I am super excited to finally have my blog up and running – this is definitely a work in progress as I am clearly not as computer savvy as I thought I was! I will start this blog by posting one of my all time favorite recipes – Baba’s Borscht!
Nothing brings me back to my Baba’s house like the smell of borscht cooking in the crockpot (that’s how I like to make mine – throw everything into the slow cooker, set it, and forget it…or try to because the smell is so wonderful I usually sit in agony with my mouth watering waiting to dive in!). Although borscht seems like it can be a pretty boring bland soup, it is so far from that! Colorful beets, carrots, green beans meld together with fresh dill and create a warm and incredibly nutritious soup.
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 -3 medium beets, peeled and diced small
- 1 large potatoe, peeled and diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and halved, then diced
- 1 cup green beans, ends trimmed, cut into ½″
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons of fresh dill, chopped fine
- 900mL chicken broth (or vegetable broth) – I use organic & low sodium (the smaller the ingredients list the better!)
- 1 cup of water
- ¼ cup dill pickle juice (I love getting canned pickles from the farmers market or family who cans their own as many store-bought pickles contain additives and colorants)
- 5.5oz can tomato paste
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar (coconut sugar can be found at most grocery stores and has a much lower glycemic index than refined sugar so it does not cause a spike in blood sugar levels)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- sour cream to garnish
- Dice and chop all vegetables (beets, potato, carrots, onion, green beans) and place into the slow cooker.
- Add minced garlic, coconut sugar, tomato paste, and dill pickle juice.
- Pour chicken stock into crock pot, then pour water to make sure all ingredients are just covered.
- Add fresh dill, salt and pepper (about a teaspoon of each, you can taste later and add more if needed)
- Stir all ingredients to mix well. Turn crock pot on to high heat at 6 hours, and let it do it’s magic!
- Be sure to check on the borscht periodically, and if you notice the beets losing color, turn the temperature to low heat until finished.
- Garnish with a dollop of light sour cream and a sprig of dill, and enjoy
Christal
Feel free to leave your comments or questions!!