Chilled Beet Soup

Chilled Beet Soup

Ingredients

2 cans (15 oz each) reduced sodium beets*

1 cup kefir, yogurt or buttermilk

2 tablespoon red-wine vinegar

1 teaspoon packed light brown sugar

2 Kirby cucumbers coarsely grated 

Salt and pepper to taste

OPTIONAL /Garnish

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

4 tablespoons sour cream

  Preparation

Drain the beets, reserving 1 ½ cups, of the liquid.

Dice the beets and set aside ½ cup.

Place remaining beets in a blender or food processor. Add the vinegar, sugar, kefir and reserved beet liquid. Process for 1 or 2 minutes or until the mixture is a chunky puree. Gently stir in cucumbers, Season with salt and pepper. Adjust seasonings, if desired. If desired, chill for up to 12 hours.

Optional: Serve sprinkled fresh dill and top each serving with 1 tablespoon of the sour cream.

(Mix of fresh beetroots and dill may not be to everyone’s taste, 

Getting The Most

Try the canned kind! One of the neat things about beets is that they’re nearly as nutritious out of a can as they are fresh from the ground.

So you can enjoy their health benefits

Yes, canned beets have about the same nutritional value as fresh beets. Fresh beets have double the phosphorus, potassium and folate, but 1 cup of sliced,canned beets has 14 percent of the recommended daily intake of folate and 4 percent of phosphorus and potassium.

Cook them lightly! Studies show that the anti-tumor power of beats is diminished by heat. So if you cook them – cook them lightly to get most effectiveness.

NOTES

• You can also chop up stalks and leaves, as they are said to contain more vitamins and minerals than the root itself.!
• -If you use regular canned beets, the sodium will increase 305 mg per servings. For variety, you could replace 1 cup of the beet liquid with apple juice.

Nutritional Information

PHOTO CREDIT:foodiesfeed.com