Summer Beetroot Soup

I remember liking this vibrant root vegetable, beetroot from the day my mom introduced it to me. This luscious red bulb looks very unattractive on the outside. However, once cut open the lively red color will never go unnoticed.

I always ate beetroot in some salad form when I was young. My mom either served it as a raw shredded salad on the side with crushed peanuts and lemon juice or partially cooked and mixed with yogurt, salt and pepper. Either way, it was fantastic!

With an intention to give a tweak to these two favorite recipes, I recently bought these lovely red beetroots from the farmers market. The inspiration for this recipe came from the “Summer Borscht” televised on Ina Garten’s show on Food Network. Whether you like beetroots or not, try this recipe and you will find yourself appreciating the inner beauty of this delicious and nutritive root vegetable.

Ingredients:

2 cups low fat buttermilk
½ cup vegetable broth
¼ cup plain yogurt
1 cup cooked beets, cubed
½ cup cucumbers, cubed
Juice of 1 lemon
Chives
Salt & Pepper

Method:

1. Mix the buttermilk, vegetable broth and yogurt with a whisk.
2. Add the beets, cucumber, salt and pepper and mix well with a spoon.
3. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.

Serving:

Just before serving, add the lemon juice in the soup and mix well. Serve in individual soup bowls or cups and garnish with chopped chives.