Cheesy, Gluten-Free Cauliflower Soup ~ A Recipe

The fact that I am posting a cauliflower recipe means that there has been some serious palate-healing.  It was one of the two veggies that made me gag as a kid.  I hated everything about that pale cruciferous: the rotten smell while it steamed, the deceitful whiteness making one think it might taste something like potato, then the massive shock and disappointment when that first bight confirms otherwise.  If you would have told me as a child that I would grow up to one day love, and even crave cauliflower, I'd laugh in your face.  Yet here I am, grown-up Katie, happily sharing a recipe that in fact has become my husband's favorite soup to come out of this kitchen.  Miraculous.

A note on this soup:  It can be a wee bit on the watery side since there is no flour to thicken it up.  A simple remedy to that is peeling and cubing 2-4 potatoes or sweet potatoes and adding them in with the cauliflower.  I tend to avoid this simply because it adds more time to the process and we don't mind the consistency.

Cheesy Cauliflower Soup

Prep time: 15 minutes, simmer time: 20 minutes, serves 8-10

• 1/4 cup bacon grease or other healthy fat (We only buy organic bacon from pigs who foraged freely so the grease is actually nutritious and makes this soup incredible.)
• 1 onion
• 1 head cauliflower
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 2 quarts chicken stock (find a recipe here)
• 1 cup creme fraiche (find a recipe here)
• 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (this truffle sea salt is my secret ingredient to make the soup phenomenal)
• 5-8 slices Canadian bacon or ham
• optional garnish: finely-chopped sautéed mushrooms

1. Place grease in soup pot and heat until melted.  While the grease melts, chop onions, then add to pot and sauté for about 3 minutes.
2. While onions sauté, chop cauliflower, then add to pot.
3. Stir in smoked paprika, peppers, and thyme.  Add stock.  Stir, then cover and let soup simmer to a light boil for 15 minutes.
4. While the soup simmers, grate cheese and finely cube Canadian bacon.
5. Once soup is done simmering and the cauliflower is soft, turn off heat source and add creme fraiche, cheese, and salt.  Blend with an immersion blender or in batches in an upright blender.
6. Stir in cubed Canadian bacon or ham and reheat on low if necessary.  Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with finely-chopped sautéed mushrooms for added flavor and to increase immune support, if desired.

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A Collection of Healthy Soup Recipes

As we are smack dab in the middle of soup season, gathering up all our soupy recipes seemed like a good idea.  More will likely be added to the collection by the end of this cold weather time, but here they all are, bundled up and ready to warm homes and bellies.

While we are on the subject of soups, the hand blender has been my favorite soup tool for years.  Pureed soups are a hit over here so we use this handy appliance very frequently.  It saves a lot of time and mess to be able to blend the soup right in the pot instead of trying to transfer it to a stand-alone blender.  I happened to stumble upon a deal that's currently going on over at Amazon for the exact hand blender I have loved using for several years.  It is over 50% off and if you are an Amazon Prime member, free 2-day shipping is also offered.  What perfect timing this deal is, right during Soup Season!

Now on to the soup recipes collected thus far:

• Cheesy Cauliflower Soup ~ Gluten-free, rich, delicious, and Jeremy's fave.
• Creamy Tomato Bisque With Fresh Tomatoes ~ The most popular soup on the blog.
• Slow Cooker Beans & Greens Soup ~ Hearty, extremely frugal, and very quick to prepare.
• Nourishing Potato Cheddar Soup ~ Our family's favorite.
• Warming Butternut Squash Soup ~ Creamy and rich.
• Simple Winter Squash Soup ~ A perfect everyday bowl.
• Sausage Kale Soup ~ Extremely health-promoting with a secret ingredient.

Happy souping, friends!

I'm sharing this at Real Food Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter, Fight Back Friday.

Sausage Kale Soup ~ A Healthy Winter Recipe

As a triple cold and flu season carries on, we continue to find new ways to combat it while carrying on with everyday life.  Food is the best medicine, as the old Chinese proverb goes.  I wholeheartedly agree.  If sugar and flour feeds bad bacteria and viruses, this soup strengthens the immune system to ward the yuckies off.  

My family does not enjoy mushrooms, but since they are such a strong immune booster, I slip them in this soup and blend them all up.  Then no one has to deal with the nose-crinkling mushroom texture.  However...  If you enjoy chunky soups and thinly-sliced mushrooms like I do, forgo the immersion blender and enjoy!  I usually save about a third of it in a big bowl before running it through with a blender to make it palatable for my family.  Chunky or smooth, this soup hits the spot and strengthens our bodies.

