Rich, Vegan, Paleo Soup with Warming Spices
I am SO excited about this Golden Milk Coconut Bisque! It is velvety smooth with a combination of distinctive spices that not only make it healthy and delicious but also give it this beautiful golden color.
I used a coconut milk base to bring all the other ingredients together, which also provided an additional layer of deliciousness. Even though we’ve been having unseasonally warm weather here in Colorado, I still wanted to take full advantage of soup season and work the traditional idea of Golden Milk into a new type of warm recipe. After tasting this bisque I don’t regret that decision one bit!
Why You Should Eat It
Golden Milk is an ancient drink from India, used in Ayurvedic medicine to strengthen vitality and provide both physical and emotional comfort. It’s a combination of spices (turmeric, ginger, black pepper, and cinnamon) along with milk and some sweetness, brewed together to make a warm, frothy treat. I put my own spin on this old-school tonic to make a nourishing meal out of it.
Turmeric provides the appetizing golden glow of this dish. This spice has major health-boosting properties – it’s anti-inflammatory, has potent antioxidants, promotes better cognition, encourages a balanced digestive system, and stimulates energy production. What doesn’t it do?! Black pepper and fat, both included in this recipe, actually enhance the absorption of curcumin, which is an active component of turmeric shown to contribute to the above health benefits. Ginger adds even more awesomeness to this recipe – it’s anti-inflammatory, can relieve pain and nausea, and aids in healthy digestion. Both ginger and cinnamon help to regulate blood sugar, lower cholesterol, and support brain function. This combination of spices has so much to offer, it’s not surprising they’ve been used together as medicine for centuries.
I added extra veggies to this recipes because….well….that’s kind of my thing, but also the golden beets and cauliflower I used add tons of extra nutrients, texture, and flavor to this recipe. Golden beets provide blood nourishing iron and Vitamin C, along with phytonutrients like lycopene and beta-carotene, but they have a much more mellow flavor than their earthier red cousins. Their color and natural sweetness just happened to be the perfect addition to this bisque. Cauliflower has powerful cancer-fighting properties and also provides B-Vitamins (vital to energy production and metabolism) and Vitamin K (needed for bone health and blood clotting). It’s extremely versatile and once roasted and blended contributes to this Golden Milk Coconut Bisque’s rich texture and extreme belly-filling capabilities.
How You Can Make It
Good news bud, this is a really easy recipe! You don’t have to spend much active time in the kitchen, plus you’ll have leftovers to help with healthy meal planning for the week. You. Are. Welcome.
Start by roasting your chopped, peeled golden beets and cauliflower. Once those are in the oven you can put all your other ingredients into a high-speed blender – the coconut milk, spices, olive oil, fresh ginger, honey, and water.
Blend these all up so they’re ready for your veggies. When the cauliflower and beets are done roasting let them cool for a couple minutes in the pan and then just scoop ‘em right into the blender. Start blending on low, and gradually increase. You may have to stop and scrape the sides, depending on your blender, but basically, you just keep increasing the speed and blending until you have a bright, sunny, smooth bisque. Taste it to check out the temperature. If you’ve lost some of the heat just pop it on the stove over medium heat for a few minutes, then you’re done!
Isn’t it just such a happy color?! To make it kind of fancy and swirly like my photos: take some full-fat coconut milk, warm it up and froth/mix it, and then drizzle over the bowl. Take a knife and run it through the bisque and coconut milk to get a pretty design.
Garnish with sprouts and black sesame seeds to give an extra dollop of color, and if you want a bigger meal make some of my Savory Curried Almond Butter and slather it on some gluten-free toast (Kim and Jakes Peasant Loaf is what I used here and it’s by far my favorite gluten-free bread). Enjoy!
Creamy Golden Milk Coconut Bisque
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 4 -6
This beautiful Golden Milk Coconut Bisque will be a bowl of sunshine in your winter day. Full of warming spices and packed with extra veggies, it's an easy meal that will nourish your body and fill your belly.
Ingredients
- 1 medium head cauliflower, chopped
- 1 medium golden beet, peeled and chopped
- 1 piece fresh ginger, about 1x1 inches or 1 large Tbsp when roughly chopped
- 1 can light coconut milk
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- avocado oil spray
- 4 Tbsp full-fat coconut milk for swirl
- alfalfa sprouts and black sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Place chopped cauliflower and golden beets on a baking sheet and spray with avocado oil, tossing to coat.
- Bake for 25 minutes, until beets are fork tender, let cool on pan for several minutes.
- Put coconut milk, water, spices, honey, and olive oil in a blender and mix well.
- Add roasted veggies to the blender and start processing on low, gradually increasing the speed. You may need to stop and scrape sides as you go and press the vegetables into the blade. Keep blending until very smooth.
- If the temperature has cooled, pour bisque into pot and heat on medium until warm again, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.
- For white swirl, heat full-fat coconut milk, froth or stir vigorously, and drizzle on top of bisque. Use a knife to run through bisque and coconut milk layers, making swirly designs.
- Garnish with sprouts and black sesame seeds.
- Serve in bowls and garnish with sprouts and black sesame seeds.
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