No Cream of Cauliflower and Mushroom Soup

Since starting a new job, Sundays have now become cooking days not only for the blog but also for a week of meals. I am now reminded how most people are short on time when they get home from work to try to get a healthy meal on the table…and lack of daylight means I just want to retire to the couch!

Food prep (and this blog) keep me on track when I’m looking for healthy options. Lately I’ve been developing “From Soup to Dinner” recipes: Those that start as a soup or stew and then end up as a sauce for another meal. Recently I made a cacciatore that I then blended for a sauce over low-carb edamame fettucini – it was really good and super healthy (My husband even liked it)! I’ve also done that with my Roasted Butternut Squash soup.

This week I decided to roast cauliflower and blend away in my Vitamix. As I was blending and tasting I thought it was a little bland. So I decided to add shredded Swiss to the soup and it began to sing! Then I was thinking, mushrooms would be a terrific add in. There is no heavy cream in this, only some unsweetened almond milk. By roasting the vegetables and adding the almond milk you get that color that you usually see with mushroom soup. I think this would be a wonderful sauce over chicken, or used as a stroganoff (That may be on the menu this week).

Recipe: Makes 3 – 4 Servings

1 cauliflower head cut into florets

1/2 onion cut into chunks

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

3/4 cup of almond milk, unsweetened

1 cup of water

3/4 cup of Swiss cheese shredded (optional)

3/4 cup of frozen mushrooms, thawed

Steak seasoning (optional)

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper

2 teaspoons of olive oil

Roast Method

Toss cauliflower florets and onion with olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and dash pepper on a baking sheet. Roast for 35 minutes at 400 degrees. Let cool slightly.

Add cooked mixture to a blender with the milk and half of the water and blend. Continue to add more water as needed. You want it to be smooth and somewhat thickened.

Pour into saucepan over medium heat. Add cheese and stir until melted. .

In a small pan heat mushrooms and sprinkle with steak seasoning until well cooked. Add to soup and stir. Taste the soup and add additional 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper if needed

Quick Stove Method (Less Pans)

Add two teaspoons of oil to a soup pot and place over medium heat. Add mushrooms and a sprinkle of steak seasoning and cook for 1 – 2 minutes. Remove from pot and set aside. Add cauliflower and onion to pot with garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, pepper, 1 1/2 cups of water and cook until soft about 15 minutes. Add mixture to a blender and add milk. Carefully blend (mixture is hot) and add additional water if needed. Add mixture back to pot. Add cheese and mushrooms and stir. Taste and add additional 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper if needed.