Cauliflower-Cumin Soup with Toasted Sunflower Seeds
A velvety, warmly spiced cauliflower soup made creamy with blended sunflower seeds instead of cream, finished with crunchy toasted seeds, a drizzle of olive oil, and fresh herbs.
Yield: Serves 4 · Active: 20 min · Total: 40 min · Best in North America from fall through early spring, when cauliflower is at its peak · Best eaten: midday or early evening
Ingredients
2 tbsp grass-fed butter or extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1½ tsp cumin seeds (or 1 tsp ground cumin)
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets (roast half of it first for deeper flavor, if you like)
½ cup raw sunflower seeds, plus 3 tbsp for garnish
4 cups chicken bone broth or vegetable broth
1 tsp Baja Gold sea salt, plus more to taste
Squeeze of fresh lemon
To serve: extra virgin olive oil, fresh cilantro or parsley, and a pinch of chili flakes or Aleppo pepper
Method
Bloom the spices. Heat the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook 6–8 minutes until soft and golden, then add the garlic, cumin seeds, coriander, and turmeric and stir 1 minute, until fragrant.
Simmer. Add the cauliflower, ½ cup sunflower seeds, broth, and salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer 15–20 minutes, until the cauliflower is completely tender and the seeds are soft.
Blend until very smooth and velvety, about 1–2 minutes in a high-speed blender (work in batches and vent the lid). Add more broth to thin if needed, then finish with lemon and adjust the salt.
Toast the garnish. Toast the remaining sunflower seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat 3–4 minutes, until golden.
Serve in warm bowls with a drizzle of olive oil, the toasted seeds, fresh herbs, and a pinch of chili.
Storage: Refrigerated up to 5 days, or frozen up to 3 months. It thickens as it sits, so thin it with broth when reheating.
Nourishment Notes
Cauliflower — glucosinolates, choline, vitamin C, and vitamin K.
Sunflower seeds — vitamin E (one of the richest food sources), selenium, magnesium, and protein, plus a creamy body with no dairy needed.
Cumin, coriander, and turmeric — warming spices traditionally used to support digestion; the soup's fat helps you absorb turmeric's curcumin.
Onion and garlic — quercetin, allicin, and prebiotic fibers.
Bone broth — gelatin, glycine, and minerals.
For your cycle: Sunflower seeds' vitamin E and selenium are traditionally associated with the luteal phase in seed cycling, and cauliflower supports estrogen metabolism through Phase 2 liver detoxification.
Sourcing
Cauliflower and onions — organic, from a farmers' market
Sunflower seeds — organic, raw, and unsalted, kept in the fridge so their oils stay fresh
Broth — homemade from pasture-raised chicken or organic vegetables, or Bonafide Provisions (organic, sold frozen)
Spices (cumin, coriander, turmeric, chili or Aleppo pepper) — organic and non-irradiated
Grass-fed butter — organic, cultured butter from 100% grass-fed cows
Garlic, lemons, and fresh herbs — organic
Extra virgin olive oil — organic, single-estate, harvest-dated, in dark glass
Baja Gold sea salt
— Anna aka Food Marshall