Roasted cauliflower soup... dairy and gluten free!

Now that the weather has been getting cooler, I've been trying to find ways to incorporate more soups into our weekly menu. Cauliflower happened to be on sale this past week at the grocery store, so I figured I'd give it a go! Part of the point of trying to incorporate more soup is having hearty meals that tend to be low calorie and low fat. I like creamy soups that are smooth but adding all that flour and/or cream to make a soup thick and creamy defeats the purpose. This is my attempt at a nice, thick, hearty soup made with no flour, no butter, and no cream. This recipe will serve about 4-5 and comes in at 138 calories and only 7 grams of fat! I wish I had some nice, fresh thyme sprigs for garnish :( I did, however make a loaf if this delicious rosemary bread to serve along side!

Roasted cauliflower and garlic soup 

Serves 4

1 large head of cauliflower
8 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
2 tbsp olive oil
Juice of 1 small lemon
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1.5 quarts chicken or vegetable stock (just enough to cover the cauliflower)

1 tsp thyme
Salt and pepper, to taste

Pre heat oven to 400°F. Cut the cauliflower off the stem and into relatively equal sized pieces. Toss the cauliflower and unpeeled garlic in the olive oil and add a generous amount of salt and pepper. Roast, in a single layer for approximately 40 minutes, or until tender and starting to brown. Peel garlic! Transfer roasted delicious-ness to a pot and add chicken stock. Bring to a simmer until cauliflower is very tender. Puree soup using an immersion blender (or regular blender, taking caution not to scald yourself with exploding soup!!) Once smooth, add lemon juice and mustard. Serve and enjoy!!

The best Swedish meatballs

This recipe makes about 4 dozen and will serve about 8 people but I freeze half in the sauce and it reheats amazingly well!!!

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ground sirloin (85/15)
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped in a food processor
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup plain, dry breadcrumbs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons dry red wine
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups beef stock
• 8oz. sliced mushrooms (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Combine beef, onion, sour cream, egg, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and spices with hands. Shape into 1 3/4-inch balls (I use a small ice cream scoop).
2. Heat oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook meatballs, shaking skillet, until browned and cooked through, about 6 minutes. Keep warm in oven on a clean rimmed baking sheet.
3. Pour off all but approximately 3 TBSP of fat, adding more to make 3 TBSP, if necessary. Add mushrooms, if using; cook over medium heat, stirring, until liquid is released and they start to caramelize a bit. stir in flour; add thyme,wine and stock. Raise heat to medium-high. Simmer, stirring, until thick, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the meatballs back to the pan and serve with mashed potatoes or egg noodles and veggie of your choice!