Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Cauliflower & Cheese Soup

Winter is the time for soups.  And as I mentioned when I posted the Curried Butternut Squash Soup recipe, I prefer to make soups that are chunky and thicker (which, sometimes, are not as pretty as Jim's beautifully pureed, colorful soups).

I came across this recipe in Eating Well and had to try it, with my own little tweaks.  It was lovely!!

So without futher ado....

Cauliflower and Cheese Soup

Makes 4 servings of 2 cups each

Cauliflower & Cheese Soup adapted from Eatingwell.com
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 small or 1 large onion
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic
  • 4 cups chopped cauliflower florets (from 1 medium head)
  • 2 1/2 cups low-fat milk, divided
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne or smoked hot paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon white or black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice (because Jim says you need the lemon juice to cut the sometimes 'farty' taste of the cauliflower. ha! but if you like or don't mind that taste, it's optional)
Preparation:
  1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions & garlic and cook, stirring, until very soft. Add cauliflower, 2 cups milk, water, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is soft, about 8 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 1/2 cup milk and flour in a small bowl. When the cauliflower is soft, remove the bay leaf and stir in the milk mixture. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the soup has thickened slightly, about 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat. Stir in cheese and lemon juice.

 

Nutrition

Per serving: 372 calories; 20 g fat (10 g sat, 6 g mono); 50 mg cholesterol; 0 g added sugars; 20 g protein; 4 g fiber; 825 mg sodium; 400 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (45% daily value), Calcium (27% dv), Vitamin A (15% dv).

1 Carbohydrate Serving

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