Update: Great news! I entered this soup into Wayfare‘s Great Cheese Swap Event, and I won the Grand Prize – a year’s worth of We Can’t Say It’s Cheese! I envision many crackers in 2012. ;) Now back to your regularly scheduled blog post…
Cozy slippers, new pajamas, hot tea in the afternoons and chamomile at night… I’m very much a warm weather person, but this December is wooing me with certain benefits for sure. Of course, the twinkling lights and promises of presents don’t hurt its case either. Another benefit of dipping temperatures and long evenings? Hot soup and crackers. I recently made this non-dairy version of the cheesy cauliflower soup I grew up eating. It has an echo of hickory with the full-bodied mouth feel that I’ve always loved. It’s a rich and hearty soup that’s good for filling the bellies and warming the bones.
This recipe is only for two, but it could easily be doubled or quadrupled if you’re serving a larger group.
Hickory Cheddar Cauliflower Soup
Serves 2
- ½ head cauliflower, cored and chopped into medium-sized pieces
- 1 cup vegetable broth or 1 cup water + ½ vegetable bouillon cube
- 1 carrot, chopped small
- ¼ red bell pepper, chopped small
- ¼ medium-sized red onion, chopped small
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3 Tbsp We Can’t Say It’s Cheese hickory-smoked cheddar spread
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- Parsley for garnish (optional)
Bring cauliflower and broth to boil in a soup pot. Lower heat to simmer and cover with a cocked lid. Once the cauliflower has softened (about ten minutes), blend with an immersion blender. Add We Can’t Say It’s Cheese to cauliflower, stir until fully blended, and salt to taste. In a separate pan, sauté carrot, bell pepper, onion, and garlic until the onion and garlic are translucent and fragrant (about five minutes). Add vegetable mixture to soup pot and continue cooking until the carrot has softened. For a chunky soup, it is ready to serve once the carrot has reached its ideal softness. For a creamier soup, blend the soup again with an immersion blender until it has reached your preferred consistency. Top with fresh chopped parsley and ground pepper.
Tags: cauliflower, cheesy, cooking, hickory, non-dairy, recipe, soup, vegan, vegetarian, we can't say it's cheese
Sounds great, and I have all those ingredients on hand! Congrats on the Great Cheese Swap Win! I like your site, and I’ll be back when I can spend more time!
Thanks, Cyndi! Congrats to all of you at Rich Man’s Food too!
Thanks! It’s just me over here, though I’m starting to wish there were eight of me! Try the hickory spread on potato skins! It’s SO good! http://richmansfood.blogspot.com/2011/12/winning-recipes-with-wayfare-cheddar.html
Sounds awesome!! I’m going to give this a try. Hope you win the contest!
Thanks, Rose! It’s a very filling, wintery soup. I think you’d like it! I was so happy that I won the contest. It’s going to be a cheesy goldmine!
Love that… “cheesy goldmine!” Looking forward to more recipes!
Congrats! Soup looks quite amazing!
congratulations! the soup looks awesome. i love cauliflower with smoky and cheesy flavor!
Congratulations! It’s a beautiful looking soup and what a great flavor combo!
And guess who has a coupon for some We Can’t Say It’s Cheese??? This sounds great–I never even thought of using it in soup–I bet it would be fantabulous in a Potato Cheddar soup too. Oh goodness, the possibilities are endless
I’d never considered it in soup before either until this contest. Then as I was thinking about the cheesy recipes I ate growing up (before I was vegan), cheesy cauliflower soup came back to me. You’re right, it would probably make a great potato cheddar or baked potato soup. So many options!
Congrats on the win! Looking forward to trying it out!
Looks great! This is going on my “to do” board on Pinterest!
Excellent! I hope you’ll enjoy it!
CONGRATS ON THE WIN!!!!!!
THANKS, CARA!!
A year’s supply of We Can’t Say It’s Cheese? I would be in heaven
Congrats on the win, the soup sounds pretty fantastic.
Thanks, Bobbie! I’m pretty excited about all of the snacking in my future!
Congrats on a well deserved win. I have to look for that hickory smoke can’t say it’s cheese for this recipe. I don’t think I’ve seen it. I looooovve hickory smoke and new pajamas!
Aren’t new pajamas the best? As if getting into cozy clothes wasn’t already top notch, adding in new pajamas makes it even more fun. It’s like your own personal slumber party. If you can’t find We Can’t Say It’s Cheese at your grocery store, I’ve had a lot of luck requesting it. I’ve been able to get 3 stores in my area to carry it. (That’s handy because I shop in all three of them regularly depending on where I am and what I’m buying.) So you might want to shoot your local grocery store an email requesting it.