recipe: Vegan Creamy Cauliflower and Carrot Soup is soothing, satisfying and delicious

Overflowing with so much flavor, you might easily miss that this soup is jam-packed with nutrients. Along with protein, fiber, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium, it is loaded with vitamins A, B, C, E and K (NutritionData.com).

This Creamy Cauliflower and Carrot Soup cooks in just about 20 minutes, so once your vegetables are prepped, it can be ready in a flash. And though this soup is ultra-nutritious, it may also be the perfect answer to a long, hard day, or a cold, rainy night, when only the most soothing, creamy, and delicious comfort food will do.

Creamy Cauliflower and Carrot Soup (Adapted from "Eat To Live", by Joel Fuhrman)

Serves 6 to 8

1 head of cauliflower, washed, cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2 small onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

3 carrots, diced

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

2 cups fresh carrot juice

4 cups water

4 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon pepper

sprinkle of cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup raw cashews

5 or 6 cups, fresh baby spinach, finely chopped

Instructions

Place first 11 ingredients into large soup pot (cauliflower through nutmeg). Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to a rolling simmer for 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

In a food processor or high-powered blender, blend the cashews with about 1/2 of the soup, until smooth and creamy. Return mixture to soup pot and stir well.

Add the spinach, and allow the spinach to wilt from the heat. Serve hot.