Roasted Cauliflower Coconut Soup

Cold winters, rainy days, or just cozy days at home are all perfect days to indulge in a warm creamy bowl of soup. I grew up eating soups, all kinds, Chicken Noodle Soup, Beet Soup, Cream of Broccoli Soup, and one of my favourites, Tomato Soup, so nostalgic. Having a bowl of soup always brings back many pleasant childhood memories, like sitting at the table breaking bread with my family, being silly, laughing. I always burned my tongue with the hot soup and got in trouble because I didn't wait for the soup to cool. Ah, so many wonderful memories. 

Concocting variety of tasty soups my family enjoys is something dear to my heart. I love creating delectable, healthy soups that bring us all together to make new beautiful dinner table memories. Which is why I'm delighted to share this simple Soup recipe with you all. 

Enjoy.

Roasted Cauliflower Coconut Soup by @Chefkasiaeats

Ingredients:

• 1 large cauliflower head, cut into florets
• 1 small acorn squash, skinned, deseeded, and diced
• 1 cups leeks, chopped
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cans coconut milk, 1 can for broth, 2nd for garnish sprinkle
• 2 tbs olive oil, more or less
• 1 tsp fresh minced ginger
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 tsp salt, more or less
• 2 large fresh sage leaves
• 2 large fresh bay leaves
• 1 tbs fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp honey (optional)
• freshly cracked black pepper for taste
• 2 small Naan breads (premade or store bought)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, toss the cauliflower florets and chopped squash with 1tbs of olive oil and 1tsp of all ground spices from the ingredient list, until nicely coated.
3. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, place the florets and squash on the baking sheet and spread out. 
4. Roast on middle rack for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Once roasted, set aside.
5. Meanwhile, add 1tbs olive oil to a large cooking pot, add the fresh minced ginger, stir for a few seconds then add the leeks and sauté unlit fragrant and soft.
6. Add the remaining dry ingredients to the leeks, 1tsp each of the ground spices from the ingredient list.
7. Add the vegetable broth, sage and bay leaves, bring to a boil.
8. Add the roasted cauliflower and squash into the broth. Leave a few smaller roasted florets aside for garnish.
9. Add 1 can of coconut milk, fresh lemon juice and honey (honey is optional).
10. Simmer until cauliflower has softened, approximately 10 minutes.
11. This is the time to add additional seasoning if needed.
12. Once cooked, set aside to cool.
13. Once the soup has cooled, set aside 1 cup of the soup broth, transfer the remaining soup into a blender to puree or puree using a hand puree blender.
14. Transfer the pureed soup back into the same cooking pot, or a smaller one.
15. Finally, simmer the creamy pureed soup for an additional 5 minutes on low heat.
16. Add more broth or coconut milk for desired soup creaminess.
17. Taste your soup! Add salt and pepper and/or additional seasoning if needed. 
18. Leave to rest for a few minutes to allow the flavours to come together.
19. Meanwhile, preheat a stove top grill or pan to grill your Naan bread.
20. Brush Naan bread with olive oil and grill until charred. 
21. Pour soup into pretty serving soup bowls, sprinkle some fresh coconut milk on top and add two or three small cauliflower florets as garnish.
22. Serve with grilled Naan bread.