Beet Soup

Saturday was beautiful for most of the day. I rode my bike to Hideaway Bakery for a 3-mile walk and then a mid-morning snack with some of my church ladies. It was sunny but cold in the shade. Then I rode my bike to the farmers’ market. After I purchased my veggies I dropped in on EL at her jewelry booth. Back at home I puttered around until it was time to make beet soup for dinner.

Russian Vegetable Soup
Adapted from Healthy Cooking for Two or Just You by Frances Price
Serves 4

“Here’s a low-rent, meatless borscht for hard times in the USA. It will make you brave at very little cost. Serve this peasant soup with a spoonful of light sour cream or yogurt and a slice of coarse rye or pumpernickel bread.”

I love Frances Price. She has such a way with words, and with recipes. Using fresh beets makes this soup a little less “low rent,” a little more fussy, but worth it. And I like being able to use the beet stems and greens along with the beets.

1/2 an onion, chopped
1 T olive oil
1 bunch beets (4 or 5 smallish) about 2 cups diced
1 cup diced new potatoes
1 cup diced carrots
8 oz can tomato sauce
1 t caraway seeds
1 t dried dill weed
1 T brown sugar or honey
2 T cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
To serve: plain yogurt or sour cream

Note: if you don’t have fresh beets, use a 16 oz can of sliced or diced beets, not pickled. Use 1/2 cup diced celery instead of the stems, and 2 cups shredded cabbage instead of the beet greens. Reduce the water to 3 cups, since the canned beets are in liquid. Don’t add any salt until the end, when you’ve tasted the soup.

Saute the onions in olive oil in a large saucepan. While they are cooking, prep your veggies. Trim the stems and leaves off of the beets, and reserve them in a big bowl of water. If the beets are young you don’t need to peel them, I just use the peeler to scrape off any hairlike roots or blemished bits near the stems. Dice the beets. Wash the greens, and chop the stems and leaves, keeping them in separate bowls.

Once the onions are soft, add the tomato sauce, carrots, potatoes, and beets, with the chopped beet stems, caraway, and dill, plus 4 cups water and 1 t salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.

Add the beet greens, sugar or honey, and vinegar. Bring the soup back to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the greens and vegetables are tender. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot, topped with yogurt or sour cream.

Bean Bacon Salad

My friend JI served this salad to me during a girls’ night during our single days (we each got married a few months apart and were in each other’s weddings.) I think salad is my favorite way to eat bacon. It’s especially good with hearty greens.

Spinach or mixed greens
White beans (cannellini or Great Northern)
Chopped red bell pepper
Chopped red onion
Bacon: cooked, drained, and crumbled (1 slice per person)
Chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted

Dressing (2 servings)
1 T olive oil
1 T cider vinegar
1 T maple syrup
1 t dijon mustard
1/4 t salt
Freshly ground pepper

Combine the dressing ingredients in a medium bowl. Add the onions, bell pepper, and beans, and stir. Let it marinate while you prep the other ingredients. Place a bed of greens on each plate. Spoon the dressing and vegetable mixture over the greens, and sprinkle nuts and bacon on top.