Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Soup

What I love about making soup is that it is so darn easy! If you are timid in the kitchen, soup is a great way to get yourself comfortable with cooking. It is also a great start to creating your own dishes because you can really do whatever you are in the mood for.

In deciding on tonight’s dinner, I did what I usually do. I just stood in my market’s produce section staring at all the vegetables thinking about all the options and what flavors I was in the mood for (the produce people at the market are now used to me doing this and know me well).

Since it was a cold, windy day, I wanted something that would be comforting but I also wanted something that would be quick and easy. So I figured I could make cauliflower soup and add roasted garlic to give it the warm, fuzzy feeling (I love garlic, so for me it is a warm fuzzy feeling!).

So here is what you need (per 1 large entrée serving, or 2 appetizer portions):

• 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 head of cauliflower florets
• Olive oil (enough to thickly coat bottom of small omelet pan)
• 5 cloves of garlic (you can use less, about 2-3, if you do not want a strong garlic flavor)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Parsley to garnish

1. Pour broth into a pot and add cauliflower florets. Bring the broth to a boil and cook until the cauliflower is tender.
2. As the cauliflower is cooking, put olive oil and garlic cloves into a pan over a very low heat. You want to slowly cook the garlic without burning it. The garlic is ready when it is tender and lightly browned. (see picture)
3. When cauliflower and garlic are ready, place garlic and olive oil into a food processor. Then take the cauliflower florets out of the broth (reserving the broth—you need it in the next step) and place them in the food processor (I think a blender would work as well). Mix until well pureed.
4. Slowly add the broth until the soup reaches the desired consistency. It is best to only add one ladles’ worth at a time, mix, and then decide if you want more broth.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Pour soup into bowl(s) and garnish with parsley.

Now let me share a little warning with y’all. If you must drink some of the soup directly from the food processor bowl, be sure to first remove the blade in order to prevent the big, sharp blade from falling out, hitting you on the face, and cutting your lip. Um, yes, I do now have a cut lip…