Some things just belong together. Peanut butter and Jam. Cookies and Milk. And my most favorite duo of all, Soup and Bread. I love soup and bread together, but it has to be homemade bread for me. This is one meal that is time consuming and takes a bit of an effort, but it is well worth it! Nothing makes me feel more accomplished than spending the afternoon making a big pot of soup and some homemade bread. 🙂

Roasted Carrot and Cauliflower Soup

A thick and creamy soup with roast veggies and the flavors of onion and garlic. Perfect for colder, rainy days or when you feel like a nice filling meal!

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 6 medium carrots, chopped into 1-1/2 inch slices
• 1 head cauliflower, chopped
• 4 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 1 teaspoon black ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 3 cups vegetable stock
• 2 cups almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
• 2 teaspoons paprika

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place the chopped carrots and cauliflower in a large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of the oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Roast the veggies on a lightly oiled baking sheet for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, remove the carrots and cauliflower from the oven and return to the mixing bowl. Add the onion and reserved 2 tablespoons of olive oil and toss to coat. Return to the baking sheet and roast for an additional 20 minutes until veggies are soft, then remove from oven.

Place the vegetable stock, almond milk and paprika in a large pot and bring to a light boil. Add the roasted veggies, reduce heat and simmer 3-5 minutes. Remove the entire mixture from the heat and allow to cool before processing the soup in a food processor. Process the cooled soup in 3 separate batches by placing it in a food processor on high for 2 minutes, until pureed and smooth. Return the pureed soup to the large pot and simmer on medium-low heat. Repeat until all of the soup is pureed. Serve.

Whole Wheat Herb and Cheese Garlic Bread Knots

A perfect moist herbed garlic bread that pairs well with any soup or pasta. We even enjoy these fresh from the oven dipped in Homemade Italian Onion and Garlic Tomato Sauce. Yum!

Makes 12 Bread Knots

Ingredients

For the Bread Knots:

• 1 tablespoon dry active yeast
• 2 cups warm water
• 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 4 1/2 + 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 3 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon oregano

For the herb and cheese oil:

• 4 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 3 teaspoons vegan parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Directions

Place the yeast in a large mixing bowl. Measure out the warm water in a 4 cup liquid measuring cup and add the maple syrup, whisking until combined. Pour the syrup/water mixture into the mixing bowl along with the yeast and let sit 5-10 minutes until foamy. Add the sunflower oil and sea salt to the yeast mixture and whisk until combined. In a separate medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, oregano and garlic powder. Whisk in the first 3 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time into the yeast mixture. Mix in the last cup 1 1/2 cups of flour with a wooden spoon.

Lightly knead the dough in the bowl a few times, until the flour is incorporated and the dough is soft. Leave the dough in the bowl, cover with a dish towel and let rise for 1 hour.

Once the dough has risen and doubled in size, sprinkle in the remaining 1/4 cup of flour. Knead the dough a few times to incorporate the flour and form a ball of dough. Place the dough onto a clean surface and separate the dough into 4 equal balls. Separate each of the 4 balls into 3 equal balls to bake 12 equal balls. Roll out each dough ball  between your hands 9 inches long.

Take the rolled out dough and tie it gently into a knot. Place each formed bread knot onto the baking sheet, cover again and allow to rise another 15-20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350°F and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush with the herb and cheese oil and return to oven to bake 7 or 8 minutes more. The bread is done when it is lightly golden.

Some things just belong together.

But nothing ever lasts.