréed or diced), peppers (diced), aubergine (diced) and much more to make the soup more interesting. :)

Let me know which other vegetables or herbs you added! :)

Hope you enjoyed this yummy soup!

Julia
xoxo

Merry Christmas!!!

My dear readers, I wish you a very merry Christmas with your loved ones!

We had our first completely vegan Christmas Eve Dinner!! I obviously had vegan food during the last 3 years as well, but this year I cooked for my whole family and everyone loved it! (At least they said so!)
I made a four-course-dinner and tonight I want to share my first recipe:
The first course was a warm salad:

You need (for 4 portions):
500g frozen green beans
500g small tomatoes (choose different colours to reach for that certain je ne sais quoi)
salt, pepper, olive oil and fresh garlic (optional, I didn't use any) to taste

1. steam the beans according to instructions on package
2. cut tomatoes in quarters
3. marinade tomatoes with salt, pepper, oil (and garlic)
4. mix marinaded tomatoes with beans
5. serve warm!

You can add a little bit of fresh lemon juice and/or fresh basil, but I wanted to keep it rather simple!

Let me know how you like the salad and if you added anything else :)

Merry Christmas,
Julia
xoxo