PUREED MIXED VEGETABLE SOUP

Steps:

• In a large soup pot put the onions and oil and stir-fry over medium-high heat just to soften the onion a bit (do not brown the onion).
• After about four minutes, add the garlic and stir to blend.
• After two minutes add the cauliflower, potatoes and carrots.
• Add water and black pepper. Add salt to taste or 3-4 bouillon cubes (chicken or vegetable). I usually add the bouillon cubes.
• Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat, reduce heat, cover and simmer for up to an hour.
• Let the soup cool for about 20 minutes, then puree.
• Thin the soup as needed with broth, milk or cream. Adjust seasonings.
• Variations: 1. When making the cauliflower soup, I usually add about 1 cup grated cheese after pureeing the soup. 2. To make zucchini soup, replace the cauliflower with zucchini and add 1/4-1/2 teaspoon dried thyme. 3. To make asparagus soup, replace the cauliflower with 2 bunches of fresh chopped asparagus and 1/4-1/2 teaspoon dried thyme. 4. To make spinach soup, replace the cauliflower with 1 pound spinach, and reduce the water. The spinach flavor was a little strong for me, so I added extra cream. 5. To make bean soup, replace the cauliflower with two 15 oz. cans of cannellini beans and add 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning blend. Cannellini beans are sometimes called white kidney beans and are often used in Italian cooking. Great northern beans or navy beans would also probably work well. 6. You can replace the cauliflower with broccoli, but I haven't enjoyed the soup when making it this way, as the soup tasted a little bit bitter. I have successfully made the soup using half broccoli and half cauliflower as the dominant vegetable 7. To make chickpea soup, replace the cauliflower with two 15 oz. cans of chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) and add 1 teaspoon of dried Italian seasoning blend. When making this soup with beans or chickpeas, I sometimes also add 2 celery ribs if I happen to have them on hand. I usually peel the back of the celery rib to remove the tough stringy part, but that probably isn't necessary. 8. To make the soup with cabbage, use 1-2 onions, 1-2 leeks (optional), 2 celery ribs, 1/3 lb. carrots, 2 minced garlic cloves, 5 potatoes, 1/3 of a cabbage and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. 9 Finally, one of my favorites is to make the soup with the cabbage (#8), but I usually reduce the potatoes to 2-3. Do not puree the soup this time. Add 1/4-1/2 cup tomato sauce to the broth and 1 diced tomato (optional). Add one packed cup spinach or kale and one 15 oz. can chickpeas or white beans the last 2-3 minutes. After ladling soup into a bowl, add 2 teaspoons of pesto on top of each bowl for garnish, which adds an excellent fresh flavor to the soup.