Vegan golden cauliflower soup

November 2, 2013 by Ambika Yoga 2 Comments

In the Sivananda ashram there’s often a delicious soup on the menu. One day I tasted the most delicious creamy soup and it turned out to be cauliflower soup, whereas I’m not a big fan of cauliflower! Hence I tried to make my own version (with a little help of the Sivananda Yoga cookbook) of this yummy and very filling soup.

Ingredients for 4 servings

• 1 cauliflower (medium to big size)
• 1 tablespoon oil (I prefer coconut)
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds
• 0.5 teaspoon (or more if you like) turmeric powder
• 1 can of coconut milk/ cream
• 1,5 cup of water
• salt & pepper
• Optional (for a thicker soup): 2 to 3 potatoes.

Preparation
Cut the cauliflower in to small florets and keep the stalks too.  Melt the coconut oil in a wok or other deep pan. Fry the cumin seeds and mustard seeds until they pop and are fragrant. Add the cauliflower florets and stalks and the turmeric. Keep frying until all the cauliflower is coated with the cumin and mustard seeds and the turmeric. Add the coconut milk and the water (and potatoes if using) and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. Puree the soup until smooth. Season to taste with salt & pepper.

Cauliflower is a member of the cruciferous vegetables and provides fantastic health benefits (I include a couple from various sources below). It’s recommended to include cruciferous vegetables in your diet at least 2-3 times a week for at least 2 cups each time. It’s delicious in soups, pate, stir fries, Indian dishes, …

Some benefits of cauliflowers
1. Nutritional: it contains many B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin K, it’s a good source of vitamin C as well!
2. Anti oxidation
3. Detoxification
4. Cancer prevention
5. Anti-inflammatory
6. Digestive support
7. Cardiovascular & cerebrovascular

More cauliflower recipes here & here.

Sources

• http://www.trueactivist.com/7-health-benefits-of-cauliflower-and-mashed-cauliflower-recipe/
• http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=13
• http://www.stylecraze.com/articles/top-10-health-benefits-of-cauliflower/
• http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/cauliflower.html