After the excesses of Christmas and New Year feasting, I really want to make and eat meals which are less rich. So why don’t you, I hear you say? Because the fridge is still full of Christmas and New Year food and as I cannot bring myself to waste food, we are going to have to eat it all up!
This compulsion is generally kept under control by careful menu planning to ensure that there is only what is needed in the fridge and cupboards.
However, over the holiday season, all this goes out the window and when I open the fridge I am staring at various half-eaten packs of cheese, vacuum-packed chestnuts and boxes of leftover meats and vegetables which demand to be re-purposed into delicious thrifty meals.
Unfortunately, they don’t tend to be low fat or low sugar type foods so I’m hoping I will have cleared the lot by the end of the coming weekend and I can eat in a more healthy way once more!
I started to make inroads into the New Year leftovers today, there was a litre box full of cauliflower cheese congealed in a way that did not invite reheating and eating in its original form and so it became Cauliflower Cheese Soup.
Cauliflower Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- 2 medium onions finely chopped
- 2 celery stalks finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon sunflower oil
- 1 litre leftover cauliflower in cheese sauce
- 1 litre vegetable stock
- 100 ml milk
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 30 grams flat-leaved parsley finely chopped
Instructions
- Heat the sunflower oil in a large pan, add the chopped onions and celery and cook on a medium heat until the onion is soft and transparent and the celery has started to soften.
- Add the stock and simmer gently for 10 minutes until the celery is soft.
- Add the cauliflower in cheese sauce and cook for a further 10 minutes.
- Take the pan off the heat and leave to cool for about 20 minutes.
- Puree the soup with a stick blender or in a liquidiser, adding some milk if the mixture becomes too thick.
- Season to taste and garnish with parsley.
Notes
It seems that others also suffer from the compulsion eat up everything left in the fridge, as the theme for January’s ‘No Croutons Required’ is to come up with a creative vegetarian soup or salad making use of your leftovers.
No Croutons Required is a blogger challenge alternately hosted by Lisa at Lisa’s Kitchen and Jac at Tinned Tomatoes, this month Lisa is hosting.
Helen at Fuss Free Flavours also suggested I add it to the new ‘Credit Crunch Munch’ a linky devoted to money-saving recipes. Credit Crunch Munch is replacing Frugal Food Fridays and is hosted alternately by Helen at Fuss Free Flavours and Camilla at Fab Food for all
Susan heavenonaplate says
Very, very nice…and a great soup idea too. I am ashamed of the inside of my fridge its embarrassing there is so much stuff in there and like you I am not wasting anything…off to bake a quiche. x
belleau kitchen says
beautiful soup!… new camera for christmas? AMAZING photo!!!!… love the recipe and a great way to use up all the bits and bobs! x
Janice Pattie says
Sue – Good to hear I'm not alone!
Dom – Thank you, I'm thrilled with your comment on the photo. Not a new camera but Lightroom software to process images and 'From Plate to Pixel' for food photography tips!
Debs Dust Bunny says
Looks delicious and guilt free!
Glenda Gee says
Great idea. I think I will make that this week.
Karen S Booth says
BEAUTIFUL photo, as Dom said and also a DELECTABLE soup too! Karen
Christian Halfmann says
Lovely soup and, yes, the photo is looking great!
Camilla @fabfood4all says
Love the flavours in this soup, what a fabulous entry into Credit Crunch Munch!
Carole says
Janice – I'm a leftover queen too! Thanks for linking up with Food on Friday. Cheers
Steve T says
Looks great – have some leftover Cauliflower Cheese so may make this as I have some celery and might add a leek to it as well. We have the same Denby Boston plates as well 😉
Janice Pattie says
Great, celery would be a good addition.