This soup is a tangy hearty warm way to start off a meal, or as a meal by itself. It tastes great and just happens to be vegan. This recipe makes enough for 4 servings. It also keeps for a long time in the refrigerator so we usually double or triple the recipe so we have leftovers. The ginger and beets make the soup tangy while seed mixture garnish add a nutty, savory texture.
Soup
6 medium beet roots
3 - 4 tbsp juice from fresh ginger root
4 garlic cloves, pressed
4 carrots, chopped fine
2 onions, chopped fine
2 small leeks, finely diced
2 cups vegetable broth
2 tsp coconut oil (you may substitute sesame oil)
Garnish
¼ tsp sea salt
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp crushed black pepper
1 lime
1 small can of coconut cream
Wash beets and place in a large pot and cover with water, bring to boil then reduce heat to low for 35 minutes. Beets should be tender. Drain water and let cool.
In a skillet, add the oil, carrots, onions, garlic and leeks. Saute over low heat for 10 minutes, remove from heat.
By now the beets should be cool enough to peel easily. Peel the beets and slice into small enough pieces that you can put into your blender or food processor easily. Add vegetable broth and sauteed mixture. Begin blending or processing until the texture is smooth.
Transfer soup mixture back into the large pot and place on medium heat.
Extract about 3 or 4 tbsp of juice from fresh ginger root (we place small slices of ginger in our garlic press to extract the juice). Because ginger root varies widely in potency, add about half to the soup, stir and taste. Keep adding to taste. Keep on low heat until ready to serve.
Prepare seed mix garnish: Toss pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and chia seeds into a skillet and pan roast on high heat just until the sesame seeds start to pop. Remove from heat and transfer to a small bowl. Add crushed black pepper and sea salt. Set aside.
Garnish with coconut cream: Note - usually the coconut cream will have separated into a thick white cream near the top and a milky liquid on the bottom. You’ll only use a small amount (about ½ to 1 tsp) of the cream for each bowl so you may want to avoid stirring the cream together and just use the cream floating near the top. It will make a prettier presentation.
Garnish with seed/salt/pepper mixture.
If desired squeezed a little lime on top.
Notes
For a lighter, non-vegan recipe, you can substitute plain greek yogurt for the coconut cream.