The Great White

This low-fat cauliflower soup is great for hot weather dining. It’s made with nonfat chicken broth, which makes the soup low in fat but rich in flavor.

The soup is quick to put together, too. A whole head of cauliflower is broken into florets, then cooked in a broth with onions until tender. The soup is then whirred in the blender or food processor. If the soup is not thick enough for your taste, cook it a little longer to reduce it slightly, rather than add a high-fat butter-and-flour roux.

Finally, we added a touch of paprika and turmeric for color and topped the soup with a dollop of nonfat sour cream and a sprinkling of golden bread crumbs. The bread crumbs were toasted in the smallest amount of butter to give them a hint of richness. You may, of course, toast the crumbs without butter if you want to further reduce the fat. Sprinkle a few snipped chives on top just before serving.

CAULIFLOWER SOUP

2 teaspoons butter

1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs

2 tablespoons minced onion

2 teaspoons paprika

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 small head cauliflower, broken up into florets

1 quart nonfat chicken broth

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Nonfat sour cream

Snipped chives

Heat 1 teaspoon butter in small skillet until melted. Add bread crumbs and toast, stirring occasionally, until crumbs are golden brown. Remove to paper towel to cool.

Heat remaining 1 teaspoon butter in large saucepan. Add onion and saute until tender. Stir in paprika and turmeric. Add cauliflower and chicken broth. Bring to boil, cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 15 minutes.

Process soup in batches in food processor until smooth. Stir in lemon juice. Serve soup hot topped with dollop of sour cream. Sprinkle toasted bread crumbs over sour cream then top with chives.

Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

52 calories; 435 mg sodium; 4 mg cholesterol; 2 grams fat; 6 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 0.43 gram fiber.