Tonight's Dinner: Creamy Tomato Soup w/Open-Faced Cheese Sandwiches

This was tonight's dinner. I adapted it from Horn of the Moon Cookbook, an old vegetarian book I have. I haven't cooked from it in a long time. Surprisingly, I used to be a vegetarian (for quite a few years in the early 80's). I have been searching for simple vegetarian meals for Meatless Monday's and pulled this book out of the bookcase last week.

I made a soup last night too. Hubby thinks I have gone soup-crazy. Maybe I have.

Creamy Tomato Soup w/Open-Faced Cheese Sandwiches

Soup:

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1.5 cups chopped onion (3 onions)

2-28 oz cans crushed tomatoes

1 tbsp rice vinegar*

2 cups water

1 cup soymilk, mixed with

4 tbsp unbleached flour

1/3 cup parsley, minced**

1/2 tsp salt

dash white pepper

Sandwich:

3 slices sandwich bread

3/4 cup ricotta cheese, drained of liquid

4 pickled hot peppers, minced

1 onion, sliced

9-12 thin slices sharp cheddar cheese

For soup: Heat the butter in a nonstick skillet over MED heat. Saute the onions until golden brown. Combine onions and tomatoes in a 3 quart soup pot (or a dutch oven). Add vinegar and water and simmer on LOW, covered, for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix soymilk with flour to  make a slurry. Add slurry in a thin street, whisk well, and cook uncovered for a few minutes until it thickens. Add parsley, salt and pepper.

For sandwich. Place bread on a cookie sheet. Place 1/4 cup of ricotta on each slice of bread. Spread each one with some of the pickled peppers.

In a skillet over MED heat, saute onion slices until lightly golden and soft. Place onions on each sandwich. Top with 3-4 slices of cheddar. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. When ready, place sandwiches in oven and bake for 7-10 minutes until light golden brown and the cheese is melted.

Serve soup and sandwich.