One way to discover a new cookbook is to join a cookbook club and cosy Words Bookstore and Café hosted their second cookbook club evening. Each person prepared a dish from Andrew Weil’s “True Food Cookbook” and my contribution was a healthy vegan Curried Cauliflower Soup. Each recipe is catered towards a persons well-being and all can easily be prepared at home. A cookbook club is a fun way to explore and taste recipes from a cookbook you might not have bought and a great way to socialize with fellow foodies. The “True Food Cookbook” is available at Words Bookstore and Café, Bahrain.
The curried cauliflower soup is quick to prepare and if you use the garnish of caramelized onions, preparation takes longer. You can make caramelized onions well ahead of time and store them in the fridge until needed. The sweetness of the caramelized onions is delicious with this soup and I urge you not to omit them. The curry powder I used was quite spicy, the level of heat in brands of curry powder varies, so keep this in mind. I had no evaporated cane sugar so I replaced this with light brown sugar and for the light coconut milk, watered down a can of ordinary coconut milk. You could also make your own coconut milk, but this will add to your preparation time. Full of anti-inflammatory benefits, this rich and creamy curried cauliflower soup is equally delicious when served hot or cold… still deciding on which temperature I like it best. Serve this soup in shot type glasses (which I did for the cookbook club) for parties and tastings.
Andrew Weil’s Curried Cauliflower Soup
(Serves 4 to 6)
Ingredients:
1/3 cup raw cashews
3/4 cup water
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 large head of cauliflower, cut into 1-inch pieces
can (14 oz) light coconut milk or use home-made coconut milk
2 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp evaporated cane sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
sea salt, to season
for garnish
caramelized onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander
How to make:
- Put the cashews in a blender and blend until finely ground. Add ¾ cup of room temperature water and blend for 2 minutes. Pour the cashew mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing on the solids with the back of a spoon. Discard the solids.
- In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over low heat. Add the onion and sauté until golden. Add the cauliflower, coconut milk, strained cashew milk, curry powder, turmeric, cumin, sugar, cinnamon and some salt as needed. Add enough water to cover. Bring to a low boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes.
- Blend the soup with an immersion blender until smooth. You can also use a stand blender but allow the soup to cool for about 15 to 20 minutes beforehand. If necessary, adjust the seasoning with more sea salt. If serving hot, gently re-heat the soup. Ladle into bowls and garnish with caramelized onions and coriander.
Up-date: Other recipes prepared from the True Food Cookbook were:
Strawberry-Chile Salsa
Hummus with Greek Salad
Tofu-Shiitake Lettuce Cups
Quinoa Tabbouleh
Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho
Fettuccine with Kale Pesto
Stir-Fried Brussels Sprouts with Umami Sauce
Chocolate Pudding
Carrot-Banana Muffins
After tasting all these recipes at the cookbook club I can safely say I am happy to own Andrew Weil’s True Food Cookbook 🙂
Other soups you might like to try:
Food and Tools 
Lovely heart warming soup…With the weather getting cooler,it will be soup time soon..I love that you have used cashew nuts and coconut in this soup…delicious:)
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I love soups too Shy, roll on the cooler weather. Love the fresh flavor of nut milks made at home, so much tastier than the cartons you buy. 🙂
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Such an exciting concept – a cookbook club. I hope to join one of the sessions soon. The cauliflower soup looks delicious. I have a lot of soups around this time of year and it seems like the one I would want to try.
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Hope you do join us Anita, it was a fun evening with good food. I enjoy soups too and it looks like the cooler weather is just around the corner… hopefully! 🙂
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