Soup for the Soul

I love a good soup this time of year.  Seriously, nothing is more satisfying; soups feel so nourishing to the body and the soul.  Cooler temps mean our bodies crave warmth and heaviness.  Soups are a great way to deliver this, with the added bonus of being easy on our digestive system.  This recipe is adapted from the Moosewood Cookbook, an all vegetarian recipe book many of you may be familiar with.  This soup combines cooler-weather vegetable cauliflower with a (gasp) white potato, and (double gasp) cheese!  For this recipe I used shredded raw milk cheddar cheese from Organic Pastures.

Ingredients:
1 medium-largeish potato, peeled and diced
1 large head of cauliflower, broken into florets (reserve 1  1/2 cups of the florets to the side).
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1  1/2 cups chopped onion
1  1/2 tsp. sea salt
4 cups water
2 cups (packed) grated cheddar cheese
3/4 cup full fat milk
1 tsp. fresh dill, chopped
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
Fresh black pepper to taste

Procedure:
1. Place the potato, cauliflower florets (except for 1  1/2 c. reserved), carrot, garlic, onion, sea salt, and water in a large soup pot.  Bring to a boil and simmer until veggies are tender (approximately 20 minutes).  Puree the mixture in a blender or food processor, and transfer back to the soup pot.
2. Steam the reserved cauliflower pieces until just tender.  Add these to the puree along with the remaining ingredients.  Heat gently and serve!