Soup & Salad: Roasted Cauliflower & Fennel Soup with a Chorizo, White Bean & Arugula Salad

It's a beautiful day in the neighbourhood, a beautiful day in the blah, blah, blah... Day one of Fall is here and I'm in a hearty soup mood to help kick off the season. I found both the soup and salad recipes online and as usual they can be adapted to suit any diet. The soup is vegan, as it uses a base of coconut milk and vegetable stock. I'm sure I've made blended soups with coconut milk before, but really enjoyed the richness it added to this particular recipe once combined with the toasted and smoky vegetables. I displayed the salad in a jar, since that's how I packed it for my lunches. Now that I've tried my first jarred salad as part of a packed lunch, I won't be going back. This storage method keeps all ingredients in good form and ready to mix when you're ready to eat.

The common thread in these recipes is the use of fennel. Tis the season for it and while not everyone loves the slight licorice taste of this root vegetable, I hope these subtle combinations will change your mind.







Roasted Cauliflower & Fennel Soup

Adapted from: http://www.forageddish.com

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 lb cauliflower florets
• 2 medium heads of fennel
• 1 medium white onion
• 3 cloves of garlic with skin on
• 1 T coconut oil
• 3 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup of coconut milk
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil for drizzling

Method

Preheat the oven to 375F. Wash then loosely chop the fennel and cauliflower florets. Chop the onion and then slice the tips off of the top of each the garlic clove, ensuring that the skin is left on on the rest of the garlic. Place all vegetables on baking sheets and roast them in the oven for approximately 30 minutes, or until the edges of the vegetables brown a little.

In a large pot, heat the coconut oil. Place the vegetables in the pot and toss them to coat them evenly with the oil. Add the stock and coconut milk and allow the mixture to simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and blend with a stick blender or food processor. Season with coarse salt and pepper and blend for another minute to mix in the seasoning. Drizzle each serving with a little olive oil and serve with crusty, buttered bread.


Chorizo, White Bean & Arugula Salad

Adapted From: http://www.kitchenkonfidence.com/

Serves 4

Ingredients

Four canning jars, approximately 750 ml each

Dressing

• 8 T olive oil
• 3 t sugar
• 4 t dijon mustard
• 2 t honey
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• kosher salt and pepper to taste

Salad

• One fennel bulb, sliced
• Half a red onion, sliced
• 1 cup of white, kidney beans (I used canned and rinsed them)
• 1/2 cup diced chorizo, salami or hearty cured meat of your choice
• 1/2 cup pistachios
• 4 cups of arugula
• Handful of dill, loosely chopped

Method

For the salad dressing, combine all ingredients in a jar and shake well. Pour a quarter of the salad dressing into the bottom of each of four jars. For the salad, divide all the ingredients into four and assemble the salad in a jar, one layer at a time in the order provided.  Ensure the jars are transported right-side-up to ensure the ingredients stay crisp and fresh. When ready to serve, invert the jar and shake to mix the ingredients with the dressing.