White Bean Dill Soup with Sweet and Smokey Walnuts

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup raw walnut halves
• 3 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 3 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil or grapeseed oil
• 1 yellow onion (finely diced)
• 3 garlic cloves (peeled and minced)
• 1 large fennel bulb (stalks and fronds trimmed, bulb finely diced)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 2 - 19 oz cans white kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
• 3 cups no-salt-added vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup fresh dill fronds (chopped)
• freshly ground black pepper (to taste)