Borsch is not just a soup. It is The Best Soup Ever! I grew up on it – not even a week could pass without having borscht for lunch. Very tasty, hearty, rich soup with an invigorating bright red color! I really don’t know a better option for dining at home. The very moment when “healthy” equates to “tasty” and brings emotional satisfaction.
Everyone has their own favorite way to cook borscht. My grandmother, for example, cuts beets for borscht into large pieces and just boils them with potatoes. She likes the broth this way, as she says, it turns out rich and transparent. My mother’s method is closer to my taste: she grates the beets and adds them to the fryed part. I see it more reasonable, since we usually remove the large boiled pieces of beets from borscht. After cooking, it turns completely pale (it gives everything to the broth) and looks not appealing afterwards.
Nutritional value
This may surprise some people, but in my family we have always made borscht fasting. I learned that it is “normally” made with meat only when I grew up. Instead of meat, we added beans to the soup. Now, analyzing the nutritional value of such borscht, I am amazed! Here is a comparison: vegan borscht has fewer calories, and the same protein content!
Calories are our bank. Let’s say, there are 1,800 calories a day you want to consume, and you need to use them wisely to get a little of everything. So imagine, the more calories you get from fat, the less you will have for other nutrients! I usually eat two bowls of this borscht for lunch. With sour cream and bread I get a good, hearty lunch.
I love variety, so I use different beans for borscht – black, red or white. Black beans (as in this recipe) darkens the borscht. It is smaller in size and seems to be juicier. By the way, in addition to protein, beans also contain a lot of iron (the leader is white beans, they are also leading in calcium content).
Vegan sour cream
In my family, I was the only person who did not like sour cream in soups. It always seemed to me that this is rather a sweet product, and it is better to eat it with jam! But the classic way of serving Borscht includes sour cream. How cool it is that vegan sour cream can be made so easily with cashews. Blender – is all you need for that. Borsch is amazing with this yummy vegan sour cream!
Vegan Black Bean Borscht - Hearty Soup with "Doping"
Ingredients
- 900 g Black beans
- 2 medium Potatoes
- 6 cups Water
- 6-8 Black peppercorns
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1 tbsp Oil
- 1 medium Onion
- 1 small Carrot
- ½ medium Bell pepper
- 3 small Beetroots
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 5 tbsp Tomato paste
- 2 tsp Coriander seeds
- Hot Chili Pepper to taste
- 300 g Cabbage
- 2 tbsp Dill
Instructions
- Prepare the beans: Soak them overnight and cook until tender. Black beans cook faster than kidney beans. I cook it in a pressure cooker, bring the pressure to the first level and turn off the heat. When the pressure naturally releases, the beans are cooked. Alternatively, you can use canned black beans.
- Pour 1.5 liters of water into a large saucepan and set on fire. Dice the potatoes and transfer into a saucepan. Add bay leaves and black peppercorns.
- Preheat oil in a skillet. Finely chop the onion and fry it until golden brown. Add the julienned pepper.
- Then add the carrots (also cut into strips or grate).
- When the carrots are shrinked in size, add the chopped (or grated) beets. Simmer for 5 minutes and add spices, garlic and tomato paste. Continue simmering the vegetables, covered with a lid, until the beets are tender.
- Add shredded cabbage to boiling potato. Add black beans and cook for 7-10 minutes. At the very end, transfer fried veggies to the saucepan, stir, adjust the spices to your taste. Add hot chili peppers if desired (when adding whole chili, keep in mind that the soup will become hotter as it brews).
- Garnish with fresh cilantro, parsley or dill. Bon Appetit!
Nutrition facts
Things I use
  | OneChois Measuring Spoon and Measuring Jug SetThis measuring set is one of my favorite things I use in my kitchen! I love measuring food and being aware of the amounts of each product I use in the recipe. These cups have a very convenient and stable shape. When I measure liquids, nothing is spilling out - it's just magic, ha ha))) Highly recommend everyone to have measuring spoons (and cups) at the kitchen - it really brings such pleasure to the cooking process. |
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