Recipe: The CHEESIEST Vegan Cauliflower Soup

I have to tell you something that may not surprise you: I am a reformed cheese-a-holic. Well sort of. We're vegan so we don't eat dairy. You know what? No problem! We've got this soup. And all of the cheese sauces I make!
When I first made this and tasted it my eyes grew WIDE. WIDE WIDE, I tell you. I kind of gasped even. I had DONE IT. I am very pleased with the cheesiness of this soup. Everything goes together so well and .. and.. there are just no words. Taste it for yourself. Follow the recipe exactly and taste it for yourself. Everything that goes into it makes it have a really wonderful flavor that lingers on your tongue.

This is a new Fo' Reals Mom household staple. My kid gobbled it up. The kid that thinks she doesn't DO soup. Oh she does soup now. 

It's really great as a meal on its own but shines as a starter for a meal. We had some for lunch and then some for dinner with black bean burgers. It was fantastic both ways. 

We love to eat it with crackers or thick crusty bread for dipping. Do whatever makes you happy though. (Just as a side note, kids LOVE to dip!) 

 Recipe notes...

* You can make this recipe soy-free by omitting the silken tofu and replacing it with 1 cup milk replacement of your choice (I suggest a nut milk like almond) and 1/4 cup flour (rice or all purpose flour.)

*The cayenne pepper can be left out or reduced but there was not a hint of spiciness to the soup, just a warmth and background flavor. 

The CHEESIEST vegan Cauliflower Soup

10 - 1 cup servings

1 head cauliflower

5 cups vegetable broth

1 cup chopped onion (about 1/2 medium onion)

3 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:

1/2 roasted red bell pepper (about 1/4 cup jarred roasted bell pepper)

1 12oz package lite silken tofu (Mori-nu brand) 

2 Tablespoons light miso 

1 cup nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup soy milk (or your favorite milk alternative)

1 Tablespoon yellow prepared mustard

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

2 Tablespoons tahini 

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Remove the outer leaves of the cauliflower and peel the tough outer skin of the stem with a vegetable peeler. Chop it all up into bite sized pieces and add to a large soup pot. Add the vegetable broth, onion and garlic to the soup pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Once it's boiling put on the lid and turn down to low. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender. 

While the soup is simmering place all of the sauce ingredients in a blender and blend until very smooth. 

When the cauliflower is tender add the sauce to the soup pot and stir to combine. 

I like to puree half of the soup with my immersion blender or you can use your regular blender. Just remove several cups and blend until smooth. You can also just puree the whole soup if you don't like chunky soups. 

Check the seasonings and add salt and pepper to taste (your vegetable broth may be more or less salty than mine.) 

Nutritional information per serving : Serving size: 1 cup soup
3 WWPointsPlus, 123 calories, 3.1g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 14.8g carbohydrates, 5.7g fiber, 1.8g sugar, 11.5g protein