My husband and I both love soups, especially creamy soups like this turmeric roasted carrot and fennel soup. This is a delicious, warm and flavourful autumn soup, perfect for the cold weather or for comfort-food cravings! Roasting the carrots and fennel accentuates the natural sweetness of the veggies, but you can still do this soup by boiling the vegetables in a good stock instead.

We often eat soups at dinner time and we like adding a handful of toppings to add more texture and taste... In my opinion, the more toppings the better! In this dish, I added swirls of lemony cashew cream, some fresh parsley and a few spicy sliced almonds. They add a bit of crunchiness to contrast with the creaminess of the soup. And of course, a pinch of chilli flakes is always a good idea to enhance the flavour!

If you're looking for different toppings ideas, here's a few more that I had in mind :

Roasted chickpeas work well with hearty soups like this one
Fresh cilantro would also be lovely (especially with the spices used in this recipe)
Fresh goat cheese (if you're not vegan) and minced chives or fennel leaves
Lemony yogourt or raita instead of cashew yogourt
Spicy "pepitas" (pumpkin seeds) instead of sliced almonds (recipe here)
Croutons or crumbled crackers and a drizzle of olive oil
Fresh baby sprouts (kale, radish or other sprouts you prefer)

Turmeric is the spice that gives curries and yellow mustard its bright yellow color. The active compound in turmeric root (curcumin), contains potentially powerful anti-inflammatory properties.

Roasted carrot, fennel & turmeric soup (w/spicy almonds and cashew cream)

A comforting, tasty and colourful soup, perfect for the cold weather. I bet you won't be able to eat only one bowl!

Yield : 6-8 servings

Ingredients :

8 cups carrots, diced

1.5 cup vegetable stock (or more if you like your soup to be more liquid)

1 fennel bulb, chopped

1 white onion, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons turmeric

2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger

A pinch cayenne pepper

Lemony cashew cream :

1/2 cup soaked cashew (at least 1-2 hours)

1/2 cup water (or more if you don't have time to soak your cashews)

juice 1-2 lemons (or to taste)

Salt and pepper

Pinch of cardamon (optional)

Garnish :

A handful fresh parsley, chopped

Spicy almonds - Recipe here (use sliced almonds instead)

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Coat the chopped carrots and fennel with olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook for about 20 minutes. Toss and cook for another 20 minutes or until the carrots are soft and cooked. Set aside.
For the cashew cream, add all the ingredients into a high speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Correct the seasoning to your taste. Set aside.
In a large pan, sauté the onions in olive oil until soft. Add the spices and stir well. Add the roasted vegetables with the vegetable stock and bring a boil. Simmer gently for 15-20 minutes, then transfer into a blender. Blend until completely smooth. Add a little bit more vegetable stock if the soup is too thick.
While the soup is simmering, you can toast your almonds (recipe here). Sliced almonds burn REALLY fast, so keep an eye on them and stir frequently. Set aside until ready to use.
Serve the soup with drizzle of cashew cream on top. Sprinkle with spicy almonds, fresh chopped parsley and chilli flakes if you want. Enjoy!