On Vegan Cream of Cauliflower Soup and Running Workouts at Gordon Beach

Every Wednesday I wake up at 5:30 AM just to make it to my morning workout at Gordon Beach in Tel Aviv.

It's a tough running session that combines running in the water and through soft, sinking sand. If you haven't experienced interval training in soft sand, you haven't known pure suffering.

But I admit these workouts have significantly boosted my running performance and made me a much stronger runner since I started training back in the cold winter months.

But that's not actually what I wanted to write this post about.

I don't know if you noticed, but when I woke up today at 5:30 it was still pitch black. Yes, the days are starting to shorten, and even if you don't feel it yet, autumn is right around the corner.

This is a great opportunity to start thinking about holiday meals and especially to start planning the food we’re going to eat or cook (or both).

As I do every year, I make a point to remind you that holiday meals can be a calorie bomb that results in finishing the holiday season with extra kilograms you'll want to shed a few months later.

One solution, in my opinion, is incorporating foods into the meal that are very rich in dietary fiber and liquid, which provide a feeling of satiety and fullness right at the start of the meal.

For example: a vegan cream of cauliflower soup that I can promise you is low in calories and fat, fills the stomach, and contains a very reasonable number of calories.

As for the taste: it feels creamy and milky even though it contains no dairy products.

And I can promise you it’s very festive and doesn't feel "healthy" — it actually feels a bit indulgent.

I really love eating it cold, like a Tzatziki soup, but it can definitely be eaten warm.

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How to serve it?

A serving of soup can definitely be a satisfying and healthy starter.

It will help you eat less during the holiday meal because of the liquid and fiber content.

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Nutritional values by nutritionist and fitness coach Noam Bechar

One serving of soup (350g) contains:

200 kcal

8g protein

19g carbohydrates

12g fat (of which 2g is saturated fat)

9g dietary fiber

Another cauliflower recipe? How about cauliflower casserole?

Vegan Cream of Cauliflower Soup

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 4 portions

Ingredients

• 1 Head of cauliflower Weight: 1.25 - 1.5 kg
• 1 Jerusalem artichoke approx. 15cm long
• 2 Garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp Olive oil
• 1/2 Onion medium size
• 1 tbsp Almond butter 30g
• Juice from half a lemon
• 1/2 tsp Grated ginger

For the topping

• 1 tbsp Olive oil
• Handful of Basil leaves
• 3 Radishes
• 2 Green onions
• 1 tbsp Blanched almonds 15g

Instructions

1. Break the cauliflower into florets.
2. Peel the Jerusalem artichoke root.
3. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil.
4. Cook the cauliflower florets and Jerusalem artichoke in the boiling water for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
   
5. Drain the vegetables and set aside 2 cups of the cooking water.
6. Sauté the chopped onion with a tablespoon of olive oil until translucent.
7. Transfer the sautéed onion, cooked vegetables, 2 cups of the cooking water, and the remaining soup ingredients to a food processor/blender. Blend thoroughly until a thick and smooth soup is formed.
8. Transfer to the refrigerator to cool (I highly recommend eating it cold!).
9. Prepare the topping salad.
10. Chop the vegetables and mix with a tablespoon of olive oil.
11. Transfer the soup to serving bowls and add a bit of the salad on top.