Today feels like a soup day – I love London but it’s cold and grey this morning so something warm and healthy is in order. This recipe is full of good things like turmeric, cumin and cashews – what’s not to like?! It’s vegan and tastes delicious  – cheap and easy to make, so no excuses 🙂

The humble cauliflower is a good source of fibre (keeps things moving along!) It also has lots of antioxidants which supports a healthy immune system.

Ingredients
1/3 cup of raw cashews
1/2 cup of water – add a little more if needed
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 x large onion chopped
1 x cauliflower  – stripped of outer leaves and cut into approx. 1-inch pieces
1 x 14oz can coconut milk
1 – 2  x tbsp curry powder
1 – 2 x tsp ground turmeric
1 x tsp sugar (I used brown sugar)
1 x tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
sea salt (to taste)
1 x tsp black pepper
caramelised onions (1 x large onion chopped and cooked on a very low heat in olive oil for about 40 – 60 mins)

Method
Put the cashews in a blender and blend until finely ground. Add the water and blend until smooth.
Strain the cashew mix through a mesh sieve with the back of a spoon into a bowl and set aside. If you don’t have cashews in the cupboard just use about the same amount of rice which will thicken up your soup.
In a large saucepan, add the oil and gently heat the onions – cook, until golden (about 5-7 minutes).
Add in the curry powder, turmeric, cumin, salt and pepper to make a dryish paste, gently cook for about 2 minutes so the flavours come together. Now add in the cashew milk, cauliflower, coconut milk, cinnamon, sugar, salt and pepper and stir well.
Bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat and put a lid on – cook for about 10 mins until the cauliflower is tender – but not mushy.
While the soup is cooking, cook the caramelised onion (if desired) – chop an onion finely and saute very slowly in olive oil until the onions are soft, brown and sweet. Adjust the seasoning to your taste.
Once the soup is cooked, leave to stand with the lid off for about 20-30 mins (otherwise when you blend it, it will be all over you and your kitchen!) once cooled, blend to your desired consistency and it’s ready – you can reheat gently.
You can add a tbsp of caramelised onions in each bowl when serving and some mad people add chopped coriander (bleurgh! not something I enjoy 🙂 )