curried cauliflower and wilted spinach soup

I'm back in the kitchen after a long hiatus due to my clinical duties. So look forward to more of these cooking posts in the month of December...

Georgia's weather has been more unpredictable than which NY Giants team decides to show up on Sundays and I made this soup when it was freezing outside. I've always roasted cauliflower florets in the oven with curry powder so making this soup seemed like a logical choice. It's a hearty and filling soup that gets better as it sits in the fridge.

Next time, I think I'm going to forgo the spinach, chickpeas and tomatoes and just make the cauliflower soup. Straining the soup in a chinoise after blending should create for a real velvety and smooth soup and a little frothing up with an immersion blender should do the trick. Just drizzle around some heavy cream with some chopped cilantro on top and perfect to serve at a party.

Curried Cauliflower and Wilted Spinach Soup

From Joy Bauer's Slim & Scrumptious

Ingredients:

- 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets

- 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced

- 1 medium onion, diced

- 2 cloves of garlic, minced

- 2 teaspoons of ginger, minced

- 2 ribs of celery, diced

- 2 tablespoons of curry powder

- 1/2 cup of water

- 3 cups of milk

- 1/4 cup of cream cheese

- 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

- 3 cups of baby spinach

- cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1) Add olive oil to a large pot and saute the onion, carrot, celery, garlic and ginger. Season with salt and pepper and saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent.

2) Add curry powder to the veggies and saute over low heat for another 5 minutes. Add a couple tablespoons of water as needed to prevent scorching at the bottom of the pan.

3) Toss in cauliflower florets and the 1/2 cup of water. Cover the pot with a lid and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes until the cauliflower become tender enough to go through with a butter knife. Once the cauliflower is tender enough, add the cream cheese and milk.

4) Blend the veggie soup in a mixer, in 2 or 3 batches if you need to, until smooth. Return the blended soup to the pot and heat back over low heat.

5) Add drained and rinsed chickpeas and add baby spinach. Stir in to incorporate evenly.

6) Serve with halved cherry tomatoes if you want to.