Spiced Cauliflower Soup

This past Tuesday marked the official first day of fall, or the Autumnal Equinox, and I celebrated with soup. Not just one day of soup, 3 days in a row of different homemade soups. I'll admit that I got a little over excited about the chill in the air, the fall vegetables cropping up at the market, and well, making soup.

I started my soup spree on Monday with Spiced Cauliflower Soup. This soup is full of spice but isn't hot spicy, so this is a suitable one for those who can't handle fire. Part 2 and 3 of soup week to come.

Spiced Cauliflower Soup
(from Diet, Dessert, and Dogs)

1 large onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp. (30 ml.) extra virgin olive oil
1 large potato, diced
1 small cauliflower, chopped
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp. (15 ml.) grated ginger root
2 tsp. (10 ml.) ground turmeric
1 tsp. (5 ml.) ground cumin
1 tsp. (5 ml.) black mustard seeds
2 tsp. (10 ml.) ground coriander
4 cups (1 liter) vegetable stock
1 cup (250 ml.) or more, to taste, unsweetened soymilk
salt and pepper to taste
fresh cilantro for garnish, if desired

Heat the oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and sauté until the onion is translucent. Add the potato and cauliflower with the water; cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Add the ginger and spices. Stir well, and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour in the stock and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, until all the vegetables are soft. Stir in the soymilk.

In a blender, puree the soup in batches until smooth. (If your blender does not have a glass bowl, allow the soup to cool a bit first). Return to the pot and reheat just until heated through, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately. Garnish with cilantro if desired.

Make 4-6 servings. Freezes well.