Borscht

Ingredients

Sauté in 1 Tbsp. oil or "butter" till onions and garlic get soft and start to brown:

• 1 cup of diced celery

• 1 cup diced onions

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

Add and cook for 15 minutes:

• 8 cups water or "beef" broth

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes

• 1 - 1 1/2 medium to large-sized peeled beets, diced

Add, cook for 10 minutes:

• 1 - 1 1/2 medium to large-sized peeled beets, grated

• 1 medium potato, diced (can add more potatoes if you need to make the soup go further)

Add, cook for 10 minutes (or till diced beets are cooked):

• 1 medium potato, grated

• 1 cup of chopped cabbage

• 1 or 2 medium carrots, grated

• beet greens, chopped

• optional ingredients

Add just before serving:

• ½ cup of fresh dill weed (3 Tbsp. dried dill weed)

• Salt to taste

• 4 Tbsp. lemon juice

• 2 Tbsp. Tomato paste

Optional ingredients: Green beans, peas, beet greens and veggie crumbles, ketchup, dash ground celery seed

Directions

Serve with a dollop of vegan sour cream on top and sprinkle with a little more dill if you want to be really fancy :)

This seems like a weird sort of soup to some people, but everyone who has tried it has liked or really liked it. It's actually Aria's favorite soup and she asks for it often. I love it too!

~Teacher Trudi