Cauliflower Soup with Cauliflower Beignets

 TESTIMONY OF THE DAY

If you need a little encouragement to start the year off right, please read this testimony from a client who travels about 3 weeks out of the month, has a wife and a toddler and still finds time to prepare meals. He lost 35.5 pounds in 45 days just by changing a few things.

“Maria,

Many of those that have posted have struck a chord with my situation before starting with you.  The “dark” side of my story was intentionally left out because I’m not at my goal yet.  For now, I just keep myself focused on results and not how or why–especially since it’s difficult to exist in the “what if I didn’t have a friend that helped me?”

It is humbling to see how much trust you place in your clients and how much hope and faith they have in you!  There were some posters that touched on similar concerns to mine, so I wanted to clarify in the hope that others may see how working with you can simplify, not complicate; can be cheap not expensive.

1.  I did NOT cook for most of my progression.  I suck at cooking.  I had to ask my wife how to hard boil eggs.  Seriously.   So MY weight loss was not dependent on baking or cooking skills.  Your recipes  impacted my enjoyment and spare time, but my weight loss was not dependent on a magic recipe.  And I built up to them.  With that said, I can see how some people would see immediate benefit from substituting your healthified stuff.  But for someone that is on the road, eats out or just can’t cook–don’t worry.  Maria’s plan works incredibly well in that reality that so many of us live in.

2.  When my son and I cook, it’s often easy stuff like fried eggs or my new hard-boiled egg recipe (egg + boiling water).  I thought I’d be late to work, but it literally takes 15 minutes start to finish.  Okay, sometimes longer if we decide to sing.  My waffle maker was $50.  Made that back in one skipped trip to Sunday buffet.  Your pancakes are like $2.50 and were breakfast for 3 days.

3.  My progress and your plan for me was 100% INDEPENDENT of source of food.  Eggs were eggs.  Chicken was chicken.  I did NOT need to find cage-free, organic DHA ratio’d eggs from Chickens that did yoga every morning.

4.  I took the past 1.5 to 2 months to learn WHILE doing.  You have now recommended 4-5 books that I read while exercising.  And youtubes and postings.  But if I waited to learn, I’d still be where I was.  Maybe even more depressed.  I imagine a lot of people are like how I am in many many ways but chose not to be with this.  I would read to find fault or problems.  To blame an industry or a food.  I came to realize that even if all of that is true, so what?  It’s not about them, it’s about me.

5.  I did not try to change anyone but me.  We had meals where son, wife and me all ate different things.  So what?  Is that ideal–no.  But who cares?  You know what–son started asking for what “papa” was eating.  Salsa (Pace) over ketchup.  Then mustard over salsa.  Then eggs over toast.  Now mustard on eggs.   And mustard on waffles.  Eventually that’s where the baking and recipes helped…and that was key for me.

6.  Your plan SAVED me money.  I saved on snack foods not because I chose to not eat them–but because I did not need to snack.  I have a $8 bag of almonds in my pantry that I bought 2 months ago–and am only now down to the bottom.  I used to spend $15/day on snacks throughout the day.

7.  It was far easier for me to use your system of basic meal first, then build.  I didn’t focus on what I couldn’t eat–just on what I could.  I built a meal only from known things–especially helpful when on the road.  “When in doubt, leave it out.”  I was stunned that I would get full and satisfied throughout the day so I didn’t even feel like I missed anything.

8.  Here’s a true story–I started to pass on airline meals.  I’ve had two flight attendants tell me “Good for you” in a very sincere way.  One explained how she fasts while flying.  This WILL happen to anyone that does your plan–you will find camaraderie in the oddest places.

9.  I have an ego and associated my willingness to try any local food with business success and whatever.  That was totally in my head.  There are just as many, if not more, people that I work with that have endeared themselves to me because I opted to jog along the oceanside rather than eat a local potato.

10.  Mentally, it was important for me to paint a picture quickly.  After a couple days of seeing the mental shift and energy level, I tried consciously to act as though I was already there.  What you helped me focus on was things like sleep, stress and reading.  I was therefore making decisions from a positive place and not out of victim, sufferer, tired/cranky, etc..

Anyway, Maria thanks for all your help and I’m looking forward to my own home stretch to my goal.  Looking forward to trying even more of the recipes with my son who’s already asking me for your chocolate donuts!  ‘Papa, Nutritious AND Delicious!’   He’s one smart low-carb cookie!”

Click HERE to start your journey to a keto-adapted diet!

This soup was SO flavorful and the little beignets were an awesome addition.

BEIGNETS:

3/4 cup cauliflower florets, roughly chopped
1/2 cup cold water
2 TBS unsalted butter, chopped
3 TBS coconut flour (or freshly ground flaxseeds)
2 free-range eggs
2oz Gruyère cheese, grated
Sea salt and pepper (to taste)

Coconut oil OR ghee for fryingFor the cauliflower soup, in a deep pot over a medium heat, place the bacon, and add the onion and garlic and fry for 2-3 minutes, or until just softened. Add the chopped cauliflower and chicken stock. Bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 8-12 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Carefully pour the soup mixture into a food processor and blend to a purée. Set aside, reserving the pan (you will return the soup to it).

For the cauliflower beignets, heat the oil in a cast iron “donut” hole-type pan (or a flat pan, but your beignets will be flat).

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add the chopped cauliflower and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until just tender. Drain well, then refresh in cold water (if you use a microwave, you could steam it in that).

In a separate pan, bring the water and butter to the boil and cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, then and add all of the flaxseed meal and beat well until the mixture is smooth and well combined and thickens up a bit. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating each egg well until the mixture is well combined. Add the cooked cauliflower and the grated Gruyère and mix until well combined. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Carefully lower teaspoonfuls of the beignet mixture into the hot oil in batches. Fry for 2-3 minutes, or until crisp and golden-brown on both sides. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on paper towel. Keep warm. Repeat the process with the remaining beignet mixture.

When the beignets are ready, return the puréed soup mixture to the pan and add the cream cheese. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper and bring to the boil for 1-2 minutes. To serve, divide the cauliflower soup equally among four serving bowls. Garnish the soup with the cauliflower beignets. Makes 4 LARGE servings.

Nutritional Information (per serving of soup only) = 177 calories, 11 carbs, 3.7 fiber