Non-dairy creamy vegetable soups
Creamy vegetable soups, like this Creamy Cauliflower Soup, are one of the first things I learned to make when I went to culinary school. They are creamy in the sense of being smooth in texture, without any cream or milk. Vegetable soups can be velvety smooth by preparing them in a particular way. And once you’ve learned the technique of making this soup, you can use different vegetables (like carrots, broccoli, butternut squash, and sweet potato) to make many different soups.
Simple recipes are sometimes the best recipes
I still remember the first time I had Creamy Cauliflower Soup. My teacher prepared it in the most simple way– cauliflower simmered in water, then pureed until smooth, seasoned with ume plum vinegar, and garnished with little strips of nori seaweed and thinly sliced carrot flowers. I was amazed at how something so simple could be so nourishing and delicious. Nowadays I like to make my soup just a little fancier by sautéing some onions and garlic before adding the cauliflower, and using vegetable stock instead of water. But otherwise the technique is the same!
Healing properties of creamy vegetable soups
The smooth texture, mild sweet flavor, and warmth of creamy vegetable soups is healing because those qualities help regulate your blood sugar and give nourishment to the spleen, pancreas, and stomach. You can actually feel your abdominal area relaxing when you sit down and eat a bowl of soup. Take notice next time you do. When your core area relaxes, it makes us less likely to feel tense and crave sweets. So have a bowl of pureed vegetable soup once a day to keep the sweet cravings at bay!
How to make creamy vegetable soups velvety smooth
There are a couple of important steps to follow to make your Creamy Cauliflower Soup velvety smooth.
- Add just enough broth or water to just cover the vegetables in your soup pot. You can always add more liquid later on, but you don’t want to blend the soup with too much liquid in it, as it will result in the soup being too chunky.
- Use a Vitamix or other high speed blender to blend the soup. You may have to blend it in batches if you are making a big pot. If you are using an immersion blender, you will need to blend it for a long time (maybe 10 minutes or more) to get a really smooth texture.
Garnish your soup with dulse sea vegetable
My teacher used to garnish this soup with strips of nori. I still do that sometimes, but I found that I really enjoy using pan-fried dulse to garnish Creamy Cauliflower Soup. The flavor combination is perfect, and I like the crunchy texture of dulse in contrast to the super smooth cauliflower soup. It’s almost like putting bacon bits on top of a creamy potato soup, but better. In case you’re wondering, dulse is a type of sea vegetable (or edible seaweed) from the north Atlantic that has a salty taste (a bit like bacon) and is high in protein, iodine, and other trace minerals. I love it so much and appreciate that it’s also good for the thyroid, the heart, and boosting the immune system.
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Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Crispy Dulse
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 small head cauliflower, cored and diced
~ 4 cups vegetable broth or water
sea salt
1 big handful dulse sea vegetable, separated into single layer leaves
a few sprigs parsley, for garnish
Instructions
Heat soup pot over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, onion, and generous pinch sea salt. Sauté about 5 minutes.
Add garlic, cauliflower, and another pinch sea salt. Sauté a few minutes more.
Add enough vegetable broth or water to just cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil, cover, turn to low, and simmer 6-8 minutes or until cauliflower is soft.
Meanwhile, heat skillet over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and dulse pieces. Toast on both sides, until dulse is crispy. Place dulse on a plate to cool.
Blend soup in high speed blender or right in the pot with an immersion blender. Add a little more broth if needed to achieve desired consistency. Taste for seasonings and add a little more sea salt if needed.
Garnish each bowl of soup with dulse and parsley.
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