Hello Spring! Goodbye seasonal depresh! Let’s get our glow on with some carrot cauliflower coconut ginger soup and bask in daylight at dinnertime. This soup is creamy, gingery, full of roasted veggies, a tiny bit sweet and overall spring perfection. It comes together in one pot and a blender, is absolutely delicious all on its own or is perfect topped with some croutons or crispy roasted thin-sliced cauliflower flores. This soup is perfect for all eaters. It’s vegan, plant-based and gluten-free.
I’ve made this carrot cauliflower coconut ginger soup twice within the past week. Once for a friend who just gave birth to a sweet baby boy. And a second time because my hubs had a taste of the soup and loved it before realizing I actually made it for someone else. I can’t put all the blame on him, though. I fell in love with it too. And luckily it was super easy to whip up again. Lately, we’ve been into lighter dinners because we sleep a lot better with less on our stomach. I learned this on my Sakara detox. And good sleep is one of the greatest gifts there is. So let’s curl up with a little carrot cauliflower coconut ginger soup and then have some sweet dreams, why don’t we??
THE INSPIRATION
My husband and I are friends with a married couple and have done quite a few virtual events with them over the past year: our wedding, birthday parties, etc. etc. On one of our zooms a few months ago we found out they were expecting! I freaked out. I love babies. And I just love seeing good things come out of this year.
Over the next couple months we kept checking in to see if they needed anything, and most recently the wife asked if I could prep some plant-based meals for when the baby is first born. My wheels started spinning and I thought about pastas, veggie bowls, wraps, salads and all the other meal-preppy-ish things out there. I made a whole list of recipes that she and her husband (who is not at all plant-based) would love. Except when I got ready to prep the food and asked what she had a taste for she said soup. Soup. I thought she’d want a whole pizza or something after birthing a whole human. But nope. Something light with no garlic or onions is what she asked for. Apparently, those make babies gassy when they’re breastfeeding. So, off to make onion and garlic-free soup I went!
Full disclosure: I had never cooked anything without onions and garlic before, so I kinda freaked out about if it would taste good. Turns out, it was good. However, when I made the second batch for myself and Chad, I added garlic and onions and it took the flavor to the next level. So, new mama’s feel free to take those out and carry on.
THE HEALTHY GOODNESS INSIDE
Because I was initially making this soup for a postpartum mama, I wanted it to be full of nourishing, cozy and comforting ingredients that would help her body heal. I added:
Carrots for increasing the quality of breastmilk
Cauliflower for getting the digestive system back on track
Fenugreek for improving milk production and flow
Coconut Milk for healthy fats that boost baby’s brain development
Turmeric to boost the immune-system of mama and baby
Ginger for preventing inflammation of breast tissue
Don’t freak out, though. There’s still great benefits even if you’re not a new mom. Carrots and Cauliflower help you de-bloat and have steady energy throughout the day thanks to fiber. Turmeric and ginger keep your skin looking great and tame inflammation, coconut milk enzymes, vitamins and minerals that regulate hormone health. Plus, this soup is just delicious so I mean, let’s make it.
HOW TO MAKE CARROT CAULIFLOWER COCONUT GINGER SOUP
Start by roasting your veggies. Chop some cauliflower, peel some carrots, toss them in olive oil and stick them in the oven for about an hour, or until brown and tender. The roasting process really enhances the flavor of your veggies, giving them a savory and nutty flavor. This also makes them easier to blend, resulting in a richer soup. While that’s happening, chop and sautee the remainder of the veggies and apple in a soup pot. Yes, there are a lot of ingredients involved but they work to give this soup incredible flavor and plus, more ingredients are result in a more diverse gut microbiome. So don’t be shy about putting everything in!
After the veggies are roasted and the skillet veggies are tender, add everything to a blender along with vegetable stock and blend until creamy. Then, return the veggie mixture to the pot and add the coconut milk and spices. Cover, and let simmer until all the flavors are combined. Then, serve! Enjoy! Rejoice in the fact that you just made some amazing soup before the sun went down. (Hopefully).
SERVING AND STORING
To serve, I made sure to chop a few cauliflower slices thin before roasting to end up with a few crispy bits that I could put on top of the soup for garnish. They might cook faster than the rest of the cauliflower, so you can just take them out of the oven first and set them aside until later. If you don’t want to do that, you could always toss some croutons on top with a drizzling of remaining coconut milk. You could also stir in a handful or two of greens into the pot just before serving for some added plant power.
To store, I honestly don’t have anything wise to say. I just store the whole pot in the fridge because I’m kinda lazy. It keeps for a week in the refrigerator and to reheat, I simply microwave it. My husband reheats it in a little pot because he’s more patient than me when it comes to food. And, everything.
I hope you enjoy this carrot cauliflower coconut ginger soup! Plz connect with me on the gram if you decide to try it. I love seeing which of my recipes you guys are into.
For more healthy spring recipes, check out my:
Whole 30 Carrot Cake Chia Pudding
Have a lovely week!
Carrot Cauliflower Coconut Ginger Soup
Roasted carrots and cauliflower lightly spiced with ginger and turmeric, blended with an apple for sweetness and finished with a swirl of rich and creamy coconut milk.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 2 lbs carrots
- 1 head cauliflower medium
- 2 tbsp sesame oil untoasted
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger minced
- 1/2 cup yellow onion diced
- 3 ribs celery
- 1 medium apple fuji, gala or honeycrisp
- 1 tsp turmeric ground
- 32 oz vegetable broth
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp fenugreek ground
- 1/2 tsp himalayan pink salt
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup tamari
- 8 oz coconut milk canned
Instructions
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1. Roast the cauliflower and carrots. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees fareinheit. Peel carrots, place on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet and toss with 1 tbsp of the olive oil. Chop cauliflower into bite-sized pieces and place on a sepearte foil-lined baking sheet. Toss with the remaining tbsp of olive oil. Roast the until golden and fork tender, tossing halfway between. This should take about 45 minutes for the cauliflower and 1 hour for the carrots. Remove and cool, reserving 1/3 cup of cauliflower for an optional garnish.
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2. Prepare the rest of the vegetables. Add the sesame oil to a large pot on medium heat. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the onions, ginger and celery to the pot and stir until the onion is translucent and the ginger is fragrant. Add the apple, fenugreek, turmeric, salt and pepper and toss to combine.
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3. Using a high-speed blender, an immersion blender or a large food processor, blend the carrots, cauliflower and vegetable mixture. Stop and add the vegetable broth in increments until you achieve a rich and creamy consistency.
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4. Return the soup to the pot with the heat on low and add the coconut milk, tamari, coconut sugar, and additional salt and pepper to taste and serve topped with remaining cauliflower and an optional drizzle of more coconut milk.