Got Ham Bone?

Creamy Ham & Cauliflower Soup (low carb)

Make ham stock: Put the bone in a stock pot with large-cut mire poix: 4 ribs celery, 2 carrots, 1 onion. Add a few cloves of garlic and 10-12 peppercorns, just lightly crushed. Cover the bone and veggies with a combination of 1/2 water and 1/2 low salt chicken broth. Cover and simmer for about 3 hours. Strain out vegetables and discard. Pick any leftover meat off the bone and shred.

Saute one diced onion in a little olive oil until transluscent. Add 2 quarts ham stock (freeze remaining or double recipe). Add 2 pounds of frozen cauliflower (or fresh if you prefer) and 2 teaspoons of thyme. Cover and simmer for about half an hour until the cauliflower is mushy. Using an immersion blender (or remove to a food processor), puree the vegetables until smooth. Stir in one cup of heavy cream, 4 ounces of shredded sharp cheddar cheese, leftover ham and pepper to taste.

If you have any extra fresh herbs hanging around after the holiday, feel free to substitute them for the thyme. If you don't feel like making ham stock, this is great with just canned low salt chicken broth.