Thick & silky-creamy, topped with avocado, this is my go-to lunch all summer long — & when I say “all,” I mean I make this soup, like, practically every week. I’m a creature of ease & habit, & when I find something that works, & that is insanely delicious, I can’t get enough. (When it comes to my raw mint-chip ice cream, it gets scary-dangerous, but that’s another recipe.) This recipe calls for fresh coconut meat. You don’t need a machete or a special tool to open your coconut, just watch this video for the how-to:

If you don’t want to, you can ask your friendly juice-bar-ista to open a coconut for you. The celebrated juice-bar-wizard Melvin used to do this for me at Lifethyme in New York before I developed my own coconut-opening chops. (If you go to Lifethyme, you MUST grab a not-raw-but-who-cares? Tollbooth cookie, but make sure you’ve got at least one friend to share it with!) You can also look for canned (unsweetened, please!) coconut or frozen coconut meat at Asian markets, although I’ve never gone that route. This soup comes from Rapid Raw, which is full of amazingly simple, un-labor-intensive soups, wraps, desserts & more!

 

2 cups cauliflower
2-3 stalks celery
Meat and water from 1 coconut*
1/3 cup raw (unsalted) macadamias
¼ cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons nama shoyu
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon curry powder**

Put everything in the blender & motor on until smooth. Pour into bowls & garnish with cauliflower florets and/or avocado chunks. I usually get three thick-enough-to-stand-a-spoon-in bowlfuls.

*If you’re using canned or frozen coconut meat, you’ll need 1/2 to 1 cup meat, & about 2 cups coconut water. (If I can’t drink fresh, I go for Amy & Brian’s brand.)

** Go crazy with your curry – heat it up or cool it down. My current fave is Vadouvan from Savory Spice Shop in Boulder.