Roasted Cauliflower Soup with a Kick

This recipe is adapted from a Closet Cooking recipe that I came across on Pinterest (love me some Pinterest!) I know it's not really the season for soup, but I often find great ideas for recipes on Pinterest and have to just go with it when the spirit moves me—usually, you can take out the oils and swap in healthier options for cheeses, eggs and cream. Which is just about all I did here:

1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets
salt & pepper to taste
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon thyme, chopped
1T. Better than Bouillion No-Chicken Base
3c. water
1 1/2 c. Cabot 75% fat free white cheddar, shredded
1 cup almond milk
pepper
chili flakes

Preheat oven to 400F. Spread the cauliflower florets in a single layer on a baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Roast the cauliflower in the oven until lightly golden brown, about 20 minutes. (Keep an eye on it though; without the oil, it can dry out and get too brown too fast.)

Prep a skillet with non-stick spray; add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Then add the garlic and thyme and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
Add the no-chicken base, water and cauliflower, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
Puree the soup using an immersion blender until it's smooth and thick. Mix in the cheese, let it melt and season with pepper. Then just mix in the almond milk, remove from heat, and serve with a dash of fresh chili flakes on top for a nice kick.

Divide this into 2 big, hearty servings, and enjoy with an ounce of low fat cheese on the side. Or, have 1/4c of fat free ricotta mixed with cinnamon and stevia for a little dessert to make up your 27g. Happy eating!

Veggie Cheese Soup

I love these one pot recipes—not a lot to clean up, and you get all your protein and veggies in one simple dish! If you're missing an ingredient, just skip it and add in more of something similar; for example, you don't have to use leaves from a head of cauliflower by any means. I just like to use up all my extra veggie bits when I make a soup, since it's a good way to waste less.

Ingredients:
1c celery (leaves and all, sliced thin
2c broccoli florets
3 broccoli stems, peeled and sliced thin
Leaves from a head of cauliflower, sliced thin
2c Vegetable broth, fat free & organic
1/2c 1% cottage cheese
4 1/4 oz 75% fat free cheddar, shredded
1/2c almond milk
Salt & pepper to taste

Prep all your veggies and throw them in a pot with your vegetable broth. Simmer untill all the vegetables are softened. Pull out the larger broccoli florets and set aside.

Let the mix cool for a while, then add the cottage cheese, shredded cheddar cheese and almond milk. Stir together over low heat. While the soup gently warms back up, use an immersion blender to blend the soup. Once smooth and fully combined, break your broccoli florets up into the soup. Salt and pepper to taste, and serve!

Makes 2 large bowls of soup, 27g of protein each.