Healthified Beer and Sausage Cheddar Chowder

I love chowder, but I always feel incredibly guilty eating it because I know all that butter and cream lurking in the chowdery goodness packs a huge calorie punch.  Then I remembered the miracle of cauliflower, and came up with this incredible recipe. Each serving is only 210 calories!

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ingredients

1 package, about 8 oz of sausage of choice 3 celery stalks, roughly chopped 2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped 1 onion, roughly chopped 1 head of cauliflower, roughly chopped 2 cups chicken stock 1-2 cups water 6 oz pale ale 1 can nonfat evaporated milk 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp black pepper 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 1 tsp paprika 4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded 4 oz gouda cheese, shredded 3 potatoes, optional Chives, chopped Paprika

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In a large stock pot, brown the sausage. Remove the sausage and drain off all but about two tablespoons of the fat.

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Add the celery, carrots, and onion and cook until the onions are soft. Add the cauliflower, chicken stock, and water. Use more or less water to cover the cauliflower. Bring to a boil and cook until cauliflower is soft, about 10 minutes.

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Drain off and reserve about two cups of the liquid. Use an immersion blender to puree the remaining stock and vegetables until very smooth. If you need to, add in some of the reserved liquid while pureeing.

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Add the beer, evaporated milk, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and paprika. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low. Add the cheese and stir until cheese is melted and all ingredients are well incorporated.

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Taste the soup and add more salt and/or cayenne pepper to your taste, if necessary.

Serve soup with chopped chives and an additional sprinkle of paprika.