Cauliflower is my favourite vegetable, but for some reason it doesn’t appear regularly on the family food order, so I find myself making a special request when I realise we haven’t had it for some time. Our local Waitrose isn’t too hot on organic foods and there’s no farmers’ market, so if we forget to include cauliflower in our weekly Ocado order, we have to wait another week.
Cauliflower is high in Vitamin C and a good source of protein, B Vitamins, Omega Oils, Vitamin K (for good bone health), Magnesium, Iron and many other minerals.
I am always thinking of new ways to eat this versatile veg and recently tried a curried cauliflower soup which turned out really well.
This recipe made enough for a large bowl for one as a main meal or two small bowls as a starter. It was ready in next to no time and is simple to make.
Not too spicy.
And the secret ingredient? Peanut butter! I love peanut butter and will use any excuse to include it.
Ingredients
(Organic where possible).
1 Heaped Tsp Coconut Oil
1 Small Onion, chopped
Approx. One third of a medium organic Cauliflower, washed and chopped, including any stalk
One and a Half Cups Sweetcorn, fresh or frozen – reserve the half cup until the end
1 Heaped Tsp Curry Powder
1/2 Vegetable Stock Cube
A Good Squeeze of Tomato Purée
Approx. 500mls Boiling Water
Heaped Tsp of Smooth Peanut Butter
Black Pepper & Pink Himalayan Salt
*
Melt the coconut oil until it is hot but not smoking.
Add the onion, stirfry for a few seconds, add the cauliflower and sweat for a few minutes with the lid on over a low heat.
Add the curry powder and stir well.
Add 1 Cup of the sweetcorn, dissolve the stock cube and tomato purée in the water and add to the pan.
Add a few twists of black pepper.
Replace the lid and simmer gently on a low heat until the veg is cooked.
When it is nearly cooked, lightly steam the remaining sweetcorn or cook gently in a little simmering water for a couple of minutes and strain. Set aside.
Blend the soup with a stick blender until most of it is quite smooth but leaving some unblended bits for bite, if liked.
Stir the peanut butter in well, adjust the seasoning, add the remaining cooked sweetcorn and serve.
You might also like to try Fruity Vegetable Curry with Lemony Almond Cauliflower ‘Rice’ or ‘Couscous’
See also: Warming Sweet Potato & Ginger Soup
Zesty Orange Squash Soup – Yes, Really!
Vegan, Gluten-Free Carrot, Beetroot & Basil Soup
Thick and Chunky Winter Soup with Green Lentils
Copyright: Chris McGowan
Last week, the kitchen was covered in dust sheets and all the appliances – juicers, blenders, pans, etc. – were scattered about in other rooms. HB had been painting the ceiling, walls and doors all day, the windows were closed because the Men in Orange were laying smelly tarmac on the drive and it was quite a hot sticky day too, so a quick, cool salad was in order for dinner at the end of a long day.
It’s been some time since I posted a recipe for raw treats, even longer since we made energy balls, so when we were in the midst of an horrendous thunderstorm and planting had to stop for the day, the food processor was put through its paces and these are what we came up with.
Allow the dipped energy balls to set a little before gently placing a small piece of crystallised ginger from the melted chocolate on top of each ball – it is quite strong so if you prefer, use a raw mulberry instead.
Plums are a good source of minerals and Vitamins A, C and K, which is needed for good bone health and blood clotting. (See also 
I know I keep saying this, but each one keeps getting better in terms of how much it rises and slices. The taste and texture also vary a little, too, because of the different combinations of flour used in each new version.*
As I type, there is an industrial floor sander working in the next room so loud I feel I need to wear ear defenders, there’s a plumber working on the shower in the bathroom, the Tour de France is on the telly, we are looking at websites trying to find suitable furniture for the room that’s being sanded and hopefully have it all done and dusted before my elderly mum comes to stay next week! It’s her birthday – and several other family members’ – so presents need to be found, wrapped and posted, too. All in all, I’m a little distracted just now, have been for a few weeks to be honest, what with having the decorators in (same room), choosing plants for the garden (which the snails and slugs apparently thought were Christmas lunch and so promptly decimated and killed them), trying to get a date for the drive to be resurfaced (in 2 weeks’ time) and fit in a haircut (next Wednesday).
This lovely smooth nectarine chia pudding was just what I needed the morning after the General Election when I felt exhausted and strung out after all the highs and lows of the long night before. I needed energy, but most of all something to give me a lift. Like the rest of the country, I didn’t know which end was up and needed the certainty and stability (sic*) of a reliably healthy, and refreshing breakfast to keep me going through the inevitable long drawn-out hours of bemused debate and analysis to come, while everyone figured out who was running the country (we’re still not sure!).
We just had one of those midweek days when you have some bits of vegetables that are less than fresh and there’s not quite enough to use each on their own. When this happens, we don’t discard them, we make soup. In this instance, the weather had gone from scorching hot to wet, windy and distinctly chilly, so soup would be very welcome.
No, that’s not a slice of tomato on top, it’s a kumquat!
In my previous post 
pearsnotparsnipsdotcom 
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