roasted cauliflower soup & real coconut kitchen

This roasted cauliflower soup is light, creamy, and comforting. It goes really well with some garlic bread, a dollop of yogurt, and a sprinkle of parsley. The soup was super easy to prepare; the longest part was letting the cauliflower roast in the oven (which gives you time to prepare the rest of the ingredients and then quickly throw it all together). I’ll definitely be making this soup again! My family loved it!

The recipe came from a cookbook called Nourish Yourself, Nurture Our World, which is a plant-focused, gluten, grain, and dairy free cookbook from the Real Coconut Kitchen. While you may wonder what tasty recipes you can make without gluten, grains, or dairy, this cookbook proves that you can make tons of delicious meals. Other than looking amazing, the great thing about these recipes are that they cater to various allergies and diets, which comes in handy when you’re dairy-free and pescatarian like me and have a lot of people in your life with gluten and dairy sensitivities. I’ve realized that I’m probably lactose-intolerant, so I’ve been trying to eliminate dairy from my diet (although I let myself indulge in some cheese or pastries every once in awhile hehe).

I came across this cookbook while I was at a cafe in SoCal called Real Coconut Kitchen. What immediately stuck out to me about the cafe were the things served on the menu; I saw things like plantain pancakes and phyto juices (I didn’t even know what phyto juice was before I went to the cafe). Then I saw that the whole menu was gluten, grain, and dairy-free and a lot of items didn’t have any meat in them either. It was nice to be able to order anything on the menu without worrying about it upsetting my stomach.

I ordered the macho pancake (plantain pancake) as well as a phyto juice. I loved the pancakes; they reminded me of the quinoa pancakes that I used to get with my mom at LYFE kitchen when it was still in Palo Alto. The phyto juice definitely had an acquired taste that might take me awhile to get used to, but I’m still glad I tried it! I learned that phytoplankton provides a highly bio-available source of vitamins and nutrients, and it’s the only known form of EPA (an essential fatty acid). I got the Nourish Yourself, Nurture Our World cookbook while I was at the cafe, and I can’t wait to make more recipes from the book. It will be great to to cook tasty recipes that cater toward my own diet as well as the diets of many people in my life.

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Recipe adapted from Nourish Yourself, Nurture Our World

Serves 4

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut the cauliflower into florets and toss with a little olive oil, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. pepper., and 1 tsp. smoked paprika to lightly coat. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper and spread the cauliflower out in a single layer. Roast int he oven for 30-40 minutes, until dark golden brown.

In a a large saucepan, heat the tbsp. of olive oil over low flame. Add the onion and saute until translucent. Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Add the roasted cauliflower, vegetable broth, 1/2 tsp. salt and pepper, and stir to lift any pieces of onion or garlic that may have stuck to the bottom of the pot.

Bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the cauliflower is very tender.

Remove from the heat and transfer contents to a blender. Make sure lid is securely attached to blender. Puree until very smooth. If the mixture is too thick, thin it out with a little more vegetable broth.

Divide the soup between bowls and serve hot with a dollop of yogurt, chopped parsley, and a sprinkle of black pepper.