Tomato basil soup

Most people stop and smell the flowers; I stop and smell the herbs.  My husband thought I was nuts when I walked over to him with a big bunch of basil and held it out for him to smell before I started making this soup.  Combine that with both fresh AND fire roasted tomatoes, and you get a delicious, nourishing soup with layers of flavor.  Try topping with additional basil chiffonade and if you desire, a sprinkling of fresh, grated parmesan.

INGREDIENTS
1 T olive oil
1 ½ c onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
28oz can organic fire roasted tomatoes
6 fresh organic roma tomatoes, diced
2 T grass fed butter (optional)
¾ cups fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 qt vegetable stock
5 cups vegetable or tomato juice
Juice of ½ lemon
¼ tsp each sea salt and pepper
¼ tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp thyme
 
In soup pot, sauté onions in olive oil until soft. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add both kinds of tomatoes, butter, basil, stock and juice. Let simmer over low heat until tomatoes are soft, about 20 minutes. Add lemon juice, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper and thyme; continue to simmer another 10 minutes. Taste seasonings and adjust if needed.