My favorite veteran and Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Papa Doty, in uniform with Patty D, my mother

Today is Veteran's Day. It was originally designated as a day to honor the veterans of World War I. My great-grandfather, Charles Doty served in that war. Later on, it was extended to include all veterans. My dear sweet Papa Doty (his son) served in World War II.

Baby B, Papa Doty and Katie

Papa left us a little over a year ago. It has been a tough year for a variety of reasons. He is sorely missed by us all. He still deserves our thanks for leaving his young wife and his baby daughters, for risking his life, for surviving.

Thank you, Papa. Thank you for making it home. Thank you for having more daughters. Thank you for being such a sweet soul. We love you and miss you terribly. I would give anything for one more bear hug!

Papa Doty with Baby C, September 2008

I have been cooking and I know you will all love this recipe. Even if you hate cauliflower, you will love this soup. Trust me, would I ever steer you wrong?



Roasted Cauliflower Soup

1 large or 2 small (3 pounds) heads cauliflower, cut into florets (about 10 cups)
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic, each halved
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) chicken broth or you can use Better Than Buillion (they even have vegetarian buillion available)

1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (I used dry and it was just fine)
1 cup half-and-half (I left this out and we did not miss it at all)
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper



Heat oven to 400°. In a large roasting pan, toss cauliflower, onion slices and garlic with olive oil. I also threw in the salt (coarse sea salt) and some pepper.

Roast at 400° for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through.



In a large saucepan, combine roasted cauliflower mixture, chicken broth, 1 cup water, bay leaf and thyme. Cover; bring to boiling. Reduce heat; simmer, covered for 20 minutes.


Discard bay leaf. In blender or food processor, puree soup in batches. Return soup to saucepan. Stir in half-and-half, if desired; add salt and pepper; cook over medium heat until heated through.



Per cup: 98 calories; 9 g fat (3 g sat fat); 2 g protein; 4 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 741 mg sodium; 13 mg cholesterol

Honestly, leaving the half-and-half out makes the soup so much healthier and you will not miss it!

Awesome White Chicken Chili

I am generally not a big fan of chili. Ok, truth be told, I hate the stuff. Its all red and meaty and yucky. Sorry. Not very appetizing for a food/cooking blog.

Kidney beans freak me out. First of all, there is that name. Do I really want to eat anything with the word "kidney" in it? Nope. Not going to eat actual kidneys, can't really stomach the kidney beans. They are big and have a pasty, grainy thing going on that I just can't tolerate.

Also, so many chili recipes have beef in some form in them and I am just not down with the red meat in soup notion. Call me neurotic, call me a picky eater...and you would probably be right on both counts.

This chili recipe is in a word...awesome!

It is from Cooking Light, so it is pretty healthy. It is also the tastiest chili I have ever eaten. In my opinion, you just can't go wrong with cumin, the stuff is such a great flavor. It adds such a great spicy flavor without heat that I love.

I made this when my cousin and his family were here for dinner. It is one of those recipes that is very easily doubled and you will be so glad that you did.

When I worked in an office (like about a million years ago, or maybe just four years ago) I would take this for lunch. After I warmed it in the microwave, everyone would be very jealous and asking what I was having. Pretty ringing endorsement, if you ask me!

Go ahead, try some White Chicken Chili, you know you want to!