Cauliflower Soup with Cornmeal Muffins

Together, the cauliflower soup and cornmeal muffins make a healthy yet surprisingly hearty meal. Don't confuse hearty with heavy though, with no gluten, cream or butter, this menu is practically guilt-free! Adding a little cornstarch to the pureed cauliflower and milk makes a thick and creamy-tasting soup.
My husband and I both love cornmeal muffins. Over the years I've tried a number of different recipes, but never one with olives before. I love the wonderful savoury flavour of these, and that they don't contain (nor do they need) any added sugar. They also hold together perfectly, so leftovers make a convenient snack.

Cornmeal muffins adapted from The Green Kitchen.

Cauliflower Soup
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 onions, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 cauliflower, cut into small pieces

4 c. vegetable broth

2 bay leaves

4 c. milk (whole or 2%)

1 tbsp. cornstarch

1 c. old cheddar cheese, grated

salt & pepper

crushed chilli flakes (optional)

Cornmeal Muffins

3/4 c. oats

1 c. cornmeal

1 c. rice flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. salt

3 eggs, beaten

1 c. plain yoghurt

1/4 c. milk

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

100 g. feta, crumbled

10-15 olives, pitted and roughly chopped

1 red chilli pepper, deseeded and finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 12 muffin tin.

In a large pot, cook the onions in the olive oil over medium-low heat until softened, about 5-10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the vegetable stock, cauliflower and bay leaves, increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Cover, reducing heat to low, and cook for 20 minutes, until the cauliflower is very tender.

Pulse the oats 10-15 times in a food processor or blender to reduce the size of the oats. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and stir together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs then stir in the yoghurt, milk and olive oil. Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in the feta, olives and chilli. Spoon evenly into the muffin tin holes. Bake for 20 minutes, rotating the tin partway.

Add the milk (reserving 2 tablespoons) to the pot, remove the bay leaves, and puree the soup using an immersion blender until smooth. Increase the heat to medium and bring the soup to a simmer. Stir the cornstarch into the reserved milk until smooth. Pour the slurry into the soup, reduce the heat to low, and cook for another 5-10 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat, stir in the cheese, salt and pepper. Garnish with chilli flakes, if using. Serve hot with muffins fresh from the oven. Yum!
 

The soup serves 5-6 as a main. Makes 12 muffins.