CREAMY CAULIFLOWER SOUP FROM OUR RESIDENT VEGAN

When the days are gloomy like they have been recently, I am drawn to making comfort foods. When I was in my 20’s living in a small city in Ontario I entered a recipe for Creamy Cauliflower Soup in a local newspaper’s cooking contest. I had recently eaten some at a local restaurant which I found to be delicious and so I did my best to replicate what I tasted. Through trial and error, I created a prize-winning recipe. Somewhere in storage I still have the newspaper article and the recipe but aside from the difficulty of locating it, it isn’t vegan anyway. So today, I created a vegan version of my original recipe. This recipe can be made successfully with broccoli as well.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

3 T avocado oil

1 large onion, diced

1 large clove garlic, minced

4 stalks celery, chopped

1 large carrot, chopped

1 large white potato, peeled and diced

1 medium to large head of cauliflower, broken into bite-sized pieces

3-4 cups of vegetable broth (depending on the size of your cauliflower)

3 T tapioca flour or corn starch

1 cup of unsweetened cashew milk

Salt & pepper to taste

Nutritional yeast for garnish (optional)

In a heavy pot over medium-low heat add diced onions and minced garlic to avocado oil. Gently stir fry until onion clarifies and garlic sizzles (but not crispy). (That is why I use medium-low heat)

Add the broth and the rest of the vegetables and simmer over low heat until the potato and cauliflower are soft. Dissolve tapioca flower into cashew milk and add it to the cooked vegetable mixture, stirring constantly. Using an immersible hand blender, blend mixture until smooth and thickened. Alternatively, this can be blended in a regular blender and returned to the pot to complete the cooking process. Garnish each serving with a teaspoon of seasonal yeast and salt and pepper to taste. Served with crusty bread and a small side salad for a complete, belly warming meal! Enjoy!