If you weren't excited about cauliflower soup before, it's time to get excited. My mom recommended this soup to me after she read it on a blog and raved about it. Even my dad sent out a spontaneous text to the sisters and I telling us not to miss this soup. Seriously. Has your dad ever texted you and implored you to make cauliflower soup? I bet not. So I did what most kids would do when their parents suggested something: absolutely nothing. I sat on this soup recipe for a while. At 36 my rebellious streak is really coming out. Last night I decided I was ready to obey my parents, and now I'm glad I did. Who knew soup could be such a metaphor for parent/child relationships??? There are gobs of life lessons to be learned in the kitchen, people. Anyway, the author of this recipe compares it to Panera's potato soup, which is beloved by many and no longer on the menu. I'd like to point out that while it IS similar in texture and thickness, it is far far better. For one, it doesn't contain those nasty fake bits of ham. Those fake bits of ham always caused me to rethink my soup choice while I was standing in line. This soup is vegetarian and totally divine. If you are missing a little pork in your potato-esque soup, then please feel free to top it with some crumbled bacon. This soup is also fabulous to me because it is low carb and full of really-good-for-you cauliflower in a high-carb tasting vehicle. Even my potato loving 6 year old enjoyed this. Lastly, this soup is awesome because you really can do it start to finish in 30 minutes. My only regret is that I didn't double it.

Cauliflower Cream Cheese Soup

-from iowagirleats.com

2 Tablespoons butter
1 shallot or 1/4 small onion, chopped (I used the shallots. I think shallots are special and use them whenever I am asked to do so)
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups grated cauliflower (about 1 small head of cauliflower). If the food processor tragedy hadn't occurred I would have used the grating attachment. Sigh. My new one arrives tomorrow, in case you can't sleep at night wondering what in the world I am going to do. I am here to tell you I survived grating this by hand on a box grater
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh dill (I can't endorse dried dill because I didn't try it, but I think you'd probably be ok to substitute if you absolutely won't listen to reason--cut it down to 1 teaspoon in that case)
3/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
pepper
2 Tablespoons water
2 Tablespoons flour
1-3/4 cups vegetable or chicken broth, divided
2 cups milk (any kind is fine, we keep 2% in the fridge around here)
8oz lowfat cream cheese, softened to room temperature

Melt butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic then saute until shallots are starting to become tender, 3-5 minutes, stirring often to avoid burning the garlic. Add the cauliflower, fresh dill, seasoned salt, and pepper then stir to coat cauliflower in butter. Add water then place a lid on top and steam cauliflower until tender, 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile whisk 1/4 cup broth and flour together in a small bowl then set aside. Add remaining 1-1/2 cups broth and milk to the soup pot, then turn heat up to medium-high and bring soup to a gentle bubble, stirring occasionally. Turn heat back down to medium then stream in broth/flour mixture, stirring constantly to combine, and then simmer until soup is slightly thickened about 5 minutes.
Divide cream cheese into a few large chunks and add to the soup pot. Switch to a whisk then whisk soup until cream cheese is fully melted and incorporated. Remove from heat and then let sit for 10 minutes to thicken up before serving.