Cauliflower Soup

Dearest readers, I apologize for my absence this past week. I was traveling for work and then had a quick trip up the North woods of MN to see my family and attend a wedding. Needless to say, my computer access has been limited. Beyond that, my ability to keep my eyes open during a spare 5 minutes has been even more limited.

What I'm saying is, I'm tired. And I have to travel AGAIN this weekend. Remind me why I agreed to travel this much in this job? Oh yea, it's because that's what I do...

Anyways, my cooking has actually not decreased all that much even with all of the traveling because I took a big step and PACKED FOOD for my trips! This was HUGE for me. But now, after all is said and done, I am always going to plan ahead and pack my own food if at all possible. It saves me from a) eating Subway for every meal and b) getting so hangry whilst trying to google vegan friendly restaurants which then causes me to start crying in a hotel room and ordering a bottle of wine that will be my dinner. Neither of those things have ever happened...no, not a chance...

Anyways, prior to my departure, I also had to stock up for Matt. Now, listen closely all you feminists out there. I AM ONE OF YOU. And I have no idea how we got to the point where I had to pack Matt's lunch for him. This makes zero sense to me. He loves to cook. And he's 30, so he's obviously survived up until this point. BUT, now that we're on a diet and he can't zip over to McDonald's for lunch. Instead, he stares at the refrigerator and has no idea what to do and ends up eating bread and then acting like the spawn of Satan when I come home after work. So, I've taken pity. On myself. And I pack his lunch.

I'm horrified by this.

But anyways, I had to make a few extra meals prior to my departure to make sure Matt didn't die, and this soup was one of them. (Note to the world: mass quantities of soup are the fixall for all marital problems...at least 2 months in). So, I made this cauliflower soup from Engine 2. And it was divine. Creamy and delicious even on a hot August day.

Here's the recipe for Kole's Creamy Cauliflower Soup from Engine 2 Diet:

Ingredients:

4 cups chopped onion
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 1/2 cups water, divided
3 cups diced potatoes
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 large carrots, diced
1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
2 cups vegetable broth (I used 1 low sodium vegetable bouillon cube)
2 Tbsp cashew or peanut butter (I used almond butter)
2 Tbsp low-sodium tamari
sea salt and cracked pepper to taste

Heat onion, salt, and 1/2 cup water, then simmer on low for approximately 20 minutes, or until the onions cook down to a nice mush. Check to make sure the water is sufficient, and then add 1/4 cup water as needed, so the onions don't burn on the bottom of the pot.

Add the potatoes, celery, carrots, and cauliflower along with 2 cups of water and the vegetable broth. Simmer until all of the vegetables are soft--about 20 minutes. Add the cashew or peanut butter and tamari.

Mash with a potato masher (or an immersion blender) until the soup is mostly smooth, with some chunks. Season with cracked pepper and sea salt to taste.

Variations: Add one bunch of freshly chopped kale, mustard greens, or collard greens 5 to 8 minutes before serving for a nutritional power punch.