Can a Creamy Cauliflower Soup Be Made in Just 29 Minutes?

[Admin Greg]

Please discuss the 29 Minutes to Dinner Vol 3. Tips, complaints, praise, reviews, ideas, thoughts...

 

[lt1jane]

Can't wait to get my hands on this. I love the other two.

 

[Tracy99]

Can't wait to get my hands on this. I love the other two.

Ditto. I definitely plan on getting this.

 

[pkd09]

Can't wait to see the recipes in this one. Love the other 2

 

[pamlevy]

Mine came today with my Free Products. I have only had a chance to look through it a little. But I have already seen several great recipes I can't wait to try.

 

[DebPC]

Yes- I looked thru mine last night- like it alot!

 

[Shari in TX]

I went through mine last night and these are the recipes I want to try first:

• Oven-Fried Chicken with Grilled Waffle Sticks
• Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
• Spicy Three-Pepper Fettuccine with Turkey Sausage
• Chicken & Apricot Curry
• Easy Beef Stew with Parmesan Polenta
• Pork Pot Sticker Stir-Fry
• Steak Fajita Burritos
• Easy 'N Cheesy Pasta Bake
• Linguine with Creamy Asparagus Pesto
• Tofu Tikka Masala
• Creamy Cauliflower Soup
• Warm Goat Cheese Salad with Apricot Dressing
• Three Cheese 'N Apple Risotto
• Raspberry Habanero Monte Cristo Sandwiches

It's interesting that a lot of the ones that look good to me in this cookbook are in the Meatless section. I'm not a vegetarian. I'm pleased that they worked really hard on this section and added some great meatless options for those who are.

Shari in TX

 

[Shari in TX]

I made the Chicken & Apricot Curry from page 31 last night. I didn't realize until I started it that it was done in the microwave. It was really easy and everyone liked it. I felt like it was missing a little something, but I don't know what that something was.

The flavors were good. The sauce was thick and creamy. The apricots were sweet and tasty. And the green onions and toasted almonds were really good on top.

Tonight, I'm making the Three Cheese 'N Apple Risotto as a side dish to grilled chicken breasts.

Shari in TX

 

[Shari in TX]

Tonight I made the Three Cheese 'N Apple Risotto from page 119. I followed the recipe with two minor changes. I used chicken broth instead of vegetable broth and I used a sweet white wine in place of the apple juice since I didn't have any.

Risotto takes quite a bit of time at the stove and this was no exception. The result was delicious though. The cheeses and apples with the rice were yummy and the crunch of the almonds on top added a nice texture.

I didn't make this as a main dish, but rather as a side to grilled chicken breasts. I also made mixed veggies. I think it could be a light main dish if you also made a nice big salad to go with it or maybe some stir-fried veggies.

I will be making this again, but next time, I'm going to try it in the DCB in the microwave. I will use the Autumn Risotto with Chicken and Cranberries recipe from a few seasons ago as a guide for times.

Shari in TX

 

[KBender295]

The other night I made the Spaghetti with Fresh Tomato Clam Sauce, page 47. I followed the recipe with minor changes. Didn't have shallots, used green onions; omitted the crushed red pepper flakes, used chicken broth instead of chardonnay; used one pint grape tomatoes and used dried parsley.

It is a definite quick and easy dinner that will be made again in my house. It tasted great and my two kids enjoyed it as well. Served with a salad and bread and very few leftovers. Keeper.

I would make it at shows but I don't have the stock pots (either stainless or Executive).

 

[Shari in TX]

Last Friday night, I tried the Spicy Three-Pepper Fettuccine with Turkey Sausage from page 15. It was really easy to make. I liked that it was all made in the Family Skillet including the pasta. I used 12 oz of pasta instead of 8 because I didn't feel 8 would feed my family. I didn't want it very spicy, so I followed the Cook's Tip using mild turkey sausage, a small chipotle pepper (or so I thought) and leaving out the extra adobo sauce. Even after putting in the entire block of cream cheese, it was still too spicy for me. However, the flavor was just delicious. I really want to try this again, but cut way back on the spice. I don't want to leave out the chipotle entirely, but i think I can only use a portion of one.Last night, I made Tofu Tikka Masala on page 109. This was just delicious! The basmati rice is important -- the flavor is very different from regular rice. I left out the jalapeno because I was worried it would be too spicy, but I think that I could have used a little bit of one with no problem. I had a bit of a challenge finding the mild Indian curry, but finally found it at Kroger. I used just a little less than the recipe said (again because I was worried about the spice), but Indian curry doesn't have a lot of heat -- just a lot of flavor. So, next time, I'll add the full amount.I haven't ever cooked with tofu before, but it was easy and delicious. My youngest didn't really like the texture even though I used the firmest tofu I could find. Next time, I'm going to make it with chicken and see what he think. My daughter loved it and wants me to make it again with the tofu. The Greek yogurt adds a lot too even thought it says it's optional. It makes the sauce very cool and creamy as you're eating it.I will definitely be making both of these recipes again. They both had amazing flavor and were very easy to make.Shari in TX

