Recipe: Borscht (Beet Soup)

This thick, sweet soup makes it easy to incorporate beets into your diet. Beets are rich in antioxidants and are heart-healthy. Read more about their benefits here.

This soup has a deep maroon color and is sweet thanks to the beets, sweet potatoes, and carrot. Adding a splash of fresh lemon juice just before serving provides a little acid to cut through the sweetness.

Borscht

(Inspired by the recipe from The Lotus and the Artichoke cookbook)

Ingredients:

3 medium beets, peeled and chopped into small pieces

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into small pieces

1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped into small pieces

1 small onion, chopped

2T olive oil

1T apple cider vinegar

4 cups water

1tsp salt

Garnish: fresh dill or dillweed; vegan yogurt or vegan sour cream; fresh lemon juice

Directions:

In a large pot, sautee the onion in the oil for 5 minutes. Add the chopped beets, sweet potatoes, and carrot, and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the vinegar, and cook for 1 minute. Add 4 cups water, bring the water to a boil, cover the pot, and simmer until the vegetables are fork tender (about 15-25 minutes). Blend the mixture with a hand blender or blend in batches in a high-speed blender (be careful when blending hot food/liquids in a blender – allow room at the top for steam to escape). Return the pureed vegetables to the pot. Add the salt, and stir the mixture well. Taste and add salt to your liking. Serve hot with a little fresh lemon juice squeezed over the top. Garnish with a dollop of vegan sour cream or yogurt and sprinkle with fresh dill or dillweed. 

Recipe: Creamy Mashed Cauliflower

I was inspired to cook with cauliflower after watching the premiere episode of “How to Live to 100,” which is a vegan cooking show on The Cooking Channel. I don’t get The Cooking Channel on Cablevision, but you can watch episodes on the network’s website, here.

As chef Jason Wrobel points out in his show, cauliflowers contain:

• Phytonutrients that activate detoxification enzymes in the body
• Antioxidants – such as Vitamin C and Manganese – that fight free radicals
• Nutrients (like Vitamin K) that fight inflammation

One of my favorite cauliflower comfort-food recipes is a low-carb alternative to traditional mashed potatoes.

Creamy Mashed Cauliflower

Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
3 T of vegan Parmesan, such as Parmela’s Parmesan Style Aged Nut Cheese
2 T of garlic powder
2 T of dillweed or ¼ c – ½ c of fresh chopped dill or chives
3 T of room-temperature vegan cream cheese (I followed this recipe to make my own scallion cream cheese)
2 T of vegan buttery spread (optional)

Directions: Steam or boil the cauliflower until fork tender. This can take anywhere from 20-30 minutes. Drain the cauliflower and place in a food processor. Add the Parmesan and garlic powder, and pulse until creamy. Transfer the mashed cauliflower to a large bowl and stir in the room-temperature cream cheese, dillweed, and buttery spread. Add salt to taste. If you want more of a tang in your mashed cauliflower, use vegan sour cream or dairy-free yogurt instead of the cream cheese. Or, you can use the cream cheese and add 1-2 T of fresh lemon juice, which is what I did.

The cauliflower becomes creamy after a few minutes in the food processor.

My bowl of creamy mashed cauliflower with the scallion cream cheese mixed in it. the arlic powder and Parmesan give the cauliflower a satisfying, savory taste. The cream cheese provides a little tang, and the scallions and herbs add texture and fragrance. Yum!