Guilt-Free Friday: Baked Faux-Tato Soup

Well, since it keeps trying to be cold and rainy and yucky outside, that puts me in the mood for soup.  On Tuesday this week, which was nice and rainy and cold and especially yucky, I was really craving some baked potato comfort food soup... But I can't tell you the last time I used a potato at home (aside from art projects), and I wasn't about to break that streak!  Time to turn to the ever-versatile cauliflower!  And I must say, it was a huge success that I am absolutely thrilled about.  It tasted JUST like baked potato soup, and the texture was spot-on and everything!  Horray!

So I highly recommend you make this before it starts getting too warm out and soup isn't as much fun anymore.  Or make it anyway, regardless of weather, because it's just that good.

Here we go!

1/2 head of cauliflower
5-6 strips of bacon, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1/4 white onion, chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced or crushed
2/3 cup whole milk (I'm sure unsweetened coconut milk would work great too if you're steering clear of dairy)
Dash or two or three of hot sauce
2/3 cup chicken broth
1 tsp chopped dried or fresh parsley
1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (optional, if you're avoiding dairy)

Break the cauliflower into florets and steam in a covered pot of boiling water until super soft and tender.  Meanwhile, toss chopped bacon into a saucepan over medium heat and fry for a few minutes.  Add in the chopped celery, onion, and garlic and cook until tender and the bacon is cooked through.

Drain the water from the cauliflower, add in the milk, broth, and hot sauce, and blend with a hand-held blender (or place the three ingredients into a regular blender and blend it that way).  Return to low heat.  Add in the celery, onion, garlic, and bacon, and parsley and stir.  You can reserve some of that for a pretty garnish, if you want it to be pretty when you serve it.  If you prefer your soup a little more runny, add more milk or broth.

Grate in your cheese, and stir until melted.  Pour into bowls, garnish with some extra shredded cheese and reserved bacon and goodies, and dig in!