The day before
Soak the cashews overnight and then drain the water.
Prepare the soup
Grate the lime and then squeeze the juice from the lime. Clean and peel the kohlrabi, and then cut into cubes. Remove the skin from the shallots and finely chop.
Puree all ingredients in a blender or with an immersion blender until smooth.
We cut the amounts suggested by the author in half. Decide for yourself how much you want to prepare. You may also add a little less water depending on the consistency you prefer.
Season and serve
Season the creamy kohlrabi soup with salt and pepper and refrigerate. Serve ice cold.
Detailed Nutritional Information per Person for this Recipe
The majority of the nutritional information comes from the USDA (US Department of Agriculture). This means that the information for natural products is often incomplete or only given within broader categories, whereas in most cases products made from these have more complete information displayed.
If we take flaxseed, for example, the important essential amino acid ALA (omega-3) is only included in an overarching category whereas for flaxseed oil ALA is listed specifically. In time, we will be able to change this, but it will require a lot of work. An “i” appears behind ingredients that have been adjusted and an explanation appears when you hover over this symbol.
For Erb Muesli, the original calculations resulted in 48 % of the daily requirement of ALA — but with the correction, we see that the muesli actually covers >100 % of the necessary recommendation for the omega-3 fatty acid ALA. Our goal is to eventually be able to compare the nutritional value of our recipes with those that are used in conventional western lifestyles.
Lime and mint give this raw kohlrabi soup a light, fresh taste while cashews and kohlrabi provide for a creamy consistency.
Cashews: Cashews sold commercially are not actually raw. Their shell contains a toxic oil (cardol) that has to be deactivated by roasting or heating. Cashews contain many minerals such as magnesium, which strengthens bones, and iron, which is an important component in hemoglobin and red blood cells. Since Vitamin C aids in the absorption of iron, the addition of lime juice is beneficial for more reasons than just the flavor.
Kohlrabi: Kohlrabi is one of the many cultivated varieties of cabbage. Two types are available, each with a different color (green and purple) and planting season. The edible parts of both types are pale green, and there is no marked difference in flavor between the two. Both taste slightly sweet but also have a mild peppery flavor. When purchasing kohlrabi, look for fresh bulbs without any cracks. You can store kohlrabi for up to about a week in the vegetable compartment of your refrigerator.
Tips
Chilling the soup: If there isn’t enough time to chill the soup before serving, you can add a little crushed ice.
Reduce the oil: For the ingredients to make four servings, we have reduced the amount of olive oil from 4 tablespoons to 1 tablespoon. For additional information about the topic of nutrition and oil, please see the book review of Salt Sugar Fat.
Using kohlrabi leaves: If you are using organic kohlrabi leaves, the last thing you want to do is throw them in the compost. They can be prepared just like any leafy vegetable, such as spinach. The leaves contain twice as much vitamin C as the bulb and almost 100 times the amount of carotene.
Alternate preparation
Additions to the soup: “If you like, you can add cubed radishes, thinly sliced mushrooms, croutons, or a dash of pumpkin seed oil to the soup.” (Josita Hartanto)
Other sweeteners: In place of the agave syrup, you can also use other sweeteners such as acacia honey (which is, strictly speaking, not vegan) or brown sugar.
To save time: You can soak the cashews for 1–2 hours instead of overnight or skip the soaking step altogether. However, soaking the cashews makes them easier to digest.
