Recipe: Creamy Cauliflower Soup

The temperature has dropped outside but the heat’s on high in the AMI Kitchen with this Creamy Cauliflower Soup! I KNOW! INSANE!⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Have you tried Cauliflower Soup? What’s your favourite winter warm up dish? ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣

---

What's cookin' good lookin'? Mary Mammoliti, and she's got a must-taste dish with creamy cauliflower soup.

CREAMY CAULIFLOWER SOUP

PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOK TIME: 25 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 35 minutes 
SERVES: 6-8 
AUTHOR:Mary Mammoliti | Kitchen Confession :

View fullsize

Photo Description: bowl of creamy cauliflower soup set on top of a white kitchen towel with a spoon to the left of the bowl. Soup is toped with sautéed cauliflower and roasted pine nuts

INGREDIENTS

• 1 head of cauliflower

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 cups leeks, chopped 

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 3 cups vegetable stock

• 2 sprigs fresh thyme

• 3 cups 2% milk

• 3/4 cup freshly-grated Parmegiano

• Reggiano cheese

• Kosher salt and freshly-cracked black

  pepper

• Garnishes: sautéed cauliflower florets (**see recipe below), fresh thyme leaves, extra

• Parmesan, chilli flakes, toasted pine nuts

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prep your cauliflower.  Remove and discard the outer leaves and trim off the stem.  Using a sharp knife quarter the cauliflower. Begin by cutting it down the middle of the stem, and cut each half in half, separating it into four pieces.

2. Remove the core from the florets.  Roughly chop the florets, and then thinly slice the core.  Set aside.  (to garnish the soup with some sautéed cauliflower, set aside 1 cup of florets. 

3. Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat.  Add the chopped leeks and sauté for 5 - 7 minutes, until soft and fragrant, stirring occasionally.  Stir in the garlic and continue to cook for an additional minute.

4. Into the pot, add the chopped cauliflower, vegetable stock, and thyme, stir to combine. Continue cooking to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and continue cooking for about 20-25 minutes, or until the cauliflower is fork tender.  

5. Remove the thyme sprigs, and with your immersion blender blend until smooth.

6. Stir in the milk, cheese, and season with salt and pepper.

7. Pour into bowls, top with your desired garnish and enjoy!

**If you would like to garnish the soup with sautéed cauliflower, heat 1 tablespoon of butter and olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Add the cauliflower florets (they should be fairly small in size) and sauté for 3-4 minutes, or until the are tender and slightly golden on the outside. Season with salt and pepper. 

Recipe: Grilled Honey Sriracha Lime Salmon

The weather is warming up, the sun is shining and the likelihood of me spending hours meal prepping on a Sunday during the summer months are slim to none. This time of year I tend to gamravitate towards quick and simple 30 minute meals and tonight’s dinner was no acception. 

The entire meal was prepared on the BBQ! Which  means kitchen cleanup is minimal and I had food in my belly in 30 minutes - pinch me I think I’m dreaming. Begin by tossing your veggies in a little EVOO, and get them on the grill. Add your marinated salmon and cook for 12 - 15 minutes. TA DA! Dinner is served. Now go and enjoy your meal you crazy kids. 

 

GRILLED HONEY SRIRACHA LIME SALMON

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12-15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 2
Author: Mary Mammoliti | Kitchen Confession

INGREDIENTS

2 individual (4-6 ounce) fillets
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons sriracha sauce
1 lime, juiced
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce (or Tamari)
1 teaspoon minced garlic

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients in a shallow bowl and add the salmon, toss to coat, cover and let stand for 10 minutes.

2. Preheat BBQ

3. Place a reusable non stick mat on the BBQ grates. If you don’t have a reusable grill mat use aluminum foil and place it down on the grates

4. Place marinated salmon onto the grill mat and cook for 12 minutes.

5. Serve warm

Recipe: Cauliflower Bean Mash

Cauliflower Bean Mash

Yield: 6 Servings

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets (about 5-6 cups)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup milk
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1 can white beans, rinsed and drained
• ½ cup cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions 

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add the cauliflower and garlic. Sauté until the garlic is fragrant (careful not to burn the garlic). Add the milk and 2 cups broth. Simmer for 10 - 15 minutes or until soft. Using an immersion hand blender purée the cauliflower in the pot until smooth. Add the while beans and mash roughly with the back of a wooden spoon. Stir in the cornmeal and your mixture will begin to thicken. Adjust the consistency by adding in the last cup of broth as needed. Stir in the salt to taste.

Recipe: Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

Changing the way we eat cauliflower one floret at a time. I know, sounds like a 5 o'clock news update but today home cooks, foodies and chefs are all looking for interesting and tasty ways to cook some of our staple side veggies and turn them into a meal show stopper, taking centre stage on our dinner plates. 

Who would have thought to use cauliflower as a base ingredient for Alfredo Sauce? Certainly not this girl, so I began my search for a healthier low cal Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce. After minutes of searching (I didn't realize how late to the cauliflower game I really was) I came up with this quick and easy recipe. Pour it over cooked whole grain rotini, add a hand full of fresh spinach and eat up while it's still warm. Buon Appetite!

Follow these easy steps:

Cut the onion and garlic into thin slices. Melt the butter in a skillet on low heat, add onion slices and garlic and saute covered on low until the onions are golden and caramelized (about 20 minutes).

Bring vegetable or chicken broth to a boil. Cut the cauliflower into florets and cook in broth until tender (7-10 minutes). Reserve ½ cup of broth, drain the rest.

Place the tender cauliflower into a blender or food processor together with the caramelized onions, garlic, ½ cup of broth, milk and salt. Puree until smooth.

Store the sauce in a container with a lid (like a mason jar) and place in the fridge, if not using right away.

Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

Prep time 10 mins

Cook time 20 mins

Total time 30 mins

Yield: Makes about 3 cups of sauce

Ingredients

• 1 medium head of cauliflower (~ 1 lb/450 g)
• 1 large yellow onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon butter (or coconut oil)
• 5 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• ¾ cup almond milk
• ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Cut the onion and garlic into thin slices. Melt the butter in a skillet on low heat, add onion slices and garlic and saute covered on low until the onions are golden and caramelized (about 20 minutes).
2. Bring vegetable or chicken broth to a boil. Cut the cauliflower into florets and cook in broth until tender (7-10 minutes). Reserve ½ cup of broth, drain the rest.
3. Place the tender cauliflower into a blender or food processor together with the caramelized onions, garlic, ½ cup of broth, milk and salt. Puree until smooth.
4. Store the sauce in a container with a lid (like a mason jar) and place in the fridge, if not using right away.

Note: To make this sauce dairy-free you can use coconut in place of butter.