Vegan Fennel Soup w/ Leeks, Turmeric, Walnuts, Apples, Herbs & Maple Syrup Swirl (GF) (DF) (V)

Soup and sweets hit the spot these days so the search was on for a new vegetable soup to try. Fennel? I'm not especially found of anise, but the ingredients in this recipe were intriguing and all worked together to produce a delicious soup. A member of the carrot family, fennel weaves its stalks together to form a bulb above the ground and has been used since ancient times for medicinal and culinary properties.* Today as we try to eat a more plant-based diet, kudos to Laura Wright's post, "25+ Vegan Soups & Stew Recipes," on the First Mess blog.

My Paleo Marin Rating: 4.5 Persimmons**

Ingredients:

For the Vegetable Stock (can be made the day before):

1 onion, skin on, sliced in half

2-3 carrots, sliced horizontally

3-4 celery stalks

Leftover green parts of leeks used in the soup

8 sprigs fresh thyme

1-2 bay leaves

1 small bunch fresh parsley

12 whole black peppercorns

Water to cover the vegetables +2"

For the Fennel Soup:

3/4 cup walnuts, toasted in 350º oven for 10 minutes, divided

2 tablespoons olive oil (or 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter for non-vegan)

3 leeks, white and light green parts sliced horizontally in collars

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

2 medium fennel bulbs (about 1 lb total), cored and chopped

1 medium apple, cored and chopped

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

Fine sea salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

4 cups homemade vegetable stock

Toppings: toasted walnuts (1/4 cup from above), maple syrup drizzle, chopped fennel fronds and herbs

Directions:

For the Vegetable Stock:

1. In a large soup pot, add the prepared ingredients and water. Over medium high heat, bring everything to a point just when bubbles appear around the edges and steam rises from the top. Turn down the heat and simmer gently for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Stir occassionally. When cool enough to handle, strain into another pot. If using the stock later, refrigerate 4 cups for the soup and freeze the extra for future use. 

For the Fennel Soup:

1. In a large soup pot or dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped leeks and thyme. Stir and sauté until the leeks soften, about 3-4 minutes. Add the white chopped fennel slices and apple pieces. Stir to combine. Add the turmeric and stir to coat the vegetables. Sauté the vegetables until the fennel starts to soften, about 4 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the toasted walnuts, stir. Season with salt (I used 1/2 teaspoon) and freshly ground pepper to taste. Add the vegetable stock and stir.

2. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer the soup until the vegetables are soft, about 10-15 minutes. Stir occassionally. Remove the soup from the heat. Use an immersion blender until mostly smooth, or let cool and use an upright blender. 

3. Check the soup for seasonings and reheat as necessary. Serve with toppings of your choice, drizzling the maple syrup in circles if using.

#paleo #vegan #vegetarian #soup #turmeric #walnuts #apples #herbs #maplesyrup #healthyeats #glutenfree #dairyfree #thefirstmess #antiinflammatory 

Stock reciped adapted from the kitchn blog here.

Soup recipe adapted from the First Mess blog here.

*Information from Cape Gazette article "Fennel has Ancient Culinary Roots."

**My Paleo Marin Rating between 1-5 Persimmons

I try out these recipes so you don't have to (and modify them for Paleo where possible). The rating will reflect my opinion of the final result in terms of taste, ease of preparation, nutrition, and sometimes, cost.