Sweet & Sour Cabbage, Beet, and Tomato Borscht

So, I made this soup today for lunch, and didn't entirely expect too much from it. But, holy tasty, Batman! So I decided to share it all with you.

But first, a short discussion. Carrots and beets are higher on the glycemic index scale because they contain higher amounts of natural sugars. One would think, oh, I cannot eat these things on a low-carb diet. But today, while trying to find out the glycemic index of beets, I discovered "glycemic load". This is, in my terms, like "net carbs"--the amount of carbs minus the soluble fiber in a food, leading to a lower carb count. The glycemic load of beets and carrots is actually fairly low, since they have a LOT of fiber in them. So, guess what? They're fine!

Now, on with the soup.

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
4 raw beets, diced
1 small head of cabbage (I had 1/4 of a GIANT head of Savoy cabbage, and it was plenty)
4 cups of vegetable or chicken broth
2 cups of water
14 oz. can of peeled, whole tomatoes
1-2 beets, grated coarsely
2 T. dried dill
Salt & pepper to taste
3 T. of sugar (or sugar substitute, which I used)
3 T. cider vinegar
1 t. half-sharp paprika

Instructions:

Place onion, carrot, diced beets, cabbage, tomatoes, broth, and water in a large pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes, or until beets are tender.

Add in grated beet(s), dill, salt & pepper, paprika, sugar, and vinegar. Taste soup and make sure the seasoning are right and adjust the sugar/vinegar to your "sweet & sour" tastes. I used more vinegar, as I like sour things.

Allow soup to simmer for 10 more minutes.

Serve hot, with a dollop of sour cream. This can also be served cold, but I can't stand cold soup, so I had it hot!


Excuse my sad picture. I took it with my phone, since my camera is still dumb and missing.

Also, be warned, watch the splatter of this soup--it will stain EVERYTHING.

FYI, according to the book I adapted this recipe from, the calorie count for one serving of soup (this makes "6 servings") is around 111 calories. The original recipe had potatoes in it as well, so this is a very filling but low calorie soup. Yay!

UPDATE NOTE: Just an FYI, I don't recommend making this with beef broth. I did this week, and the beef flavor just takes over everything and makes it far too savory. With chicken broth, there's a nice sweetness to it from the beets.