Posts Tagged‘Cauliflower chowder’

Cauliflower Chowder

by KitchenRebel on September 18, 2014

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I love cauliflower. I never thought I’d ever see the day I’d say that. Cauliflower has always been one of my least favourite vegetables, I hated everything about it, from the smell to the texture and taste, but cauliflower puree instead of mashed potatoes changed all of that. And since then I’ve been experimenting with all kinds of cauliflower recipes – crispy cauliflower, cauliflower ‘rice’, cauliflower fried ‘rice’, cauliflower pizza and cheesy ‘bread’ sticks, fritters, cakes, cauliflower hash and revisiting childhood cauliflower stew and curry recipes. And with all the health benefits, Cauliflower has become the new superfood in my kitchen.

This  cauliflower chowder came together from ‘nothing in the fridge’ ingredients. You know when the fridge is almost bare and you don’t want to go to the store.

Creamy and hearty, this cauliflower chowder is almost fat free, the huge pot of soup has a total of only 2-3 tablespoons of oil.  I didn’t have any olive oil or butter, so I very sparingly used my precious bottle of avocado oil.

There is no cream or dairy in this soup. Instead I made cauliflower puree, a cauliflower ‘milk’ of sorts, by blending cauliflower and a quick vegetable stock (NEVER use store bought stock) I also added a sautéed onion and bay leaf to add extra flavour to the cauliflower ‘milk’.

There are no potatoes in this chowder. And if you want to go completely starch free you can omit the corn or use your favourite vegetable. I used corn because it was all I had on hand.

ingredients

FOR THE STOCK:
1-2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
1 onion, quartered
1-2 carrots, roughly chopped (optional)
Corn cobs

FOR THE SOUP:
1 Cauliflower
1 onion, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
2 Bay leaves
1 cup Carrots, diced
1/2 cup Red Pepper, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons flour
3 ears of corn, cut off the cob (about 1 1/2 – 2 cups) Don’t forget to scrape down sides to get ‘milky’ bits
Vegetable stock
Salt to taste
White pepper to taste (optional)

instructions

First make the stock:

  1. Preheat oven to 350
  2. While oven is heating, chop vegetables, saving any extra peels and end bits for stock
  3. Place onion, celery, carrots (or any other veg you’re using – I had 2 tomatoes from the freezer) on a baking sheet and roast for 15-20 minutes, tossing once or twice, until browned
  4. In a stock pot or large pot, add corn cobs and roasted veg. Add water (I just filled the pot) and boil for about 30 minutes VegStock

MAKE THE CAULIFLOWER ‘MILK’:

  1. Grate cauliflower using a food processor, or by hand using a cheese grater
  2.  Heat 1 tablespoon avocado or olive (or other) oil in a saucepan
  3. Add onions and bay leaves, sauté for 2-3 minutes until onions begin to soften slightly
  4. Remove bay leaves, save for using in soup
  5. Add cauliflower, cover with stock, remove from heat
  6. Using a blender, blend until smooth Cauliflower Milk

MAKE THE SOUP:

  1.  In a large pot, heat 1-2 tablespoons avocado or olive (or other) oil
  2. Add diced onion, and bay leaves, sauté for 2-3 minutes until onions are soft
  3. Add celery and carrots, sauté for 3-4 minutes until carrots start to soften
  4. Add red pepper and garlic, sauté for 1-2 minutes, until garlic is fragrant
  5. Add flour, corn and corn ‘milk’, sauté for 2-3 minutes
  6. Add cauliflower ‘milk’, check seasoning, add salt and pepper to taste
  7. Simmer for 5-8 minutes until soup is thickened

cauliflower chowder

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