No-Nightshade Borscht Soup Recipe

Here's another recipe in my Winter Healthy Soup Series... this borscht contains no tomatoes or potatoes, which are from the Solanaceae family. Commonly known as nightshades, this family of plants can cause inflammation in some people. If you have rheumatoid arthritis, stay clear of the whole nightshade family which includes tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, potatoes, tobacco, & goji berries. Mercifully, sweet potatoes are not nightshades and can be eaten.
 
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Yield: 6-8 servings
 
Ingredients:
1 lb grass fed free range beef, stew meat with good marbling
1 Tbsp salt
2 large or 3 medium beets, cut into small cubes
5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp sugar
1 medium onion, diced
2 carrots, cut into small cubes
2 large sweet potatoes, cut into small cubes
1/2 head of cabbage, chopped roughly
2 Tbsp umeboshi plum paste
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
4 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
4 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup plain full fat greek yogurt
 
Cube meat and sear in a pan with 2 Tbsp olive oil. Place in a large soup pot with 10 cups cold water and 1 Tbsp salt and bay leaves. Bring to a low boil and remove foam that rises to the top. Lower heat and simmer for 2 hours or more until meat is tender.
 
Cube the beets, carrots, and sweet potatoes and sauté in olive oil in a large cast iron pan. Add ½ cup of the beef broth from the soup pot, apple cider vinegar, sugar, and umeboshi paste. Set aside. Using the same pan, sauté cabbage, onions, and garlic on low heat with a little more olive oil until the cabbage is softened.
 
After the stew meat has been slow cooking for about 2 hours, add the root vegetables, onions, garlic, and cabbage to the pot. Simmer for another 15-20 minutes until the roots are tender. Salt & pepper to taste. Remove from heat and add dill and parsley. Stir well.  Serve in bowls topped with a dollop of greek yogurt and dill sprigs.
 
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