Kelly's "Feel Better" Tomato Soup

Well it is three in the morning and I'm wide awake.   Since the knee surgery 24 days ago I've struggled to sleep more than six hours a night.  I have yet to figure out why my knee gives me trouble when I'm sleeping!  Going to sleep is no problem but I always wake up close to three with a swollen and tender knee.  It doesn't matter if I've stayed off my leg all day or had an active day with the limited chores I can accomplish.

Saturday night I started to feel run down.  Most likely the lack of sleep catching up.

Prior to being on a primal diet (pre March 2011), just two or three days with rough sleep I would have been sick with the sniffles, grouchy or physically exhausted.  Scientifically speaking I cannot provide anything more than my observations but my body feels more resilient to illness and adapts better to life's variations.  My three year old started preschool this summer so I'm getting plenty of germ exposure yet this is the first summer in a long time where I have not had a summer cold.

Now back to Saturday night.  So I am tired and around eight pm I develop a crazy craving for tomato soup.  At the same time I'm feeling blah my good friends little girl Kelly, a spunky little five year old red head, is developing a fever of 102. Unfortunately we live on different coasts of the US.  Dropping off an extra batch just isn't easy.  So I'll name this recipe after her so she knows I'm thinking about her.  On a side note, her fever broke the next day and she is feeling better.

Now I dislike raw tomatoes.  I can handle them in salsa, but to eat them like an apple, on a sandwich or burger - ick ick ick.  Needless to say, we don't have any fresh tomatoes in our house.  Even the smell makes me shiver with ickyness (is that even a word).

But I do like cooked tomatoes.  I buy canned, organic tomatoes.  Maybe this summer I'll try stewing some if I can get past the smell.  I really like Fresh and Easy's Roasted Tomatoes.  The price is right and the can lid is a pop off...no can opener needed.

Normally I would use homemade bone broth and fresh basil.  But I needed something quick, at 8pm cooking with only one good leg.

Ingredients:
2 TBSP butter or coconut oil (I used coconut)
3 cloves of garlic chopped
2 TBSP Italian Seasoning (I prefer fresh basil)
2 cans roasted tomatoes
1 can of chicken stock (part of my emergency earthquake kit)
1 cup of cream (or milk)
1 handful of shredded cheese
salt/pepper

1. Oil in pot, medium heat and add garlic.  Cook for about a minute.  Add Italian Seasoning and mix into oil.
2. Open cans of tomatoes and stock - slowly add to oil/garlic/seasoning (may splatter!).  Turn heat up to high and once the liquid boils turn down to a simmer.  Cover.
3. Cook for 30 mins.  Add milk/cream.
4. Blend smooth.  I use an immersion blender to smooth out the veggies and stock.  If you don't have an immersion blender, #1 BUY ONE, #2 blend small batches in your blender until smooth.
4. Serve in a bowl, garnish with a handful of cheddar cheese and a few twists of black pepper.

Now cross your fingers I can get back to sleep.