Cold Summer Beet Soup or "Is that an anti-inflammatory or are you just happy to see me?"

I've been eating cold beet soup since I was a kid... there is nothing in the world more beautiful than the color of beets and the fact that they are edible is just fabulous!

Saturday night I was having a girls night with one of my best friends, nail polish, hair curling and a viewing of Amelie were all involved. When I asked her what her request for dinner was she immediately asked for the beet soup I had made a few weeks prior for a dinner party... the beet soup had made her a total convert.

Some people think beets taste dirty, I think its more of an earthiness and really you just have to have them prepared and seasoned properly. I once dated a man who had only ever had canned asparagus *shutter* and when I served him steamed asparagus with hollandaise sauce his mind was forever changed.

And why are beets an excellent addition to your diet? That gorgeous color comes from betacyanins and are antioxidants and anti-inflammatories, reduces cancer risk, and the beet fiber promotes digestive and cardiovascular health.

More on the benefits of beets from Whole Foods.

Also the reason I love this soup is because its refreshing, delicious, filling and EASY to make!

Cold Beet Soup

• 5 medium/small beets
• 2 cups cold water
• 1 Tablespoon vegetarian Better than Bouillon
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon salt

This is a very unprecise recipe. Much of what I am going to describe here is really based on personal preference. 

1. Depending on the size of your beets you will want to cut them into more manageable pieces to boil or leave whole. Peel your beets and add to cold salted water. I once read that you must boil things from the earth in cold water but things from above ground can be cooked in warmed water... 

2. Cook beets until soft to the piercing of a fork... not mushy just soft. 

3. Strain beets and then place in blender. Add 2 cups cold water and 1 tablespoon vegetarian Better than Bouillon and salt. You could alternately use cold vegetable stock here but I like the taste of the Better then Bouillon because I find I can add more if I want it to taste more vegetably without watering down the soup. 

4. Once beets are pureed add 1/2 cup sour cream and continue to blend till completely smooth texture has been achieved. 

5. At this point I modify to taste, the beets have a naturally wonderful sweetness to them but you might want more saltiness and you can adjust this by adding more bouillon paste or salt depending on your preference or if you want the soup a little creamier you can add more sour cream. I personally leave the soup less creamy and serve with a dollop of sour cream on top, this makes for a lovely presentation and you can stir it in to get that creamier soup. 

If you serve this soup immediately it will still be slightly warm from the boiled beets and is tasty that way too... but if you make it ahead you can chill it and serve the cold soup with gluten free crackers and cheese. 

Enjoy! xoxo - Iris

PS: Warning about beet consumption: The red pigmentation of the beets WILL effect the color of your urine and BM so don't be alarmed if you pee a little pink after. :) They even have a name for it, its called beeturia, it is caused by the unmetabalized betalain pigment and so its intensity will vary person to person.