The weather is terrible here. So much rain, everything so gray it’s almost depressing. Almost, I said, because there’s just no better way to spend a rainy, gloomy day than being cooped up inside my little kitchen, cooking up a storm. Ok, so maybe curled up in a warm bed with lots of sleazy magazines to read and cookies to eat, but I kinda forgot what that was like ever since my son was born.

Been watching my diet a little. Don’t tell me you don’t recognise those ‘last’ 10 pounds, that somehow seem magically stuck to your thighs forever, no matter how hard you try to get rid of them? Oh, come on now! So with those thighs in mind, I decided to go for a nice cauliflower (and mixed vegetables) soup.

The perfect lunch on a dreary day. It’s hearty, it’s warm, it’s just a comfort vitamin bomb on days like these.

Ingredients:

2 cups chicken broth
medium cauliflower
medium carrot
2 garlic cloves
1 large onion
1/2 cup corn
1 cup milk
1 tsp salt
nutmeg
pepper
chives

Optional: cheese

Directions:

The chosen few! Come on, guys, let’s party! Sorry, I get carried away sometimes. ‘Prettig gestoord’, they call it here, which translates to ‘pleasantly disturbed’.

Peel and chop the carrot. The carrot will add a little natural sweetness and a slight hint of color to the soup. Not pumpkin orange, though. I quite honestly can’t stand to see another pumpkin puree, soup or muffin. Everyone cooks with pumpkin it seems!

Coarsely chop your onion.

Also grab about half a cup of corn. Pretty yellow carbs.

Cut the cauliflower into florets. I like to be a little aggressive about it and just yank it into bits and pieces. Anger management issues, I guess.

Last but definitely not least, grate or chop the garlic.

Grab yourself a nice big soup pot. Sure, you can use your fancy Le Creuset, just don’t tell me about it or I might get jealous. Remember what I did to the cauliflower? Precisely!

Pour 1 tbsp oil in a pot and sautee the onions. Add the carrots, give it a good stir and cook for a minute. Add the corn and garlic, cook for an additional minute and plunge in the cauliflower florets.

Add a good pinch of nutmeg and pepper. I can’t stretch this enough, fresh grated nutmeg makes all the difference!

Now the next step solely depends on how you like your soup. I like a thick soup, so I’ve added 1 cup of milk. If you like a thinner soup, add an additional cup. Middle ground would be 1 1/2 cup. Yes, I can do the math :)

Pour in the chicken broth.

Now you can season afterwards, but I threw in a tsp salt at this point. I like living on the edge.

Bring everything to a boil and let it simmer for roughly 20 to 25 minutes. Until the vegetables are soft.

There’s my buddy! With my huge predilection for creamy soups, I can’t live without this rod mixer. Of course you can also use your blender or food processor. Puree the soup and check the seasoning. Now If you’re blessed with a size 0, consider adding a good hand of sharp cheddar or any other good cheese! You’ll thank me later!

Now really, these kind of soups just need a little sour cream. Don’t deny yourself that! Garnish with some chives, a little parsley and some freshly cracked black pepper.

How about a little sunshine in a soup bowl!?!