Fennel Onion Soup

I combined several recipes to create this yummy soup. This seems like your basic French Onion Soup, but its been veganized and has a few added kicks.

Ingredients (Make enough for 6)
5 cups of sliced onion (about 5 large onions)
2 tblsp margarine, or vegan butter
1/2 tsp sea salt

1 small fennel bulb, grated (until you have 1 cup of grated fennel)
1/4 cup of soy sauce (you may need to add a touch more to get a deeper flavor)
1 tblsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp brown sugar
5 cups of water (you may need to add a little more later)
 1/2 tsp sea salt
pepper, lots
3 garlic cloves, minced 

6 round slices of french bread
2 tblsp dijon mustard (optional)
1 cup of grated vegan cheese (I find the rice cheese have a better flavor. Watch out for 'milk casein')

1) In a large pot, melt butter and saute onion slices and salt over low/ medium heat until caramelized (this usually takes about 15 minutes to do, so keep an eye on them).
2) Add all other soup ingredients to the pot (I like to leave the garlic till last, adding it once the soup has simmered) and simmer for 45 minutes. As noted above, if you want a deeper flavor, add some more soy sauce or balsamic vinegar.
3) Toast the french bread rounds (until it is like a crouton, I do this in the oven). Once toasted, spread a fine layer of dijon mustard on the toast. Ladle soup into individual bowls (preferably ones that can go into the oven, but you can also put them in the microwave). Place crouton on top of the soup, mustard side up. Place a generous amount of cheese on top. Place in the oven on broil for a few minutes (or until cheese is melted). Enjoy!