Fennel and Cauliflower Soup

Serves 6 / This light wintertime soup is a great alternative to potato-leek.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium leek, sliced (white and light green parts only), about 3/4 cup
1 small onion, cut into quarters through the root end
1/2 pound cauliflower florets
1/2 pound fresh fennel bulb, cut in large pieces
1 scant tablespoon fennel seed
5 cups water
1 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper (optional)
Fresh fennel strands, for garnish

1. Warm a pressure cooker or soup pot on medium-low heat. Add olive oil, leek, onion, cauliflower, and fennel bulb. Swirl to coat in oil. After 10 minutes, add fennel seed and cook for 10 minutes more on low heat, swirling and flipping the pot to stir the vegetables. Do not let brown.
2. Add water and salt. Cover and cook until vegetables are very soft (if using a pressure cooker, this will take about 10 minutes; if using a soup pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook about 30 minutes).
3. Blend soup in batches until smooth. Finish with a touch of fresh ground black pepper and garnish with fresh fennel strands.

Recipe provided by Joanne Saltzman, author of Intuitive Cooking (Book Publishing Company, 2006) and founder of the School of Natural Cookery in Boulder, Colorado (www.naturalcookery.com).

PER SERVING: 76 cal, 53% fat cal, 5g fat, 1g sat fat, 0mg chol, 2g protein, 8g carb, 3g fiber, 414mg sodium