 

[ShellBeach]

Last night, I made the Meditteranean Beef Pops.:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: out of 5
Down sides: Time & cost. This recipe had a lot of prep work - washing the mint leaves, slicing cucumber & radishes, pulsing the crumbs in the manual processor long enough for the garlic & shallot to be the right size, and mixing that concoction into the meat and rolling out the pops. I didn't even take the time to thread them on skewers, and it took well over an hour from start to finish, with hubby helping by slicing the radish & cucumber.About the cost, the fresh mint was more difficult to find than I'd thought & it took 3 trips to a store to secure it. The recipe only used part of the mint, yogurt, cucumber, & radishes so I'll have to either come up with a recipe to use those leftovers or throw them out. I guess the mint bugs me the most because it was $4, LOL. Not many recipes call for mint. Also, it was a very scant four servings.Up sides: Very tasty! Both the husband & kid liked them. The cucumber/radish salad, along with all the fresh mint in the beef mixture, made them taste really healthy.
The shape of them made for some very funny conversation around the dinner table.
The crumbled feta cheese apparently reminded my hubby about the line in Little Miss Muffet about "curds & whey", and he dubbed this recipe "turds & whey".I might make this again - it WAS really tasty. What I'd do different is use my electric mini food processor to pulse the mint mixture, and just make little patties instead of rolling the beef pops into ahem log shapes. I'd also make it into a double batch to use all the mint, cucumber, radishes, and more of the yogurt. The salad part could be quadrupled - there didn't seem to be enough of that.

 

[Shari in TX]

I made a modified version of the Pork Pot Sticker Stir-Fry on p 73 last night. We don't eat pork so I used chicken and vegetable pot stickers instead of pork and vegetable and ground turkey instead of ground pork. The only other change I made was using powdered ginger instead of fresh because my store was out of fresh.It was easy to make. I prepped everything ahead of time so cooking was just a matter of putting the right things from the prep bowls into the skillet at the right time. My pot stickers didn't look like the ones in the picture, but they were cooked through. As I was making it, I thought maybe there wasn't enough liquid, but it seemed to taste fine with the small amount there was.I served it over a small amount of basmati rice and everyone in my family ate it. I don't know that I'll make it again though. It just seemed a little odd to have all those ingredients together, but I can't put my finger on why. I'm glad I tried it and it was definitely a fun way to use potstickers.Shari in TX

 

[DebPC]

Anyone try any more recipes from this C/B?

 

[Shari in TX]

I tried the Hearty Mushroom Goulash on page 115 recently. It was fine, but not great. It tasted a little "wine"-y because of the way the wine was added with the broth, tomato paste and flour. Next time I make it, I would put the wine in first and let it cook down a little before adding the rest. I think I'd also put a little red pepper flakes in with the onion to give it a little kick. I didn't have any smoked paprika so I just used regular.My sister made the Tilapia with Kale & Brown Butter Dressing on page 49. She said the fish was delicious, the kale needed a little brown sugar and the dressing needed a little sweetness too. But overall, she liked it. She also made the Oven-Fried Chicken with Grilled Waffle Sticks on page 9. All I remember she said about that was that it was delicious. And she made the Southwest Grilled Chicken Tortilla Salad on page 19. She didn't really have too much to say about the salad itself that I remember, but she loved the bowls. She said they worked really well, were delicious and very easy.Shari in TX

 

[kraber]

I've made the spaghetti one! It's pretty good, kids love it. My suggestions:
add fresh garlic with the onion
don't substitute whole milk for half and half
drain pasta before adding anything elseI also despise Fennel and used the Maple Herb Rub instead, it was so delicious!

