garlic tomato soup w/ parsley almond pesto

for the soup ~

2 cups veg stock
1 cups water
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp onion powder
2 tbls evoo
1 small onion, minced
2 tsp minced garlic
1 small red pepper, finely chopped
salt & pepper to taste
28 oz. can whole tomatoes, squished with hands
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp cornstarch
little water
fresh squeezed juice of one lemon

1) combine water, stock, soy & onion powder, set aside
2) heat evoo in a large stockpot and saute onion until soft. add garlic & bell pepper and cook another 3-4 minutes. add salt, pepper, tomatoes and stock mixture. bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer and add vinegar. Blend cornstarch with a little water and stir into soup. simmer for 25 minutes. Stir in lemon and top with pesto

parsley ~ almond pesto
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, stems removed
1 cup pecorino romano, finely grated (or parm)
1/4 - 1/3 cup toasted almonds, ground into nut meat
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 - 1/2 cup evoo

blend all ingredients in a food processor