Cauliflower “cheese” soup with rocket and wild garlic pesto

Vegan and gluten-free

A great option for an early spring evening, when the temperature is still a little on the cold side and wild garlic is abundant. The brazil nuts in this soup make it really creamy and the nutritional yeast gives it that cheesy kick!

Serves 2

For the soup:

Coconut oil, for frying
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
75g brazil nuts
1 litre vegetable stock
1/3 cup/20g nutritional yeast
2 tsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper, to taste

Melt the coconut oil in a heavy bottomed pan and gently sauté the onions, celery and garlic with a pinch of salt and pepper for a few minutes until softened. Add the cauliflower and brazil nuts and turn up the heat, then add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Once boiling, turn down to a simmer with a lid on for around 20 minutes.

Add the soup to a blender with the nutritional yeast and lemon juice and blitz until smooth and creamy. Adjust the seasoning to taste.

For the rocket and wild garlic pesto:

2 big handfuls of rocket
1 handful parsley
6 wild garlic leaves or 2 small garlic cloves
A handful pumpkin seeds, toasted in a dry pan until lightly browned and left to cool
3 tbsp olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
A good pinch of salt

Add all of the ingredients to a small food processor and blitz until fully combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Swirl the pesto into your soup and top with fresh rocket leaves.

Or enjoy on roasted veg, pasta, savoury pancakes, crackers… the list is endless!