Roasted Eggplant Soup

Branching out. That's what I am doing.... thanks to my Abundant Harvest Organics Veggies that I get weekly. Because I receive certain things in my box, I am encouraged (or forced if I don't want to be wasteful which is one of my main goals when it comes to my kitchen!) to try new things, things I wouldn't necessarily come up with on my own. So this week, I not only got tomatoes, onions, and eggplant in my box- I also got a recipe for a Roasted Eggplant Soup that I had never tried... and I tried it.... and I liked it.... and I would make it again! So I am passing on the recipe to you, give it a chance, put a little pep in your step and branch out too- you never know what you will come across!

I personally think this soup would be perfect for a dinner party as the appetizer, or a luncheon served along with a light salad. We had it tonight for dinner with a hardier salad and I thought it was perfect, it reminded me of something you would order at a quaint little restaurant! I omitted the crumbled cheese, for preference sake, but it was delicious just the same.

Ingredients:

1 large egg plant or 2 medium ones, halved

3 tomatoes, halved

1 onion, halved

4 large cloves of garlic, peeled

Grape seed oil or Olive Oil

Salt & pepper

1 tsp dried thyme

4 cups chicken broth

1 cup heavy cream

** 3 ounces crumbled cheese of your choice** optional

All your veggies ready to roast, lightly brushed with Grape Seed Oil and sprinkled with S & P.

After Roasting for 40 minutes...

Directions:

Wow, this soup is easy on the prep, it takes awhile as far as actual cooking time, but honestly, it's very little hassle. You are going to wash and half your veggies and peel your garlic, placing them on a foil-lined roasting pan or cookie sheet and pop them in the oven at 400 for 40 minutes until they are lightly browned. Then scoop them up and into a pot they go with the chicken broth and thyme. Bring that to a boil and then let it simmer for another 35 minutes. From there, take and dump it in your Vitamix or Food Processor and puree it, add it back to your pot, add your heavy cream and bring it to a simmer again. Serve it up in soup bowls or mugs and add your crumbled cheese it you'd like!