Borscht Purple Polish Soup: Can't Beat Beets for Healthy Comfort Foods

I love Borscht. It helps that I grew up with my little Polish Grandma Rudonich making us all the “ole country” favorites including Pierogies, Galumpkes (Stuffed Cabbage) and my favorite as a child was her purple soup. And it turns out that the delicious and colorful soup comes with a powerhouse of nutritional benefits as well. Beets are known to be great for:

Heart Health – lowers your cholesterol and triglyceride levelsr
Pregnancy Boost – high B-vitamins help developing baby as well as help protect against the condition neural tube defectr
Colon Cancer Preventative – due to the betacyaninisr
Lung support – vitami
C content can help asthma patient to better manage their condition as well as the high levels of beta-carotene boostr
Eye Health – Due to their high vitami
A content, beets can slow or completely prevent the formation of cataractsr
Increases sex hormones –high levels of the mineral boron, which can dramatically boost the production of sexual hormones in your bodyr
Improves the health of your muscles, nerves and immune system – due to high levels of magnesium and potassiumr
Reduce the risk of strokes – high in potassiumr
Polish Borscht

2 leeks (or 1 medium onion)

2 carrots

2 stalks of celery

2 cloves garlic

1 Tbsp olive oil

4 beets (medium sized), organic if you can (or 1 16oz can/jar)

4 cups of water

1 bay leaf

1 tsp sugar

After soup is cooked and blended Add:

1 Tbs chopped fresh dill (or 1 tsp dried)

1 Tbsp lemon juice

½ – 1 tsp horseradish to taste

1/2 cup Sour Cream

Clean the leeks, carrots and celery and chop. Saute in your soup pot the vegetables in olive oil with the garlic just until fragrant. Scrub the beets and chop off both the ends. Do not peel. Add everything except the dill, lemon juice, horseradish and sour cream and bring to a boil. Simmer for 45 minutes. Scoop out the beets and peel. Using a blender, puree the beets and soup broth/vegetables or use an immersion blender. Put the smooth soup back into the pot and add remaining ingredients. Can be served hot or chilled.

Enjoy and Healthy Blessings,

Sandy

Recommended Resource: Art of Polish Cooking