Sausage Kale Soup

Prep time: 20 min; cook time: 20 min; serves 8-10 (freezes well)

• 1 pound uncooked sausage of choice (I use Trader Joe's sweet Italian chicken sausage)
• 4 potatoes (peeled if using hard skinned potatoes like russet)
• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 1 bunch kale
• 8 ounces crimini mushrooms
• 1 onion
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
• 1/2 cup creme fraiche
• pepper to taste

1. Remove sausage from castings (this is optional.  It's a personal choice I make because I just don't like them.  To avoid castings altogether, buy sausage not in the form of links).  Place sausage in soup pot and brown over medium heat, crumbling the meat with a spatula while it browns.
2. As the sausage browns, slice potatoes in bite-sized pieces if you plan to make a chunky soup.  If you plan to blend it, you can just cut them into fourths.  De-vein kale and cut or rip it into bite-sized pieces.  Rinse and slice mushrooms.  Dice onions and garlic (I use the food processor to slice the mushrooms and dice the onion and garlic together.  It gets these tasks done in seconds.)
3. Once the sausage is cooked, pour chicken stock over it and add potatoes, mushrooms, onion, garlic, thyme, and red pepper flakes.  Cook, covered, over medium/high heat for about 20  minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
4. Remove from heat and add kale, salt, creme fraiche, and pepper.  If the soup is too cool, return the soup pot to heat source and simmer until hot enough.
5. Serve immediately for a chunky soup or run it through with an immersion blender if you prefer a pureed soup.

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I'm sharing this at SImple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter.

Simple Winter Squash Soup ~ A Recipe

Do you have some winter squashes sitting around that need a home?  I found one.  But first, let's take a look at winter squashes.  Several years back when I first heard of them, my city-girl self thought winter squash meant you plant them in the wintertime.  Yep.  I had a large learning curve ahead.  I came to discover that you plant them in the summertime.  Winter squashes got their name because they can be stored all through the winter. The hard skin makes this possible.  Here are some winter squashes you can use in this recipe:

You can also use spaghetti, kabocha, amber cup... any squash with a hard skin

Simple Winter Squash Soup

Prep time: 15 min; bake time: 30 min; serves 6-8

• 2 small or one large winter squash (any pictured above, equalling a total of around 4 cups cooked squash)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup cream or coconut milk (full fat)
• freshly ground pepper to taste
• extra cream to drizzle on top (if desired)

1. Preheat oven to 350º.  Slice ends off squash, then slice down the middle and spoon out all seeds and membranes. Place in a large pan, open side-down, with about a cup of water in it.  Bake squash for about 30 minutes, or until scoopable.
2. While squash bakes, heat olive oil over medium heat in soup pot.  Saute onions for about 5-10 minutes or until soft.  Add chicken stock, thyme, garlic, salt, and nutmeg.  Simmer while you wait for the squash to finish baking.
3. Once squash is done baking and it's cool enough to handle, use a spoon to scoop it into the soup pot.  Add cream or coconut milk, stir, and heat through.  
4. Use an immersion blender for a pureed soup or potato masher if you prefer it chunky until it reaches desired consistency.  Ladle soup into bowls, drizzle some more cream or coconut milk on top if desired, and grind some fresh pepper to sprinkle on top.  Serve and enjoy!

I'm sharing this on Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter, Fight Back Friday.

Slow Cooker White Bean & Greens Soup ~ A Recipe

As I've said before, Tuesdays are my slow cooker dinner days, because Tuesdays can get crazy.  Here is a soup that takes 10 minutes to assemble, is super frugal, and any leftovers freeze well.  Not to mention it's GAPS-friendly and gluten-free and your family is getting a healthy amount of protein, iron, fiber, trace minerals, immune boosters, and tummy soothers.  According to my calculations (said in my nerdiest voice), each serving costs about $1.  If you really need to cut corners, skip the sausage.  That works with the ol' grocery budget, yes?

