Potato, parsnip, carrot, cauliflower soup!

I was thinking about making a batch of The best potato soup ever, when I thought about what other veggies I could add. I had a few carrots, a few parsnips and some cauliflower in the freezer, so I just threw them all in! It turned out great with a little cheese on top.

Ingredients

8 new potatoes, skin removed
2 carrots, with skin peeled
2 parsnips, with skin peeled
1/4 of a cauliflower
1/4 cup flour
1 pint fat free half and half
1 1/2 cups fat free milk
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
cheddar cheese as garnish on top

In a big plastic bowl, I threw all the veggies in, covered it in water, and cooked it in the microwave until they were soft (about 5 minutes).

Meanwhile, in a big pot, add the flour and half and half and skim milk and cook until it starts to thicken. (About 3-4 minutes). Add the cooked veggies, reserving some of the cooking liquid.

Using an immersion blender, I pureed the whole thing until it was smooth. It was a little too thick for me, so I added about 1 cup of the cooking liquid from cooking the veggies in the microwave to thin it out some.

And here are the nutritional stats for 1 cup of soup:

One thing I used to never buy was parsnips, but if you haven’t tried them, they are really good.

They kind of look like carrots, although have a similar nutrition profile to a potato. They are a good source of Vitamin C, B6 & E as well as a good source of fiber, folic acid, niacin, magnesium, potassium and thiamine.

You can eat them raw in salads, or make parsnip french fries, add them to soups or stews.

Have a great week everyone! What are your goals for this week?