21 Jan Red Velvet Soup
Both the ruby red colour and rich flavour of this soup is quite simply stunning! The acidity of the tomatoes contrast the sweetness of the beetroot. An excellent source of folic acid and a very good source of fibre, manganese and potassium, beetroot is also great for reducing blood pressure.
Serves: 4
#3 portions vegetables per serving
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (fat)
- 750gm beetroot (carb)
- 500gm vine tomatoes (carb)
- 4 shallots – peeled (carb)
- 2 cloves garlic (carb)
- 1 ¼ litre vegetable stock
- Add prawns as a protein addition to make it a PFC balanced meal
Preheat the oven to Gas 7 / 220C / 425 F.
Scrub the beetroot, top and tail, cut into quarters and then place on a baking tray, skin on, and drizzle over one tablespoon of oil. Place the tomatoes on a separate baking tray with the peeled shallots and cloves of garlic (skin on) and drizzle over the other tablespoon of olive oil. Then place both trays in the oven. First remove the tomatoes, shallots and garlic after approx. 20-25 mins until soft and pulpy. You can if you wish remove the tomato skins and pass them through a sieve to give a smoother consistency. Personally I don’t bother! Remove the beetroot after a total of approx.
40 mins or until soft when squeezed. Allow to cool for a few minutes before arming yourself with rubber gloves to remove the skin (beware – it will stain everything it comes into contact with!) and then roughly chop and place in a medium size saucepan. Add the rest of the vegetables and the stock and gently simmer for 10 mins. Using a hand blender or food processor blend until completely smooth, adding a little more stock if necessary to make a thinner consistency if required. I like serving this with toasted 100% rye bread and garnished with a swirl of coconut cream.
TIP: When not detoxing, crumble 125gm feta cheese (fat) or cooked prawns into the soup before serving which gives a lovely tangy contrast to the sweetness of the beetroot.