spicy artichoke tomato soup

To make up for tempting you with those naughty but oh so delish cookies last week, I cooked up a big ol' batch of this healthy, spicy soup just for you. Ok, it was really for Pete and me but if you hop on a plane right now, I promise to have a bowl waiting for you when you get off the plane. 

Spicy Artichoke Tomato Soup

1 T olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large can diced or whole tomatoes, slightly pureed (you don’t want it to be totally smooth)
4 cups stock
1 12 oz. bag frozen artichoke hearts (I get mine at Trader Joe's), thawed and chopped finely (you could probably use canned here as well, but I don't recommend the marinated kind)
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 T fresh thyme, minced
1 T balsamic vinegar
squirt of siracha (how much really depends on how spicy you like it)
1/3 cup sour cream

Sauté onion in olive oil until tender, add minced garlic and sauté for another 30 seconds or so. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the sour cream and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Taste as it simmers and adjust for your preferred level of spiciness. Stir in sour cream, simmer a bit more and serve.

I served this with my girl Ina’s biscuits. These are my go-to biscuits because they are both easy and super versatile. I've made them with cheddar, chives, rosemary, whatever I have lying around gets tossed in. Tonight I threw in some parmesan, used half whole wheat, half white flour and replaced the half and half with skim milk. Pete also thinks these are tasty toasted, smeared with butter and slathered in honey. As Ina says, "How can that be bad?"