Roasted Beet Soup With Coconut Creme Fraiche

About a month ago, beets were on super sale and cost only .33 cents a pound at my grocery store. I couldn't resist the deal and so I bought what must have been 15 lbs. My plan was to steam and freeze them for later use. A great idea not only to save money, but also because having beets mid week is much more appealing when you don't have to deal with the hassle of scrubbing, slicing and steaming them - all the while making sure not to cover yourself in the red juice.

When I got all the beets home, I decided I needed to deal with them pronto while my inspiration was still high. I scrubbed all the beets, then top and tailed them. Next, I pulled out my mandolin and started slicing. As I had enough sliced, I would do a batch in my steamer and then keep slicing.

Four large batches in, and I was bored. I still about about 15 beets left.

I decided I would quarter and wrap the rest in bundles or tin foil, then roast. Wayyy faster then slicing.

I roasted my beets for about 90 minutes, making sure they were all the way tender. I let the beets cool in their little tin foil bundles, then wrapped them in newspaper flyer bags (I always save them thinking they would come in handy!). Popped them in the back of my freezer, and waited for an idea to cross my mind to use them.

This soup took about 15 minutes to make with my already roasted beets. I still have three bundles in the freezer and so I this recipe will be any easy go to next time I'm crunched for time.


Roasted Beet Soup

Ingredients:

Soup

5-6 Beets, quartered
3 Cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 red onion chopped
4-6 cups of stock
2 tbsp. Olive oil
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
Salt and Pepper

Coconut Creme Fraiche

1/4 cup Coconut cream
1 tbsp. Lemon juice
Chopped green onions or chives

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Scrub the beets and cut into quarters. Wrap the beets in tin foil, drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. Roast for 1 hour or until softened.
3. Heat the olive oil in a medium size pan. Add the garlic and red onion. Saute until soft and slightly browned. Bring up the heat to high and add the balsamic vinegar. Scrap the bottom of the pan to release any bits that have stuck to the bottom.
4. Add the  3 cups stock and beets to the pot. Bring up to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
5. Puree the soup in batches in the stand up blender or use an emulsion blender until smooth. Add stock as needed.
6. Mix the coconut cream with the lemon juice.
7. Ladle the soup into bowls, top with a dollop of coconut creme fraiche and sprinkle with green onions or chives.

Note: You could also use plain yogurt or sour cream as a dollop on top to create the same effect.