Holy Wow was this good!!   When Hannah was driving us to meet my mom on Sunday, I grabbed a Food and Wine magazine from November that I hadn’t finished reading.  Yep, too many magazines and not enough time to read them!  This recipe caught my eye immediately.  While I don’t like fresh raw cauliflower (like on a veggie tray) I love it cooked.  I’ve made a this dish before and it was amazing – tasted like mac n cheese!

started with two big heads of cauliflower, just removed the stems and chopped into big pieces
started with two big heads of cauliflower, just removed the stems and chopped into big pieces
I used 4 cups of veggie broth and 2 cups chicken broth
I used 4 cups of veggie broth and 2 cups chicken broth

Cauliflower Soup with Crispy Chorizo Bread Crumbs (courtesy of Food and Wine)

  • 2 tablespoons butter (it called for 4, but I used 2)
  • 1 medium onion (pretty sure you know I left that out!)
  • 3 gloves of garlic, minsed
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (it called for sprigs of Thyme)
  • 2 medium heads of cauliflower
  • 6 cups chicken stock/broth
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream (I used 1/2 cup FF half and half)
  • 3 ounces chorizo sausage, finely chopped
  • 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs

Melt the butter in a big stock pot.  Add the diced onion (ew), garlic Italian season and cooke over moderate heat until softened, about 5 minutes. 

Add the chopped cauliflower and broth and bring to a simmer.  Cover and cook until tender, mine took about 30 minutes.

Using a stick blender, I pureed the soup.  Took off heat and stirred in the half and half and added salt and pepper to taste. 

In a skillet, brown the chorizo until crisp – about 3 minutes.  Add bread crumbs and stirring frequently, about 5 minutes until the bread crumbs are crisp.

Serving size: 1 cup comes in at 151 calories, 4.7 fat and 21.4 carbs.  For each teaspoon of breading add 25 calories 8 fat and 9 carbs.

I added a bit of Tabasco off camera!
I added a bit of Tabasco off camera!
On the side I had a light english muffin with 1 oz. deli roast beef (rare!), .5 slice swiss cheese, handful of spinach and lots of yellow mustard
On the side I had a light english muffin with 1 oz. deli roast beef (rare!), .5 slice swiss cheese, handful of spinach and lots of yellow mustard
5 ounce sliced english cucumber with 1 tablespoon balsamic dressing
5 ounce sliced english cucumber with 1 tablespoon balsamic dressing
And for dessert 4 ounces of sliced Fuji apple - my favorite apple!
And for dessert 4 ounces of sliced Fuji apple - my favorite apple!

So my lunch break is just about over – maybe time to read one or two blogs!   So our chicken has been soaking in buttermilk with paprika, salt and pepper since last night.   We plan on testing out the pressure cooker by making Kentucky Fried Chicken with Baked Potatoes and Fresh Broccoli!  See you then!