Cold Beet and Carrot Soup

It's still very hot here, so cold soup is a sure hit. This can be made early in the day, then chilled in the refrigerator until ready to eat. Add a salad, and a piece of toast, and you're good to go for either lunch or dinner.

Ingredients:

6 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch lengths to make 2 cups
4 beets, peeled and quartered, to make 2 cups
1 small onion, chopped to make 1/2 cup, divided

for the carrot soup:

1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp salt

for the beet soup:

1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp salt

Toppings:

2 Tbs. Greek yogurt (optional)
1 Tbs. chopped chives
1 Tbs. chopped parsley or lovage leaves

Directions:

Place the carrots and 1/4 cup of the onions in a microwave safe dish and cook on high power for 2 to 4 minutes until tender. Pour the carrots into a blender. Place the beets and the remaining onions in the microwave dish and cook on high power for 2 to 4 minutes until tender.

Blend the carrot soup while the beets are cooking. Blend the carrots, onion, and the remaining ingredients for the carrot soup until well blended. Pour the carrot soup into a container and refrigerate. Rinse the blender.

When the beets are done cooking, blend them along with the remaining beet soup ingredients until well blended. Pour the beet soup into another container and refrigerate.

To serve, tilt a soup bowl to one side and ladle some of the carrot soup into the bowl. Til the bowl level, then fill the remainder of the bowl with a ladle of the beet soup. Use a knife to swirl the two colors of soup into a pattern. Place a dollop of Greek yogurt in the middle, then top with chives and leaves.

Serves 3, easily doubled

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Blending the carrots and beets allows their natural fibers to remain in the soup. This is more beneficial than turning the vegetables into a juice where the fibers have been strained out. Blending them allows you to receive the vitamins from their deep colors, especially vitamin C, as well as the fiber! Swirling the colors together makes this soup as pretty to look at as it is tasty to eat.