RECIPE: Cauliflower Soup

Have you noticed that health-conscious foodies are going kind of crazy for cauliflower lately? Especially if they're trying to avoid starchy white foods like potatoes, rice and flour tortillas, it's like cauliflower is the second coming. "OMG," they'll exclaim, "you can whip it up like mashed potatoes! You can rice it!" Some say you can even transform it into tortillas (with mixed results, based on the reports I've received).

But I've always been a fan of the cauliflower. Growing up, my mom—who was a gourmet chef (okay, not professionally, but she did study at Le Cordon Bleu)—used to make cauliflower cheese for us on a semi-weekly basis. Of course, she would drench the hell out of it—coating the otherwise healthy vegetable in buttery cheese sauce and crispy breadcrumbs. Yes, it was delicious. But here's a healthy newsflash: You really don't have to douse cauliflower in dairy to achieve a creamy consistency. Even when pureed with nothing but water, the texture is decadent enough that you might think it’s got cream in it.

Of course if you want to make this recipe even richer, you can certainly use butter in place of the olive oil, or even add a bit of coconut milk (it will still be completely Whole Life Challenge, Advanced Rx compliant). But this version is super simple and a great vegan soup to boot. It’s also high in vitamin C and fiber, which makes it a perfect dish when you’re feeling under the weather (as my son and I were today). I won't say it's quite as indulgent as my mom's cauliflower cheese, but it's definitely a tasty dairy-free alternative.

Cauliflower Soup

(printable recipe)

Serves 8

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion (approximately 10 oz.), chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 large head cauliflower (approximately 1.5 lbs.)

3 cups filtered water

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Cook until just softened, approximately five minutes. Transfer contents to a blender.

2. In the same pot, bring water to a boil. Add cauliflower and cook until tender, approximately ten minutes. Transfer cauliflower and water to the blender and puree all contents until smooth.

3. Pour the contents of the blender back into the pot. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. (Note: You can also add more water if you prefer a thinner soup. We like ours thick!)

4. Serve garnished with chopped chives or green onion.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION (per 8 oz. serving):

70 calories; 3.6 g fat (.5 g saturated); 319 mg sodium; 8.6 g carbohydrates; 3 g fiber; 3.7 g sugar; 2.1 g protein; Vitamin C 75%; Calcium 3%; Iron 3%