Name: Hamburger Cauliflower Soup
Yield: 4 - 6
Ingredients: 1 Tbsp olive oil; 1/2 Medium Onion ((roughly chopped)); 1 lb ground beef; 1 Can Stewed Tomatoes; 3 Cups water; 3 Beef bouillon cubes; 1/4 tsp Onion Powder; 1/4 tsp Garlic Salt; 1/2 tsp Basil; 1 tsp Celery flakes; Salt & Pepper to taste; 1/2 Large Cauliflower head ((cut into florets))

It’s officially soup season. Yay! It’s been in the thirties and forties this week, so the soup recipes came out and got sorted through. Just when I had decided on one to make, my friend Sherry emailed me a recipe she had recently created for their family.

Sherry says, “I wanted to use cauliflower in a soup instead of potatoes and couldn’t find a recipe that wasn’t cream based.” Well, she did a great job because it turned out beautifully. It was comforting, full of good stuff, and delicious. The cauliflower was tender and soaked in some of that wonderful beefy-tomato broth and was a great addition to the soup. I got a photo of it hot and steamy right out of the pot…

I was looking for a soup or stew to take to a friend of mine who just got out of the hospital and this one was perfect. I took it over to them steaming hot with fresh crackers and a few slices of Double-Layer Pumpkin Pie. When I got home I slipped on my jammies and fluffy socks and enjoyed a bowl of it while watching Project Runway. Now, that’s the life! I think we’ll double this one next time.

Hamburger Cauliflower Soup

****created a la Sherry Sebastian. Delicious and hearty.

Servings: 4 - 6

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 Medium Onion (roughly chopped)
1 lb ground beef
1 Can Stewed Tomatoes
3 Cups water
3 Beef bouillon cubes
1/4 tsp Onion Powder
1/4 tsp Garlic Salt
1/2 tsp Basil
1 tsp Celery flakes
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/2 Large Cauliflower head (cut into florets)

Instructions

In a large pot, saute the onion in the olive oil until almost translucent. Add the hamburger and brown*. Add the stewed tomatoes, water, bouillon cubes, onion powder, basil, garlic salt, celery flakes and salt and pepper. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
Add Cauliflower florets and simmer (very slow simmer) for 1 hour.

Recipe Notes

Tips and Stuff:
I added a another cup of water to her original recipe (called for 2 cups) because I wanted to make sure and have enough to take to my friend.

*If the ground beef generates excess grease, drain it off before you add the rest of the ingredients so the soup won't be oily.

The original recipe didn't have basil, but it's one of my favorite herbs so I put it in almost everything!

Be sure and add the cauliflower when the recipe calls for it - you don't want it to get mushy.

Next time I might add even more vegetables - the broth base of this is soooo good!

Since 2014 is the year of the cauliflower (see the recent What’s Hot/What’s Not post), I’ve been looking for some good recipes that highlight the vegetable. I couldn’t find the cheesy roasted cauliflower recipe I grew up with, but found one that was very close (sans crispy bread topping). This one comes from thebeetingheart.com which has a bunch of healthy recipes, although this one has quite a bit of cheese in it, so I’m not sure how entirely healthy it is….

I don’t prefer cauliflower crunchy, so I appreciated the baked tenderness of this cheesy side dish. We had it alongside a grilled rib-eye steak and fresh green salad and it was really good – we emptied the bowl in record time. You could leave some of the cheese out without a problem and it would still be a great vegetable dish.

Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole

***1/2 Cheesy and tender; a great alternative vegetable dish and easy to throw together. I will definitely add this to the vegetable rotation.

Ingredients

1 head of cauliflower cut into pieces
1/2 C water
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
2/3 C shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 C shredded Mozzarella
3 tbsp milk

Instructions

Preheat oven broiler.
Cut cauliflower into bite-sized pieces and put into a microwave-safe container with 1/2 C. water. Microwave on HIGH for 8 minutes covered. This will steam the cauliflower. You may need to add more time if cauliflower is not tender enough after 8 minutes. Once cauliflower is tender, drain off the water very well. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add milk and stir.
Take a fork, two knives, or a masher and mash the cauliflower with the milk. Add the cheddar cheese and stir. Microwave on high for another 2 minutes. Lightly spray a small casserole dish with cooking spray. Spoon the cauliflower mix into the dish and top with the Mozzarella cheese. Place casserole dish under the broiler (uncovered) for 2 to 3 minutes or until cheese is brown and bubbling on top. Serve warm.

Recipe Notes

Tips and Stuff: Drain the water off of the cauliflower very well or it will be watery. This could be easily doubled for a pot luck dinner. I left the cauliflower a little lumpy instead of thoroughly mashing it because we liked the texture and you could taste the cauliflower better.

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