Cozy Fall and Winter Cauliflower Soup

This cauliflower soup is velvety in texture and so warming and delicious. It’s the perfect bowl of soup at this time of year going into fall and winter - the colder months. Keep on enjoying the heat for now but before you know it we’ll be wearing blazers and scarves (love fall fashion) so go grocery shopping for these amazing ingredients.

Cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable. It’s mighty nutritious and balancing. It’s loaded with nutrients - vitamin C being super high - 77% of the recommended daily allowance in 1 cup and lots of fiber. Trust me when I say it’s a super food. Cauliflower is also low in calories - enjoy without gaining weight, on the contrary! Most of cauliflower - 92% is made up of water. Pretty coolicious when you want to get your nutrition in and lose weight at the same time.

This recipe was inspired by Diaya Alter. She has taught me a lot about food combining and seasonal cuisine. She’s a gifted Ayurvedic chef that owns a restaurant in the village in NYC. She’s usually behind the scenes whipping up the most decadent dishes catered to individual needs. Divya uses almond milk in her soup which is delightful, although, I’ll be using coconut milk in this recipe to thicken the texture and garnish with a few added options.

Mise En Place

Hing or asafoetida (in English) is tasty, therapeutic for the belly and you only need a small amount

Recipe
2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter), or sesame oil, or coconut oil
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin. seeds
2 1/2 tsp pink salt
1/8 tsp hing. or asafoetida powder
1. small cauliflower cut into small florets, use the stems too
2 taro roots or yucca roots or parsnip peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick, about 1 cup
5 cups water
1/4 tsp fresh ground. white pepper
2 tbsp minced fresh dill or parsley - for garnish
1/2 cup coconut cream for garnish

• Heat the oil or ghee in a 4 quart saucepan over medium heat

• add the turmeric and toast for ten seconds

• add the cumin seeds and taste for five more seconds

• add salt, hing-asafetida and toast for 10 more seconds

• add cauliflower and taro and stir to mix the vegetables with he spices and cook for 2-3 minutes

• add five cups water and bring to a boil

• cover and reduce the heat and simmer until the cauliflower and taro are tender this should take 15 minutes

• allow soup to sit uncovered for 10 minutes to cool it down a bit.

• pour the. soup in a blender and blend until pureed

• add the pepper then blend the soup again adding a little coconut cream until smooth consistency - the cream will add a thicker texture

• you can reheat the soup after it’s blended and garnish each bowl with fresh herbs: either dill or parsley and a swirl of coconut cream. Presentation will be beautiful

• serve immediately and enjoy

Genia’s Spoon Me Tips:
Hing or asafetida (same thing) is an interesting herb and part of the celery family. Most people are not familiar with this herb - comes in powder form. It’s used in Ayurvedic cooking and North African countries for great reason. I learning about this herb in my Ayurvedic cooking lessons. It does have a strong odor - you only need a little which goes a long way. Garlic and. onion powder. is a great sub for soups and grains. Hing is high in fiber and helps with. digestion, bloating and gas. Gotta try this! Hard to find in stores - I order mine on line.

White Pepper is used in this recipe (cooks choice) - What’s the difference between white and black pepper? Great question! White pepper is picked from the berry after it ripens and than soaked and then the outer layer is peeled - that’s why it’s color is white. The taste is more mild in comparison to black pepper. Black pepper is picked before it’s ripened, dried in the sun, and has a stronger, heated taste and feel. The two processes are completely different. Live and learn!

Much love in a cozy bowl of soup,
Genia