Tonight being Christmas Eve and all, it's probably difficult for anyone who normally eats meat to make today a Meatless Monday. However, if you're really committed and/or not doing the family thing tonight (where you might not be able to control the meatlessness of the meal), may we suggest this soup?

It has strong flavor and heaps of nutrition to help atone for whatever the heck you might eat on Christmas Day, whether that be a big dinner with family, yearly Chinese takeout or whatever you have in your fridge while everything else is closed.

Happy holidays to all!

Vegan Creamy Broccoli Cauliflower Soup

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup (1/2-inch) cubes sourdough bread

1 medium Yukon gold potato, unpeeled, cut into (1/2-inch) cubes

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

2 cups broccoli florets, chopped

2 cups cauliflower florets, chopped

3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add bread, potato and onion and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add broth, broccoli, cauliflower and salt, bring to a boil, cover and simmer until very tender, about 30 minutes. Carefully purée with an immersion blender, or by working in batches with a traditional blender.

(Recipe from www.wholefoodsmarket.com)

How does an easy, cheesy, protein-packed dinner sound on this Meatless Monday?

Twist your arm, right? Right.

Tonight’s meatless recipe gets its heartiness from chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) and extra nutrition from heady superpower cauliflower. Mix with spices, cheeses and cilantro (if it doesn’t taste soapy to you) and put it in to bake. Serve it over a grain or greens and you’ve got a fantastic, filling dinner.

Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpea Toss

2 heads cauliflower, cut into florets (about 7 cups)

1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, drained

6 cloves garlic, sliced

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup shredded low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spread cauliflower and garbanzo beans onto bottom of 15x10x1-inch pan. Sprinkle with garlic and crushed pepper; drizzle with oil. Bake 30 minutes.

Transfer to serving bowl. Add cheeses and cilantro; toss lightly.
Serve with fresh lemon wedges.

— Recipe from www.kraftrecipes.com

Making curry, even on a Monday, really isn’t that big of a deal, so don’t let this long list of ingredients scare you off. Most of them are things you can either find in your spice rack, or buy very cheaply from the bulk bins at your favorite grocery store.

And, once you have the ingredients on hand, you can whip up some curry faster than it would take to order it and then pick it up from a restaurant.

Cauliflower and Spinach Curry

1 medium yellow onion (peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces)

1/2 jalapeño pepper (seeds and ribs discarded, or to taste)

2 inches fresh ginger root, peeled and thinly sliced

2 teaspoons garam masala

1 teaspoon Madras curry powder

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

3 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup coconut milk

4 cups cauliflower florets

1 cup peeled and diced tomatoes (with juices)

4 cups, packed, baby spinach

Dash salt

Place the onion, ginger, and jalapeño in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is finely chopped. Add the garam masala, curry powder, cardamom and cumin, and process until the mixture is thick and smooth.

Transfer the spice paste to a large saucepan and add the oil. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the paste starts to color, about 10 minutes — you'll want to continually scrape the bottom of the pot, as the mixture likes to stick.

Stir in the tomato paste and continue cooking, stirring and scraping very frequently, until the paste is brown and aromatic, about 5 more minutes. Add the broth and bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring to deglaze the bottom of the pot. Add the coconut milk, cauliflower and tomatoes. Simmer over medium-low heat, covered, until the cauliflower is crisp-tender, about 15 minutes.

Stir in the spinach and cook, uncovered, until it wilts, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and add the lime juice and cilantro. Serve hot. Serves 4.

— Recipe from www.ebfarm.com

by Sarah Henning

Nothing like boatloads of rain to give a person a hankering for soup. The rain should be gone by tomorrow, but until then here’s a warming soup that will keep you going until things dry out.

Creamy Curried Cauliflower Soup

1/4 cup raw sunflower kernels

3 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk, divided

5 teaspoons mild curry powder, divided

1 cup chopped yellow onion

3 cloves garlic, chopped

5 cups (about 1 pound) cauliflower florets

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, toss sunflower kernels with 1 teaspoon almond milk and 1 teaspoon curry powder. Spread out on a small parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake, tossing once or twice, until toasted and fragrant, 6 to 8 minutes; set aside. Meanwhile, heat 1/2 cup almond milk in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes. Add cauliflower, remaining 4 teaspoons curry powder and almond milk, cover and simmer until cauliflower is very tender, about 40 minutes. Working in batches, carefully purée in a blender until smooth. Transfer to bowls, garnish with sunflower seeds and serve. Serves 4.

— Recipe and photo from www.wholefoodsmarket.com.