Cauliflower Potato and Leek Soup
Yesterday was my grandmother’s 80th birthday. You would never be able to tell that just by looking at her though. She’s as fiery and beautiful as she was twenty years ago.
Thinking back that far makes me realize that I can’t even begin to imagine what life would be like without her. She’s always been a constant source of inspiration and unconditional support. Plus I have her to thank for many of what I like to think are my best personality traits. :)
The 2700 miles between us have made it difficult to spend a lot time together over the last couple of years but we’re pretty good at keeping in touch through email. She regularly sends me different recipes from the newspaper or random sources that she finds to help keep my creative juices flowing for the blog.
Recently she sent me one for cauliflower soup that had fennel, celery root, chicken broth, heavy cream and a list of other ingredients that I don’t normally cook with, but it inspired to me make my own version using fresh leeks and potatoes for a heartier flavor.
If you’re not familiar with leeks, I highly recommend giving them a try. My father-in-law, aka the produce connoisseur, describes them as a milder version of a scallion and I would agree with that. They give this soup a delicious flavor plus they’re high in vitamin C, folate, and potassium. Perfect for warding off those winter germs!
They can be a little dirty to work with but if you slice them in half and run them under water then it usually does the trick.
The beauty of this soup is the pureed cauliflower which gives it a rich and creamy texture without the use of any dairy. The result is incredibly smooth and comforting.
I topped it with pumpernickel croutons and cheese to add some color but that’s not necessary if you don’t have them on hand. However you should really try it with fresh chives.
It gives it that extra little pop of flavor that takes it over the top!
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 4
Ingredients
5 cups cauliflower florets (approx. 2lb head of cauliflower)
2 cups chopped leeks (approx. 3 medium-size leeks)
4 cups cubed and peeled russet potatoes (approx 2 large potatoes)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cups vegetable broth
1 and 1/2 cups milk (I used unsweetened plain almond milk)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
fresh chives, chopped
Instructions
- Warm one tablespoon olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and garlic then cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Next add the potatoes and the cauliflower then sprinkle with salt & pepper and stir together. Cook for another 5 minutes and then pour in the vegetable broth. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
- Using a blender (or an immersion blender) puree the vegetables until smooth. Pour in the milk and stir together until thoroughly heated. If you prefer the soup to have a thinner texture, simply add more milk and puree until desired consistency is reached.
- Distribute the soup into separate bowls and top with fresh chives then serve!
The post Cauliflower Potato and Leek Soup appeared first on MakingThymeforHealth.
