You will need a blender (handheld preferred) to create this wonderful, creamy soup!
Chop the garlic, onion, carrot, and fennel bulb. If the fennel has leaves, chop them finely and reserve for later use.
Heat the olive oil or margarine in a soup pot over medium heat. Add all of the chopped vegetables at once and stir. Cook the vegetables, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes until they are tender. Leave the heat low enough so that the onions do not brown too much.
Add the veggie broth and the oats. The oats will give the soup a wonderful creamy texture once it is blended and will not affect the taste. Allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes until all of the vegetables are extremely tender and both the carrots and the fennel can easily be pierced with a fork.
Ideally, use a hand blender to blend the soup until it is smooth and creamy. Alternately, pour the soup in batches into a normal blender to blend and transfer the blended portion into a separate bowl.
At this point, add the finely chopped fennel leaves for extra flavor and a little color and add salt and pepper to taste.
Voila! You are finished. Now serve this soup hot or chilled with a crusty bread and enjoy!