Cauliflower and Cheddar Soup

My husband and I had an amazing Valentine's weekend in Napa... But we definitely over indulged on drinks and food. It was well worth it but we needed to get back on track today and didn't feel like eating anything heavy. I'm not the best at making soup but when I came across this recipe .. I knew I had to try it and it actually came out really good. We both loved it and it totally hit the spot. It's low calorie, low fat and delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 celery ribs, diced
• 3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/2 cup shredded white cheddar cheese or regular cheddar cheese
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower and garlic cloves in the olive oil until well coated. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Place on a large baking sheet, in a single layer. Roast the cauliflower until lightly golden brown, about 20-30 minutes. Set aside.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat, add the onion and celery and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Chop up the roasted garlic. Add the garlic, roasted cauliflower, vegetable broth, thyme, and rosemary and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat so that the mixture simmers and cook until the cauliflower is tender, about 20-25 minutes.

3. Using an immersion blender (or in batches in a blender or food processor), blend the soup until smooth. Add the cheddar cheese and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve warm. 

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos

I try and make at least two vegetarian meals a week to lower our meat consumption and this weekend I made these great sweet potato and black bean burritos. They were filling, low calorie, tasty and got the husband approval...which is always a plus! 

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato - chopped

1 jalapeño - chopped

1 bell pepper - chopped

1/2 onion - chopped

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

Pinch of salt and pepper

1/2 can black beans

2 tsp olive oil

1/4 cilantro - chopped

Splash of lime juice

Reduced fat cheddar cheese

Whole wheat tortillas

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees

Mix all the raw veggies together with spices and olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Place in oven for 20 minutes, tossing halfway through.

Once done roasting - mix veggies with black beans, cilantro and lime juice.

Warm your wheat tortillas or wraps in microwave according to directions on package. Spray a casserole dish with nonstick spray or olive oil spray.

Add two heaping tablespoons of vegetable and bean mixture to center of wrap. Top with shredded cheese. Fold over, fold in sides, place in pan and continue to roll the others. Place into your baking dish, seam side down so that they stay together.

Bake in 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Baking this way will make the tortilla wrap crisp. For a softer burrito, spray burrito with nonstick spray, then wrap in aluminum foil and bake for same amount of time.