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I am somewhat of a soup connoisseur. I love to make big batches of soup on Sunday nights, ladle the liquid goodness into mason jars, and have my lunches ready for the rest of the week. Or I’ll stick the jars in the freezer, and it’s good for a ready-to-heat meal anytime I am in a rush.
I have made countless soups in my day, and this is one of my favourites. Cauliflower is such a wonderfully versatile vegetable, and it creates a creamy base for this vegan dish. Fennel has a delicious, almost licorice-like taste that compliments the cauliflower perfectly.
Cook Time: 45 minutes. Serves: 4.
Ingredients:
1 medium cauliflower, cut into florets
1 fennel bulb, sliced
Olive oil
Sea salt and pepper
1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked in boiling water for at least 15 minutes
4 cups vegetable broth
1 medium onion, diced
3 large garlic cloves, diced
Method:
1)Preheat the oven to 425F. Toss the cauliflower florets and sliced fennel with a glug of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast the vegetables for 30 minutes, turning them halfway through. When both the vegetables are soft and slightly browned, remove them from the oven and save a few florets as a garnish.
2)While your vegetables are roasting, blend the soaked cashews and one cup of the vegetable broth on high speed for five minutes. This seems like a long time for your blender to be going, but if your blender isn’t Vitamix quality it’s going to take longer for the cashews to achieve a velvety smooth consistency.
3)Sautée your diced onion in a large pot with another glug of olive oil until they are soft and translucent. Add the diced garlic and continue to sautée until the onion has browned slightly. Be sure to keep stirring occasionally so nothing burns.
4)Add the roasted vegetables, the rest of the veggie broth, and the blended cashew sauce and simmer on low for about 10 minutes.
5)Serve the soup topped with a few cauliflower florets as a garnish.
Recipe adapted from One Part Plant
(Andrea Sadowski/The Cascade)
Andrea Sadowski is working towards her BA in Global Development Studies, with a minor in anthropology and Mennonite studies. When she's not sitting in front of her computer, Andrea enjoys climbing mountains, sleeping outside, cooking delicious plant-based food, talking to animals, and dismantling the patriarchy.
