The rich plum and warm colours of this soup along with its beetroot slices are reminiscent of a beautiful sunset. I invite you to create a palette of similar hues to preserve the pure, clean colour of this dish. I take the same approach when it comes to blending juices, as this avoids a ‘muddy’ appearance (found on p111 from LMITK).
The intense colours make it a delicious and nutritious dish with the combination of beetroot, sweet potato and carrots, all of which provide a high content of beta-carotene. The body converts beta-carotene into vitamin A (retinol), to which is essential for healthy skin and mucus membranes, our immune system, as well as good eye health and vision!
Makes approx. 2 and ½ litres
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, or good quality olive oil. Lower temperature if using olive oil
- 1 red onion diced
- 2 celery stalks, roughly sliced
- 1 small sweet potato scrubbed removing marks, skin retained and chopped into small pieces
- 2 small carrots, chopped into small pieces
- 2 small garlic cloves finely chopped
- 3 pre cooked medium beetroots, scrubbed, topped and tailed and chopped roughly
- Approx. 2 -2 and ½ litres of liquid either vegetable broth while on detox diet or if following a vegan diet. Otherwise a bone broth or water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 large pinch pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried herbs
- Optional for extra flavour: use one teaspoon of organic dried vegetable broth
Method
Heat the pan and then add oil. When warmed, begin to add onion and dried broth (if using), and stir until these start to turn slightly in colour.
Add celery, sweet potato carrots, and garlic and continue stirring for a few minutes.
Allow the vegetables to break down and soften a little, then add beetroot, spices, herbs and finally broth or water – and bring it to a boil.
Turn the heat down until it is simmering and allow the soup to cook for approx. 15 mins. Remove and when it is cool enough to handle, use a ladle to transfer into a food processor to process until it is smooth.
Serve
When serving, I like to keep the flavours simple. This soup pairs well with hearty slices of fresh bread (available on pg85), slices of beetroot and sprigs of micro herbs from the local market or your local green grocer. You can also add various flavour enhancers such as ‘savoury sprinkles’ (available on pg93) or fresh parmesan, if not detoxing.
