[Macky]

Stephanie... we're dairy free here, too, and I missed cream soups and sauces for a VERY long time! I'm posting original recipes without my substitutions here because everyone has their own favourite dairy subs.

I'm now substituting cashew milk for any milk or cream in any soup/sauce recipe. Cashews have a higher fat content than other nut milks and making it yourself means you can adjust consistency, so I find it MUCH closer to the actual thing when cooking. No one I've fed it to can tell the difference.

Whiz up raw (they must be raw, not toasted) cashews in the blender at a 1:1 to 1:3 ratio with water – less water for a thicker cream substitute or more water to substitute for milk. Blend for as long as it takes to make a smooth mixture – a couple of minutes usually. If you're using it in a sauce instead of a soup, you'll need a thickener (cornstarch unless you're corn free) and a bit of salt, too.

I'm using Earth Balance as a sub for hard butter. Depending on the recipe, though, you can often substitute olive oil or vegetable oil when it's just for sauteing. Only do it when you peruse the ingredient list and decide the soup doesn't depend on the butter flavour (ie. I wouldn't use oil to saute leeks in a simple potato soup).

---------- Post added at 05:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:19 PM ----------

Originally Posted by mommylove

... As a side note, the roasted cauliflower was amazing!!! Oh my gosh, it went from ho-hum to incredible. How is it possible I've never had roasted cauliflower?...

It was actually this recipe that turned me on to cauliflower. I hated the stuff until I made this soup and tasted some of the cauliflower before I added it back to the soup. The only reason I tried the recipe in the first place is that I try things I hate every once in a while to see if my palate has changed. I've hated tea my whole life (much to my British father's dismay), but decided to make a mug about a week ago and have been having 2 or 3 cups a day ever since. (Haven't told Dad yet. ) Back to the cauliflower, though... now I roast it like this for a side veggie for supper, using far less salt, though, when it's not going into soup.