Thanksgiving with Chrissy Part 4- Apple Fennel Parsnip Soup & more

Here’s the final installment of my Thanksgiving Recipe series. I’ve saved some of the fun stuff for last: 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐅𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐧𝐢𝐩 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐩, 𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 & 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐂𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐚𝐮𝐜𝐞, 𝐃𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐬, 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐤𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐢𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐆𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐧-𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐰 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠! Over the last few weeks, I’ve shared some wonderful recipes for clean but delicious side dishes that NO ONE at your table will EVER KNOW are healthy. I swear by my ability to fool even the most seasoned palate. As a quick review, in case you didn’t see them, the previously posted holiday recipes were: 𝐒𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 & 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐛 𝐓𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐲 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐧𝐢𝐩 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐞́𝐞. I also highlighted my recipe for 𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐤𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐢𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦. So I’ll share these last few recipes in a few separate posts. As always, please post your own photos and comments and enjoy!! And let me know what you try and what your guests think!! I’m dying to know about when they DON’T notice how healthy it all is!! Have a blessed holiday with your loved ones...wherever you are in the world! And thank you for being part of my family.

Recipe 1: 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐅𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐧𝐢𝐩 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐩

I ran this recipe as the soup de jour for the past week. Wow, did it sell!! I garnished it with some diced apples & a spring of fennel and served it with a cinnamon stick and the grain free dinner biscuits that I’m posting today. I actually had people ask for quart to-go containers! Honestly there’s nothing I love more than making people happy with food or when the waiters rush into the kitchen asking me to speak to one of my guests about my recipes. That happened when I ran this special so I knew it was a hit! And it was my first time making it!! This is so very easy to make. Roasting the veggies and apples first really gives it a deep and rich fall harvest flavor. As always, post your photos and comments!!

Ingredients

* 2 tablespoons olive oil

* 1 fennel bulb, trimmed & cut into large chunks

* 4 large carrots, peeled & cut into large chunks

* 6 parsnips, peeled & cut into large chunks

* 6 tart apples (like Granny Smith), cored and quartered (unpeeled)

* 1 tsp each, salt and pepper

* 1 large onion, roughly chopped

* 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

* 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

* 3 ribs celery, roughly chopped

* 6 cups vegetable stock or broth

* 3 bay leaves

* 1 - 2 teaspoons dried thyme

* salt and pepper, to taste

* 4 tbsp honey

* 2 tsp cinnamon

* 1 tsp allspice

* 1 tsp pumpkin spice

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or prepare it with clean cooking spray.

3. Place fennel, carrots, parsnips and the apples on the baking sheet. Toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, 1 tbsp of the honey and the salt and pepper.

4. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the vegetables soften and are nicely caramelized. (Be careful not to let them burn...it’ll make the soup bitter).

5. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.

6. Add onion, garlic, ginger and celery. Saute for 3-5 minutes until the onion and celery begin to soften.

7. Add the roasted vegetables into the pot. Stir well. Cook for another 3-5 minutes.

8. Cover with vegetable stock and add the bay leaves and dried thyme.

9. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.

10. Remove from heat and let cool slightly before blending (use either a stick blender or purée it in small batches in a regular blender to get a smooth consistency.

11. Return the blended soup to the pot and reheat to a simmer, adding the cinnamon, allspice, pumpkin pie spice and honey. (If necessary, thin out with additional water or vegetable stock, to get the right consistency you prefer. You can also season with additional honey, salt and pepper to adjust the flavoring to your taste.)

12. Garnish with chopped apple, a dash of cinnamon and sprigs of fennel. Serve with cinnamon sticks and grain-free dinner biscuits.