Weight Watchers' Tomato Soup with Pesto
Source: Weight Watcher's Magazine, 1985

3 large tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons (about 1/2 recipe) frozen pesto
salt and pepper to taste
2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese

Run tomatoes under hot water and peel off skins. Place in medium saucepan with chicken broth; bring to a boil over medium heat. Cover and cook 15 minutes or until tomatoes are soft. Remove and discard green tomato cores.

In food processor or blender, process soup in batches until smooth. Return to saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add pesto and stir until defrosted. Season with salt and pepper.

Ladle soup equally into four bowls; garnish each with 1/4 of the cheese.

Makes 4 servings; each serving provides 1/2 protein exchange, 1 1/2 vegetable exchanges, and 35 optional caloriesWeight Watchers' Pesto

1 cup loosely packed, fresh basil leaves
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon crushed, dried thyme leaves

In a food processor or blender, process all ingredients until smooth (add an additional tablespoon of water if mixture is too thick to process).

Divide into 8 equal portions, pack in small freezer bags, and freeze.

Use as directed in Tomato Soup with Pesto (recipe follows).

Makes 8 servings, about 1 1/2 teaspoons each
Each serving provides (for those of us on Weight Watchers) 5 optional calories