As I finished my 2 month keto challenge on February 28th, I decided that it was time to make more plant-based recipes. However, I did not want to do it the same way I did before (i.e. too many carbs). I wanted to take what I learned from the Keto diet, and incorporate it in my favourite vegan dishes. That’s exactly how this Vegan Keto Recipe for Cauliflower & Turmeric Soup came about.
Believe it or not, there is a right and a wrong way to do keto, and I feel like I have finally figured out what works best for me.
Vegan Keto Recipes.
The vegan diet and the Keto diet are both kind of restrictive when it comes to the number of ingredients you can and can’t use to make delicious foods. However, the both seem to have the same goal: Making you feel better.
When I was strictly on a vegan diet, I felt like there was something I was not doing quite right. I was feeling tired and sleepy way more than I did before, I ate a lot more food than I did before, and I replaced my meat craving with a sugar craving. That made things that much worse for me.
During the final 2 weeks of my Keto diet, I increased my Net carb intake (Carbs minus Fibre) to 75g a day and surprisingly enough, I stayed in Ketosis. Not only did I stay in Ketosis, I was full of energy, my cardio improved and I worked a lot more efficiently.
The most surprising thing was, my weight loss accelerated during those last 2 weeks.
- In a month and a half I lost just about 4 lbs doing 30g net carbs max and working out 2-3 times a week.
- In the last 2 weeks, I lost 7 lbs doing 75g net carbs, sometimes more and working out 2-3 times a week.
Keep in mind that I was still in Ketosis even at 75g net carbs.
My Take away:
When it comes to diet, there is no such thing as one size fits all. We are all different, and depending on our ancestral background and genetic composition, some of us might do well on a highly restrictive keto diet and others might struggle, perhaps doing much better on a paleo diet.
This is precisely why I love experimenting on myself and see how I react to different diets. And precisely why you should never take someone’s advice as gospel.
Today’s Recipe.
This Keto Golden Soup was created with two things in mind. As I was doing more cardio, I wanted to get some natural anti-inflammatories in my body to keep me going stronger. To me, nothing works better than Turmeric and Ginger.
Read all about the amazing benefits of Turmeric.
I also wanted to keep my fat intake high and my carbs relatively low. Hence the use of cauliflower.
Like many people, I can’t tolerate soup that has no crunch to it (croutons). It’s joyless. So I decided to toast some Tofu in the oven, this way I get both my crunchiness and protein. The theory was fine but the execution far exceeded the Wife and my own expectations. DO IT, PEOPLE.
Win-win.
To keep the fat content high I used olive oil, of course, and topped my soup with the mighty delicious Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk. (Not sponsored, I just love it).
Keto Golden Soup Recipe.
Turmeric & Cauliflower Soup - Vegan Keto Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Large Head of Cauliflower cut into large chunks
- 1/2 Large Carrot peeled and cut in 4
- 1 Thumb size piece of ginger peeled and cut in 4
- 2 Tbsp Turmeric
- 1 Tsp Black pepper
- 2 Tsp Salt
- 1 Cup coconut milk
Crispy Tofu Croutons.
- 454 grams Extra Firm Tofu (454g = 1 pack)
- 1 Tsp Smoked paprika
- 1/2 Tsp Cumin
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tsp lemon juice
Garnish
- 1 cup coconut milk full fat
- Your favourite dried herbs. I used dill, it works great with it.
- Freshly ground black pepper.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 F.
- Bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Add your cauliflower, carrots and ginger. Cook for about 20 minutes on medium-high heat until your veggies are completely cooked through and are very soft.
- While your soup is cooking, cut your block of Tofu into 32 cubes and place in a bowl. Add the rest of the seasoning and mix. Place your Tofu cubes on a parchemin paper covered cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until brown and crispy.
- Turn the heat off your soup and let it completely cool down. Using an immersion blender, blend your soup until smooth. Turn the heat back on and add: Salt, Turmeric, Black Pepper and Coconut Milk. Stir and cook for another 5 minutes. Turn the heat off and let it cool down for 5 minutes before serving.
- Serve your soup topped with croutons, a drizzle of coconut milk and your favourite dried herbs.
Hi there,
What can I substitute for coconut milk?
Hi,
You can sub for Almond milk if you’re vegan. If not, you can use heavy cream 🙂
Do you have to press the tofu before slicing it into cubes?
Hi Emily,
No you don’t have to. However, if you want your Tofu to be very crispy, you’re going to need to press it to get all the excess moisture out.
There are comments about bullion? But I don’t see that item in the recipe..?
What causes it to have so much sodium?
Made this today but roasted the cauliflower first. So delicious!
Awesome!