A naturally hearty vegan stew: Borscht!

Those of you whose only experience with borscht is as a cold magenta liquid, perhaps served with a single boiled potato, think again! This version of borscht (there are many variations) hails from Russia & the Ukraine (the former is more the Polish/Yiddish variety), and is more like a hearty stew than a sort of beet-based gazpacho. It’s still very much peasant food, though: immensely nutritious, satisfying, and seasonal. Perfect for snowy winter nights!

It’s also effortlessly vegetarian, and even vegan if you skip the dollop of sour cream at the end, or use a non-dairy version of the sour cream.

In a nod to our fabulously frugal roots, I recommend that you resourcefully save the beet greens, saute them in a little olive oil, and serve them with a dash of sherry vinegar alongside the steaming bowls of borscht.  A recipe (if you could even call it that, it’s so simple) follows the borscht recipe.

Na Zdorov’ye! (Vodka optional.)

2 tablespoons coconut or olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 carrot, shredded
1 green pepper, diced
2-3 cups cabbage, shredded (approx 1/2 medium cabbage)
2 beets, shredded
5 cloves garlic, minced
6 ounces tomato paste
8 cups vegetable broth
1 apple, diced
1 russet or Yukon Gold potato, diced
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
juice of one lemon*
2 tablespoons fresh dill, minced, plus more for garnish as desired

In a large stockpot, heat oil over medium high. Saute onion, celery, carrot, and green pepper until softened, 5-6 minutes. Add cabbage and beets and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for another 10 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and garlic, incorporating fully, then add the vegetable broth, apple, potato, and bay leaf, raising heat to a boil. Reduce to simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes.

Add the smoked paprika, lemon, salt and pepper to taste, then cover again and cook over as low a heat as you can manage for at least another hour; two if possible. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, if using, and a generous sprinkling of fresh dill. (Don’t skip the dill, even if you omit the sour cream!)

* When Donna tested this for me, both for quality assurance and so Jim could skillfully photograph it (thanks, guys!), she tried using 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar in place of the lemon juice and dill. I personally love the dill, but you should definitely try her variation if it sounds more up your alley!

SAUTEED BEET GREENS

Reserved greens, washed, de-stemmed, and torn into approx 3-inch pieces
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon sherry (or red wine) vinegar

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, until softening. Add greens to skillet and saute until greens are wilting and tender (not too long). Toss with vinegar and serve with a bit of salt and pepper if desired.

– posted by Anne

Hummus with fresh beets

As many of you know, if you’re Facebook-friendly with me, I am a bit of a hummus addict. I would eat it every day if I could, I do believe. I love garlicky hummus, lemony hummus, hummus with and without tahini, hummus with avocados and coconut oil,  hummus with roasted red peppers, hummus with pine nuts, hummus with “40 spices”, hummus with sundried tomatoes. I love it in wraps, I love it as a dip for crudite or tortilla chips, I love it spread on toast, I love it just plain eaten by the spoonful. You could say I’m a little obsessed. So when I saw  hot pink hummus in the prepared food section of my local co-op, I knew I had to give it a try.

What was the secret ingredient that made it look suspiciously like the homemade play-doh I made recently? Beets, of course! I do like beets, but don’t eat them on a regular basis, which is a shame since they’re loaded with nutrition, especially folate (so pass this on to any pregnant or nursing mama you know), but also vitamins, antioxidants, fiber and iron.

As with any hummus, it’s as simple to make as can be (the beet is raw; no extra work beside peeling it, though I wonder about leaving it unpeeled and just scrubbed thoroughly – I’ll give this a try sometime!), and any of the amounts are endlessly adjustable – you should absolutely taste as you go. I added a bit of cinnamon and cumin to this variation, which really paired well with the sort of bright earthiness of the beet flavor; this gives it a bit of a Mediterranean angle. Get your Cuisinart out and give this a whirl!

HUMMUS WITH FRESH BEETS

4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 medium beet, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 cups chickpeas (I used dried ones – feel free to use 2 cans)
juice and zest of one lemon
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup tahini
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt (or more to taste

Give the garlic cloves the first whirl in the processor to make sure they get broken down enough (you could also mince them if you don’t trust this). Then – add everything else and obliterate! I usually add a touch more liquid in either oil or lemon juice/vinegar form – you’ll want to taste this for yourself, as I said before. Do try adjusting the acidity before you add more salt, but sometimes a little more salt is just the ticket, too.

Other intriguing hummuses (hummi? hummae? hummum?) around the foodblogosphere:

Hummus with toasted walnuts from 101 Cookbooks – doesn’t that sound tasty? It’s going on my list.
Parsley hummus from the always healthy and awesome Kalyn’s Kitchen
Hummus with – wow – caramelized onions from No Recipes – talk about two great tastes that taste great together!
Cucumber hummus from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen – what a perfect way to lighten this up even more.
39 spice hummus from 28 Cooks – a variation I’ve always wanted to try making
Roasted butternut squash hummus from Jane Spice – filing this one away for fall!
Chipotle Hummus from Andrea’s Recipes – honestly, much as I love it, I had to take a little break from putting chipotle in every other recipe, but I think it’s time for it to return.

No exaggeration: I am literally going to make EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE. I am so serious.

One final note: I found this interesting post on 10 common mistakes when making hummus. I can honestly say I’m not guilty of any of them except the baking soda one, which I will start doing immediately (when using dried chickpeas, use baking soda when cooking them to make them softer), and on occasion using canned if I’m either in a huge hurry or out of dried – I definitely acknowledge it’s a shortcut.

– posted by Anne