Puppies. And soup. But mostly puppies.
If you’ve been reading the blog for a while, you could probably guess that when it comes to Super Bowls, Puppy Bowl is more my speed. After all, it’s never cute when a quarterback defecates on the football field. But when a puppy does it?
Adorable.
We checked out the Puppy Bowl lineup earlier this week, and were excited to see several Baxter-types on the roster. Check out Joni:
…and tell me she isn’t Baxter’s twin:
Also, tell me that isn’t the cutest dog-in-a-pumpkin pic you’ve ever seen. Can’t do it, can you?
Of course, given the choice, Baxter would rather nap than play football any day. Throughout my pregnancy, we’ve become great sleeping pals:
This is a dog who is ready to be displaced by a baby. Clearly.
This is all to say that after a lonnnnng nap this afternoon in front of the Puppy Bowl, Baxter and I headed into the kitchen to whip up some soup. Soup, naps, and Puppy Bowl—does it get much better than that for a Sunday in February?
This soup is ridiculously easy…and ridiculously delicious. Perfect for when you’re still feeling a little hazy from your mid-afternoon nap.
Creamy Cauliflower and Garlic Soup
Ingredients:
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
8-10 cloves garlic, minced
1 head cauliflower, chopped
5-6 cups chicken or veggie broth
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat olive oil over low heat. Add onion and cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes, careful not to brown. If the onions brown, you’ll lose the nice cream color of the soup! Add garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper. Add cauliflower and broth. Broth should cover veggies completely—you can add more if needed. Add beans.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook for 30-45 minutes, until cauliflower is soft. With a submerging blender, or working in batches with a standing blender, blend soup until creamy and smooth. Add salt and pepper as needed. Garnish with fresh parsley.
This soup on its own is delicious…but we decided to kick it up a notch with some paprika sourdough croutons:
To make the croutons, I simply cubed some day-old sourdough bread, tossed the cubes with olive oil, paprika, and garlic salt, then baked for about 5 minutes in a 350 degree oven. They crisp up quickly, so watch them carefully.
…And now, time for a nap. Hope you had a great weekend!
LOL – cute pics. What a love bug. And that soup sounds great.
ah! SO making this. I love cauli soup, but usually make it with skim milk. I LOVE the idea of using beans instead. And how cute is your little puppers?
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Perfect! Thank you! We were just talking in our parenting class about how we’re nervous about making this transition with the dogs. Frank seems to have taken it pretty well!
Ahhhh, those pictures are so sweet. I could go for a big honkin’ crouton right now.
Great idea to add the cannellini beans, I bet it makes it super smooth (and hearty). My schedule today was something like napped, cleaned, napped, blogged, napped, ate dinner except I don’t have pregnancy as an excuse
I have what it takes to make this! Sounds amazing! You two are so sweet together. I’m hoping for an easy transition when the little one arrives!
I just love our furry cuddle buds!!! Those pics are so sweet.
Soup looks delish too!
I’m a softy for puppy posts! This soup looks excellent.
That sweet Baxter!! I bet he is going to LOVE Lila – he’ll be the best big brother ever. He’s too sweet to be anything but. The cauliflower soup looks so good – I’m going to make it tonight.
Love all the sleeping pics, so cute! I was definitely interested in the game (YAY Giants!) but we always flip over to the puppy bowl, sooooo adorable!
That soup looks amazing! I am bookmarking this!
OMG I didn’t know they actually had a Puppy Bowl lineup, thats the first site I’m going to after I leave this comment (if I do it mid comment I will never finish!) I was dying while watching it last night, it was waaaaaay more interesting than the actual Superbowl!
awww too cute!! love the pics
and that soup sounds wonderful
awww. such a cute puppy!
My first ever whack at a cauliflower soup recipe was fail, but I didn’t add cannellini beans like you did. That’s sounds tasty. Gonna have to give it another go.
Baxter is adorable, such a good nap buddy! I adore puppy bowl and wanted to adopt them all! The soup sounds wonderful, especially with the croutons.
What a gorgeous bowl of soup. Love the vibrant colors! Your dog is making my heart melt. I want a dog SO badly, but am just not ready yet to commit. When I see these pictures though I wonder why! Too precious!
Cute puppies! Question…where did you get your spoons? Those are the most awesome things I’ve ever seen!
They were a souvenir gift from Africa!! My parents went a few years ago and brought them back.
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I made it last night and it’s absolutely delicious. I’m so happy to have a creamy soup without any dairy, and so low in fat. It will be a regular item in my recipe arsenal going forward.
So glad you liked it!