THIS IS SO GOOD. Creamy Curry Soup

I made this for dinner Saturday night along with tuna-sweet potato patties. I was blown away by this soup...it's thick, rich, and creamy, but fairly low cal too. You could sub milk for the half and half if you wanted; I didn't because I wanted the thick creamy texture. Do not omit the olive oil! You need it to make the roux (the oil-flour combination that acts as a thickener).

1 cup vegetable broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
salt and pepper
1 cup half-and-half
1 head cauliflower, chopped, stems removed (or use frozen cauliflower florets)
1 teaspoon curry powder
Tabasco or other hot sauce, to taste

Place cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl with about 1/2 cup water. Cook on high about 10 minutes or until cauliflower is very soft.

In medium to large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Gradually whisk in flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until very thick. Add half-and-half all at once, and whisk to combine. Continue cooking and stirring until thickened and bubbly; reduce heat to low.

Drain steamed cauliflower. In a blender, combine cauliflower, broth, curry powder, salt and pepper. Blend until very smooth, 2-3 minutes.

Pour cauliflower mixture into soup pot. Turn heat to medium; cook and stir until heated through. Add hot sauce, if desired. I found that the flavor was a little lacking and then added about 3 drops of hot sauce. That made it just perfect for me. Hubby added a lot more to his bowl.

Serves 4 (218g per serving)

Per serving: 190.3 cal, 14.2g fat, 69.3mg sodium, total carb 13g, fiber 3.2g, sugar 2.9g, protein 5g