Bloody Mary Bisque (Vegan) [#MMAZ]

Heather declared that R is for Radish in the Meatless Monday A-Z challenge……but she never said I couldn’t turn it into a compound word.

After all, I technically already cooked with (daikon) radish–desipte it not being all that awesome–and I like horseradish better than the peppery pink kind (even if they are a whole lot more beautiful).In addition to being a key ingredient in cocktail sauce and accompaniment to roast beef, horseradish is hugely important to making a great Bloody Mary. I might not be a big consumer of the brunch bebida…but that doesn’t mean I can’t take the spicy, salty flavor and turn it into soup!You can’t have a Bloody Mary without celery, so go ahead and chop up a stalk or two, along with some garlic and onion. Get that sauteeing or steaming in a bit of water. Once it is softened, simply stir in a giant (28 oz.) can of crushed tomatoes.Add about a cup of water or vegetable broth and bring it to a simmer–watching out for popping tomato lava bursts–and mix in the necessary seasonings: celery salt, pepper, cayenne, (vegan) Worcestershire, squeeze of lemon if you’ve got it, and, of course, horseradish.To be honest, this would be delicious at this stage of the game. A chunky tomato soup with a nice little roundabout kick.But the alliteration of Bloody Mary Bisque is just too fun NOT to attempt, so it’s time to bring out the big guns. [If by big guns, you mean immersion blender.*]

*This takes a lot longer than a swish in the food processor or upright blender would, but hot liquid in those machines results in full-on Vesuvius, as opposed to gurgles and pops from the cracks in the Earth’s crust pan.You can’t stop there either, as the word bisque implies a creaminess that when involved with tomatoes requires some sort of pink tint to be successful.This could, I presume, come from unsweetened almond or soy milk, but if you tend to only buy vanilla unsweetened almond milk, I would recommend searching for something else suitable in your fridge. Like tofu.*

*I did consider beans, but I’ve been there and done that with my Bloody Mary Bean Dip.Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to stick with silken in soups. A little more playtime processing with your immersion blender, and you’ve got a smooth, zesty bisque with all the zip (a dee doo dah) of a spiked morning Mary…

Of course, I’ll leave the choice of adding vodka up to you.

Bloody Mary Bisque [Vegan]

(Serves 4-6)

• 1/2 cup celery, chopped
• 1 cup sweet onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup water or vegetable broth
• 2 Tbsp. horseradish
• 2 Tbsp. (vegan) Worcestershire
• 1/2 tsp. celery salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• Squeeze of lemon juice
• 6 oz. tofu

1. Saute or steam (in a bit of water) the onion, celery, and garlic in a soup pot or sauce pan over medium heat.
2. Once softened, stir in tomatoes and water (or broth) and bring to simmer.
3. Mix in Worcestershire, horseradish, and spices.
4. Using an immersion blender, process until smooth.*
5. Crumble in tofu, and continue processing until completely blended.
6. Serve with celery stalks for garnish!

*You may use a standard blender or food processor, but watch out for the eruptive qualities of hot liquid in these machines.