ROAST CAULIFLOWER, FENNEL AND GARLIC SOUP
Jul 21, 2015I just can't get enough of soups at the moment! This one is thick and creamy and the smell of the roast garlic whilst in the oven just fills your whole house with most amazing aroma.
Cauliflower is known for it's antioxidant, antiviral and antibiotic properties as well as being a good source of sulphur and chlorine. It can also help to promote hair growth and improve skin conditions. Fennel has a unique combination of phytonutrients and is great source of Vitamin C making it anticarcinogenic and also helping with indigestion, gas, hypertension and immunity. Garlic is antifungal and antibacterial and is an all round healing herb helping with issues from diabetes, cancer, viruses, blood pressure, respiratory disorders and toxin overload. These properties are best raw however so I often add a small amount of raw garlic to this soup before serving. I also use turmeric in this soup for it's extremely good anti-inflammatory properties.
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
1 onion, diced
3 sprigs of thyme
1 Cauliflower, cut into florets
1 fennel, cut into wedges
1 bulb garlic
1 tablespoon grated turmeric
1.25L vegetable stock
Lemon wedges to serve
Directions
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Place the cauliflower and fennel on a tray, drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper and scatter over the thyme leaves. Remove the outer paper like casing of the garlic bulb and cut the tip of the garlic bulb off, revealing the tops of the individual cloves. Rub some oil into these and then wrap the whole bulb in some foil. Place the cauliflower, fennel and garlic in the oven for 40-50minutes. The garlic will feel soft when ready.
Meanwhile, heat some oil in a large soup pot and cook the onion for 4-5 minutes. Add the turmeric and cook for a further minute. Add the stock and bring to a boil.
When the garlic is ready remove it from the oven, open the foil and let it cool for a few minutes. Add the roasted cauliflower and fennel to the soup pot and then squeeze out all of the roasted soft garlic from each clove. Simmer for another 5-10 minutes or until the cauliflower is very tender. Blend until smooth.
Serve with lemon wedges and pan fried tempeh // crunchy roasted chickpeas // soft boiled eggs // a slice of spinach and zucchini loaf with goats cheese for a perfectly balanced meal.
