Carrot Soup with Roasted Tofu Cubes for when you crave something warm, nourishing, and calorie-conscious

This week, I wasn't exactly at my peak.

Between a mild cold and the freezing weather, I found myself constantly fantasizing about my bed, a giant blanket, and a hot water bottle. (Yes, I just revealed my age!)

So, I decided to take it down a notch with my workouts this week.

And believe it or not, it did me a world of good.

But since it's very hard for me to give up on exercise and sports altogether, I decided to head to the gym anyway.

What can I say... I should have just stayed home 🙂

By the time I realized the workout was unnecessary and I should just drag myself back to bed, I spent the whole way home dreaming of hot soup.

But alas, there weren't many vegetables left in the fridge.

I had one beautiful yellow pepper, plenty of "sexy" carrots, a cute head of cauliflower I bought yesterday, and a block of firm tofu waiting for me.

Naturally, the obvious choice was to make a Creamy Carrot Soup with roasted tofu cubes.

Now, stay with me for a second because here comes the fun part of the recipe:

I made the soup creamy using cooked cauliflower, which provides a wonderful velvety texture without any added fat or calories. Can you believe it?!

The texture of cream, but without the cream. Mind-blowing.

What about the taste?

The flavor of this soup is very, very delicate.

If you are the type of person who loves bold, intense flavors, you might find it a bit subtle.

In my opinion, vegetable soups in winter are a fantastic way to increase your vegetable intake.

During the cooking process, the availability of certain nutrients like iron and zinc actually improves due to the heat.

A bit about the recipe:

Don't skip roasting the vegetables in the oven; the roasting gives the soup its flavor. Skipping this step will result in a rather bland soup.

I used Hawaij (for soup) as the main spice. If you're not a fan of Hawaij, you can leave it out and use any other spice blend you love.

How to eat it?

A serving of this soup with a slice of fresh bread can be a complete and nutritious lunch that provides a sense of fullness thanks to the protein, fiber, and fluid content. It's perfect for a cutting/weight-loss phase.

Nutritional values by clinical dietitian and fitness coach Noam Bachar:

One serving contains:

216 kcal

9g carbohydrates

9g protein

16g fat (of which 2g is saturated fat)

6g dietary fiber
Loads of Vitamin A

2mg iron

Want Broccoli Soup with Almonds? Click here

Print

Carrot Soup with Roasted Tofu

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 216 kcal

Ingredients

• 3 Carrots peeled
• 1 Yellow pepper
• 1 Small head of Cauliflower broken into florets
• 4 Garlic cloves
• 4 tbsp Olive oil
• 300 g Firm tofu
• 1 tbsp Pumpkin seeds raw
• 1 tbsp Hawaij blend for soup
• 1 tsp Turmeric
• 1 tbsp Lemon juice
• 4 cups Water

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C - upper grill setting.

2. Cut the tofu into cubes.

3. In a bowl, mix olive oil, Hawaij, and 2 minced garlic cloves. Mix well.

4. Brush the tofu cubes with the olive oil mixture.

   Keep the remaining oil in the bowl.

   

5. Roast the tofu cubes for about 10 minutes until golden/happy. Remove and set aside.

6. Prepare the vegetables for the soup.

7. Cut the carrots into large pieces and microwave for 5-7 minutes until softened.

   

8. Cut the pepper and remove the seeds.

9. Transfer the cooked carrots, pepper, cauliflower, and the remaining 2 garlic cloves to a baking dish.

10. Roast for about 10 minutes until golden/happy.

11. Place the roasted vegetables in a food processor with 1 tbsp lemon juice and the water. Blend until smooth.

12. Transfer the mixture to a deep pot.

13. Add the remaining olive oil with Hawaij and garlic from the bowl.

14. Simmer on very low heat for about half an hour.

15. Serve each bowl of soup with 2 tablespoons of roasted tofu and a few pumpkin seeds.

Notes

You can upgrade the soup by adding a tablespoon of cashew cream.