You're going to fall in love with this soup and all it's healthy variations. I love its vibrant orange color and the mild sweet aroma of the anise-flavored liquor. I am not a fan of licorice flavor, but this recipe gained the respect of my taste buds. It's an amazing addition that transforms what can be a bland soup into a gourmet mouth-watering one.

Again, our recipes are created and tested in our health sciences kitchen in Cotacachi, Ecuador. As more people, here and the U.S., learn how to substitute and create tasty gourmet recipes that DO NOT induce inflammation, they're e-mailing asking for more. Don't let the small amount of alcohol deter you; it's cooked out, leaving a gentle and palate-pleasing aroma and taste that you'll want to experiment using in other recipes—we are.

I'm sharing options for this same recipe for those of you with special dietary needs other than avoiding nightshades. It's winter, what can be more of a comfort than a nice bowl of soup? Enjoy.

• 2 tsp. anise seeds—finely ground—we use a coffee grinder
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter or ghee
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into pieces
• 6 cups vegetable stock, chicken stock, or water
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 6 Tbsp. anise-flavored liqueur, such as sambuca, ouzo, or Pernod, reserve 2 Tbsp.
• 1/4 cup crème fraiche
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives

• Toast anise seeds in a small frying pan over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a spice or coffee grinder and finely grind.
• In a soup pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and anise seeds and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Add carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Pour in stock, bring to a simmer, and cook until carrots are tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
• In batches, purée soup in the pan with a hand-held blender or transfer to a freestanding blender until very smooth.
• Check for salt and pepper and adjust to your taste.
• Place over medium heat, stir in cream, and heat until hot.
• Stir in 6 Tbsp. liqueur.
• In a bowl, stir together crème fraiche and remaining 2 Tbsp. liqueur.
• Ladle soup into warmed bowls. Drizzle with crème fraiche and sprinkle with chives.

Substitute coconut cream and coconut milk for dairy.

Butter can be replaced with coconut oil.

Sprinkle before serving with grated cheese of your choice; we liked Parmesan.

Top with croutons if not avoiding gluten.

For a white soup, substitute parsnips or combine with carrots.

Health Benefits

• Anise, an exotic spice, holds some of the important plant-derived chemical compounds known to have antioxidant, disease preventing, and health promoting properties.
• The primary essential volatile oil that gives the characteristic sweet, aromatic flavor to anise seed is anethole. Other important compounds found in these grains include estragol, p-anisaldehyde, anise alcohol, acetophenone, pinene, and limonene.
• Anise seed oil obtained from extraction of the seeds has found application in many traditional medicines as a general digestive aid, antiseptic, anti-spasmodic, carminative, expectorant, stimulant and tonic agent.
• The seeds are an excellent source of many essential B-complex vitamins such as pyridoxine, niacin, riboflavin, and thiamin. Pyridoxine (vitamin B-6) helps increase GABA neurochemical levels in the brain.
• The spicy seeds are one of the important source of minerals like calcium, iron, copper, potassium, manganese, zinc and magnesium. 100 g dry seeds contain 36.96 mg or 462 percent daily required levels of iron. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps control heart rate and blood pressure.
• Copper is a cofactor for many vital enzymes, including cytochrome C-oxidase and superoxide dismutase (other minerals that function as cofactors for this enzyme are manganese and zinc). Copper is also required for the production of red blood cells.
• The spice also contains good amounts of antioxidant vitamins such as vitamin-C and vitamin-A.

Medicinal Uses
Anise seed, as well as its oil, found application in many traditional medicines for their unique health-promoting and disease-preventing roles, examples follow:

• Anise preparations are an excellent remedy for asthma, cough associated with bronchitis, as well as digestive disorders such as flatulence, bloating, colicky stomach pain, nausea, and indigestion.
• The essential oil "anethole" (anise seeds comprise 75.90 percent) has been found to have an estrogenic effect. The decoction obtained from the seeds is often prescribed to nursing mothers to help promote breast-milk production.
• Anise seed water is very helpful in relieving running nose condition in infants.
• Its seeds are traditionally chewed after the meal in India and Pakistan to refresh post-meal mouth breath and assist digestion.

Disclaimer:The information references in this article are intended solely for general information for the reader. The contents of this article, or its author, are not intended to offer personal medical advice, diagnose health problems or for treatment purposes. It is not a substitute for medical care provided by a licensed and qualified health professional. Please consult your health care provider for any advice on medications.