When daytime temperatures dip into the 40's, I want soup. Every day. For every meal. Suddenly, eating a lunchtime salad has all the appeal of chewing ice, so at the beginning of each week, I make a big pot of vegetable-filled soup and portion it out into glass containers to be reheated for lunches throughout the week. At night, I tend to favor soups that “get it all in”–veggies, starch, and beans–because when I’m in hibernation mode, I don’t want to worry about main dishes and side dishes and all that nonsense. I want my whole meal in a nice, steaming bowl of soup.
Of course, I still make sure my family eats their fresh, leafy greens. Somehow, a salad’s more palatable when it’s on a plate next to a bowl of soup and we can alternate bites of homegrown spinach and oak-leaf lettuce salad with spoonfuls of hot soup. I’d guess about 75% of the dinners I serve my family in the colder months consist of soup, salad, and often some kind of bread. The kind of soup depends on what vegetables we have in the refrigerator and what flavors we’re craving.
For reasons I’m not entirely sure of, cauliflower reminds me of curry, so when my husband came home from the grocery store with a huge head of cauliflower, I immediately envisioned it dyed bright yellow by turmeric and fragrant with cardamom and cumin. I’m comfortable with creating my own spice blends, but for time’s sake I decided to use a family-favorite short cut: Maharajah blend curry powder. I’ve been using this style of curry powder for years, and I truly believe I could use it to season an old shoe (non-leather, of course) and my family would devour it. I won’t be performing that experiment just yet (shoes are expensive), but I have tried it on vegetables my daughter usually dislikes, such as eggplant, and had her coming back for seconds. This fragrant soup was no exception. Though she doesn’t usually like sweet potatoes in savory dishes, E pronounced this soup a winner. I made it on the mild side, but you can make it as spicy as you like by using hotter peppers or more ground red pepper.
This is one of those dishes that tastes even better the next day, after the flavors have had time to develop, so feel free to make it ahead of time and reheat it. Most of the seasoning comes from curry powder–a full tablespoon–so be sure to use a fresh, high-quality curry powder (or simply one that you like). My favorite is the Maharajah blend, which contains cardamom and saffron, and is available from both The Spice House and Penzeys. I add it in two stages to give the best flavor.
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon ginger paste or minced ginger root
1 small chile pepper, such as jalapeño or serrano, seeded and minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups vegetable broth (or water plus bouillon cubes)
1 pound sweet potatoes (about 1 large), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 tablespoon mild curry powder, divided
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 large head cauliflower, separated into bite-sized flowerets
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (or 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas)
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
2-4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
Heat a large non-stick pot (4 quarts or larger). Add the onion and cook, stirring, until it begins to soften, about 3-4 minutes. Add the cumin seeds, ginger, chile pepper, and garlic, and cook, stirring constantly, for another 30 seconds. Stir in the broth, sweet potatoes, 1 teaspoon of the curry powder, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook over low heat until sweet potato softens, about 20 minutes.
Add the cauliflower, chickpeas, and tomatoes to the pot. Add just enough water to almost cover the cauliflower, probably about 3 cups. Stir in the remaining 2 teaspoons of curry powder, and add salt and cayenne pepper (more if you like things hot, less or none at all if you prefer it not spicy). Cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 15-20 minutes. Stir in the peanut butter and serve hot.
Note: The peanut butter adds a gram of fat per serving but gives the soup a richness you won’t want to miss. If necessary, you can leave it out or substitute with cashew butter or another nut butter.
Servings: 8
Nutrition (per serving): 181 calories, 17 calories from fat, 1.9g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 866.8mg sodium (with 1 teaspoon salt), 657.9mg potassium, 35.6g carbohydrates, 7.7g fiber, 7.6g sugar, 7.4g protein, 3 points.
Nutrition analysis is approximate and will vary depending on exact ingredients used. Though MyPoints are calculated using a formula similar to Weight Watchers Points TM, this site has no affiliation with Weight Watchers and does not guarantee the accuracy of this information.
Copyright: Susan Voisin 2010. All rights reserved. Please do not re-post recipes or photos to other websites; links are welcome!
Tagged as: eat-to-live, gluten-free
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