Cool Beet Soup with Kefir and Pickled Beet Stems
A Delicious Cold Blender Beet Soup with personality! Steam fresh beets - then whirl with healthy Kefir and seasonings - it's that easy! Serve with garnishes that ARE ELEMENTS OF THE SOUP!
Servings: 6 large servings, or 8 smaller ones
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Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds fresh ruby beets 3 large
- 3 teaspoons fresh garlic peeled and coarsely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 3 tablespoons juices from Pickled Beets (recipe below)
- 3 1/2 cups Kefir*
Mini Ingredients that are Garnishes:
- 1/3 cup cucumbers small dice (use local cucumbers from a framers' market)
- 2 tablespoon garlic scapes thinly sliced (can substitute fresh chives or scallions)
- 3 tablespoons fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon small basil leaves
- 4 tablespoons Pickled Beet Stems (Recipe below)
- 3 tablespoons greek yogurt (will thin with milk)
Instructions
- Make Pickled Beet Stems (recipe below) - Will use the juice for the soup; stems for garnish.
- Scrub beets; save stems. Steam beets in at least 2 inches of water for 45 minutes, will feel softened when pierced with a knife. (Check to make sure the water has not evaporated.) Under running water peel beets - the skins should fall off with a nudge of the back of a small knife.
- Cool slightly, coarsely grate the beets - will have 4 cups of grated beets.To a blender add 2 1/2 cups grated beets, garlic, sea salt, pepper, 3 tablespoons of pickled beet juice (from pickled beets) and Kefir. Whirl from low to high speed for one minute until well blended.
- Add to a bowl to fit, fold in 1 1/2 cups remaining grated beets. Taste for seasonings. Refrigerate the soup base until cold, at least 3 hours.
To Serve:
- Portion the soup into individual bowls. Swirl 1 teaspoon milk (or water) into the greek yogurt - add a portion on top of each bowl of beet soup in a decorative, swirled fashion.
- Add the remaining garnishes on the soup: cucumbers, garlic scapes, dill, basil leaves and pickled beet stems. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Pickled Beet Stems: Add 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons pure cane sugar, one tablespoon diced shallots, one slice fresh ginger and 1/8 teaspoon sea salt in a small skillet. Bring to a boil - add 1/3 cup cleaned beet stems, in small dice. Reduce to a simmer and cover, cook only three minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Use the liquid to add to the soup in the blender - use drained pickled beet stems to garnish the soup.
Alternately, if you do not make the pickled beet stems - add 1 teaspoon sugar and 2 teaspoons vinegar (red wine or rice) to the blender. Taste for seasonings.
*Kefir - is a cultured, fermented milk drink with gut-supporting probiotic bacteria. Can substitute yogurt thinned with milk.
- Substitute for Kefir: a mix of 75% yogurt and 25% milk (but try Kefir!)
Nutrition Facts
Cool Beet Soup with Kefir and Pickled Beet Stems
Amount per Serving
Calories
183
% Daily Value*
Fat
5
g
8
%
Saturated Fat
3
g
19
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
0.1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
0.1
g
Cholesterol
18
mg
6
%
Sodium
321
mg
14
%
Potassium
643
mg
18
%
Carbohydrates
27
g
9
%
Fiber
5
g
21
%
Sugar
20
g
22
%
Protein
9
g
18
%
Vitamin A
371
IU
7
%
Vitamin C
11
mg
13
%
Calcium
225
mg
23
%
Iron
2
mg
11
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.