Last week I received a text from my mom, with a photo very similar to the one above, that read:
"OK so if you want a guest blog item...cream of roasted cauliflower, parsnip and piquillo pepper soup!"
YUM. I immediately reply back, asking for the recipe ASAP. Her response was no surprise to me.
"Well you know me..." and she proceeded to tell me her process and the ingredients, but of course didn't measure anything out.
This is exactly how I learned how to cook. Doing everything on the fly, tasting along the way, and then creating a dish that was delicious...but I could never tell you how exactly it all came together.
Starting My Engineered Nutrition has helped me combat this problem and I've gotten much better at my recipe documentation. I'd best describe this soup as roasted and smokey, having a texture similar to potato soup. However, unlike potato soup which is thick, heavy and usually high in fat, this soup is creamy yet light and low in both carbs and fat! So without further ado, here is Dorinda Gunther's recipe (with measurements and interpretation by yours truly) for Roasted Cauliflower and Piquillo Pepper soup.
Roasted Cauliflower & Piquillo Pepper Soup
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 6 cups
Ingredients
- 2 medium parsnips
- 1 small head of cauliflower
- 1 1/4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt (I used BACON SALT I found at a local spice shop, Kosher salt will also work here)
- 2 tsp garlic, chopped
- 3 roasted piquillo peppers (these come in a jar in the grocery aisle with the pickled condiments), chopped
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- Optional: additional pureed piquillo peppers to garnish soup
Directions
Preheat oven to 400F. Loosely chop parsnips and cauliflower into large pieces and toss with 3/4 tbsp olive oil and salt. Spread evenly in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Roast for about 25 minutes or until vegetables have turned golden brown.
In a large soup pot over medium high heat, sauté garlic in remaining olive oil for 1 minute. Add cauliflower, parsnips, piquillo peppers, cumin and pepper. Stir in chicken stock and bring mixture to a boil. Once at a boil, cover pot and reduce heat to a simmer for 15 minutes.
Once the soup has reduced down, carefully blend mixture until pureed (or reaches your desired consistency). This can be done in a blender, food processor or with a hand-held immersion blender. I used my blender and scooped the soup cup by cup from the pot to the blender.
Return soup to pot and mix in coconut milk. No need to turn on heat for this step. Soup is now complete! I also topped my soup with a spoonful of additional purée of the remaining jar of piquillo peppers.
Nutritional info (1 serving)
160 Calories - 5 g Protein, 17 g Carbs, 8 g Fat