Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Apple and Tarragon

I like the concept of using cauliflower in soup. It's a filling vegetable that can be blended for a creamy soup. But unfortunately this recipe for Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Apple and Tarragon found in the September, 2010 issue of Vegetarian Times did not work for me. However, some of you may like it. It ends up that I don't really like sweeter soups (from the apple) and I don't really like tarragon.

The process for making this soup was very simple. The instructions say to blend the ingredients and I did so with my immersion blender. And actually that did not work that well. I kept blending and blending and finally I poured it all into the blender and it was pureed in only a few minutes.

I have not given up on cauliflower as a soup yet though! I hope to find something with stronger spices next time.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Apple and Tarragon Serves 4 5 cups chopped cauliflower florets (1 lb.) 1 1/2 cups unsweetened apple juice 1 1/4 cups reduced-sodium vegetable 1 small onion, diced (1 cup) 1/2 tsp. ground coriander 2 tsp. chopped fresh tarragon, plus more for garnish 1 pinch ground tumeric

Bring cauliflower, apple juice, broth, onion, and coriander to a boil in saucepan over medium heat. Cover, and simmer 15 minutes, or until tender.

Blend cauliflower mixture, tarragon, and tumeric in blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Garnish with tarragon.

Nutritional information provided with magazine article:
Per 1-cup serving: 100 CAL; 3 G PROT; <1 G TOTAL FAT (<1G SAT FAT); 22 G CARB; 0 MG CHOL; 89 MG SOD; 4 G FIBER; 14 G SUGARS

Curried Cauliflower Soup

I'm afraid of cauliflower. Not to eat it of course, I love eating it. but to cut it. I just don't get it. It appears so solid and then when I do get the florets broken off they can crumble into a mess. But I think the concept of cauliflower soup is neat so tonight I decided to try and cut up a cauliflower. And you know what, it wasn't so bad. Since it was just going into soup I didn't need to figure out how to make bite sized pieces either.

The soup was pretty flavorful, but mine didn't turn out anywhere near as smooth as the one pictured in the magazine. It had that grittiness that always remains after a puree unless you add more liquid to it. I didn't mind the consistency though, in fact it the soup was quite hearty. And it might have been because I used the entire large cauliflower and did not measure to ensure it was only six cups.

Curried Cauliflower Soup Serves 6 2 Tbsp. olive oil 1 small onion, chopped (1 cup) 1 medium tart apple, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped (1 cup) 1 Tbsp. curry powder 1 clove garlic, sliced (1 tsp.) 1 large head cauliflower, chopped into 1-inch pieces (6 cups) 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth 1 tsp. honey or agave nectar 1 tsp. rice wine vinegar

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

Add cauliflower and vegetable broth, and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes. Cool 20 minutes, then blend in food processor or blender until smooth. Stir in honey and vinegar, and season with salt, if desired.