Weekend Menu Hacks: Spicy Cauliflower Soup & Broccoli Salad

October 14, 2016

Photo Credit: Margot Foster

Cauliflower is having a moment. Chefs are roasting it like a steak, kids are turning it into a gluten-free pizza crust, and foodies are transforming it into cauliflower steak, cauliflower tabbouleh, or cauliflower ceviche. This cruciferous veggie is in the healthy foods pantheon for its high levels of fiber, phytochemicals and anti-inflammatories, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins C and K.

Since it’s cauliflower season right now, literally and figuratively, we made a delicious Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Spicy Croutons, blending the veggie with some low-sodium broth to give it a velvety texture, and topped it with chile-dusted croutons.

Besides serving the soup with slices of toasty sourdough drizzled with olive oil, we’re pairing it with a Crunchy Broccoli Salad with Almonds and Goat Cheese. Broccoli is no slouch in the health department. In fact, bite for bite, this fiber-rich cruciferous sibling to cauliflower is even more stellar, bursting with vitamins K, C, and B, and folate, just to name a few nutrients. Plus, it’s damn tasty.

Serve it with a healthy apple tart (our recipe is vegan and gluten-free) that you make or buy, or simply a glass of Prosecco and toast your favorite college football team or just the turning of the leaves and the fact that it’s the weekend.

20-Minute Cauliflower & Broccoli Feast

Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Spicy Croutons

Crusty Sourdough Drizzled With Olive Oil

Crunchy Broccoli Salad

Storebought dessert or homemade Apple Tart (optional)

Step 1: If making the apple tart, make to step 7. Wrap the sourdough in aluminum foil and bake in the oven while the tart is baking.

Step 2: Meanwhile, cut up the cauliflower and onion. Sauté onion for 6 minutes or until softened. Add 3 cups broth and bring to a boil.

Step 3: Add the cauliflower and simmer 8 to 10 minutes. Puree in the blender.

Step 4: Sauté bread cubes and sprinkle with chile powder.

Step 5: Cook the broccoli for 2 minutes, drain and chop. Cut up the zucchini, bell pepper and scallion. Add the dressing, cheese, almonds and parsley.

Step 6: Reheat soup, ladle into bowls and top with croutons.

Step 7: Plate, serve, eat, love. #IEatClean

Click here for more Weekend Menu Hack Recipes.

“Creamy” Cauliflower Soup with Spicy Croutons

SERVES

PREP TIME

00 min

COOK TIME

00 min

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower

High quality extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium yellow onion

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

3 to 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth

2 slices gluten-free bread (white or multigrain), cut in ½-inch dice

Ancho chile powder or other dark chili powder

Directions

Trim the leafy bottom from the cauliflower. Cut the cauliflower (including the core) into small florets and ½-inch pieces.

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, season with salt and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add 3 cups of broth and bring to a boil. Add the cauliflower, cover, and simmer until fork tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Puree the soup with an immersion blender, adding more broth as needed until smooth. Season with salt and plenty of pepper.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the bread cubes and cook for 1 minute; toss in the pan and sprinkle generously with chile powder. Cook until bread is hot and beginning to crisp. (Croutons will crisp more as they cool.)

Reheat the soup to piping hot and ladle into bowls. Sprinkle croutons on top and drizzle each serving with a bit more oil.