 

[Shari in TX]

I'm so glad you posted your suggestions for the Easy 'N Cheesy Pasta Bake (page 85), kraber. I marked it when I first got the cookbook, but hadn't made it yet. I had all the ingredients for it so as soon as you posted, I decided that's what we would have for dinner. I used the Fennel Rub as it said, but followed your other suggestions. It was a hit. It set up beautifully (draining the pasta is definitely important). My son who usually doesn't like anything with ground meat in it had seconds. After the first bite, he gave me a big thumbs-up without me even asking. I'll definitely be making this again.I liked the Fennel Rub, but it did use about half the jar (it calls for 3 T) so I'm wondering what other rubs or seasonings I can use if I happen to be out of that one. I was thinking the Italian Seasoning, Garlic and Herb, Herbs de Provence, Bell Pepper and Herb, and Sweet Basil might all work. The flavor would be different, but good, I think.I also think this might make a good demo. It uses both the DCB and a skillet. For the skillet, you could use Stainless, Executive or Ceramic. If you use the Ceramic, you could wash it out after you're done and show everyone that it doesn't stain even when using tomato sauce. You could use the MFP for the onion, the Mix 'N Chop for the meat and of course, various measuring items for the rest. The boring part is the cooking of the pasta so you just start that in the DCB at the beginning of your demo and let it go while you talk about the cookware and MFP as you make the sauce. After you drain the pasta, you add the cream and egg mixture and cook it a little longer. During that time, you can be grating the two kinds of cheese and showing the options of graters we have. Then you just assemble and cook for a couple minutes til the cheese is melted since everything is already hot. I think it would be fast and it serves a lot of people. And it demonstrates how you can cook pasta in the microwave in the DCB which I still find amazing.I didn't mean to ramble. I guess you can tell I really enjoyed this dish. Shari in TX

 

[erinluvsken]

Would someone with the cookbook be able to post the Cauliflower Soup recipe? I loaned my cookbook out and I can't find the recipe anywhere. TIA!

 

[lt1jane]

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

Warm up with a simple main dish soup accentuated with garlic and herb-flavored cheese spread.

6 cups (1.5 L) cauliflower florets (about 1 small head)
3 cups (750 ml) water
½ loaf (8 oz. /250g) whole grain baguette
2 medium onions
5 garlic cloves, peeled and divided
1 Tbsp. (15ml) olive oil
½ cup (125 ml) fresh basil leaves
2 oz. (60 g) fresh Parmesan Cheese
1 container (6.5 oz./150g) garlic and herb flavored cheese spread such as Boursin®
1 tsp. (5 ml) salt

1. Preheat oven to 400 degree F (200 degree C). Place cauliflower into large Bamboo Fiber Bowl. Chop into very small pieces using Salad Chopper. Add cauliflower and water to Large Micro Cooker®. Microwave, covered on HIGH 14-16 minutes or until cauliflower is very tender (do not drain).

2. Meanwhile, slice baguette on a bias into eighteen ¼-inch (6 mm) slices. Arrange slices on Cookie Sheet and spray with olive oil using Kitchen Spritzer. Bake 9-11 minutes or until crisp.

3. Thinly slice onions using Chef’s Knife. Combine onions, 4 of the garlic cloves pressed with Garlic Press and oil in (4.75-qt/4.5 L) Casserole. Cooke over medium heat 5-6 minutes or until onions are softened.

4. Cut remaining garlic clove in half. While holding bread with Chef’s Tongs, rub cut side of garlic on surface of each bread slice.

5. Coarsely chop basil. Grate Parmesan using Rotary Grater.

6. Carefully ladle half of the cauliflower mixture and half of the onion mixture into blender container; cover and blend until smooth (see Cook’s Tip). Pour blended soup into Stainless (4-qt/4 L) Mixing Bowl. Repeat with remaining cauliflower and onion mixtures.

7. Return soup to Casserole; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Whisk in cheeses and salt. Ladle soup into serving bowls. Garnish soup with basil and serve with bread.

Cook’s Tips:
• As the blender is running and the soup appears to be pureed, blend it another 30 seconds. This additional blending time will ensure a velvety texture.
• If desired, repeat Steps 2 and 4 with the remaining baguette half and reserve these crispy, garlic-flavored toast points for another use.