Nearly a year go, I was scrolling through Instagram when I came across a post that said “Welcome to your 30’s. A cauliflower substitute has replaced all the carbs you love and the only joy you get is watching shows about murder.”
Now, if you know anything about me, you know that I’m first and foremost a true crime junkie. I’d put murderino up there with being an aunt, a foodie, a producer, and a grandma. It’s just who I am.
Well apparently I’ve done an amazing job establishing my identity because within an hour of seeing that post myself, three friends sent it to me.
At first, I was slightly offended. I’m not in my 30’s. If anything, I’m in my 70’s. I enjoy going to bed early, I think crossword puzzles are a legitimate way to spend a Saturday night, and I often yell ‘Hooligans!‘ out of my car window if I see people out past 8pm. But that’s beside the point.
Even though I’m not yet in my 30’s, this post resonated with me on a level you may never understand. As I was receiving messages from my friends about it, I was literally eating a huge bowl of cauliflower mash and watching Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders. One of my favorite murder stories and one of my favorite easy recipes.
But right now, I’m over cauli mash. I mean, I’ll eat it if it’s there, but I’m not going out of my way to make it. It’s been overplayed and overhyped. So I’m trying to find new ways to incorporate cauliflower into my life that isn’t raw, roasted, mashed, or riced. What does that leave? Not much.
The first way I’ve been eating cauliflower is steamed/frozen in smoothies. Thank you @lilsipper for that inspiration – seriously game changing.
But more importantly (and why you’re here) is the second way I’ve been enjoying cauliflower. Soup! Maybe it was the Summer months or maybe it was my 70 year old memory, but I had forgotten how enjoyable a bowl of soup can be. And I had forgotten leeks were a thing.
But it’s finally soup season here in LA (meaning it’s below 60ยบ) and I’ve been all about it. Chili, chicken vegetable soup, carrot ginger soup. You can’t go wrong.
So I set out to make a cauliflower soup that was thick, creamy, earthy, and sweet – all at the same time. That’s why you’ll see some ingredients that you wouldn’t normally see in a vegetable soup. But by golly, if I can put cauliflower in a smoothie, I can definitely put a pear in some soup. There are no food combinations that are off-limits in my world.
I served this soup at the Women of Impact Christmas party and it was the only dish that we ate through entirely. The only one. I may have had 4 bowls myself, but who’s counting. So take those ladies taste-buds for it and give it a shot.
| Servings |
|
- 1 medium head of cauliflower
- 2 leeks
- 1 anjou pear
- 2 cans full fat coconut milk
- 2 tsp freshly ground turmeric
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp salt
- 10 sprigs fresh thyme
Ingredients
|
|