Dash Blender EXACTLY Like Vitamix Blender, Creamy Cauliflower Soup Recipe

Now that I've had my Dash blender for a couple of weeks, I have a little more to say about it.

The Lid

The lid is not super easy to get off, but it's not HARD to get off, either. This is one of the major things that folks seem to be complaining about. I really don't understand all the bitching and moaning: you just slide it up using your thumbs. #firstworldproblems

Soup Preset

I've used the soup preset twice now and it's great. It basically purées your pre-cooked ingredients at high speed for 8 minutes so the soup is hot and velvety-smooth. On my second soup, I didn't have the patience to wait the 8 minutes, and it started overflowing anyway (see #5 below), so I cut it short.

This is the soup I made. It was outstanding! I added cashews based on another vegan recipe I found, and while they do add a nice buttery creaminess to the soup, they are really not necessary.

(Almost) Paul Bertolli's Cauliflower Soup

Originally from Food52, tweaked slightly

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion (6 ounces), sliced thin
• 1 head very fresh cauliflower (about 1-1/2 pounds), broken into large florets
• 1/4 C raw unsalted cashews (optional)
• Salt, to taste
• 5 1/2 cups water, divided
• Extra virgin olive oil, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Warm the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Sweat the onion in the olive oil over low heat without letting it brown for 15 minutes.
2. Add the cauliflower, salt to taste, and 1/2 cup water. Raise the heat slightly, cover the pot tightly and stew the cauliflower for 15 to 18 minutes, or until tender. If you were in a rush, you could also steam the cauliflower in the microwave while sweating the onions.
3. Add another 4 1/2 cups hot water, bring to a low simmer and cook an additional 20 minutes uncovered. I added a little bit of "Better than Bouillon" to give it a bit more flavor, but feel free to omit.
4. Add cashews to mixture and stir in.
5. Purée half of the soup in a blender to a very smooth, creamy consistency, then purée the other half (I found that the whole thing was slightly too much for my Dash pitcher to hold and it foamed out the top). Let the soup stand for 20 minutes. In this time it will thicken slightly. 
6. Add 1/2 C hot water if you want a thinner soup.
7. Serve hot, drizzled with a thin stream of extra-virgin olive oil and freshly ground black pepper. You might also want to try a dash of nutmeg or white pepper.