Beet Borsch(t)

This fall I was fortunate enough to travel to New England, I had a friend in Vermont and one in Massachusetts, I spent time with both. Strangely enough they both served me beet borsch made two very different ways. I loved them both and so far I have the recipe I like for one version and plan to work on the second one soon.

This soup feels like winter, deep red in color, hearty and good for a cold evening.
I made the omnivore version, it is easily adapted for the plant base diet*.
It begins with these humble ingredients.

Beet Borsch

2 cups peeled and diced beets ( 3-4 medium size beets)
4 cups shredded cabbage
1 pound beef stew meat cut into 1" pieces
1-2 large onions
3 1/2 cups canned tomatoes
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
6 cloves garlic, chopped.
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon  honey
1 teaspoon salt
ground pepper
8 cups water
sour cream for topping
*If you are making the vegetarian recipe add 1 tablespoon Better than Bouillon.

Most of the work for the soup comes in preparing the beets and cabbage.
The beets need to be peeled and cut into chunks while still raw.

The cabbage is shredded or chopped to the size you like for your soup.

1) Peel, chop and saute the onions to soften in a small amount of olive oil.
2) Add the beef to brown it.

3) Add the all veggies, spices, vinegar and water.
Note: as with most soup the exact about of each vegetable is flexible. While the original recipe called for 3 1/2 cups of canned tomatoes, I used maybe 2 cups of my frozen tomatoes.

4) Simmer for 1 hour.

5) Serve with a dollop of sour cream, a nice salad and a slice of rye bread !!

Here is my friend's cat sitting on the original recipe.

Welcome to 2016...kale salad innovation.

This salad is beautiful and so very tasty.
I have been slowly working my way through all the winter squash we grew last fall.
I roast them, skin them and cut them into cubes, this makes them easy to use at a moment's inspiration. My favorites squashes these days are butternut and kabocha.

I like to make a basic massaged kale salad and add the goodies right before I serve it.
Here's my basic recipe:

1 bunch kale, stemmed, washed and torn into small pieces
the zest from one lemon or lime
the juice from one lemon or lime
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Give it a couple minutes of good massage.

I had this basic salad and decided to bring it to a friend's to accompany the lentil soup she had made for lunch. Peering into my fridge I saw the roasted squash and some cooked beets, I cut both into small cubes and added some pumpkin seeds. Wow, the sweetness of the beets and squash were a great compliment to the tart lemon flavored kale, the pumpkin seeds added a crunchy texture.
This version has become my  favorite.

Beet Hummus

I know it looks VERY pink, it is however, soooo tasty.
I had this beet hummus at a friend's party, as a beet lover I was so excited to find that lovely earthy taste in this hummus.

When I got home from the party I realized that I had some already cooked beets in my fridge.
I immediately set to work on this recipe.

Beet Hummus

Ingredients

2 cooked beets

1 clove garlic

2 tablespoons tahini

3/4 cup garbanzo beans

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

1) My beet were already cooked and had some vinegar on them so they were ready to go.

2) Chop one clove of garlic in the food processor.

3) Add the beets, 3/4 cup garbanzo beans, lemon juice, and tahini, blend until smooth.

4) Add the olive oil, salt and pepper, blend some more.

5) Taste and adjust seasonings.

This spread pairs very well with carrot ginger soup !!