Sweet-and-Sour Beet, Cabbage, and Tomato Soup

This version of borscht (beet soup) is good hot or cold. I tried it both ways and was surprised that I actually enjoyed the latter more!

Bring 2 and 1/4 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan. Add 3 cups shredded cabbage, 1 cup chopped onion, 1 cup diced and peeled beets (about 1 large or 2 medium), 3/4 cup canned diced tomatoes, 1/4 cup tomato sauce, 2 tablespoons chopped celery root, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons organic brown sugar, 1/8 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

A couple notes on ingredients: the original recipe didn't specify red or green cabbage, but since red cabbage was the only one I could find pre-shredded at the supermarket, that's what I bought. I figure it doesn't matter much because the beets are going to dye whichever variety you choose purple! The original recipe also actually called for petite diced tomatoes, which I have never seen at Whole Foods, so I used their regular canned diced tomatoes. Del Monte and Hunt's do make the petite version, however, if your supermarket carries those brands. Finally, if you don't want to buy celery root just for those 2 tablespoons, you can use chopped celery instead.

After an hour, add 1 tablespoon golden raisins, and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice. Continue to simmer, partially covered, for 15 minutes.

Ladle 1 cup of soup into each of 4 bowls. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon of vegan sour cream (such as Tofutti's Better Than Sour Cream), and 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind (don't forget to grate the rind before your squeeze the lemon for juice!). Each serving is 120 calories.

Cost:
shredded cabbage $1.99
onion $0.58
beets $1.17
canned diced tomatoes $1.19
tomato sauce $0.79
celery root $0.50
lemon $0.79