Golden Cauliflower Chowder + Food Waste

I was recently introduced to Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and now I am addicted to the show. Oliver brings up issues that most media outlets (I am looking at you FOX News) either get completely wrong or present it in a way that is flat out offensive to the viewer. If you haven’t seen these clips from the show, I recommend this one, this one, and this one, just to start off with.

One episode discussed food waste and it made me reflect on my own purchasing of produce. I hate to admit it but I have recently wasted food. During Vegan MoFo, I was creating new recipes too frequently to eat it all. 30 recipes in 30 days was too much food for Mark and I. Food was forgotten; a burger that I meant to put in the freezer was now two days too old, half an onion went bad, a cup of soup left unattended in its tupperware, and an avocado was now blackened in the back of the fridge. I did not mean to do this on purpose. I thought to myself that I would get around to it but I didn’t and food was thrown away. As a food blogger, I am purchasing food based on its looks and disregarding those knobby vegetables or sub-par looking fruits, despite the fact that they are good to eat. I want to move away from this mentality since I am a part of the issue. I have committed to a simplier lifestyle with a smaller ecological footprint by not consuming meat or dairy. If I continue wasting food, I am still contributing to the issue of global warming.

So what to do about it?

I took a hard look into my fridge and asked myself, “What do I eat?” Seems like an odd question but I noticed a few things; I had chard that was looking pretty wilted, dill that had definitely gone bad, and a container of soy yoghurt that was expired and I was too scared to actually open it. Turns out, I just don’t like these things and that is ok as long as I don’t continue to buy them. I wanted to apply the same method I use for “How to Stock Your Pantry” to my fridge. I asked myself what do I love to make and wrote down some ideas for what to use the produce for. For example, I don’t actually eat bananas on their own but I use bananas for smoothies, overnight oat bowls, and nice cream. For greens, I prefer kale and spinach over chard, rapini, and argula (I like argula but Mark hates it). I love most fresh herbs but I felt the need to give dill another chance. Nope, still hate it so I put it on my Don’t Buy list.

I have come to realize that it is ok to not like certain foods however it is not ok to buy things and then waste them.

My carrots don’t have to be the most perfect looking carrot for me to appreciate the work and resources that went into growing this carrot for me to eat. Food should never be taken for granted.

Waste not, want not and that is precisely what I mean to do.

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Golden Cauliflower Chowder

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Golden soup that is full of flavour, vitamins, and easy to make. This chowder has anti-inflammatory properties from the garlic, ginger, and spices to keep you feeling awesome despite the cooler weather. This recipe is vegan, gluten free, grain free, soy free, and nut free. It serves about 4 large bowls of chowder or 6 as a small side.

Author: Jessica DeMarra

Recipe type: Soup

Cuisine: Vegan

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or melted coconut oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
• 3 small garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons minced ginger
• 1.5 teaspoons ground turmeric
• 0.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 5 cups bite sized cauliflower florets, about ½ head
• 6 cups low sodium vegetable stock
• 2 cups cooked chickpeas
• salt + pepper*
• 
  
• Garnish
• Chopped cilantro

Instructions

1. In a large pot over medium heat, cook the cumin and coriander until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the oil and heat. Once the oil is heated, add the onions and carrots. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are softened.
2. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add the turmeric, cinnamon, and cauliflower and stir to coat the vegetables in the spice mixture. Add the vegetable stock, turn up to heat to high and bring to boil. Once the soup is boiling, turn down heat, and simmer for about 10 minutes until the cauliflower is almost fully tender.
4. Add the chickpeas and cook for another 5 minutes.
5. Serve with warm flat bread and enjoy!

Notes

* I added ¾ teaspoon of fine grain sea salt but the stock you use may have a different sodium quantity than mine. Start with ½ teaspoon and adjust to your taste. I adjust mine right before serving since the stock will reduce as it cooks. I added a little less than ½ teaspoon of cracked black pepper.

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