It’s the start of a new year. The possibility of 365 new days is like waking up with the morning sun, where the slanted golden rays just start to pour in and the entire day is ahead of you for the taking. Coffee in hand and To Do list at your side, you’re up before the world is awake and you feel like you can do anything.
Good morning, 2018. A whole new year to unfold. It’s no wonder people make resolutions at the top of the year; it’s a clean slate. And come January, all eyes are on healthy eating. It’s the thing of the moment, along with gym memberships of course. More people search the internet for healthy recipes. Cleanses and 30-day stints are all the rage. People buy spiralizers and Instant Pots in droves. Which is great: a giant Y-E-S to healthy eating and cooking! But as always, as A Couple Cooks our message is about more than that. It’s unsexy, really, because it’s all about hard work and forming new habits.
Let’s make it a sustainable lifestyle change.
Because then we don’t have to do this all over again next year, am I right? Creating a sustainable practice of healthy cooking might sound aspirational, but we can assure you: it’s very possible, with a bit of grit and creativity. Learning to cook changed our lives, and changing our habits turned out to be both easier and more difficult than we thought. In the end, we decided it was pretty simple, really–once you put a few lifestyle changes into place. Which is why we wrote a book about it called Pretty Simple Cooking (which we can’t wait to share it with you come February 6!).
That said, let’s talk about souping. It’s trendy and might be more meant for health cleanses, but let’s use it as a verb meaning to eat soup. Souping is our tried and true method for how to eat healthy in the winter. Why?
- Soups make it easy to eat a load of vegetables. I’m a self-proclaimed veggie lover. If I look in the refrigerator and see a bunch of raw veggies, I’m more likely to make myself a quesadilla than fix myself a salad. However, if I see a Moroccan cauliflower soup, I’ll go for that every time. Soups make eating vegetables easy and delicious.
- Soups are cozy and comforting. No explanation needed here: there’s nothing more hygge than a steaming bowl of soup. Just add a fuzzy blanket and a candle.
- Soups make for easy meal planning. In the winter months, my meal plans look like this: Soup and bread. Soup and salad. Soup and corn muffins. It works for a weeknight, or for company. It’s also perfect for lunches.
This cauliflower soup is our first soup of 2018 and we’ve designed it to be both tasty and nourishing. The cauliflower is roasted until lightly charred, then pureed with onion, carrot and Moroccan spices into a silky puree. For the garnish, a bit of the roasted cauliflower, green onion tips and a bit of olive oil. This vegan soup is pretty simple to put together, full of nutrients, and gluten-free to boot.
Early 2018 calls for cauliflower soup. Future you will thank you.
Looking for more soup?
- Here’s a list of all our soup recipes.
- Like this cauliflower soup but want one in half the prep time? Try this coconut curry pantry soup.
Did you make this recipe?
If you make this Moroccan spiced cauliflower soup, we’d love to hear how it turned out. Leave a comment below or share a picture on Instagram and mention @acouplecooks.
This recipe is…
Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, plant-based, dairy-free, sugar-free.
- 3 pounds whole cauliflower (about 1½ medium heads or 8 cups of florets)
- 6 medium garlic cloves
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus additional for garnish
- 1¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1 large yellow onion
- 1 carrot
- 6 to 7 cups vegetable broth
- 1½ teaspoons cumin
- 1½ teaspoons coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Sliced green onion tops, for garnish
- Paprika, for garnish
- Preheat the oven to 450F.
- Chop the cauliflower into florets. Peel the garlic, keeping the cloves whole. Place the cauliflower and garlic in a large bowl and stir together with 3 tablespoons olive oil and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon mat, and place the cauliflower in an even layer on top. Roast for 30 to 35 minutes until lightly blackened and very tender, stirring once.
- Meanwhile, dice the onion. Peel and dice carrot.
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat. Saute the onion and carrot until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add 6 cups vegetable both and the cumin, coriander, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, and black pepper, and bring it to a boil. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes while the cauliflower roasts.
- When the cauliflower is done, use a spoon to remove about ¾ cup of the smallest florets for the garnish. Then pour the remaining cauliflower into the broth mixture. Add 1 cup broth, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and ¾ teaspoon kosher salt. Puree with an immersion blender until smooth (or pour into a blender and blend until smooth, taking care that the liquid is very hot).
- Serve immediately, topped with the reserved cauliflower, sliced green onions, additional olive oil (if desired), and a sprinkle of paprika.
A Couple Cooks - Recipes for Healthy & Whole Living
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