Red Cabbage Pear Soup

Red cabbage may seem like an odd addition to a puréed soup, but when blended with sweet pear, red wine, and fennel seeds, it becomes spoon and slurp worthy. Each bowlful is only made better when garnished with tangy goat cheese and crunchy pomegranate seeds.

Serves 6.
Soup saver - Extras of the soup can be placed in an airtight container and frozen for up to 1 month.
Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp (15 mL) grapeseed, olive, or camelina oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
• 1 small red cabbage (about 1 1/2 lb or 750 g), cut into 1 in (2.5 cm) chunks
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp (10 mL) fennel seeds
• 3/4 cup (180 mL) dry red wine
• 2 pears, cored and chopped
• 5 cups (1.25 L) salt-free or low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp (5 mL) dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL) black pepper
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 4 oz (112 g) soft goat cheese, crumbled
• 3/4 cup (180 mL) pomegranate seeds

Directions
Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and salt; heat until onion is softened and beginning to turn golden, about 6 minutes. Add cabbage and garlic to pan and heat for 3 minutes. Add fennel and wine to pan, raise heat to medium-high, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add pears, broth, bay leaf, thyme, cinnamon, and black pepper to pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes. Remove bay leaf and stir in lemon juice.
Carefully purée soup, in batches if necessary, until smooth. Add more liquid if soup is too thick. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Serve garnished with goat cheese and pomegranate seeds.
Each serving contains: 204 calories; 7 g protein; 7 g total fat (3 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 29 g total carbohydrates (18 g sugars, 5 g fibre); 224 mg sodium