Russian Borscht
(courtesy of Chris Wyatt, chef, Renown Healthy Heart Program and food and beverage manager, Renown Health in Reno. Makes 4 quarts or 8, 2-cup servings)
2 medium red beets (stems and roots removed)
4 to 6 cups of water
2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and sliced or cubed into bite-sized pieces
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, grated
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
¼ cup no-salt-added ketchup
⅓ head red cabbage, roughly chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 tablespoon apple juice concentrate
1 15-ounce can no-salt-added kidney beans
4 to 6 cups water
4 cups no-salt-added vegetable broth
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup dill, freshly chopped
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
Boil beets for about an hour, or until you can easily pierce beets with a fork. Remove beets from water and let cool. Keep the now-red boiling water. Add potatoes and bay leaves to red water and boil 15 to 20 minutes. Gently spray no-stick cooking spray onto heated nonstick pan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and carrots and cook until just lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add ketchup and stir to incorporate. Add carrot/onion mixture, cabbage, celery, apple juice concentrate, kidney beans with juice, vegetable broth, lemon juice, dill, and pepper to pot of beet water. Peel and slice beets and add to pot, all ingredients included, for another 5 to 10 minutes.
*Recipe developed by Chris Wyatt in accordance with Healthy Heart standards.
