Every week there are new colors! Last week, the yellow and purple cauliflower caught my eye. Though tired of cauliflower, my family devoured a head of roasted yellow florets.
Open your eyes and shake things up this week: shop by color! Take your little ones by the hand, head to the market and look for usual veggies in unusual colors. Instead of a red tomato, try a yellow one; swap the red beets for golden ones; or go real crazy — get purple or orange cauliflower instead of white. Ask the kids to find as many different vegetables as they can in various colors. White eggplant, pale green zucchini, yellow watermelon — you’ll be amazed how many new discoveries you’ll find and how much it will liven up your plates at home.
So much about food shopping involves the senses. We sniff, eye and taste our way through a vast amount of choices. It’s no different at the farmer’s market, as we meander through displays of unfamiliar foods and head towards the same vendors to select the usual suspects — corn, tomatoes or cucumbers — we know our families will eat. It’s not that we don’t want to try something new, but we seem to be pre-programmed to buy the same old things week after week. Maybe it’s a defense mechanism to prevent an information overload. But I’ll admit (as I also get stuck in a shopping rut) selecting something new and different can be a crazy idea. Bet you’ve never tried a creamy beet soup! Here’s a focus for you this weekend in the market. Look for farm fresh beets — in any color — and make this decadent beet soup.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 4 people | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | Passive Time |
| 12 minutes | 1 hour |
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Select any color beet you’d like and create a fabulous farm fresh soup that even the kids may like. Red beets result in a fabulous fuchsia color. I’ve made soup with red beets on Halloween and served it to guests as “True Blood” soup. Get creative with your colors this weekend and create any color beet soup you'd like! Serve with a loaf of fresh bread and you've got a meal.
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- 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbs butter, salted
- 6 large beets roasted
- 3 large shallots skins removed and diced
- 3 leeks just white parts, cleaned and chopped
- 2 1/2 cups stock, vegetable or chicken
- salt and pepper to taste
- To roast the beets, remove the leaves of three large beets and scrub well. Drizzle olive oil on the beets and wrap in tin foil. Roast for an hour in a 400 degree oven. When finished roasting, allow to cool, remove the skins and cut into cubes.
- To make the soup, heat a medium sized pot with 1 tablespoon butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Sauté the shallots and leeks for 5-7 minutes. Add the beets and stock. Cook for a few minutes and puree with an immersion blender until smooth. Add additional stock if you like a thinner soup. If you'd like to add some richness to the soup, add 1/4 cup fresh cream.
- Serve warm (or chilled) with a dollop of crème fraiche or sour cream.
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