Curried potato and cauliflower soup

As the seasons change, one of the things many of us look forward to are warm, satisfying dishes like stews and soups. One of my favorite dishes is potato soup; unfortunately, it’s also a dish that can be very high in fat and calories (butter, cream, and bacon are all featured ingredients in most potato soup recipes). So I developed a recipe that cuts out almost all the unhealthy fat. I also added back in some extra flavor in the form of spices like curry and cardamom (because if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that when you take away fat, you have to add back in lots of other flavors. Add cauliflower for some ehalthy thickening (and as a yummy counterpoint to the potato), and you have a soup that’s not only good for you, it’s delicious!

Ingredients:

• 6 pounds russet or baking potatoes, diced
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 1/2 head cauliflower, chopped
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 8 cups low-fat chicken broth
• 1 cup low-fat milk
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp cardamom
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• Salt and pepper to taste

Heat vegetable oil in large (at least 3 quarts) non-stick pot; add onion and garlic and cook until translucent. Add cardamom and curry and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant. Add potatoes, celery, cauliflower, and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until vegetables are soft (can easily be crushed with a fork).

Remove from heat. Using handheld immersion blender, blend pot of soup until soup is desired consistency (anything from fully pureed to still chunky is fine). Put back on heat and add milk and cinnamon; stir until well-combined. Salt and pepper to taste. Heat through; serve warm, with a crusty bread.

*Note: This recipe can easily be made vegetarian by substituting vegetable stock for the chicken stock; it can be made vegan by further substituting soy milk for the milk.