I love soup!  It’s a cool, dark, dismal kind-of-day today.  Okay so I made cauliflower soup.  I know some of you are thinking how much you hate cauliflower.  It is, I agree, the most boring of veggies but once you roast it, paired up with garlic, it transforms this bland and boring vegetable into something heavenly.  Trust me… you need to try this recipe!  I swear, you will never look back!

 

Ingredients:

1 large head of cauliflower, washed and cut into florets
1 head of garlic, yes the entire head.  Peeled and roughly chopped
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 stalks of celery, washed and sliced
3 carrots, washed, peeled and sliced
1/2 of a medium size onion, diced
4 cups of chicken stock (vegetable stock for a vegetarian option)
3 tablespoons of fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons of Smart balance butter or regular butter (whichever you have on hand)
2 cups of low or non-fat milk
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of all-purpose flour

Optional topping:  Prosciutto  pan-fried in a bit of oil until crispy.  Crumble and sprinkle onto of each bowl.

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Place the cauliflower and garlic on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Give a good toss.  Then roast for 45 minutes or until you start to see some brown edges on the cauliflower.  Toss midway through to evenly roast.

In a dutch oven over medium heat, add about 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Add your mirepoix (celery, onion and carrots).  Cook for about 8-10 minutes or until the onions become translucent.  When the cauliflower and garlic are done, add that to the dutch oven.  Stir.  Then add the stock and parsley.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and then reduce the heat.  Let this simmer for about a half hour.

In a separate small sauce pan, you are going to make a white sauce that will be used to thicken the soup.  Add the butter and once melted, stir in the milk and flour.  Whisk until the mixture boils.  Turn the heat off and whisk for another few minutes.  The sauce will be thickened.  Then pour it into your soup pot.  Give a good stir.  Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.  Let it simmer over a very low flame for 1+ hours.  I let it simmer all afternoon to develop the flavors.  If you like it chunky, leave it as it.  If not, you can use a hand immersion blender to puree the soup (which is what I did).

I love a good bargain.  I was at the farmer’s market yesterday and a vendor/farmer sold me 14 lbs of tomatoes for $5!  I’ve now made two dinners from it already and still have more tomatoes left.  Ha ha.  I love it.  I’m so wishing fall to come, despite my best efforts it was a scorching hot day, I still made soup.  I love soup in the fall.  I could eat it every single day plus my kids devour it.  Great vitamins and empty bowls.  A mom’s dream.

Ingredients:

14 regular sized tomatoes, washed, top removed and quartered
Olive oil
Sea Salt
Pepper
2 stalks of celery, washed and chopped
1 large onion, peeled and diced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
32 ounces, chicken stock (I used organic)
2 bay leaves
12 basil leaves, fresh & chopped
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions: 

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Place the quartered tomatoes on the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and sea salt.  Roast for 40 minutes.

In your Dutch oven over low/medium heat, drizzle a bit of olive oil and once hot, add the onions and garlic.  Sauté for 4-6 minutes and then add the celery and stock.  Once the tomatoes are done roasting, add them to the Dutch oven along with the pan drippings.  Add the basil leaves and bay leaves.  Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat.  With a hand immersion blender, puree the soup.  Once completely pureed, turn to a very low setting and let it simmer for at least one hour but up to 4.  Add the cinnamon and adjust any other spices that you prefer.

I topped the soup off with this Jalapeño Chobani Yogurt Dip.

https://kneadtocook.com/?p=2092

I love a good corn chowder.  This recipe is an old favorite of my family.  Super healthy & packed with flavor.  I personally can’t wait to make this with fresh corn, when it’s in season.  The roasted poblanos add a depth to this chowder that’s quite unexpected but so welcome.  Can’t wait for you to try this recipe.

Ingredients:

5 poblano peppers, halved & seeded
6 smaller red potatoes, peeled & quartered
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
1 red pepper, seeded & chopped
3 cups of yellow sweet corn (I used frozen)
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
1 cup of milk (I used 2%)
1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper
Cilantro for garnishing

Directions:

Over a hot grill, place your peppers skin side down and grill for 7-9 minutes or until nicely blackened.  Remove and place on a plate and cover with plastic wrap.  Set aside.

In your Dutch oven, place the potatoes with enough water to cover, and cook for 20 minutes or until fork tender.  Drain and mash the potatoes with a fork – then set aside.

In your Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and add the onion, celery, bell pepper and cook until softened.  Season with the salt, pepper and cumin.

Once the poblanos have cooled, remove the charred skin with with your fingers.  It should easily peel off. Then chop the peppers into bite-sized pieces.

Add the potatoes and peppers to the Dutch oven.  Then add the corn, stock and milk and simmer for 45-60 minutes.  The potato will help thicken the chowder up.  Ladle into bowls when you’re ready and top with some fresh cilantro.

Wow!  It’s pretty  much all I can say.  Vegan.  Perfect for a cool evening.  Comforting.  Low fat.  You get the picture.  A must try!

Ingredients:

1 tbl of olive oil
2 lbs of organic carrots, washed and chopped
5 tsp of grated ginger
1/4 of a larger size yellow onion, diced
4 c of vegetable or chicken broth
1 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of coriander
1/2 tsp of white pepper
1/4 tsp of cinnamon

Directions:

In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil.  Add the diced onions and cook until translucent.  Add the ginger and cook for 4 minutes.  Then add the carrots, broth & spices.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer.  I then ran my hand immersion blender through the soup to puree.  If you don’t have a hand blender, carefully ladle batches into your blender.    Then return to the Dutch oven.  I cooked this for about 3 hours over a very low flame.  Can be served in about 1 hour or simmer for up to 4.  Keep an eye on the broth level and add if you need additional.  Optional:  Garnish with green onions.