Roasted Cauliflower Soup With Curried Cashew Crème

New Years resolution #1: Venture outside of your comfort zone.  A couple facts about me: I'm not a fan of soup and I've never really cared about cauliflower.  Therefore, I generally stay away from both.  So what better opportunity to put my new year's resolution into action than to try Robin Robertson's Cauliflower Soup recipe in this months issue of VegNews.  I couldn't have been more pleasantly surprised!  This soup is so flavorful, hearty and creamy, it feels like you're coating your insides with spoonfuls of velvet.  It sounds fancy and will take about an hour to make, but the steps are cake and most of that time is spent waiting around while the oven and pots do the work for you.  You could even double it and freeze the rest for a bonus meal a couple weeks down the road.

Serves 4

SOUP
Ingredients
1 head cauliflower
4 cloves garlic, chopped in half
1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
3 yukon gold potatoes, peeled (if you don't have a Vitamix blender), and 1⁄4-inch diced
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 1⁄2 cups non-dairy milk (I used almond)
Chives for garnish (optional)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425° F.
2. Roast the veggies.  In a large oiled baking pan, combine the cauliflower, garlic, onion, and potatoes.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Roast for 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until veggies are tender and golden.

          Make Cashew Crème (recipe below) now while the veggies roast.

3. Cook veggies with the broth.  Transfer veggies to a large pot and add the vegetable broth.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about 10 minutes.
4. Purée the soup.  Transfer veggies and broth to a blender, working in small batches at a time and blend until smooth.
5. The final simmer.  Return soup to pot and stir in the milk.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer 10 more minutes.
6. Serve.  Ladle into bowls and spoon in a swirl of the Cashew Crème.  Sprinkle with chives to garnish (optional). 


CURRIED CASHEW CREME
Ingredients
3⁄4 cup raw cashews (we buy cashew pieces in bulk to save some money)
1 1⁄2 Tbsp curry powder
1⁄2 tsp salt
1⁄2 cup non-dairy milk

Directions
In a blender, process cashews to a fine powder.  Add curry powder, salt and milk and blend until smooth.

Serve with a hunk of a whole grain loaf and a salad to get your greens!

Health Benefits of Cauliflower

high in vitamin C

excellent source of fiber

excellent source of folate

excellent source of vitamin K

great source of Omega-3's

good source of potassium and protein

....just to name a few