Slow Cooker White Bean & Greens Soup
Serves 10

• 1 1/2 cups Navy beans, soaked
• 1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar
• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 1/2 pound sausage of choice, cooked and sliced (optional)
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar
• 1-2 bunches greens of choice (spinach, collard, chard, a mixture...)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Celtic sea salt to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. 12-24 hours before assembling soup, soak beans in lots of water and 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar in a non-metalic bowl (the longer you can soak them, the better).  Cover.
2. Rinse beans thoroughly and place in crock pot.  Add stock, sausage, thyme, red pepper flakes, vinegar, & greens.  Cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
3. Right before serving, stir in garlic, salt, and pepper.  Serve as-is (nice and chunky) or first blend with an immersion blender to consistency of choice (totally smooth, kinda chunky, or anywhere in between).  I do suggest spooning as many pieces of sausage out before blending and adding them in afterwards.  It's prettier and yummier.  Just trust me on this one.

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I'm sharing this at Monday Mania, Real Food Wednesday.

Slow Cooker Beef & Root Stew ~ A Recipe

We all have that day in the week when we can feel just a wee bit crazy with all the goings on.  Tuesdays are my loco day.  To calm some of the crazy, Tuesdays are also crock pot dinner days.  Here's a simple but super comforting and satisfying stew that is oh so gentle on the ol' grocery budget and gives extra grace for those full days.  The beef.  It falls apart at the touch of your spoon.  I love me some tender meat.

Slow Cooker Beef & Root Stew

Serves 6

• 2 pounds stew meat or chuck roast cut into cubes
• 2 cups water or beef stock
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 4 soft skinned potatoes (Yukon gold, red...), quartered
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 2 other roots of choice (rutabaga, radish, turnip, beets...), peeled and quartered (optional)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water

1. Place beef in the slow cooker and add water, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, onion, paprika, cloves, potatoes, carrots, and optional roots.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
2. Before serving, mix in garlic, salt, and pepper.  Stir arrowroot powder into cold water, then mix into the stew to thicken it up.  Let sit for about 5 minutes, stir again, then serve.

Enjoy!

I'm sharing this at Monday Mania, Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter, Fight Back Friday.

Warming Butternut Squash Soup ~ A Recipe

There are oh so many butternut squash soup recipes out there to choose from.  So why add another one?  Because I've yet to find one I like more than this (in complete humility, of course).  Tehe.  Honestly, you can use any winter squash in this soup (pumpkin, acorn... just not spaghetti) as long as it's been roasted.   This soup can be made silky smooth if you purée it in a high-speed blender like a Vita-Mix.  I just used a basic immersion blender for this batch, hence the lumpy look.  Don't get me wrong, though.  It still goes down smoothly.  Like buttuh.

Butternut Squash Soup

Serves 6-8

• 1 onion, minced
• 4 Tablespoons healthy cooking fat of your choice (butter, expeller-pressed coconut oil, bacon grease from pastured pigs, etc.)
• 1 large or 2 small butternut squashes (or another winter squash/mixture of squashes; you'll need about 6 cups altogether)
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 1 cup apple cider
• 1/2 to 1 cup white wine (depending on taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese
• Celtic sea salt and pepper to taste (about 1 tsp. each is what I usually use)

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Cut ends off squash and cut in half lengthwise.  Spoon out seeds and stringy membranes.  Put halves flat-side-down in a cooking dish with about 1/2 cup water in it.  Bake about 45 minutes or until the meat is scoopable with a spoon.
2. While squash bakes, melt cooking fat in a soup pot.  Add onions and sauté until translucent.  
3. Add cooked squash to the onions, then the chicken stock, apple cider, and white wine.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Spoon out any foam that comes to the surface and add nutmeg, thyme, and red pepper flakes to the soup.  Simmer for about 10 minutes.
4. Turn the heat off and add garlic, cream cheese, salt, and pepper.  Mix well and use a blender to purée.  Serve warm in bowls and sprinkle some nutmeg on top.

Enjoy!

~ Browse more Riddlelove recipes here. ~

I'm sharing this at Monday Mania, Real Food Wednesday, Recipe Swap Friday, Barn Hop, Real Food 101, Traditional Tuesdays, Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter, Fresh Bites Friday, Fight Back Friday, Sunday Soup Night

Creamy Tomato Bisque ~ A Recipe using Fresh Tomatoes

Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes.

After making countless batches of delicious, fresh salsa and storing up jars of homemade ketchup, what else to do with the last of these jewels of summer?  Now that the days are shorter and the nights are deliciously crisp, how about a nice, comforting bowl of creamy tomato bisque (a.k.a. Jeremy's all-time favorite soup)?  Pair it with a buttery, sourdough drilled cheese sandwich, yes?  Let's do this thing.

