The 30-Minute Vegan - Mark Reinfeld [56]
ORANGE-BEET SOUP
Served either hot or chilled, this soup is a lighthearted response to its heavier cousin, borscht. Give it a whirl, especially if you are looking for more interesting things to do with beets. If you don’t have a zester, you can use the fine side of a cheese grater for the orange zest. Start with ½ teaspoon of zest and increase to 1 teaspoon if desired. Too much zest will make for a bitter soup. A food processor makes quick work of the shredded beets and carrots. Consider serving with a dollop of soy yogurt or Vegan Sour Cream (page 289).
SERVES 6
5 cups water or vegetable stock
4 cups shredded beet (about 3 medium-size beets)
2 cups shredded carrot (about 2 medium-size carrots)
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
2 teaspoons dried dill, or 2 tablespoons fresh
1 tablespoon miso paste (dark or light)
½-1 teaspoon orange zest (see Tips and Tricks)
1½ cups freshly squeezed orange juice (1-2 oranges)
2 teaspoons pure maple syrup (optional)
1. Start boiling the water and beets over medium heat in a large covered pot while you work on the other vegetables. Add the carrots and celery, covering the pot in between. Add the salt, dill, miso, and orange zest, cover the pot, and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
2. Remove from the heat, add the orange juice and maple syrup, if using, and carefully blend, in a few batches. The hot liquid will expand in the blender so only fill it a little over halfway, make sure the lid is on tight, and start blending on a low speed if your blender has that option. We like to put a dishcloth over the top for extra protection.
3. Return the blended soup to the pot and reheat if necessary. Serve immediately, or allow it to cool before storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 or 4 days.
Variations
• For a more adventurous flavor, play around with spices. Try adding a pinch of allspice or clove. Or go more savory by adding ½ teaspoon of dried thyme, oregano, or marjoram.
• Adding a few shavings of lime zest also brightens up the brew.
• A sublime topping for this soup is shaved fennel bulb.
Tips and Tricks
You only want to zest the very outside of the orange peel. Don’t press down so hard that you get the white pith underneath; this is the very bitter layer. And don’t keep zesting away when all of the orange is gone, just to try to get enough zest. This is a common beginner’s error, and take it from us, it backfires every time.
Superfoods for Health
A superfood of Russian centarians and reputed to be beneficial for the blood, beets are high in the B-vitamin folate, which is essential for cell maintenance and repair. Look for the firm, unwrinkled ones and wash thoroughly before enjoying. Oftentimes we will leave the skin on organic beets, but always peel the nonorganic. They can be peeled for a brighter color when grating.
PLEASING GREENS SOUP
In San Francisco, where Jennifer lived with her sisters and a couple other wild ladies, this soup was affectionately known as Punishment Soup. Every week before the next delivery of the box of organic food, the ignored and picked-over contents of the box were made into a soup. It became clear that greens were tops on the “I have no idea what to do with this” list. The name soon went to the wayside, however, as a result of everyone’s always loving the soup, which led to more and more ideas on how to enjoy all of the greens.
SERVES 4
6 cups water or vegetable stock
4 cups thinly sliced dinosaur kale, lightly
packed (also see Variations)
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 cup thinly