Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

It is storming outside and I am trying to get cozy. Time to put a fire on in the fireplace and make some soup! This recipe is complements of a new organics delivery service we joined. I was able to order all of the produce and have it delivered straight to my door. This recipe does take a while to put together, and you could do the roasting the night before if you want to speed up the process at dinner time. There's a lot going on concurrently, which makes things somewhat quicker. You can roast the garlic and the veggies at the same time. Then, when you add them to the chicken stock, make some buttery almond biscuits and a green salad to serve with it. I added a bit of cayenne for a little more dimension. It was still very mild-tasting to me, but too spicy for my mom. Enjoy!

Adapted from doortodoororganics.com.

Ingredients
2-3 red bell peppers, seeded and cored (1 to 1 1/4 pounds)
1 pound tomatoes
1 large or 2 small onions, skin removed
1 heads garlic
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
2/3 cup full-fat coconut milk
1/2 cup olive oil
2 bay leaves
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Cut the top off of the garlic bulb, making sure all of the cloves are exposed. You may need to cut the tops of the smaller cloves off with scissors.
3. Place bulb in the center of a piece of foil. Drizzle the garlic with olive oil and seal the garlic by alternately folding in two opposite ends of the foil to make a secure packet. Place the garlic in preheated oven. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the garlic feels soft when you squeeze the packet.
   NOTE: Garlic and be baked at the same time as veggies.
4. Open the packet and let the garlic cool, then squeeze out the cloves.
5. Cut red peppers and onions into eighths. Halve tomatoes and remove seeds. Place on a large, rimmed baking sheet.
6. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Roast for 30 minutes. Carefully remove from oven and flip mixture with a spatula or large spoon. Return pan to the oven and continue roasting for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender and lightly browned.
7. In a large stock pot, add chicken broth, roasted vegetables, roasted garlic, and bay leaves. Simmer over medium heat for 20-30 minutes. 
8. Remove bay leaves and add basil. Use a stick blender to puree until smooth.
9. Stir in coconut milk.
10. To serve, ladle soup into individual bowls and garnish with basil and a swirl of coconut milk.