Directions
It was a cold Halloween and we ate soup!
For some reason, despite it being 75 degrees the day before, we experienced another cold Halloween. It was only 44 chilly degrees for the little ones to do their trick or treating.
It's always been my custom to make a new soup on Halloween. I feel a big bowl of piping hot soup hits the spot before venturing out in the cold.
I used the vegetables that I received this week from my organic CSA: Chinese cabbage, cauliflower, onion and fresh dill. My good friend, cookbook author, and fabulous cook , Laura, who co-authored Food No Matter What! was visiting while I was making this soup. At her suggestion, I seasoned the soup with lots of cracked pepper, a little turmeric, and cumin.
Freshly cracked black pepper and aromatic ground cumin really bring out the flavor of this otherwise bland soup, making it taste slightly spicy. As Laura reminded me, black pepper optimizes the absorption of the nutrients from the turmeric.
My intention was to make a low calorie soup. ( I'm trying to lose weight again)
So I sauteed my onions in vegetable broth instead of oil and cooked the vegetables in a water right in the soup. Cabbage and cauliflower are simple vegetables that create a mild soup that is great for anyone who needs to go easy on spices. Adding salt, cracked black pepper, and cumin really perks up the soup, making it robust without adding extra calories.
I'm estimating that a bowl of this creamy vegan and naturally gluten free soup is about 100 calories , very low in fat, provides a good amount of fiber, some protein, and a significant amount of nutrients and antioxidants. It's perfect for my weight loss and my health.
I had a bowl tonight and really enjoyed it! I hope you like it too-
Judee Algazi
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients;
4 cups Chinese Cabbage, chopped ( any kind of cabbage will work)
4 cups fresh cauliflower, broken into flowerettes
1 large organic onion, sliced in half moons
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 tsp of ground ginger
10 cups of water ( enough to just cover the vegetables)
5 cups flavorful vegetable broth + 1/4 cup for sautéing
Freshly cracked black pepper
2 teaspoons turmeric 1 Tablespoon cumin
1 cup and half of white beans, drained
Optional: Garnish with chopped dill, or chopped parsley
Directions
In a large soup pot, sautee the onion slices in 1/4 or vegetable broth until translucent. Add the cabbage, cauliflower, garlic, water and ground ginger. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer cook until the cauliflower is tender. Add the cracked pepper, turmeric and cumin and beans. Using an immersion blender, blend until creamy.
MY NOTES
** I prefer to add my beans and blend my beans into my soup just before eating it. I take 2 cups of the soup and place it in a small soup bowl. I then add 1/4 cup of the white beans and blend. The beans are the most fattening part of the soup-I want to make sure I only eat 1/4 cup-
** I love fresh dill and received lots of it at my CSA. I smothered the soup with it.
