Cauliflower-Leek Potage

You can make this soup up to a day before serving, and simply reheat over medium-low heat. Double the recipe below if you want to feed a larger crowd!

Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a large saucepan, and add 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Add 3 and 1/2 cups cauliflower florets, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes, then drain. (I accidentally only used 1 quart water (4 cups), but since it just gets drained off, it seemed not to be a problem!).

Meanwhile, melt 3/4 tsp. vegan butter (such as Earth Balance) in a medium skillet over medium heat, and coat the skillet with cooking spray. Add 1 and 1/2 cups thinly sliced leek and 1/8 tsp. salt; cover and cook for 5 minutes, then uncover, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. I forgot the salt but added it at the end of cooking! (Can you tell I was distracted while cooking this?)

Combine the leek and the cauliflower in a blender with 1 cup vegetable broth; puree until smooth.

Melt 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vegan butter in a saucepan and let cook for 3 minutes, then add the cauliflower puree and 3/4 cup additional vegetable broth. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Stir in just a dash of white pepper and a pinch of nutmeg.

Ladle 3/4 cup of soup into each of 4 bowls; sprinkle each serving with 1/2 tsp. minced fresh chives. Each bowl of soup is 90 calories.

Cost:
cauliflower florets $5.11
leek $1.10
vegetable broth $2.69
chives $2.49