Hearty Cauliflower Bisque With Kale Food

CREAMY ROASTED CAULIFLOWER SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. If desired, line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
• On the baking sheet, toss the cauliflower with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until lightly and evenly coated in oil. Arrange the cauliflower in a single layer and sprinkle lightly with salt. Bake until the cauliflower is tender and caramelized on the edges, 25 to 35 minutes, tossing halfway.
• Once the cauliflower is almost done, in a Dutch oven or soup pot, warm the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and turning translucent, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then add the broth.
• Reserve 4 of the prettiest roasted cauliflower florets for garnish. Then transfer the remaining cauliflower to the pot. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes, to give the flavors time to meld.
• Once the soup is done cooking, remove the pot from the heat and let it cool for a few minutes. Then, carefully transfer the hot soup to a blender, working in batches if necessary. (Do not fill past the maximum fill line or the soup could overflow!)
• Add the butter and blend until smooth. Add the lemon juice and nutmeg and blend again. Add additional salt, to taste (I usually add another 1/4 to 3/4 teaspoon, depending on the broth). This soup tastes amazing once it's properly salted! You can also a little more lemon juice, if it needs more zing. Blend again.
• Top individual bowls of soup with 1 roasted cauliflower floret and a sprinkle of chopped parsley, green onion and/or chives. This soup keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for about four days, or for several months in the freezer.

GOLDEN VEGAN CAULIFLOWER 'BISQUE'

Steps:

• Heat vegetable oil in a 4-quart pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium-low heat. Cook and stir vegetables in the hot oil until nearly tender, 7 to 10 minutes; add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.
• Stir cauliflower and carrot into the vegetable mixture; season with allspice and seasoned salt. Pour vegetable broth over the vegetable mixture. Place lid on the pot and cook vegetables until soft, 30 to 45 minutes.
• Ladle about half the vegetables into the bowl of a blender with enough liquid to cover. Hold lid in place with a towel and pulse blender a few times to get mixture moving before leaving blender on to puree vegetables entirely.
• Mash remaining vegetables in the pot with a fork or potato masher until no large chunks remain. Pour pureed vegetable mixture into the pot with the coconut milk; stir. Season soup with salt and pepper.

VEGAN BROCCOLI AND CAULIFLOWER BISQUE

Steps:

• In a soup pot, sauté the onion and celery until translucent.
• Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
• Add the oil and flour and sauté for 1 more minute.
• Slowly add the soy milk and vegetable stock, whisking continuously. Add enough stock to reach the desired thickness.
• Add the potatoes, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer.
• Add the broccoli and cauliflower florets, rosemary, sage, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Cook until the florets are tender.
• Garnish with the parsley and serve.

CAULIFLOWER BISQUE

Steps:

• combine chicken broth, water and bring to simmer.
• add saffron to pan, remove from heat, steep for 20 minutes.
• in pot heat butter, add onions, cauliflower, salt and pepper, stir to coat, add saffron broth, simmer for 20 minutes, covered in blender in batches, or with immersion blender puree all, add 3/4 c half and half.

HEARTY CAULIFLOWER BISQUE WITH KALE

Steps:

• In a soup pot, saute the diced onion in butter or margarine until translucent and starting to brown.
• Add thyme, tarragon, and bay leaf and saute for another minute. (If you can't live without garlic, add some here.).
• Pour in the broth and bring to a boil. While that's heating up, peel and dice the potatoes.
• Add potatoes and boil for about five minutes. Meanwhile, chop up the cauliflower into small pieces.
• Add the cauliflower to the pot and add salt and pepper. Turn the soup down to a medium boil and cook until the cauliflower and potatoes are very very tender. (How long that takes depends on how small you chopped them -- I would recommend chopping pretty small pieces so that it's easier to blend).
• Meanwhile, rinse the kale, cut out the stalks, and cut cross-wise into thin ribbons. Bring a half-inch of water to a boil in a frying pan, salt the kale, and add it to the boiling water to steam until tender.
• When the soup veggies are soft, stir in the cottage cheese and the bullion powder if using.
• Blend it all up in the pot with an immersion blender. (You could also transfer the soup to the blender in batches, but don't blend too much at a time or hot soup will explode all over!) I like this soup smooth, but not super-smooth. It's up to you how chunky or smooth you like it.
• Add half&half, adjust salt and pepper to taste.
• To serve, ladle soup into bowls and add a big spoonful of steamed kale on top.