Creamy Cauliflower Soup - Without the Cream

Welcome to my Ayurveda & Yoga blog! I’m Evangeline and I’m an RMT and holistic health coach. I started my blog during covid to stay connected to my clients and share my love of cooking healthy, AYURVEDIC INSPIRED meals.
Ayurvedic cooking is a conscious approach to preparing and cooking tasty, nutritious, balanced meals using spices and herbs, and taking into consideration the external conditions such as the season and time of day, in addition to how you are feeling.

A comforting and delicious soup for the fall season, and made creamy by blending in chenna or paneer. Chenna and paneer are both unripened cheeses made from whole milk, but chenna is less firm and not pressed.

My kids have grown to love cauliflower because of this soup. Over the years, I have experimented with different spices, shown down below. In this batch the flavour of rosemary is well loved in our home with its slightly pungent, warming, woodsy elements.

You can make chenna while prepping and cooking the rest of the ingredients. It takes about 10-15 minutes for the milk to start to boil to prepare the separation of the curds and from the by adding the juice of a lime or lemon. See my paneer recipe here. High in protein and easier on the tummy, chenna and paneer are easier to digest compared to their ripened cheese cousins. I find chenna and paneer are practical alternatives to heavy cream when making cream based soups and sauces.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

Serves 2-3
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

ingredients

1 ½ cups cauliflower

½ cup zucchini

¾ cup chenna or paneer

1 tsp ghee or olive oil

3 cups water or vegetable broth

½ tsp ground fennel seeds

½ tsp ground coriander seeds

⅛ tsp turmeric powder

1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary or 1 tsp dried

½ tsp soma salt

Instructions

1. In a medium size pot, put spices and rosemary in ghee or olive oil in medium heat until aroma is released. 

2. Add cauliflower pieces coating them with the spices and cook for a few minutes.

3. Add the water, zucchini and chenna, turn down heat to medium-low, cover with a lid, and cook for another 5 minutes. 

4. Transfer into blender, with soma salt on low speed for a minute. 

Enjoy!

Spice Options

To the coriander, fennel and turmeric above add

1 tsp ginger- heating quality, anti-inflammatory, digestive aid

½ - 1 thai green chili- heating quality, channel opening; has more soma than thai red chili imparting a heat not as burning as a red chili

OR to the coriander, fennel and turmeric above add

¼ tsp ground fenugreek- helps metabolize fat and protein

¼ tsp ground cardamom- helps metabolize protein

½ tsp cumin - helps in absorption of nutrients

References

Vaidya R. K. Mishra- Notes from Shaka Vansiya Ayurveda Courses, Practicum, Conferences and Lectures 2003-2015