Cauliflower Soup

We had a very cold and rainy day here in New York so I was craving some nice warm soup. I found this recipe while looking for any type of Vitamix soup recipes. It turned out really well, especially with a little bit of extra salt and pepper to taste. It was very easy, but did take a bit of time for a Vitamix recipe. 

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 cups chopped leeks (white parts only, from 2 or 3 leeks)

salt

1 head cauliflower, chopped

7 cups vegetable broth

1/4 cup unsalted cashews, soaked

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat and saute the garlic, leeks, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt for about 3 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.

Add the cauliflower and saute for another minute.

Add the vegetable brother, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and allow the soup to cool slightly; stir in the nuts.

Pour the soup into your blender in batches and blast on high for 1 to 2 minutes, until smooth and creamy.

Return the soup to the saucepan and warm it over low heat. Stir in salt to taste and it's ready to eat!

Enjoy!

Healthy Spinach and Artichoke Dip

I was in the mood to try some new Vitamix recipes today. Both turned out in strange colors but were really good. This "spinach and artichoke" dip is more like a bean and artichoke dip, but is very good and healthy, nonetheless. Next time I will probably use a food processor instead of the Vitamix. It was hard to pulse in the Vitamix which is why it turned out so smooth and green instead of chunky like normal spinach and artichoke dip.

Ingredients

about 1 cup scallions, chopped

1 15 oz can cannellnni beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup cashews

1/2 cup non-dairy milk (I used almond milk)

1 to 2 garlic cloves

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

5 ounces fresh spinach

1 15 oz can artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained

Blend all ingredients together in a high speed blender,except for the spinach and artichoke hearts, until very smooth.

Add the spinach and artichokes and pulse through to keep some chunky texture.

Put in an oven safe dish and bake for 20 minutes.