Appetizers / Soups / Salads

Ingredients:1 head Cauliflower, broken into flowerets1 or 2 small carrots, chopped1 yellow onion, chopped1 stack celery, chopped1 large clove garlic, chopped4 cups waterGround Pepper Scant amount of kosher saltChicken or veg bouillon (I like the loose stuff)Ground cloves, a scant 1/8 teaspoon4 tablespoons butter4 tablespoons flour1 cup milk (I use 1 cup water and ? dry milk)? to 1 cup cheddar cheeseNecessary hardware:Pot big enough to hold 4 cups water and vegetablesBig spoon (I like to use metal for this)Measuring cupsMeasuring spoonsCutting boardChef knifeRubber spatulaSmall SaucepanEmersion blender (or if you must, a regular blender)Preparation:Put all vegetables into large pot with the water. Cook over low heat until vegetables are tender.Add bouillon and pepper (tiny bit of salt too, but that is up to you), stir and cook until a slight boil comes up.Use emersion blender to mush up the vegetable mixture. (I like to leave mine a little chunky.)Sprinkle ground cloves over top.?don?t overdo this, a scant amount is perfect!In saucepan, melt butter (to do this well, don?t use the highest heat you have. It goes quickly and you could scorch everything easily). The add the flour. Stir, stir, stir while it is cooking. When it comes to a bit of a bubble, add the milk and stir stir stir. You WILL see lumps at first, keep stirring. If it is still lumpy, use a whisk, but really stirring will take care of it. This will get thick and fast. Don?t scorch it. Pull off the heat and add cheese. Mix until you can?t see individual strands of cheese.Pour contents of saucepan (mixture is thick and scrummy, use spatula to get it all) into Large pot with the vegetable mixture. Mix well.You can serve with parsley (add fresh taste), a dollop of sour cream, maybe a dash of sherry. You decide. I like it hot and haven?t tried it cold. It is tasty. Leaving a bit of the veggies in chunk form raises the GI rate (as the body has something to work on), but if you know better, then do it your way.