Tandoori Masala Eggplant Soup

VEGETABLE PREP

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Cut eggplant in half and score with a knife creating diagonal cuts.  If unsure, google “how to score an eggplant”
3. Rub in tandoori masala seasoning and drizzle a little coconut oil on the eggplant flesh.
4. Add eggplant halves, 2 whole tomatoes, all of your sliced portobellos and 1/4 of the red onion to a roasting sheet and place in oven.  Roast until the veggies are tender (around 20-30 minutes)
5. While roasting, begin soup making process. Once finished, remove from oven and set aside until ready to add to soup

FOR SOUP

1. Make a spice mix by adding all of your spices to a small bowl.  Now, I know you’re wondering how much spice mix to use?  This is where Mindfulness comes into place. You are in charge here. At this point you get to decide how you want this soup to taste. It can be more spicy, more heat, more smokey or a balance of all 3.  If you don’t have all the spices, make sure you at least have the Tandoori Masala, Cumin, Cayenne, Smoked Paprika, Turmeric and Salt.  By mixing them in a bowl you can taste it as you go along before adding it to the soup.  Remember a little bit of this and a little bit of that, trust your taste buds to guide you.
2. Once your seasoning mix is ready, add coconut oil and palm oil to a pot over medium heat.  Once heated, add in your 1/2 of your spice mix and let it bloom. This will become really fragrant and may smell overwhelming. That’s a good thing!
3. Add in your garlic and the 3/4 cup sliced red onions.
4. Once the onions are softened (about 5 minutes) add roasted veggies, 2 tomatoes chopped, and the veggie broth.
5. Mix well and return the soup to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes.
6. Turn off the heat and grab your immersion blender and blend the soup until it’s the texture you want. I like mine chunky, so I tend to blend only half.  If you don’t have an immersion blender then add 1/2 of the pot into a real blender and blend and then pour blended soup back into the pot.
7. Now that it’s texturally the way you want it, taste your pot.  How is it? On point? Leave it as is and add in spinach leaves.  If it’s too bland or not the right taste, then adjust seasoning blend by adding the rest of your spice mix or a bit at a time until it taste like your want it. Relax on your need to have exact measurements and allow yourself to experiment with flavor and amounts.  Also remember that if it doesn’t taste like you want it, you may not need more spice and instead you just may need SALT to amplify the flavor that’s already there.
8. Serve with a drizzle of coconut cream or cashew yogurt and enjoy.