Winter is among us once again. During this season it is very important to have as much liquid as possible. An easy way to meet up the necessary nutrient intake is to drink soup. Here are two special soup recipes for the winter.

Cauliflower Potato Soup

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower, stemmed and chopped
• 2 large red potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 5 baby carrots, cut into 1/2-inch slices, or more to taste
• 2 teaspoons dried onion flakes, or to taste
• Water, or as needed
• 1 cube chicken bouillon
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 cup milk1/2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1 tablespoon bacon bits, or more to taste1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, or more to taste
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese

Directions

• Stir cauliflower, potatoes, carrots, and onion flakes together in a pot; add enough water to cover and stir in chicken bouillon cube. Bring to a simmer and cook until cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer vegetable mixture and about 1 cup cooking liquid to a slow cooker. Stir cream of chicken soup, milk, cream cheese, and bacon bits into vegetable mixture.
• Cook on Low, stirring occasionally, for 2 1/2 hours.
• Stir parsley into soup and continue cooking until vegetable are tender and flavors blend, 1/2 to 1 1/2 hours. Top with shredded Cheddar cheese.

White Soup

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 shallots, chopped1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger, minced
• 3 green onions, chopped1/3 small head cauliflower, chopped
• 1 small parsnip, chopped
• 10 small button mushrooms, chopped
• 1 pear – peeled, cored and diced
• 1/2 cup cannellini beans
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
• 3/4 cup wine
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can fat-free chicken broth
• 1/3 cup heavy cream salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup fat-free chicken broth (optional)
• Directions
• Heat the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan over low heat. Stir in the garlic, shallots, and ginger, and cook until fragrant but not brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the green onions, cauliflower, parsnip, and mushrooms, and cook and stir an additional 5 minutes. Add the pear, beans, mustard, and dill, and stir just until heated, about 1 minute.
• Stir in the wine and thyme, and turn up the heat to high. Boil, stirring constantly, until the wine is reduced by half and is syrupy, about 5 minutes. Pour in the chicken broth. Return the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, partly covered, until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Allow the soup to cool slightly.
• Pour the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot.
• Stir in cream, and, if needed, thin with additional chicken broth; serve hot. You may wish to serve this soup the next day. It will improve in taste with time.