SOUP WEATHER!!!!  It was cold enough for a jacket yesterday and now I want to make all the soup.  All of it.  And you’re coming along for the ride. 

It was actually a little chilly last weekend which is why I created this soup.  For some reason, I had artichokes on the brain and wanted to include them in this recipe.  While I still haven’t gotten the hang of fresh artichokes I love the briny taste of canned artichoke hearts.  It might one of the only foods in a can I like better than fresh.

So with that as my inspiration, I started throwing things into my slow cooker.  Oh yeah, this is a slow cooker recipe because slow cooker = ultimate soup making tool.  Along with a dutch oven.  While the artichoke and tomato and other vegetables I threw into this are good, I really think it’s the spices that take this soup to the next level.

That and avocado sour cream.  Did you make it like I told you too?  Good.  Time to use it.

Adam loved this soup and happily sopped it up with a loaf of bread.  Yes, a whole loaf.  The man loves his bread.  I was happy enough to eat it with a dollop of sour cream.  If you’re feeling the chill of fall, throw everything into your slow cooker, let the smell drive the cold away all day, then cozy up to a big bowl for dinner.  It’s kind of the perfect fall meal!

Tomato & Artichoke Soup- You can always make this in a dutch oven, just cut down the simmer time to anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour.  

• 1 cup carrots, sliced
• 1 cup onions, diced
• 1 cup celery, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cans of artichoke hearts, drained (make sure they aren’t marinated)
• 1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, DON’T drain
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, depending on how hot you want it
• 1/2 tsp salt and pepper (or to taste)
• 2 cups spinach leaves, loosely packed
• 1 cup basil leaves, loosely packed and sliced into ribbons
• 1 batch of avocado sour cream

1. Heat a little olive oil in a medium skillet and saute the carrots, onions, and celery until they start to brown.  Add half the garlic and saute for one more minute and then transfer everything to the slow cooker.
2. Add everything but the spinach, basil, and sour cream to the slow cooker and stir to make sure everything is combined.
3. Cook on low for 8 hours.  About 20 minutes before you are ready to eat, use an immersion blender to break up the artichoke hearts.  You don’t want it pureed smooth, but you don’t want whole artichoke hearts either.
4. Right before serving, stir in the spinach and basil and let it wilt into the soup.  Serve the soup with a dollop of sour cream and a slice of crusty bread!