Roasted Cauliflower Leek Soup

I can eat soup in any weather. I love it. All soups; broth, cream, chunky, spicy, mellow, cold- WHATEVER.
I found some beautiful leeks at my Farmer's Market last Saturday for a great price with the idea of making leek soup immediately. My mom first made me Potato Leek soup when I was little but it was more of an indulgence thing, like calorie wise...not price, it's like the cheapest soup to make. Anyhow, I hated onions and was not keen on these long stocks that smelled similar to an onion. Reluctantly I tried it and fell in love. Now, I love leeks raw, cooked any way and in anything. In the whole "don't eat carbs, they are the devil" phase we went through I found I love using cauliflower in place of the potato in dishes. Cauliflower is so underrated in my opinion. You always see it lonely on the crudité platter after all of the other veggies have gone or smothered in cheese hiding it's solo deliciousness. Also, in my nutrition education and learning about the nightshade allergy and cooking for people who suffer from it I learned potatoes are a huge trigger for pain in this autoimmune disorder.  So in this version of the soup I opted for just half of a potato to give it a some creaminess knowing none of my nightshaders wouldn't be eating this ;) So here you go! Hope you enjoy! xo


You'll need:
2 medium leeks, chopped into medium sized rounds and cleaned*
1 head of cauliflower rough chopped- I keep the core on and remove the bottom green stems
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt
1TBSP of White Pepper
2 small or 1 lg clove of garlic
3 cups of veggie stock
2 cups of almond milk- make sure it's not that flavored crap!
1/2 of a russet potato or a small gold potato (optional) rough chopped


Make:
Pre heat your oven to 325. In a roasting pan toss the cauliflower, leeks, potatoes and garlic in just a bit of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. You just want to make sure the veggies are coated not drenched. Roast in your oven until they are tender and golden, my oven was about 50 minutes.
If you have a roasting pan that you can use on your stove burners go ahead and turn the burners to a medium heat and add your liquids and white pepper. White pepper is very fine and a little goes a long way on the peppery heat it adds so add a sprinkle a bit in at a time and taste. At this point I was looking for something a little hearty so I added about a half teaspoon of earth balance butter. This rounded out the creamy, savory feeling you want in a soup like this but totally optional. Once the liquid and the veggies swam together for a bit, about 10 minutes, I ladled 3 quarters of the soup into my food processor, you can totally use your vitamix or whatever high powered blending tool you have. Pulse to your desired texture; I like the "creamy" with whole veggies still visible.
I garnished with some chopped fresh parsley because I love it but feel free to top with some croutons of some sort.


Enjoy your bowl! or two ;)
xoL