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TOMATO BASIL SOUP WITH OVEN-ROASTED WALNUTS AND AN AWARD
The weather was pretty chilly for the past few days for us in Virginia. Yesterday we had some snow. It was such a glorious sight and I was in a lazy mood the whole day watching the snow. It was not a day for hitting the gym, rather I was in the mood for something piping hot and crunchy. Tomato basil soup sounded so wonderful but I did not have any fresh basil in the fridge yet brave me went right ahead to make the soup with dried basil. I know people won’t agree with dried basil in tomato basil soup where basil is the main ingredient still this soup tasted good for a quicker version. It was almost as tasty as the ones with fresh basil. I combined it with some oven-roasted walnuts. These were real good too perfect for the cold. The nuts were still warm from the oven when I had it. They were so yummy that I finished almost a half a cup of nuts. I clicked a view of the lawn from our window while having this.

TOMATO BASIL SOUP

INGREDIENTS:
Canned tomatoes, 1 can.
Red onion, medium-sized, 1.
Garlic, 2 cloves.
Olive oil.
Salt and pepper as per taste.
Chili powder (optional), ¼ teaspoon.
Basil leaves (1 bunch if fresh ones are used, 2 teaspoons if dried basil is used).
Grated parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons.
Any broth like chicken or vegetable broth, 2 cups.

PREPARATION:
Dice the onions and crush the garlic cloves coarsely. Heat a pot with some olive oil and when the oil is hot enough, add the diced onions and garlic and sauté for a few minutes until the onion is well caramelized. Switch off the stove and let it cool. Pour the contents of the canned tomatoes to a blender and add the sautéed onions to this mixture and blend everything to a smooth paste. If fresh basil is used, half of it can be added while blending and the remaining half can be torn and added to the soup while serving. Pour the blended mixture to the pot and add salt, pepper chili powder, dried basil leaves if they are used along with 2 cups of broth and 2 cups of water. Let it simmer for 15 minutes and stir in the parmesan cheese. Ladle the soups into serving bowls and serve hot with any crusty bread.

OVEN-ROASTED WALNUTS
INGREDIENTS:
Walnuts, 2 cups.
Paprika, 1 tablespoon.
Salt, ½ teaspoon.
Canola oil, ½ teaspoon.
Garlic powder (optional), ¼ teaspoon.

PREPARATION:
Put the walnuts in a bowl. Add in the spices along with salt and oil and mix everything well until each of the walnut is well coated with the spices. Transfer the nuts to a baking dish and bake at 300 degrees for 10 minutes and let it cool and enjoy.