Tomato Basil Soup

Ingredients:
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 lg onion, chopped
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp sea salt
1 bay leaf
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
2 cups veggie stock
1 (14.5 ounce) can chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp honey
¼ cup plain yogurt
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat oil and butter in 4 quart pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and salt and saute until onions are soft and translucent. Add stock, tomatoes, bay leaf, and honey and bring to a boil. Turn down heat to simmer soup for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Add basil and pepper then let soup cool slightly and blend (with a hand blender or in a blender) with yogurt until smooth. Bon Appetite!

We bring you Tomato Basil Soup!

Now for some Great Reasons why you might just want to have a bowl, or two!

Tomatoes:

Tomatoes contain Lycopene, which is the most potent antioxidants found in food! Eating Lycopene rich foods can help to prevent cancers develop! Cooking tomatoes increases the bioavailability of the Lycopene! Tomatoes are also high in vitamins C and Potassium!

Basil:

The flavonoids found in basil provide protection at the cellular level. Orientin and vicenin are two water-soluble flavonoids, and in studies on human white blood cells; these components of basil protect cell structures as well as chromosomes from radiation and oxygen-based damage. Also, basil has been shown to provide protection againt bacterial growth. These anti-bacterial properties of basil are associated with its volatile oils, which contain estragole, linalool, cineole, eugenol, sabinene, myrcene, and limonene. Lab studies show the effectiveness of basil in restricting growth of numerous bacteria!