Life is Healthy

I about went crazy this morning trying to find the recipe for Cream of Cauliflower Soup with Cheese that I fell in love with when I made it for the first time a few weeks ago. I paged through my recipe binder marked SOUP at least five times before digging out the other recipe binders thinking maybe I’d filed it incorrectly. It was quite possible I’d been so delirious from eating such yumminess that I put the card in the DESSERTS folder.

I was convinced I’d printed it from some website and when it didn’t show up in any of my binders, I went online to see if I could find a copy. I started at Weight Watchers, but it wasn’t there. I searched Taste of Home, AllRecipes, Cooks.com, About.com, Vegetarian Times…you name it. No luck.

I went back to Weight Watchers because I’d plugged the main parts of the recipe into the Recipe Builder. However, when I put in my recipes, I never include spices or directions since I’m only interested in using the Recipe Builder for determining Points values. Ergo, I had no idea what else went into this delectable soup or even how to make it. I could probably fake it, but I wanted to eat the EXACT same soup I made a few weeks ago! *foot stomp*

You know how when you lose your keys and you look all over and finally, when you just let your mind settle and you retrace your steps, you remember where you put them? I returned to the kitchen and just stood there. Where is that recipe? Think, Lynn, think! Then like a 2x4 to the head, I remembered: it was a recipe from my trusty 1,001 Low-Fat Vegetarian Recipes cookbook! Thank god! I have more brain farts the older I get and when I have a successful “ah ha!” moment, it’s almost better than having sex or eating chocolate. Almost.

I try new recipes and foods all the time. Some are good, some not so good and some, and this doesn’t happen very often, are so fabulous that they immediately make their way into Lynn’s Food Hall of Fame, right alongside lefse, BigAss Salad, feta/spinach omelets, spicy roasted potatoes, Fage yogurt, PB2, and Trader Joe’s creamy mint chocolate rounds.

Same thing happens with workout music. Songs come and go, they get rotated in and out every few months, but there are three songs that are always in my iPod: “Pump It Up” by Elvis Costello, “Pump It” by the Black Eyed Peas, and “Ain’t Nothing Wrong With That” by Robert Randolph and The Family Band. Like the cauliflower soup, the new song by Def Leppard, “C’mon C’mon,” is quickly becoming an all-time favorite as well and will most likely enjoy a long life in my Nano.

Anyway, back to the soup. You know I wouldn’t go on and on about some darned soup without sharing the recipe with you. So here you go, the orgasmicallygood soup that I hope will make you even a little bit as happy as it’s made me:

Cream of Cauliflower Soup with Cheese
Makes 4 or 6 servings (Points explained below)

½ C chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T flour
3 ½ C vegetable broth
12 oz cauliflower, cut into florets
1 C potato, peeled and cubed
¼ to ½ C fat-free half-and-half or fat-free milk*
3 oz reduced-fat Cheddar cheese**
Salt and pepper to taste
Ground mace (nutmeg) as garnish

Sauté onion and garlic in lightly greased saucepan until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in flour; cook about 1 minute longer. Slowly add stock and whisk with the flour mixture until smooth. Add cauliflower and potato and heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 10-15 minutes. Remove about half the vegetables from the soup with a slotted spoon and reserve. Puree remaining soup in food processor or blender until smooth.

Return soup to saucepan; stir in reserved vegetables, milk and cheese. Cook over low heat, stirring, until cheese is melted. Season to taste. Sprinkle each serving with mace, if desired.

* I use light plain soy milk
** I use Cabot 75% Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese

Points values:

Either 4 or 6 servings using ¼ regular or fat-free half-and-half is 2 points
6 servings with ½ C of regular or fat-free half-and-half is 2 points
4 servings with ½ C of regular or fat-free half-and-half is 3 points

Either 4 or 6 servings using ½ C light soy milk is 2 points

Have I thoroughly confused you? I’m nothing if not thorough…lol.

------------------------------------

REMINDER: To win a copy of Charlie Hill’s book “Why Your Last Diet Failed You (And How This Book Won’t Help You On Your Next One),” leave a comment on my interview with Charlie by Friday, April 24, at the conclusion of his book tour.

Can’t wait or don’t feel lucky? You can buy Charlie’s book on Amazon. Visit his blog, Back to the Fridge, for more dieting/life humor and wisdom. I promise you’ll like what you find there.

Catch Charlie on the rest of his book tour:

Tuesday, April 21: Ecstatic Days (Guest Post)
Wednesday, April 22: The Alcoholian (Guest Post)
Thursday, April 23: The Wonderful World of Wieners (Review & Interview)
Friday, April 24: Cranky Fitness (Guest Post)