Why juice when you can soup?

Start with 'Perks of Being Purple Cauliflower Soup' from Soupelina's Soup Cleanse, Plant-Based Soups and Broths to Heal Your Body, Calm Your Mind, and Transform Your Life (Da Capo Lifelong Books, February 2016) by Elina Fuhrman.

The Perks of Being a Purple Cauliflower Soup

Sometimes I wonder how people eat all the fake stuff when Mother Nature gives us such beautiful organic flavors and colors. Walking through the farmers market is inspiring and makes me feel alive. There is a reason for that: Pretty much everything I buy there has a direct impact on my body, mind, and spirit. Purple cauliflower is not just stunning looking; it also helps you look stunning. The purple color is a perk, a sign of flavonoid compounds called anthocyanins, instrumental in regulating blood sugar levels and body weight, and glucoraphanin, known for lowering your cancer risk.

Serves 4–6

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 medium-size onion, sliced
• 1 head purple cauliflower, cut into large chunks
• 2 or 3 small potatoes, peeled and cubed
• Boiling filtered water
• 1 tablespoon sweet white miso
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Juice of 1 lime
• Himalayan pink salt

+ Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat, add the celery and onion, and sauté until the onion is translucent.

+ Lower the heat to medium and add the cauliflower, reserving a few florets for garnish.

+ Add the potato and enough boiling filtered water to cover the veggies; cook until the cauliflower is al dente, 15 to 20 minutes.

+ Add the miso and garlic and cook for another few minutes.

+ Transfer to a Vitamix and puree until smooth.

+ Add the lime juice.

+ Taste and adjust the flavors with salt and seasonings.

+ Garnish with the reserved cauliflower florets.

Note:

If you are not cleansing, serve the soup with ½ teaspoon of truffle oil for extra flavor pop.

(* Recipe reproduced with permission from 'Soupelina's Soup Cleanse, Plant-Based Soups and Broths to Heal Your Body, Calm Your Mind, and Transform Your Life' by Elina Fuhrman -Da Capo Lifelong Books- February 2016) 

Very berry breakfast or brunch with this recipe from The Quinoa [Keen-Wah] CookBook (Harper Wave, July 2015) by Maria del Mar Sacasa...

FRESH RASPBERRY–QUINOA PANCAKES

Yields 10 (5- to 6-INCH/12.5- to 15-Centimeter) Pancakes

These pancakes are lighter than those in your standard stack: slender and slightly crisp on the outside, light and lacy with assertive raspberry flavor. The raspberries are blended into the milk before being added to the batter----a solution to having pockmarks of berry flavor only here and there. You’ll want a mile-high pile.

1 cup (4 ounces/120 grams) quinoa flour

¼ cup (1¾ ounces/50 grams) granulated sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup (6 ounces/180 milliliters) milk

8 tablespoons (4 ounces/120 grams) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled, plus more for greasing the skillet

2 large eggs

1 cup (5 ounces/150 grams) fresh raspberries, plus more for garnish

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

½ cup (3 ounces/90 grams) Basic Quinoa (pages 12–13)

Suggested toppings:

Salted butter, at room temperature

Maple syrup or honey

Greek yogurt

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
2. In a blender, purée the milk, butter, eggs, raspberries, and vanilla until the raspberries are broken down.
3. Whisk the raspberry mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir in the quinoa. Heat a medium nonstick skillet or a nonstick griddle over medium heat. Lightly grease it with butter. Use a ¼ cup measure to scoop the batter onto the skillet. Cook until the batter begins to bubble and the edges of the pancakes look opaque and set, about 3 minutes. Flip the pancakes over and cook until steam begins to escape through the pores in the pancakes, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining batter.
4. Top with butter and honey or a dollop of Greek yogurt and syrup or honey.

Note: If making these or Pumpkin-Spice Pancakes (p. 40) in multiple batches, keep finished pancakes warm in an oven heated to 200°F/95°C.

(* Reproduced with permission from 'The Quinoa [Keen-Wah] CookBook' by Maria del Mar Sacasa - Published by Harper Wave, July 2015- All rights reserved- Photography by Zach deSart) 

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