This one will go down smooth

It's still January, so I figured I needed to come up with another soup recipe to share. This is a (mostly) vegetarian one, and it is truly delicious. And it's incredibly creamy, but without a drop of any dairy products in it! In addition, it's a very quick soup. Fast, healthy and delicious -- another winner!

This one is from the book "Saved by Soup" by Judith Barrett.

Spicy cauliflower and potato soup

1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 rib celery, trimmed and chopped
1 medium yellow potato (such as Yukon Gold), peeled and diced
2 cups cauliflower florets
Pinch of red pepper flakes
5 cups fat-free chicken or vegetable broth, preferably homemade
Salt
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Combine the onion, carrots, celery, potato, cauliflower, red pepper flakes and broth in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low; partially cover the saucepan, and simmer until the potato and cauliflower are tender when pierced with a sharp knife, about 20 minutes.

Transfer the soup to a food processor or blender, or use an immersion blender; process until smooth. Return the soup to the saucepan, season with salt to taste, and reheat before serving. Garnish each serving with some parsley

Serves 6.

Cook's notes: I have substituted a pinch of cayenne pepper for the pepper flakes, and it works beautifully in this recipe. For another variation, a teaspoon or two of curry powder would add a wonderful Indian flavor to this.