Creamy cauliflower and tofu bacon soup

Earlier this week, I was excited to find some cauliflowers that were a little over $2 so I bought one and was sorry later that I didn't purchase a second one. It was used up straight away in an old favorite at home, Red and White Cauliflower bake from Vegan Yum Yum. 

A creamy cauliflower soup was something I had been wanting a make for a while and as there was a bit of tofu bacon leftover from the calzones, I thought this would be a perfect finishing touch to the soup. Another cauliflower had to be sourced for the job and unfortunately not at the same price. The soup was made up as I went along and it turned out to be a big hit. The flavour that the tofu bacon brought to it was fantastic and next time a dash of smoked paprika could also be on the cards.

Creamy cauliflower and tofu bacon soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 leek, chopped finely
2 cloves minced garlic
3 cups vegetable stock
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets

6 slices tofu bacon

2 tablespoons tofutti cream cheese
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
salt and pepper, to taste

fresh parsley, for garnish

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan and saute the leeks until softened. Add the garlic and cook for a minute then mix through vegetable stock and cauliflower florets. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer, covered for 15-20 minutes until the cauliflower is tender. 

Place leeks, garlic, cauliflower and stock in a blender and process until very smooth. Return to the cooking saucepan, stir though 4 slices of chopped tofu bacon, cream cheese, nutritional yeast and salt and pepper to taste. Allow to heat through.

Microwave the remaining 2 slices of chopped tofu bacon for a minute. Spoon the soup into serving bowls and garnish with tofu bacon, parsley and pepper.