Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup

I used to think that this was the only way one could make cauliflower soup at home. And I remember absolutely loving it. Boy was I missing out on A LOT. I sometimes wonder if I were to have some of that instant soup today if I would still like it. Chances are, I would find it powdery and wayyy too salty… Not even sure I’d want to try it after all!

Cauliflower soup is one that I’ve always truly enjoyed, and I eventually came to realize that it was very easy to make, it really was no use buying it in the dehydrated, overly processed form. You lose so much of the great nutritional value of the cauliflower, let alone much of its awesome flavor.

I decided to make things a little different this time by roasting my cauliflower, but you could very well skip that part if you wanted to, or if you don’t care much for roasted cauliflower. Or, if you really like roasted cauliflower but are a little pressed for time, like I usually am on weeknights, roast your cauliflower the previous night then put it in the refrigerator to use the next day. That way, you can have your beautiful soup ready in no time... or in about as long as it takes to make the instant stuff!

p.s. note to self... next time, go easy on the hot pepper flakes girl! I think you got a liiiiittle carried away and put a bit too much. Quite frankly, the heat was just a tad too much for the delicate flavor of the cauliflower. I wouldn’t say totally omit it, but make it a very light pinch.

Ingredients
(Serves 2)

• 1 head cauliflower
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 2 tsp dried parsley
• 1 pinch hot pepper flakes
• 1 tsp organic no-salt seasoning
• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 onion, diced
• 1 celery rib, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• ¼ tsp salt
• Pinch black pepper

• 4 cups water
• 1½ cups unsweetened soy milk
• 1 tbsp corn starch

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. Arrange cauliflower into florets. Transfer to large mixing bowl and throw in all seasonings, through olive oil. Stir well to coat evenly.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay cauliflower in a single layer and put it in the oven to roast for 30-35 minutes, until cauliflower is fragrant, tender, and has taken a nice coloration. Flip the pieces once halfway through cooking.
4. In a large saucepan, cook the onion, celery rib and garlic over medium high heat, until fragrant and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add salt, pepper, bay leaves and cooked cauliflower. You might want to save a few pieces of cauliflower to garnish.
5. Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes, then add water. Bring to the boil, lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Remove bay leaves and puree the soup with a hand blender (or blender or food processor).  Add 1 cup of milk
7. Mix cornstarch with the remaining ½ cup of milk. Add to soup and stir. Bring back to boil for about 1 minute, to thicken and bind the soup.
8. Transfer to serving bowls and garnish with reserved cauliflower florets and chopped fresh parsley.

Go Green – Have Some Soup!

The last couple of days have been absolutely crazy for me, and you know what they say, work always comes first! So that’s what I did! I worked, worked, worked.

That, combined with my the fact that I made poor Mr. Salmon look like he had seen a ghost or something the other night and didn’t dare show his face to the world, for fear that he might send his friends after me, I feel like I’ve been neglecting my journal for wayyyy too long! (Hey, that was 2 whole days!!!!)

Hmmm… come to think of it, it looks like I’m not having much luck with fish lately: failed fish and chips, scary looking oven baked salmon… maybe I should stick to grains, or vegetables!

Speaking of which, this soup I made for supper last night is just loaded with all sorts of green veggies. If you’re not big on vegetables, or on tofu, here’s a very good way to get some into that belly of yours! And if you really can’t stand tofu, you can always leave that one out… it would only make your soup a little less thick!

Ingredients
(Serves 4)

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 4 cups celery, chopped
• 1 whole broccoli, florets only
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried savory
• 2 tsp organic no salt seasoning

• 225g tofu, diced
• 4 cups water

• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 100g fresh baby spinach
• 1 cup soy milk (or whatever milk you like to use)
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 150g extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated

• Chopped flat parsley to garnish

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, celery and broccoli along with seasonings and cook, stirring often, until fragrant and veggies start to colour, about 5 minutes.
2. Add tofu and water. Bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer for about 5-8 minutes, until broccoli is tender but still has a little crunch. It has to remain a beautiful bright green.
3. Remove from heat; add green peas and spinach then puree until smooth using a hand blender (or food processor).
4. Mix cornstarch into milk and add to soup. Stir and give another quick boil.
5. Add cheese and stir until melted.
6. Serve immediately (garnish with flat parsley, a little bit of the grated cheese and a few green peas)

Red Bell Pepper Soup and Cheesy Jalapeno Cornbread

That was yesterday’s supper.

I got the inspiration for this dish when I saw that delicious looking cornbread on Monica’s The Yummy Life. It looked so unbelievably moist and yummy, I knew I had to make it sooner than later, but since I couldn’t eat just that, I had to find something to go with it. (Shouldn’t it have been the other way around?)

I figured some sort of soup would work great and decided to go with a sweet red bell pepper soup. Its sweet and mild taste would do a great job at toning down the heat of the cornbread and I find corn and bell peppers just go hand in hand. Good choice it was, great meal as well. I added a little bit of tofu for some added protein and texture. I was afraid it wouldn’t look good but, quite to the contrary, it added some very cool looking white velvety tiny little specks to the soup and they were quite pleasing both to the eye and the palate.

The cornbread? Oh my! It was exquisite. I think I could’ve eaten the whole pan. There was one piece left when we were all done eating and I had to take the plate away, else I would’ve eaten it. I decided to save it for my dad. I hope he likes it too. Seriously, that cornbread is just perfect. It has just the right amount of heat and cheese, and has a perfect balance between moisture and crunchiness. Hmmmm. I want some more. Give it a try, trust me, you won’t regret it!

Red Bell Pepper Soup

Ingredients
(serves 3-4)

• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 celery rib, sliced
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 2 large red bell peppers, diced (reserve a few dices for garnish)
• 150g extra firm tofu, diced
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp salted herbs
• ½ tsp paprika
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 0% plain greek yogurt
• Flat leaf parsley

Instructions

• Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add all vegetables and seasoning and cook stirring frequently until they start to colour, about 10 minutes.
• Add tofu cubes, cook for another 2 minutes.
• Add water and stir to combine.
• Puree in batches a food processor until smooth and creamy. Return to saucepan and add buttermilk. Reheat then ladle into bowls. Garnish with a dollop of plain yogurt, a few dices of pepper and flat leaf parsley.

Cheesy Jalapeno Cornbread
Source

Ingredients
(Yeld: 9 pieces)

• 1¼ cups yellow cornmeal
• ¾ cup whole wheat flour 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• ¼ cup chopped red onion
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 jalapeno pepper, minced (more or less to taste)
• 2-3 pickled jalapeno peppers, minced
• 125g shredded low-fat sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400F. Spray 8″x8″ baking pan with cooking spray
• Combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. Whisk together.
• In separate bowl, whisk the egg and buttermilk together. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients. Stir until just mixed, don’t over mix.
• Add onion, corn, jalapeno and cheese; fold into batter until mixed.
• Pour into baking pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes then cut into 9 squares. Serve warm.