I cannot escape the unavoidable pitfall of nature we know as winter. Step outside, even for a second, and you get slammed with icy freeze from all directions. Everytime I exclaim, “It’s so cold!”, Bostonians inform me this is a weak winter. Well, I am a weak winter person, and thank God for its leniency in the first and potentially only time I will ever have to experience this.

I’m not accustomed to the layers, the fact that I devote a significant amount of time getting dressed/undressed or the fact that my latest fashion craze is a sleeping bag that leaves me looking like the Michelin man. Since my eyes tear up within seconds of leaving my home people must think, “oh, there’s that depressed girl, she’s always crying.” No, it’s just the cold… assaulting my face.

I often soothe myself in the best way I know how: a bowl of delicious soup. I make it, close my eyes, and eat it slowly by the spoonful. Soup warms my body and soothes my soul. And! It can be made with anything. Soup is essentially a method of cooking. Twenty minutes and you’re donezo. On this day I opted for some beautiful roasted and spiced cauliflower, and dressed my soup up with hearty pecans and vibrant pomegranate seeds.

On days like these, where all I want to do is rush home and feel instantly comforted, soup really does the trick. Make it out of anything. Get fancy, or not. All that matters is that it keeps you warm. Like a hug in food form.

Cumin & coriander roasted cauliflower soup

Serves 4

Notes: I made this vegan by adding almond milk, but feel free to use dairy milk.

I also added a waxy potato to thicken up the texture of the soup, but leave it out if you want to.

Use this method with any vegetable. Substitute the cauliflower for carrots, leeks, potatoes, artichokes, broccoli. Anything! You are essentially just sautéing some onion and garlic, adding your preferred vegetable, adding enough stock to barely cover your vegetables, and cooking until its all tender. Then puree. That’s it!

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 potato (I used Yukon gold), peeled and cubed

3-4 cups vegetable stock

1 cup almond milk

½ cup pecans, toasted and chopped

½ cup pomegranate seeds

chopped cilantro, to garnish, optional

Set your oven at 400 degrees. Toss the cauliflower with the cumin, coriander, one tablespoon olive oil, and some salt and pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes, until the cauliflower is nicely browned.

Meanwhile, heat up the remaining olive oil and sauté the onion and garlic until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the potato and cook for about 5 more minutes. Add the cauliflower. Add enough stock to barely cover the vegetables. Simmer until the potato is tender, about 10-15 minutes.

Add the almond milk. Puree the soup with an immersion blender or transfer to a blender and puree in batches. Season with more spices and salt and pepper. Garnish with the pecans, pomegranate seeds, and cilantro.