"Faux-Tato" Soup

   You say "po-tato", I say "faux-tato", I was home-schooled, I'm a little geeky. Let's move on! 
    So, potato soup is a very cost effective meal, and potatoes are not quite as bad as we are led to think. They are low in fat, high in fibre, high in vitamins C, B1, B3, B6 as well as minerals like potassium, phosphorus and magnesium. 

    Then there's cauliflower. This veggie that looks like a brain has vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 and B9, as well as vitamin C. It contains omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin K. It also has protein, and the minerals phosphorus, potassium, and manganese. Wowers. 

   So, who cares about these 2 white veggies? I do! Wanna know why? Too bad, I'm gonna tell you anyway! :)     
 
    If I was going to choose between the two, I would go for the cauliflower. Despite all of their good qualities, potatoes can raise your blood sugar really fast. They have a higher glycemic index than refined white sugar (the glycemic index {GI| provides a measure of how quickly blood sugar levels rise after eating a particular type of food)  because of the way they are processed by our bodies. A baked white potato (no skin) has a GI of 98, while white sugar has a GI of about 60. Geepers. Cauliflower, however, has a very low GI of 15. This means it will have little to no effect on your blood sugar levels. Basically, eating a lot of potato will induce that same sugar crash as if you had eaten a Fun Dip! 

    So, let me introduce the "Faux-tato Soup"! This soup tastes like the potato version, only it will leave you feeling full, and keep your blood sugar in check so that you will feel happier when you are finished. And an hour after. No sugar crash! 

So yummy, and such good comfort food as the weather gets colder!

 (Roasted) Faux-tato Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
  
• Olive Oil
  
• 1 Onion, quartered
  
• 1 Head of garlic (skin on, top cut off-see photo below)
  
• Salt and pepper
  
• 4 cups broth (I usually use beef, but chicken or veggie will work too)
  
• Your favourite baked potato toppings: Green onion, sour cream, grated cheese, bacon, broccoli-whatever you like (or can have)! 
  

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

2. In a medium sized baking dish, toss the cauliflower with the olive oil.

3. Mix in the onions.  

4. Place the cut head of garlic into the dish, cut side up. Drizzle a little extra olive oil on the garlic, and sprinkle everything with salt and pepper.

5. Put into oven and roast, for about 50 minutes, until the cauliflower is soft, and the garlic is very fragrant and soft (it will often start to pop out of the skin when it is ready). 

6. Once roasted, remove from oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. Once cool, squeeze the garlic cloves out of the skin and into the cauli-onion mix. Discard the skin.

7. Now, put about half the roasted veggies into a blender. Add about half of the broth, and blend. How much you blend depends on how thick/lumpy you want your soup. Empty blended soup into a medium sized pot. Repeat blending process with remaining veggies and broth. 

8. Heat back up, and serve with the toppings!

The garlic cut and everything ready to be roasted

    The other day I used this cauliflower based soup as a cream base for a homemade cream of chicken soup (pictured below). I just added about a cup more broth, and the diced, cooked chicken. It was really good! So very good!  

The cream of chicken soup I made with the cauliflower soup base.

     Just give this soup a try, and let me know what you think!