Cauliflower Soup… Simple and Delicious

Cauliflower is one of those vegetables that is frequently over looked. Not only can it be a bit intimidating to cook, it can also stir up memories of bitter, soggy, over cooked nightmares from your childhood. Well my friends, cauliflower is no longer the white villain of yesterday. It’s actually very delicate, sweet and tasty!

One of my favorite ways to prepare cauliflower is to roast it. This is simpler than you might think:

Roasted Cauliflower
1 head cauliflower, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt 
Toss the cauliflower with the oil and salt and roast in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Turn the pieces and then cook for another 5 minutes. Serve as desired.

What can you do with this cauliflower once you have have it roasted? Well, eat it for 1 but I like to make soup. The cauliflower creates a delicate flavor that needs minimal enhancements. You can garnish the soup with toasted walnuts, pesto, sour cream, or even plumped raisins, but I like to keep it simple with olive oil, cracked pepper and a few snipped chives. The recipe is below.

Roasted Cauliflower Soup
1 head of cauliflower prepared as directed above
2 cloves of garlic
3-4 cups prepared chicken stock
1/2-1 cup water
salt and pepper to taste

Puree all the ingredients in a Vitamix blender or in a food processor until smooth. Pour the pureed mixture into a saucepan and reheat to desired temperature. Garnish as desired and enjoy.

Try this recipe with grilled or smoked cauliflower as well. It will stay on the top of your go to list for awhile. It also freezes well and reheats like a dream. And, if you are feeling hot… try it chilled with a fresh herb garnish and drizzle of really good olive oil. Oh, and a perfectly chilled glass of Sauvignon Blanc 🙂

Always thinking about the next meal

-Katie

My name is Katie and I’m a choco-holic

Seriously, I love chocolate. Recently I’ve been eating a lot of dark chocolate (60% or higher). I read recently that dark chocolate is good for you. Honestly I don’t really care, I just love it! Chocolate is one of those things that when you want it, it doesn’t really matter how you get it. For me, my favorite way to get it in in brownies. I’m sure that I’ve written previously about how brownies are the ultimate in comfort food. It’s true for me. I can remember when I was growing up that my mom always had a box of brownies stashed somewhere in the pantry, just in case the chocolate craving hit. Before I went to school, I did the same. You can whip those babies up in about 45 minutes and have your craving satisfied.

Unfortunately, I’ve developed a craving for not only eating rich decadent brownies, but I love making them from scratch. I’ve found a few recipes that work great and few, well, not so much. Here are the two that I’ve been making:

Ina’s Brownies

Epicurious

Both are great, although the first recipe does make a lot more than the second. In my mind that’s not really a bad thing. Give them both a try and let me know what you think.

Always thinking of the next meal

-Katie