cauliflower – Menupause

Sweet Potato /Cauliflower Soup for Halloween

In 2007 I posted this soup called Cauliflower/Sweet Potato Soup. I made it recently and this version is even easier than the one I posted. Since sweet potato is the main ingredient, I switched the title around and streamlined the preparation. (However, feel free to use more cauliflower than sweet potato.)

Additionally, orange foods have good nutrients. See below from the Internet:

Utensils: 2 qt. saucepan, paring knife, colander, blender/food processor
Prep. Time/Cook. Time: About 30 minutes
Categories: Vegan, Gluten Free, No Added Sugar

Ingredients
One large, organic sweet potato, scrubbed and cut into chunks
About 1/2 organic cauliflower
Soup stock or water
Pumpkin spices
Pumpkin or Black Sesame Seeds for garnish
Top with sunflower microgreens if available (Mom’s Organic sells them if you don’t grow them.)

Directions
1. Place scrubbed and cut veggies into a 2 quart saucepan with about 1 1 2/ cups water or soup stock for added flavor. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 15 minutes, or until potatoes can be pieces with a fork.
2. Strain and place veggie water back in pot. Allow veggies to cool.
3. When potatoes are cool enough handle, remove skins and place skins in compost. Place veggies in blender or food processor. Add cauliflower and pumpkin spices to taste and enough soup stock or cooking water to puree, adding more if needed to your desired consistency. (You may want to do this in two batches if blender head is small.)
4. Place soup back in pot to heat for serving or in container to refrigerate. When serving, add something green, like pumpkin seeds or sunflower microgreens.
Yield: Two to four servings, depending on if you want a cup of soup or a bowl of soup.

Note: Because Halloween is coming, I will add black beans or black olives. Also, if you put Halloween Soup in the SEARCH box you may find a couple more recipes. Since squash is orange, you can get more orange dishes by putting Squash in the SEARCH box and add your own black accents: black sesame seeds, black beans, or black olives.

I made the soup with black beans over the week-end, so here is that photo above.

I tried a new vegetable (for me) for the St. Patrick’s Day posting. It is called Romanesco and is a member of the Brassica family, similar to both broccoli and cauliflower. Here is what www.myrecipes.com has to say: (Direct Quote)

“Romanesco, most likely the least familiar name of the bunch, and not to be confused with romesco, is an edible bud that is also commonly referred to as Romanesco Cauliflower or Romanesco Broccoli, depending on where you are. Confusing, right? It’s coloration falls somewhere in the middle of broccoli and cauliflower, but what truly sets it apart from the others is it’s unmistakable texture. It’s spiky yet symmetrical style looks like an unsolved math puzzle, and offers a super textural, crunchy experience. Similar to broccoli, Romanesco is great for anything from crudites, to a simple steamed dish, or even roasted on a sheet pan. Expect a flavor closer to broccoli, with a slightly earthier profile.”

I looked up its nutritional profile and this unusual looking vegetable has almost 90 grams of Vitamin C per cup and is high in potassium and magnesium but low in sodium with only 39 calories per saving. But I think a side attraction is the unusual color green, which can be combined with other colorful vegetables such as carrots or sweet potatoes.

I decided the best way to start was to steam the entire head of Romanesco and then in the future play around with breaking it apart and maybe combining it with one of the colorful cauliflowers and roast it in the oven. The idea of placing the whole Romanesco on a platter appealed to me.

So, instead of a list of ingredients and detailed directions, here is what I did:

I removed the green leaves fro the bottom of the plant and sliced off about 1/2 inch from the base, which looks a lot like a cauliflower base. Then I placed it in my steamer and steamed it until I could pierce it with a fork, under 20 minutes (depending on the size.) I lifted it carefully onto a platter, sprayed on some avocado oil and topped it with fresh dill. It easily broke apart with a fork and I shared it with my daughter and daughter-in-law.

In the future I might try broiling it or adding some pieces to my Indian stew (kitchari). The flavor was very reminiscent of cauliflower, but not exactly, like a kissin’ cousin!

Tag: cauliflower

Halloween Soup

Romanesco: Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day