I created a soup today! I wanted to begin using vegetables that I have avoided for much of my life. Today, it was fennel that I incorporated into a recipe! I loved it! I’m sorry that I’ve avoided it for so long. But there’s no time like the present to add it into my cooking rotation.

Yesterday, I was protein heavy so I decided that today would be a veggie forward day. After playing pickleball this morning I came home and began to pull out the makings of soup, but not my ‘regular’ soup which often includes a starter base like using left over roast beef, for example. I found the fennel that I purchased two days ago, plus portabella mushrooms, a large potato, two carrots, asparagus, celery and garlic.

I admit: I did not measure a thing so I am guessing here! Just go with me on this journey ok? In a large pot (too large but I digress) I sauteed in olive oil (about 2 tbsp.) and butter (2 tbsp.) a chopped bulb of fennel, a diced potato, the two carrots and an onion first. Next I added celery, asparagus and last, 3 cloves of garlic. All pieces were diced to a uniform 1-1/2 inch square. The asparagus was a bit larger but not much! After a nice 5-6 minutes of cooking, I added half a container of vegetable broth, (lower sodium) which looks to be about 16-20 ounces. I brought this to a boil then reduced the heat to low and added 1/3 cup 2% milk and about a cup of half and half. I did not want to use heavy cream but you can and should if you are making it for company. I’m watching my calories today. (ha!)

I cooked it for an additional 10 minutes on low. Next, I took about half of the pot out and blended it in my regular handy-dandy glass blender. At this point I added about 1/4 cup more half and half, so as to not get burned as I blended, more than for any other reason! I added this back to the soup pot, stirred and served. YUM.

We ate it with french bread which I sliced, brushed with olive oil and rubbed with garlic. If you’ve never tried it, do so but only slice a few pieces because it’s like candy to me, anyway!

Let me know if you try this! Happy veggie eating to you!

Foodie love,

Marci