A perfect meal for a cool autumn day

They had some huge and nice looking cauliflowers at Superstore last week and we picked one up.  After cutting it up we weren't sure if we would be likely to eat the whole thing as is, so we had the great idea to try to make some soup out of it.

I looked at a number of recipes and chose bits and pieces of a few different ones.  When we made the soup last night and I tasted it, it was okay, but not spectacular.  Jay warmed it up for supper tonight and like magic the flavors really came out.  It was a perfect match with some nice spicy cheddar jalapeno bread from Hot Racks (the new local bakery).

Creamy Cauliflower Soup
2-3 tbsp butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 green peppers, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk
3 medium sized potatoes, cubed
1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets
2 bay leaves
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp dried parsley
2 tsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of red pepper flakes

Directions:
Saute the onion and green pepper in butter until soft.  Add the chicken broth and milk then add the garlic.  Add the bay leaves, thyme, celery salt, parsley, dijon mustard, salt, pepper and pepper flakes.  Add the potatoes and cauliflower.  Bring to a simmer and cook until the potatoes and cauliflower are soft, about 30 minutes.  Discard the bay leaves then puree the soup using an immersion blender or in small batches using a stand blender.  Depending on your preference, blend until smooth, or leave some chunks of vegetables.

The reason we used green pepper is because it was in the fridge and we didn't want it to go bad before we had a chance to use it.  If I were to make the soup again I would probably add some celery for flavor, though I think the celery salt did a fine job adding flavor.  I loved the texture of the pureed soup, and specifically the potato gave the soup a nice creaminess without the added fat of using cream.