Think you’re seeing a simple bowl of muesli and milk? Pictures can be deceiving! Try this pureed cauliflower soup topped with garam masala granola for a fun April Fools’ Day food prank. (And if it is not April 1, make it simply because it is delicious!) It may seem unusual, but the creamy white beans, cauliflower, and coconut milk are the perfect base for spiced granola.
Happy April Fool’s Day! I love to create a fun food prank (or two) for my family every April 1. Some of my favorites involve making health-promoting foods look like other healthy foods.
For example, plain yogurt spread into an oval and topped with a canned apricot half is a great doppelganger for a sunny-side-up egg. (The yogurt “egg” was such a hit that my son started asking for it every April 1.) And I feel like everyone’s seen the meatloaf "cupcakes," topped with mashed potato frosting and a grape tomato “cherry.”
I was looking for some fresh ideas for 2020 when I recalled something I saw in a parenting magazine years ago. They took a bowl of thin cauliflower soup and topped it with curry-spiced Cheerios. It looked just like a bowl of cereal and milk!
This recipe for pureed cauliflower soup with garam masala granola is my spin on this idea. Using homemade granola is a great way to nix the added sugar in the original recipe. Another benefit is that the leftover granola can be used to top yogurt or to add crunch to stir-fries.
Like my apple pie chunky granola, this garam masala granola has oats, apples, and coconut, but the similarities end there. You’ll love this twist on classic granola that works with both sweet and savory dishes!
Tips and tricks to have success with this food prank 😀
First of all, it's really important not to top the soup with the granola until you are ready to serve. Just like cereal and milk, this granola will get soggy in the soup as it sits!
If you have leftovers, be sure to store the soup and granola separately. Reheat the soup and top with the room temperature granola when it is time to eat.
Second, you want to avoid browning the veggies when cooking. This will keep the pureed cauliflower soup as white as possible, so it looks like milk. Also, it’s best to cook the soup in a stainless-steel pot rather than a cast-iron Dutch oven. These tips will help prevent the soup from becoming discolored.
Third, serve the soup in a shallow bowl with a relatively small amount of soup. This will help you to achieve the right visual proportions of “milk” to cereal. After your family is in on the prank, they can dish out the rest of their soup serving.
Having a little fun with your food is a great way to encourage the whole family to eat healthier. Creating positive associations with healthy food options may mean they are more likely to be accepted. (And yes, some children don’t like to be fooled, so it’s important to think about how pranks will be received!)
On the other hand, if self-discipline is your most significant barrier to getting a homecooked meal on the table, check out this SparkPeople article. In this piece, my nutrition colleagues and I gave some tips on improving self-discipline. Some of these suggestions apply specifically to fitness, but others can be used to help improve your diet as well.
Who is ready to eat?
And now for the disclaimer…
All recipes on this website may or may not be appropriate for you, depending on your medical needs and personal preferences. Consult with a registered dietitian or your physician if you need help determining the dietary pattern that may be best for you.
The calorie information is an estimate provided as a courtesy. It will differ depending on the specific brands and ingredients that you use. Calorie information on food labels may be wildly inaccurate, so please don’t sweat the numbers too much.
For more information on how the three recipe levels may help with a weight management goal, refer to this post. Let’s get cooking!
Pureed Cauliflower Soup with Garam Masala Granola
Ingredients
For the garam masala granola:
- 1½ c rolled oats, dry
- 1½ t garam masala
- ¼ t salt
- ¼ c chopped cashews
- ¼ c unsweetened coconut flakes
- ¼ c unsweetened applesauce
- ¼ c ghee, melted
- ½ c crunch or freeze-dried apples (I used half a bag of crushed Trader Joe's crunch-dried honeycrisp apples)
For the pureed cauliflower soup:
- 1½ T coconut oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 6 c cauliflower, chopped (about one small head)
- 15½ ounces cannelini beans (canned, drained)
- 3 c chicken bone broth
- 1 c milk, 2%
- 14 ounces coconut milk (full fat)
Instructions
To make the garam masala granola:
- Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the oats, garam masala, salt, cashews, and coconut flakes. Stir in the melted ghee and then the applesauce. Make sure the ingredients are well combined. Do not add the crunch-dried apples yet!
- Press the mixture on the baking sheet in an even layer. This will help with the formation of small clumps of granola.
- Bake for 30 minutes, stirring and flipping the granola halfway through cooking.
- After baking, let it cool and then mix in the apples. Put half of the granola away to use in yogurt parfaits or other recipes. Save the other half to use as a topping for this soup.
To make the pureed cauliflower soup:
- If you are playing a food prank, I highly recommend using a stainless steel pot rather than cast iron for this recipe to help keep the soup white!
- Melt the coconut oil in the pot. Soften the onion and garlic over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir them constantly and do not let them brown!
- Add the cauliflower and white beans to the pot. Cook them for an additional 5 minutes to soften them. Again, you do not want the ingredients to brown, so make sure to keep them moving around.
- Add the chicken broth and milk to the pot. Bring it to a simmer and then turn the heat down to medium-low. Let the soup cook for 20 minutes until the vegetables get very tender. Stir the soup occasionally while it cooks.
- Stir in the coconut milk and puree the soup in a food processor until very smooth. You can put the soup back in the pot and gently reheat it if it becomes too cool.
- The calorie count for the recipe includes ¼ of the soup recipe and ⅛ of the granola recipe. Don't top the soup with the granola until right before serving. It will get soggy!
- Don't miss the post above for additional tips that will help you have success if you are dishing this one up as an April Fools' Day food prank. Have fun!
Notes
This is a level 2 recipe (transition or weight maintenance). If you need to lighten this dish up, swap the full-fat coconut milk in the soup for low-fat coconut milk. Another option is to serve the soup with less granola or (if not serving as a prank) skip the granola altogether. A serving of the soup without the granola is 432 calories (level 1).
Nutrition
Have you ever played an April Fools’ Day food-related prank on your family? I’d love to hear about it! And if you try this recipe for pureed cauliflower soup with garam masala granola, please let me know how it went!
Oh, Summer, how clever! Your food knowledge's only rival is your skill in assembling it the most pleasing, and innovative, way possible. Add more than a touch of whimsy, and you've made your family the most fortunate in five counties. And zounds, do they eat well!
I totally missed out on the April Fool's connection when I tried banh xeo a couple weeks ago. Drat! Mind if I shamelessly steal the notion to use in all future discussions?
Oh, so did I! The banh xeo would have been absolutely perfect for today! Maybe you can play a little prank on someone next year. It's probably best if they haven't already seen what you've been cooking up on your website. 🙂