Exploits of a Vegan Wannabe

Happy Meatless Monday. Yesterday I was staring at a head of cauliflower that I had purchased several days earlier with high hopes. It was now sitting on the counter for maybe the fifth day, begging me to make it into something or put it out of its misery. When I am in the produce aisle, I am easily seduced. Oh this looks good, this will be great…can’t live without this. Then I have a house full of produce, a CSA share and only a few days to make it happen before they begin to get funky.

So, I created two different Cauli dishes out of this one head. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did. They are both easy, delicious and the perfect stand- by recipes for when your produce eyes have gotten bigger than your available cooking time. Plus, if you need to hide cauliflower in soup or something cheesy for the rest of your family, these recipes are for you. One is here today and one will show up later in the week.

This soup recipe was given to me by mother in law. She has made it a handful of times for my used to be incredibly meaty father in law.  In the past six months they have become more and more adventurous with vegan food. We love that because we love them. Thanks Mom.

Creamy Curried Cauliflower Soup

Original Recipe from WholeFoods.com and slightly modified by: S. Duquet

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

1/4 cup raw sunflower kernels

3 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk, divided (or other non-dairy milk)

3 teaspoons curry powder, divided, more to taste

1 1/8  tsp granulated orange peel, divided (if you can’t find this at your bulk food store use a dash or two of orange extract or orange juice)

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/8 tsp Turmeric (optional, really for color)

2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast

5 1/2 cups cauliflower florets (1 medium head)

Make It Happen

~Preheat oven to 350ºF.

~In a medium bowl, toss sunflower kernels with 1 teaspoon coconut milk, 1 teaspoon curry powder and 1/8 tsp granulated orange peel

~Spread out on a small parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake, tossing once until toasted and fragrant, 6 to 8 minutes; set aside.

~Meanwhile, heat 1/2 cup coconut milk and chopped garlic in a large pot over medium heat. Stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add cauliflower, remaining curry powder, granulated orange peel  and coconut milk, cover and simmer until cauliflower is very tender, about 37 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with more curry powder if you like. Carefully purée in a blender or food processor until smooth. Transfer to bowls, garnish with sunflower seeds and serve.

This soup is warming to your insides and sensual in its rich texture. The cauliflower has disappeared and turned into a luxurious, curry soup. The flavors are well beyond the scant amount of preparation time. The sunflower seeds add the texture to make this a perfect soup to add to your collection entitled: Food I Love That Loves Me Back.

Have a delicious Meatless Monday.

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