Borscht, a vibrant and warming soup

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This weekend has been all about the ruby red vegetable – beets! I found myself with a dozen beets and figured it was the perfect time to try out a few new recipes. I made Borscht, (a good old fashioned beet soup from the Ukraine), Simmered Spiced Beets (recipe coming soon) and beet chips in the airfryer dipped in plant-based sour cream. YUM!! And, as expected, today the porcelain bowl is looking a little rouge, if you know what I am saying. 😉

I grew up loving Borscht. My mom would make it quite often and freeze it for winter with the beets from our garden. I asked her for her recipe, which was from a friend, originally from a Lutheran Church cookbook from way back. It was extremely basic. I jazzed it up by adding all sorts of ingredients. There are many ways to make borscht, so you can modify this recipe by adding or subtracting what you do and don’t have. It’s hearty, filling and warms you right down to the bones!

What makes this Borscht special?

There is interesting flavour in this soup from ginger, turmeric, dill, celery seeds and lemon zest. To increase the nutrient level, I also included a can of northern white beans. You can use any type of canned white beans, such as cannellini, (also called white kidney beans), butter beans or navy beans.

Beans add iron, protein, copper, magnesium, folate and loads of fiber to the soup. They also take on a pretty pink color, which is kind of fun!

Beets are excellent for athletes. That is because they contain nitrates that help deliver oxygenated blood to your muscles by helping dilate the arteries. This enables your body to extract more energy from that oxygen. Beet juice or whole beets make your body’s energy production significantly more efficient. Beets have also been proven to lower blood pressure, up to 10 systolic points. Fascinating stuff. You can read more here.

Health benefits of beets:

Research shows that betaine, an amino acid found in beets can help prevent and reduce the accumulation of fat in the liver. (1)

Beets are also rich in betalains, potent antioxidants and anti-inflammatories that battle free radical and inflammation related to chronic diseases like heart disease, obesity, and possibly cancer. (2)

Simple to make Borscht:

Get out your food processor or get ready for an arm workout. There is a lot of chopping and grating involved!

This soup is fabulous topped with a dollop of plant-based sour cream. It’s so easy to make with just a few ingredients.

Borscht - Beet Soup

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Serves: 8+ Prep Time: 30 minutes Cooking Time: 40 minutes 40 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 7 medium sized beets, grated
• 6 cups veggie broth - plus extra for frying
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 can of white beans (Great Northern, Cannellini, White Kidney, etc.)
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 6 garlic cloves, diced
• zest of one lemon
• juice from one lemon
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons dried dill, or 1-2 tablespoons fresh dill chopped
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ginger, grated
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1.  Chop onions and garlic * and fry using a small amount of veggie broth in a large pot.   Add turmeric and ginger and simmer until translucent. 
2. Meanwhile, wash, peel and grate beets and wash and grate carrot.  
3. Once onions are translucent, add beets and carrot and cook for a few moments adding a few tablespoons of veggie broth, if needed, to keep the ingredients from sticking to the pan. Stir often.
4. Add 6 cups of veggie broth, and all remaining ingredients except for the beans.  
5. Simmer on low for 40 minutes or until the beets are cooked through, adding beans in the last 5-10  minutes. 
6. Enjoy!

*Feel free to add in a stalk or two of diced celery if you like.  

Borscht is great topped with vegan Sour Cream.  Simple recipe here:

1. 1 cup cashews
2. 1/2 cup, plus 1 tablespoon fresh water
3. 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice
4. 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
5. 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
6. 1/4 teaspoon salt

   Blend in your Vitamix until creamy.  If you are not using a high powered blender, soak your cashews in hot water for at least an hour prior to blending. 

                                                   

                                                                         www.thevibrantveggie.com

Another yummy recipe that features beets is my Blissful Beet Burgers. I created this recipe after falling in love with the beet burgers at La Baguette in Revelstoke! These are perfect to bake, eat some and freeze the rest for another time.