352 Day Nutritional Challenge: Recipe #3 -- Roasted Califlower Soup

 

It's winter time and nothing warms the tummy better than soup. I have always enjoyed nutritious soups, but per our guidelines, no canned soup or even restaurant bought. Remember, everything in the challenge is homemade goodness made from fresh foods. 

Speaking of restaurants, you might ask, "Michelle, do you ever eat out? Are restaurant foods acceptable?" Like most of America, yes, I do eat out. However, with Covid-19 spreading like wildfire, I've given up eating at restaurants. To answer the second question, restaurant food is tricky. You don't know what was put in the food. Most restaurant food tends to be high in fat and sugar. When you don't quite know what has gone into a meal, it's hard to know if it's going to adversely affect your health. One of the big diseases in America is diabetes. Remember, when you don't know how much sugar or salt has gone into something, that makes it harder to monitor how much of what did you just eat? 

So, let's get back to our recipe -- Roasted Califlower Soup ... 

I love califlower's mild taste, and I thought this would be a delicious treat. 

INGREDIENTS

Medium Head of Califlower

TBSP of Olive Oil

Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

4 Slices of Bacon

1 White Onion

1 Garlic Clove (chopped)

1/3 Cup of White Wine (I used a Chardonnay*)

4 Cups of Chicken Broth

3/4 Cup Heavy Cream

2 Bay Leaves

*Whatever white wine you choose, be aware of how it might affect flavor.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop up califlower (and since it's going to be pureed, don't worry about the size of each piece). 

2. Take out a baking sheet and add 2 TBSP of olive oil to it. Then place the califlower on the sheet and salt and pepper it. Put it in the oven to bake until tender for 30 to 35 minutes (my califlower seemed to bake faster ... so keep an eye on it).

3. Cut bacon into square pieces. Place in your soup pot and let sizzle until crispy. Remove it and place on paper towels.

5. To that same pot, take onion and garlic and cook until soft for about 8 minutes. Add wine and cook until mostly evaporated. 

6. Remove califlower from oven and add to the pot. Then add heavy cream, chicken broth, bay leaves, and season with more salt and pepper. Cook for about 25 minutes.

7. Remove bay leaves.

8. Pour the mixture into a blender and puree until the soup is creamy. 

9. Serve with the bacon on the top.

This nutritious soup tastes mild, but the bacon on the top gives it more flavor. If it's too mild, add a bit of salt and pepper.