Beets are a great source of the B vitamin folic acid, and give the soup a lovely magenta hue, while buttermilk smooths it and adds a pleasing tang.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon oil of choice
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 pound potatoes, peeled or not, coarsely chopped
1 pound beets, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon sweetener
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon dill seed
1 pint strawberries, hulled
2½ cups buttermilk
2 teaspoons lemon juice
¼ teaspoon white pepper (ok to use black if you don’t have white)
dill sprigs for garnishing, if desired
Directions:
1. Heat oil in a large saucepan or soup pot. Add the onions and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Add 2 cups of water and the potatoes, beets, sugar, salt, and dill seed. Cover the pot and cook over medium-low heat until the vegetables are tender, 20-25 minutes.
2. In a food processor or blender, puree the vegetables mixture with the strawberries in batches if necessary, pulsing until smooth. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until cold (this recipe can be made to this point up to 2 days before serving).
3. Whisk in the buttermilk and season with the lemon juice and pepper. Serve the soup cold and garnished with dill sprigs if desired.