Leek fennel apple walnut soup

Soup ingredients:

2 tbsp grape seed oil
3 leeks, white + light green parts chopped (discard green tops or use them for stock)
4 sprigs of thyme, leaves minced
1 fennel bulb, cored and chopped (reserve a few fronds for garnish)
1 medium apple, peeled, cored + chopped
1-2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 cup walnut halves, toasted
salt + pepper
4 cups vegetable stock

To serve:
maple syrup
fresh black pepper
reserved fennel fronds
more toasty walnuts

Method:
1) Heat the grape seed oil in a large soup pot over medium
2) Add the chopped leeks and thyme. Stir and saute the leeks until they are a bit soft, about 4 minutes. 3) Add the chopped fennel and apples. Stir everything up a bit. 
4) Add the turmeric and stir to coat all of the vegetables evenly. 
5) Saute the vegetables until the fennel is starting to soften, another 4 minutes. 
6) Add the walnuts and stir them in. Season the whole thing with salt and pepper. Add the vegetable stock and stir.
7) Bring the pot to a boil and simmer until all of the vegetables/apples are very soft, about 12-15 minutes. Remove the soup from the heat. 
8) Carefully blend the mixture in batches until totally smooth. Check the soup for seasoning and adjust accordingly. 
9) Bring the pureed soup to a boil and serve hot with drizzles of maple syrup, fresh black pepper, fennel fronds and more toasted walnuts.