recipes
Curried Cauliflower Soup Recipe
Does seeing "curried" in a recipe title intimidate you? Indian recipes can have a reputation for being complicated or difficult, but most of the time I think we're just thrown off by all those spices we're not accustomed to using. Curry dishes can actually be super simple and quick to make, with tons of flavor and health benefits.
Take this Curried Cauliflower Soup, for example. What's less intimidating than a soup? Throw everything together, let it simmer, and then sit back and be wowed by your creation. It all centers around cauliflower, one of the world's healthiest vegetables that chockfull of both phytochemicals and anti-inflammatories.
My Curried Cauliflower Soup is great because you can use leftover chicken or meat from a prepared rotisserie chicken — that's one big step cut out right there! You can even make this soup meat-free: All the veggies and creamy coconut milk will fill you up and leave you satisfied. Benefit-rich turmeric, ginger and curry also not only help you feel full, but they aid in digestion, improve circulation, and reduce cholesterol and inflammation among many other benefits.
Combine those super spices with garlic, cayenne pepper and cauliflower, and this soup is your immune system's new best friend. Now let's get to simmering...
First you'll want to prep all of your veggies: cauliflower, leek and kohlrabi. Kohl-what? Kohrabi, also called "turnip cabbage," is that funky-looking vegetable that you see come into season starting in October. Its texture and flavor are similar to a broccoli stem but sweeter. Cooking it brings out even more of its natural sweetness, but what's really sweet are all its nutrients: vitamin C, potassium, fiber, magnesium and iron. Be sure to remove the tough outer layer before dicing it up.
Leeks are our stand-in for onions in this soup. You'll love the sweet flavor they impart, too. Just make sure you clean leeks well before using them.
Then start with a large soup pot over medium heat. Add your butter or oil and get it nice and hot. Throw in the cauliflower, the white parts of the leek and the kohlrabi. Stir them around and saute for 5 to 8 minutes. You want to begin to bring out the veggies' flavors and get a little color on them.
After the veggies have sautéed for a bit, turn the heat up to medium-high and add in the chicken broth, salt and spices. Now your kitchen is going to start smelling amazing. Cover the soup and bring it to a boil. This would be a great time to pull apart your chicken if needed.
Once the soup is boiling, add in the juice of 1 lemon, the green parts of the leek, all that delicious minced garlic, your pulled chicken and 2 cans of full-fat coconut milk. If you'd like to balance the spices with a bit of sweetness, add in 1 tablespoon of coconut sugar here. Decrease the heat to low and allow the soup to simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. You'll see it begin to reduce and thicken.
Taste the soup at this point and add salt if you'd like. Then simmer it for 10 minutes more.
To finish the soup, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the lemon zest. This is going to give you a punch of fresh flavor right at the end. Cover the soup and let it rest for 5 minutes. Then ladle it up and enjoy your Curried Cauliflower Soup. You made a curry dish! That wasn't difficult at all, was it?
