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Carrot Cauliflower Soup with Lemon Zest

This is a comforting, balanced soup appropriate for summer. It is low-oil and can be made in about an hour. Try to use all-organic ingredients, but especially for the lemon and cauliflower.IMPORTANT! Always use great caution when puréeing hot liquids. If you have time, allow the soup to cool before blending. Never fill the container more than half full. Cover the lid with a folded kitchen towel and hold it in place before you turn on the blender. The initial surge of the blender's contents can cause the lid to pop open, possibly scalding you if it's still hot, and certainly making a mess of your kitchen.    
Print Recipe
Course Soups, Chilis & Stews
Servings 8 Servings

Ingredients
  

  • 6 carrots chunked; same bulk of carrots as the head of cauliflower—adjust as needed
  • 1 cauliflower chunked; use the entire head, minus stems and heart
  • 0.25 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder I use the mild Ginger Malaysian curry from SpiceAndTea.com
  • 0.5 teaspoon sea salt for sauteing the onion
  • 1 onion largish; Vidalia or sweet onion
  • 1 lemon
  • 3 tablespoons sweet white miso
  • 1 kale cut into short, thin strips
  • 3 tablespoons safflower oil for sauteing onion

Instructions
 

  • Wash and chunk the cauliflower and carrots and put them in a medium-sized soup pot (3qt size or a bit larger).Cover the vegetables with water and bring to a light boil.Once the vegetables are boiling, peel and finely slice the onion.In a skillet, heat the safflower oil and throw in the turmeric and curry powder. Saute the onion for 3 - 5 minutes. Sprinkle the salt over the onion once the onion has gotten hot (and while stirring—this helps bring the moisture out of the onion). Add water as needed to keep the skillet from getting too hot and keep some liquid sauce under the onions. Add the sauteed onions and any liquid to the boiling vegetables. Boil for at least another 5 minutes.Wash and chop a handful of kale and set aside.Dissolve the miso in a few tablespoons of filtered water (by squishing it with a spoon until all the liquid is smooth).Peel off only the deep-yellow outer layer from about 1/3 of the lemon—I use a carrot-peeler. Be sure to get only the outer later (the white stuff is too bitter). Chop the lemon peel into tiny bits—this is your lemon "zest".  Add it to the boiling vegetables.Juice the lemon then strain to remove any seeds or solid matter. Set aside.Once the vegetables are combined and tender (at least 30 minutes but may take as long as 60 minutes), turn off the burner, and use a hand blender (carefully!—don't splatter and burn yourself—keep it submerged) to puree the soup in its cooking pot. Of if you don't have a hand-blender, move it to a food processor or blender for puréeing, then return to the cooking pot.Add the dissolved miso and the chopped kale, and heat the pot gently (without boiling, but stirring well) for four minutes. Try not to let it boil, lest you destroy the healthy probiotic organisms in the miso.Turn off the burner, and stir in the lemon juice.  (Recipe♦239)

Notes

There are many versions of this recipe around the web—this is Pat Palmer's version. In a macrobiotic style of eating, this recipe is intended for occasional use for healthy people only, as it contains a lemon (which is tropical), and also curry and turmeric powders. The recipe may or may not be appropriate for people suffering from illnesses.To make this easier for a dinner party, wash and chop the veggies (except the onion) the day before.