If there's one thing that keeps my weekdays humming along, aside from plenty of sleep, it's having good food prepped and waiting for me in the fridge. Depending on what I choose to prep ahead, it guarantees breakfast is a no-brainer, allows me to quickly pack an office lunch in the morning, or helps me make dinner fairly effortlessly those evenings I'd rather not be in the kitchen.

But one complaint I've heard from clients about meal prepping is that they get tired of eating the same thing several days in a row. For that, I offer a few solutions. One of which is to give these prepped meals (or components of meals) a fluid identity.

Consider today's recipe. The soup serves as a base recipe. Add a new set of ingredients each time you warm it up, and it becomes a completely different meal.

I've offered three meal ideas below the base recipe. The first with harissa and pumpkin seeds keeps it light but flavorful. The second option with lentils and yogurt is inspired by an Indian dal. And the final option is warm winter comfort and an exciting way to eat your greens, an egg and work in some calcium-rich sesame seeds. But feel free to combine the suggestions or come up with other variations. I’ve added some bonus (!) suggestions below the three meal variations. Enjoy!

Roasted Cauliflower Sweet Potato Soup - Three Ways

Serves 4-6
Notes: I've tested this soup using two methods; roasting the vegetables and spices and simmering them on the stovetop. Roasting gives the soup a richer, more robust flavor and it's the method used in the recipe. But if you need a more streamlined approach with one less item to wash at the end of the night, simmering the soup, then blending with a hand blender (this will take longer than a standing blender) gets the job done. When served as one of the three suggested meals, that will infuse more flavor.

• 1 large (705 gr.) cauliflower (weighed once outer leaves and core removed), chopped into florets

• 1 medium (345 gr.) sweet potato, cubed

• 1 medium pear, chopped

• 2 tsp. Chinese five spice

• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

• 1 1/2 tsp. salt, pepper to taste

• Avocado or coconut oil

• Juice of 1/2 - 1 lime

• 6 cups water, recently boiled

1. Preheat oven to 400 F/ 200 C.

2. Place cauliflower, sweet potato and pear on a large baking sheet. Add spices, salt, pepper and a generous drizzle of oil. Mix well to combine.

3. Roast for 25 minutes, or until soft and slightly caramelized.

4. Add roasted vegetables to a standing blender with recently boiled water and lime. Blend until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Serve as one of the below suggested meals.

SOUP - THREE WAYS

Harissa & Pumpkin Seeds

Ladle warm soup into bowls and top with a generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, harissa sauce, toasted pumpkin seeds, and (optional) sprouts for color, crunch and extra nutrients. I love this brand of harissa.

Lentils & Yogurt

Add a serving of cooked green or French Puy lentils to a bowl. Ladle over warm soup and top with salted full-fat yogurt (or plain coconut yogurt), fresh cilantro, a squeeze of lime, and (optional) fresh chili.

Sesame Greens & Poached Egg

Saute greens such a spinach, kale, Swiss chard or collard greens, lightly seasoning with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon at the end. Gently fry or poach an egg. Dry-toast sesame seeds. Ladle warm soup into bowls. Drizzle with toasted sesame oil, layer on fried/poached egg, and sprinkle around toasted sesame seeds.

Bonus Ideas:

• Add 1 cup pre-soaked cashews to the blender along with roasted vegetables for an extra creamy, protein-packed meal-in-one.

• Swap yogurt for an herb tahini sauce.

• Add greens along with lentils.

• Swirl harissa in along with sauteed greens and fried egg.