Spicy Cauliflower Soup ♥ Recipe

A quick 'n' easy cauliflower soup, spicy with spices, not spicy with heat. Very Weight Watchers Friendly: Zero Freestyle points! Low Carb. Naturally Gluten Free. Not just vegan, "Vegan Done Real".

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Can't say I know, exactly, what gruel is, but I suspect it might look a lot like a pot of Spicy Cauliflower Soup, smudgy and watery, muddy-yellow and dirty-brown.

But please don't judge this soup by its appearance. What it lacks in aesthetics, it compensates in flavor. The spices are "Indian-style" – coriander, cumin and turmeric, plus a little chili powder for a small measure of heat. That's right, this soup is spicy – but not spicy-hot, just spicy. I found it a spare and satisfying antidote to a weekend of too-rich food and too-little exercise.

My soup bowl remained monastic and rustic, just the soup itself and a gorgeous loaf of rye bread from St. Louis' bakery The Daily Bread. But the inspiring recipe called for topping the soup with yogurt, chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice. Go ahead, live it up.

SPICY CAULIFLOWER SOUP

Hands-on time: 25 minutes
Time to table: 75 minutes but improves after resting a few hours
Makes 7 cups

6 cups vegetable broth or chicken stock (I use two tablespoons of Homemade Vegetable Bouillon plus 6 cups water)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, diced
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed (see TIPS)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, crushed
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
Few sprinkles of cayenne or red pepper flakes
Kosher salt to taste

1 large head fresh cauliflower, trimmed and cut into florets

In the microwave, bring all or part of the stock to a boil. (This is a time-saving step that can be skipped is time is no issue.)

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil on MEDIUM HIGH until shimmery. Add the onion and carrot as they're prepped, stirring to coat with fat. When the onion is soft and just beginning to turn golden, stir in the spices and let cook for a minute. Add the stock (just a splash at first, it will sizzle), then the cauliflower. Bring to a boil, cover and adjust heat to maintain a slow simmer. Let cook until the cauliflower is very soft, about 30 minutes. (If you're inclined, now's the time to remove a few pieces of cauliflower to garnish the soup bowls.) With a potato masher, or an immersion blender, even the back of a serving fork, say, smash the cauliflower.

Taste and adjust the seasoning. If there's time, let the soup cool and refrigerate for several hours, even for a day. Then reheat and enjoy!

ALANNA's TIPS & KITCHEN NOTES
I crushed the coriander and cumin seeds in a small mortar and pestle, something I lived happily without for many years but do find myself using again and again. It doesn't take up much space, it washes easily in the dishwasher. So I'm keeping it! But if you don't have one, ground coriander and cumin would work, so would running the spices through a small spice blender. If you have the whole spices and don't want to grind them, I'd recommend tempering the spices in the oil to soften, right before adding the onion.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Cup: 64 Calories; 2g Tot Fat; 0g Sat Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 49mg Sodium; 10g Carb; 4g Fiber; 4g Sugar; 3g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS WW Old Points .5 & WW PointsPlus 2 & WW SmartPoints 2 & WW Freestyle 0

I JUST DON'T GET IT! There are other cauliflower soup recipes flying around the internet, including ones that call for a stick of butter, cream and on top of all that, sour cream. By my math, those cauliflower soups rack up 450 calories and up to 18 Weight Watchers points. I just don't get it.

TODAY'S VEGETABLE RECIPE INSPIRATION Adapted from The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution by acclaimed chef Alice Waters. It's been on my wish list for awhile but then Nupur from One Hot Stove lent her copy. I find myself "liking" the book but not feeling particularly inspired to cook by it. It seems to be a basic cookbook of whole-food cooking, say, like a 21st-century whole-food version of a first Betty Crocker or BHG cookbook.

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MORE HEALTHY CAULIFLOWER RECIPES

~ Roasted Cauliflower ~
~ Cauliflower Spanish 'Rice' ~
~ Curried Cauliflower ~
~ more cauliflower recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture

~ Cauliflower Salad with Fresh Herbs ~
~ Lighter Mashed 'Potatoes' ~
~ Quick Cauliflower Soup ~
~ more cauliflower recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade, my food column

SEASONAL EATING: THIS SAME WEEK ACROSS THE YEARS

Lentil, Pepper & Spinach Supper Sugar Snap Peas with Lemon Butter Fennel, Leek & Mushroom Sautée Roasted Cauliflower & Tomato Rutabaga & Butternut Squash Puree Hunger Moon Parsnip Soup Fennel Purée Vegetable Beef Soup Parmesan Sweet Potato Fries with Horseradish Sauce Brown Rice Pancakes Lemony Leaves of Love Tonight, in One Small Town Called Kirkwood Spicy Cauliflower Soup (<<< this week's favorite!) How to Eat More Vegetables Fennel-Apple Salad with Orange-Zest Candied Black Walnuts Buffalo Chicken Dip with Spaghetti Squash Cream of Broccoli & Carrot Soup

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