Beet Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup onion, chopped

1 cup fennel bulb, chopped

1 ½ teaspoon fennel seeds

2 large (2 ½ – 3 inch diameter) beets, peeled, cut into ½ inch cubes

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup unflavored kefir

Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onion, chopped fennel, and fennel seeds. Sauté until vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Add cubed beets and stir to coat. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cover; reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until beets are tender, 18 to 20 minutes. Puree soup in batches in blender. Return to same saucepan. Whisk in 1 cup unflavored kefir and season soup with salt and pepper. Reheat soup. Ladle warm soup into bowls. Drizzle with additional unflavored kefir; garnish with fennel fronds.

Yield: 4 servings.

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit