Beet and Cauliflower Soup

First thing I must say about this soup: It is SO PRETTY! Seriously, this is GORGEOUS soup. It also happens to be delicious, but that's really secondary to how absolutely lovely it is. It's got the most beautiful jewel-like color... a bright, rosy, pinkish red. We ate this here at home on a regular ol' Friday night, but it would be right at home at a fancy dinner party, too. I mean, really... just look at this soup:

Beet and Cauliflower Soup, served here with a Cashew Cheese
and carmelized onion sammie on spelt bread. Deee-lish!

This recipe was based on a Martha Stewart recipe. I changed it up a bit, to make it vegan, and because I wanted the beet flavor to shine through a bit more. I also increased the dill, because I just really like dill, and added a dash of lemon. Here is my version:

Vegan Beet and Cauliflower Soup

Drizzle of olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 head of cauliflower, chopped (around 3 cups or so)
4 med-large beets, peeled and chopped
6 cups of light vegetable broth
Salt and pepper to taste
3-4 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice (1-2 Tbsp)

Heat the oil in a soup pot, then add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the cauliflower and beets, then stir in the broth. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low until the veggies are very soft. Stir in the salt, pepper and dill. Remove from heat, Let cool for a bit, then puree in a blender in small batches until smooth, then return to the pot and heat through. Stir in the lemon juice, taste for salt, and serve, garnished with a wee bit of dill.

Word of warning: I am not kidding about cooling this a bit, nor am I kidding about pureeing this in small batches. If you try to blend this while it's too hot, or with too much in the blender, this will happen:

A pretty colored mess, but a big mess just the same. It really is best to puree in small batches, and let it cool a minute first. Lesson learned!