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Food

Vegetable Borscht with Kefir

Serves 4.

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Vegetable Borscht with Kefir
This comforting and colourful soup will certainly help you meet your daily requirement for vegetables. Rich in antioxidants, it makes a satisfying, probiotic-rich meal when accompanied by slices of cheese and chunks of fresh artisan sourdough bread.

Kefir tip

When adding kefir—or any probiotic-rich food—to heated dishes, always do so when you’ve removed the dish from the heat, as overheating destroys beneficial bacteria. Simply make certain the kefir has been at room temperature for a while before adding to prevent it from overcooling your soup.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 Tbsp (22 mL) butter
  • 3 beets, finely shredded
  • 1 small carrot, finely shredded
  • 1/2 large onion, finely shredded
  • 1 very small purple top turnip, peeled and finely shredded
  • 1 cup (250 mL) shredded red cabbage
  • 2 1/2 cups (625 mL) low-sodium vegetable or chicken stock
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp (22 mL) red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) coconut palm sugar or sucanat
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 tsp (10 mL) cornstarch
  • 2 tsp (10 mL) water
  • 1/4 cup (60 mL) plain kefir
  • 1 Tbsp (15 mL) chopped chives
  • 4 lemon slices (optional)

Nutrition

Per serving:

  • calories 135
  • protein 5g
  • fat 6g
    • saturated fat 4g
    • trans fat 0g
  • carbohydrates 17g
    • sugars 9g
    • fibre 3g
  • sodium 158g

Directions

01
Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add beets, carrot, onion, turnip, and cabbage. Sauteu0301 until vegetables are glazed, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add stock, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 40 minutes or until veggies are soft.
02
In small dish, combine cornstarch and water. Stir resulting paste into soup. Stir well over medium heat until soup begins to thicken. When soup reaches desired consistency, remove from heat and stir in kefir.
03
Ladle soup into 4 bowls and top with a sprinkle of chives. Place a thin slice of lemon on top of each bowl, if desired.

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