Winter has been long and cold this year! Even now as I write this, the wind is blowing and the rain is light yet consistently falling, not enough to really make any difference but insistent all the same. And yet I've come to the middle of August and barely made a pot of soup at all this season. Don't ask me why, I have no idea! With the mornings brightening and the evenings becoming longer I thought I better get moving before it's too late! To me there is nothing cosier on a cold, windy night than curling up on the couch with a big bowl of soup and fresh bread for dunking.
Do you have a preference of soup? Thick and creamy or with chunky pieces?
I fluctuate between the two, sometimes the chunky soups take too much effort to eat - as crazy as that sounds! Then other times the thick and creamy soups just feel like baby food. Is it me? Please tell me I'm not the only one! This definitely cried out to be a blended soup. The cannellini beans make the soup beautifully thick whilst providing plenty of protein and vitamins. The other thing about this soup is how ridiculously cheap it is to make, especially during cauliflower season! I know a whole tin of cannellini beans might seem a lot, especially if you are watching your carbs, but this soup will serve 4-6 so it's really not that much. But of course adjust it to your tastes, only add in half a tin if you want.
Roasting the cauliflower is deliciously optional
I had the oven on last night so I thought I'd roast the cauliflower until it had a beautiful colour to it, and then it would be ready for making into the soup the next day. I didn't worry about how well cooked through the cauliflower was as it would continue to cook as it simmers in the stock. Roasting anything adds a delicious flavour to it in my book, but if you are time poor, you can still make this soup straight in the pot no problem at all. Honestly, you could throw this together in next to no time if you weren't roasting the cauliflower!
The kale topper is completely optional
It adds a crunch, some texture and of course more goodness. If you know me, you know it's all about the contrasting textures. If you don't want to do the kale, drizzle the top of the soup with some extra coconut cream and sprinkle over some chopped almonds. Or leave it plain!
Ingredients:
1 medium head cauliflower
1 tin organic cannellini beans
1 small tin of coconut milk (270ml)
2 stems of chopped organic celery
1 chopped onion
2-3 cloves garlic
Cumin
Your favourite stock
Handful of fresh thyme
Salt & pepper
Method:
Cut the cauliflower into 5 or 6 pieces and place on a lined tray. Drizzle with oil and season with salt, pepper and a sprinkling of cumin.
Roast the cauliflower for half an hour at 180C or until there is a lovely colour along the top of the cauliflower. If you're not roasting the cauliflower, jump straight to the next step.
Add onion and celery to the pot and sauté until softened. Cut the cauliflower into smaller pieces and add to the onion with the garlic, the stock, cannellini beans, seasoning, a little extra cumin if you love it like I do, and fresh thyme.
Simmer for 20 minutes for all the flavours to get acquainted then add in the coconut cream, keeping a little aside for serving, before blending the soup.
To serve, quickly sauté some finely chopped kale with a touch of garlic, a squeeze of lime juice and a handful of chopped almonds.
Enjoy the recipe!
I know of some people who point blank refuse to eat soup for dinner, to them it's a starter not a main course. Do you have any food rules similar to this? I'd love to hear!
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