Recipe Credit: Ashley Melillo of Blissful Basil
Serves 6
What You’ll Need:
4 cups fresh cauliflower florets
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 scallions, ends trimmed and thinly sliced
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, divided
1/2 cup filtered water
2/3 cup raw cashews, soaked for two hours (unless using a high-speed blender)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, plus more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 (10-oz. packages) Smoked Pulled Jackfruit (see note*)
1 bunch lacinato kale, thoroughly washed, stemmed, and chopped
Instructions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the cauliflower florets and boil for 7 to 10 minutes, or until fork-tender. Drain and set aside.
While the cauliflower boils, heat the olive oil in a large stockpot or dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the scallions, carrots, and smoked paprika. Sauté for about 5 minutes, or until the vegetables just begin to soften, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and continue to cook for another minute, or until it begins to soften.
Stir in 3 cups of the vegetable broth, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, add the boiled cauliflower to a high-speed blender along with the remaining 1 cup vegetable broth, and the filtered water, cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, sea salt, and black pepper. Blend on high for two minutes, or until completely smooth and creamy.
Add the cauliflower mixture to the pot of soup and stir to incorporate. Then, stir in the jackfruit and kale. Increase the heat to medium and continue to simmer for just 5 to 8 minutes to thicken and reduce. Generously season with more sea salt and black pepper to taste. (I usually add another 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper.)
Serve warm.
Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 1 month.
If the soup is thicker than desired after refrigerating and reheating, simply whisk in a bit more vegetable broth or filtered water and adjust seasonings as needed.