Ginger Beet Borscht

Mmmm good: spicy ginger & sweet beets united as one!

Isn't it true that as the temperature outside gets colder and colder (a measly 2 degrees here this morning)... warm, comforting soups become more and more appealing? And what could be more appealing than an easy to prepare, thick and creamy blended soup?

Lately, I've been whipping up all manner of delicious bisques, purees and potages simply by combining leftover cooked veggies with either their own saved cooking liquid or some vegetable broth, and adding additional raw veggies and/or seasonings as inspiration moves me.

This tasty borscht is made with leftover roasted beets. I'll often roast a few days worth of beets at a time to eat with avocado or goat cheese salads and other meals throughout the week. Blending up roasted beets into a smooth, warming soup is something I hadn't tried before, and I was most pleased with the results.

The irresistibly sweet, succulent beet is a light yet hearty root vegetable, rich in health-promoting betaine, a red pigment that helps boost liver detox and support heart health.


Fresh ginger, a premier inflammation buster, is a perfect flavor complement to the beet and makes this soup extra warming and satisfying. Raw garlic adds some zing while boosting the immune system with cancer fighting allicins.


Tender baby spinach, brimming with green life force, is high in bone-building calcium and blood-building iron.


Seitenbacher's vegetable broth powder is one of my favorite instant flavorizers—love it!


To make Ginger Beet Borscht, just pop all of the above in your blender and go! Feel free to add water or broth as needed to achieve desired consistency. I started with one cup of water and increased to about two and a half cups before finding the right balance of liquid to thickness.


Total yield: about 4 cups or 2 large bowls of sweet, ruby deep nourishment!


Ginger Beet Borscht

Ingredients
3 medium roasted beets
1 cup packed fresh, raw baby spinach
1 clove garlic
1 chunk of ginger, a little smaller than your thumb
1-2 cups of warm vegetable broth or warm water (if using water, add 1 teaspoon powdered veggie broth, or to taste)

garnish:
freshly ground black pepper
hemp seeds or crumbled, savory Kale Krisps

Directions
To roast beets, scrub well and remove tops and tails. Put a little olive oil in your palm and take each beet into your hand, one at a time, to lightly coat with oil. Put beets into a cast iron frying pan or pyrex baking dish and cover loosely with foil, or wrap each beet individually in foil. Roast at 400 degrees for about 2 hours until fork tender. Remove from oven and allow to cool. At this point, you may pop the inner beet out of the skin or keep the skin on if you prefer. The earthy taste of beet skins is a bit too strong for some palates, but skins may be eaten with no ill effects if they appeal.

To make soup, put roasted beets, garlic, ginger, spinach and water or broth into your high speed blender and blend until smooth. The soup will be warm at this point, but if desired, warm further to about 100 degrees on stove top. As long as the temperature remains below 118 degrees, the enzyme and life force activity of raw ingredients will remain intact.

Divide into bowls and top with freshly ground black pepper plus a sprinkle of hemp seeds (photo above) or crumbled Kale Krisps (photo below). Kale Krisps are a scrumptious dehydrated raw kale treat. Purchase at Whole Foods (or, if you are a local reader, from me, for less! Community Superfoods price: just $6.50 per 3 ounce package!)