Curried Cauliflower Soup

Did You Know? Scientists believe that turmeric, the spice which turns curry dishes yellow, stops the growth of leukemia cells, and seems to protect against damage from cigarette smoke and some processed food.

I'm guessing I'm like many of you out there. You subscribe to delicious magazines, with all the intentions in the world to recreate all of the recipes you drool over while flipping through the pages. Only to find a stack of read-through magazines at the end of the year, and no recipes to show for it. Determined to change this, when my next issue of Vegetarian Times arrived in the mail, I put my apron on, and got cooking. Soup was the prominent feature of the January issue, so that is what you find yourself with today. Curried cauliflower soup to be exact.

With a snow storm at bay at any given moment, soup is so nourishing this time of year. Thick, creamy, and intensely spiced, this soup is definately for the curry lovers out there. I was so surprised how full-bodied this soup ended up. The pureed cauliflower provided the perfect texture of without any added cream.

I used one apple here, but I may add another the next time. It definately helped to cut the spiciness of the curry powder, but the apple's flavor didn't really come through. I ended up serving this alongside apple slices (for dipping), but chopping them up even finer would make for an excellent garnish. I imagine a fruit chutney would be perfect as well. The recipe calls for one tablespoon of curry powder. If you're not a huge fan of spicy dishes, I would start with a 1/2 tablespoon, as the full tablespoon packed a lot of punch. I usually add buffalo sauce to everything, and I found myself taking a bite of an apple after each spoonful of soup. All that aside, this soup was really tasty, and a big hit when I served it for lunch the other week. Enjoy!

Curried Cauliflower Soup
If you find this soup to be on the thick side for your liking, I imagine a little coconut milk to smooth things out would be wonderful. It would also help to mellow out the heat.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium apple (I used Golden Delicious)
1 tablespoon curry powder (I used red curry)
1 clove garlic, sliced
1 large head cauliflower, chopped into 1-inch pieces
4 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon honey or agave nectar*
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, and saute for 5 to 7 minutes, or until soft and golden. Stir in apple, curry powder, and garlic, and cook for another 2 minutes, until the curry powder turns a deep yellow.

Add cauliflower and vegetable broth, and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Cool 20 minutes (helps to deepen the flavors), then blend in a food processor until smooth. Stir in honey and vinegar, and season with salt, if needed.

*I know it's only one teaspoon, but don't leave out the honey/agave, it really rounded out the flavors.