Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Oatmeal-Seed Loaf

Team these two recipes together, whip up a salad, and you've pretty much got yourself a substantial meal.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 cups chopped leeks (white part) or onions

2 -3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 head cauliflower, finely chopped

1/2 tsp. Himalayan salt (or to taste)

4 -6 cups water or stock, depending on size of cauliflower (enough to cover vegetables)

1/4 cup unsweetened nut milk

Sprinkle of freshly ground pepper

Chopped chives, dill, and/or pepitas

1.  Bring water or stock to boil.  Set aside.

2. In large saucepan, saute onions in olive oil on medium heat until tender.  (You may add a tablespoon of water to keep the oil temperature from rising too high.)

3.  Add garlic and salt and cook for another minute.

4.  Add chopped cauliflower, cover and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes.

5.  Add nut milk.

5.  Using an immersion blender, process until smooth and creamy. Or pour into a regular blender, in batches.

6.  Season to taste with pepper.

7.  Using chives, chopped dill, or Pepitas (toasted pumpkin seeds), garnish to your heart's desire.

Oatmeal-Seed Loaf

This recipe is very rich in protein, minerals and fiber (so remember to drink lots of water!)  It looks complicated but, trust me, is not hard to make.  I toast the slices in the oven (as per instructions), store them in the refrigerator, and pop them in the toaster before serving. This gives it a crisper, more appealing texture and enhances the flavor.  They’re great for breakfast, snack, or at meal time with soup or salad (instead of bread).

Heads up:  Although very little hands-on time is required to make this recipe, the loaf does need to rest overnight (or about 8 hours) prior to baking.

1 cup sunflower seeds

½ cup pumpkin seeds

½ cup hemp hearts

½ cup ground flax seeds

1 ½ cups oatmeal

3 tbsp. chia seeds

3-4 tbsp. psyllium flakes

½ tsp Himalayan sea salt

2 tbsp. maple syrup

3 tbsp. coconut oil, melted

1 ¾ cups water

1.  Optional: Grind all the seeds and oatmeal in a food processor. (The texture of the loaf is more bread-like when all the seeds have been pre-ground.) 

2. Combine all dry ingredients except salt.

3. Combine wet ingredients, add salt to dissolve.

4.  Add wet mixture to the dry and mix well. Pack into a parchment lined loaf pan. Let sit on counter overnight.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for ½ hour. Turn loaf over onto a rack (with a baking pan beneath), remove parchment and bake for up to an hour longer. Let cool completely before slicing.

6. Optional (but recommended): Slice the bread when cool and spread the slices on a rack over a baking pan and bake up to 15 minutes longer at 350 degrees on each side. This will somewhat dry the bread and make it slightly crisper. 

7. Store slices in the refrigerator or freezer.  Toast before serving.  (The reason for the toasting is that the psyllium content tends to keep the bread moist, which is okay when the bread is fresh but may lose its appeal after a few days.)