I used whatever tomatoes I had on hand, which happened to be this:

and it added up to about 8 cups whole & puréed.

The scent of sautéing the aromatic veggies in that bacon grease is some kinda wonderful, I tell you.

Now, this recipe does need to reduce for about 45 minutes to an hour, so start it around 4:30 if you're wanting to eat at 6:00.  I actually love the time in between.  It feels like being given free time to tie up any loose ends of the day because technically, it's during dinner prep. The fragrance sure does whet the appetite, and look how pretty it's already getting! (Also, about a half hour before reduction was done, I started preparing the garnishes and grilled cheese.)

It's nice how the pot tells you the soup has reduced by the ring above, don't you think?

So.  Chiffonade basil.  Such a fancy name for a simple technique.  Here's what ya do:  roll the fresh basil leaves up and slice them thinly.  The end.

Creamy Tomato Bisque
Serves 6

• About 8 cups tomatoes
• 4 Tablespoons bacon grease (Just do it.  Trust me on this one.  Or use butter if it's too much to wrap your mind around.)
• 1 onion, minced
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 1 stalk celery, sliced
• 1/4 cup arrowroot powder whisked into 1/4 cup cold water
• 1 quart chicken stock
• Several sprigs of thyme tied together
• 1 pinch (or 2 or 3) red pepper flakes
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 4 (or 5 or 6) cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup créme fraiche
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Celtic sea salt

Optional (but oh so necessary) Garnishes:

• Several fresh basil leaves, cut chiffonade-style (see picture above)
• Freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
• Ground pepper (it's such a pretty finish)
• A drizzle of balsamic vinegar (you kinda need this one)

1. Purée tomatoes in blender (a high-speed like a Vita-Mix is best) until thoroughly blended.
2. Heat soup pot with bacon grease until melted and add onion, carrot, and celery.  Sauté until the onions are translucent.  Briefly whisk in arrowroot powder/water mixture.  It might become gelatinous but it will thin out as you continue with the recipe.  Add stock and puréed tomatoes and continue to whisk until it's brought to a boil.
3. Turn heat to medium-low and add thyme sprigs, red pepper flakes, and pepper.  Keep the top open and allow soup to reduce to about 1/3 (about 45 minutes to 1 hour), stirring occasionally.
4. Turn off heat and compost thyme sprigs.  If you don't mind your soup a little lumpy, add remaining ingredients, run an emersion blender through it, and you're good to go.  If you're like my husband and enjoy the bisque as smooth as possible, you may also want to pour it through a sieve, composting any chunks.

Enjoy!

~ Browse more Riddlelove recipes here. ~

I'm sharing this at Monday Mania, Barn Hop, Traditional Tuesday, Fight Back Friday, Fresh Bites Friday & Pennywise Platter.

Nourishing Potato Cheddar Soup ~ A Recipe

Oh, how I adore soup weather.  I could seriously eat soup every day when it's chilly outside.  There are so many types and flavors.  It surprises me that this is the first soup recipe I've posted; new ones are being created in this kitchen all the time.  

If you like a soup that's healthy, flavorful, and comforting, you've come to the right place.  This warming dish is crafted with probiotic-rich creme fraiche, immune-boosting chicken stock and garlic, and sniffle-fighting cayenne pepper.  But for those of you who don't enjoy spicy soups; fear not.  My son is spice-sensitive and he loves this soup.

Nourishing Potato Cheddar Soup

Serves 8+

2 red onions

2 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

6 Yukon gold potatoes, chopped (you can use any kind of potato, but if you use a bigger kind, reduce to 4 potatoes)

6 cups chicken stock 

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or 1/2 teaspoon if you like it spicy or if you're wanting to win a battle with a cold)

1 teaspoon thyme

3 cloves garlic, seeded and minced

1/2 cup creme fraiche

1 cup cheddar cheese (preferably raw), grated

Celtic sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Optional Garnishes

finely chopped chives

bits of nitrate-free bacon

• Melt the butter with olive oil in your soup pot.  Saute onions in the butter until soft over medium heat, about 5 minutes.
• Add potatoes and stock.  Bring to a boil and skim off any foam.
• Reduce heat to a simmer and add cayenne pepper and thyme.  Simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
• Remove from heat and add garlic, creme, cheese, salt, and pepper and puree soup with a hand-held blender until desired smoothness.
• Fill serving bowls with soup and garnish (optional) with chives and bacon pieces.

~Browse more riddlelove recipes here.~