Just like the fashion industry, the food industry has its trends. What’s trending now? These vegetables are grabbing the limelight–Brussles sprouts, kale, and cauliflower. Recipes for these vegetables are popping up everywhere, on the Internet, in magazines, newspapers, and even conversation. If you haven’t tried this trio before, you may be hesitant to do so.
But your grandmother and mother were right when they proclaimed, “Eat your vegetables. They’re good for you!” Vegetables contain vitamins and minerals that are essential for good health.
According to the Self Nutrition Data website, cauliflower contains 25 calories per serving, three grams of fiber, two grams of sugar, and two grams of protein. It also contains vitamins A, C, K, folate, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium.
My husband loves raw cauliflower and likes crisp slices of it in salat. Recently I bought a head on sale and discovered the reason for the reduced price. The vegetable was starting to get soft. Since I couldn’t put it in a salad, I thought about mashing it like potatoes. Then I thought of soup. I live in Minnesota and it’s winter, with wind chills that can go as low as 41 below zero. Soup sounded mighty good.
Cauliflower and curry go well together, so I added some to the soup. If you don’t like this spice leave it out. If you love this spice add more. Cooking the curry for a minute before adding the other ingredients brings out its flavor. After the vegetables are done, the mixture is purred with a hand blender. You may also use a stand blender, but I use a hand one because it’s safer. I don’t have to pour hot soup into a glass container, and can puree the soup right in the pot.
I garnished the soup with garlic and butter croutons, but other flavors would taste good too. Here is my recipe for Cream of Cauliflower Soup with Curry.
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
1 cup baby carrots, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 carton (32 ounces) salt free chicken broth
1 cup water
1 chicken bouillon cube
3/4 medium head cauliflower, cut into small pieces
8 ounces Neufchatel cheese, room temperature
3 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped (for garnish)
Packaged croutons (for garnish)
METHOD
Put olive oil and butter in soup pot. As soon as the butter has melted, stir in curry powder and cook 1 minute. Add onion, celery, and carrots and cook until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add cauliflower, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in Neufchatel cheese. Remove pot from heat. Puree mixture with a hand blender. Garnish with chopped parsley and croutons, or omit them and serve soup with crusty bread. This recipe freezes well.
