New Age Borscht - Not Like My Mother Used to Make

I remember the borscht my late mother used to make. It was pink and creamy and had peas and potatoes in it in addition to the vegetables I use to make mine. I don't think it would qualify as a "Zero Point" soup by today's WeightWatcher standards!

I weighed in at my neighbourhood WeightWatcher meeting yesterday - and the news was heartening! I broke 2 barriers - 30 lbs. accumulated weight loss AND I'm now officially under 150 lbs. in weight. Yes - I started my journey tipping the scales at 180 - and I'm only 5 feet tall. That's 3 pounds for every inch of my height! I was beginning to look like a refrigerator - and it was time to gain control.

I am a big fan of soups for lunch - they are warm, filling and satisfying - and can be low in points if the ingredients are zero-low point values. One of my favourites is borscht. I started out using a Meatless Borscht recipe from a WeightWatcher cookbook that preceded the "points" value calculations, but it has evolved to a point where it barely resembles the original recipe.

Why "New Age"? Well, it's a working gal's time saving version - I use packaged baby carrots, packaged cole slaw mix, leeks instead of onions - and no fat or cream. It's purely vegetarian.

New Age Borscht

2 cups chopped leek (3 leeks - white and pale green parts)
1 cup chopped celery (3 stalks)
1 cup chopped baby carrots
2 cups beets - julienned
3 cups packaged cole slaw mix or shredded cabbage
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. tomato paste
5 cups vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill ( or 2 tbsp. dried) or more if you like dill

1. Spray a large pot with vegetable spray and "sweat" all the vegetable ingredients except beets and cabbage.  
2. After these have softened, add the beets and continue to cook for a few minutes.
3. Add the cabbage. If it gets a bit sticky to the pot, add a little vegetable broth to loosen.

4. Add chopped dill, salt, pepper, broth, tomato paste, bay leaves, lemon juice and sugar. 

5. Simmer until vegetables are tender - 45 minutes or so.

This recipe makes about 9 cups of borscht. Point value is 0 per 1-1/2 c. serving.  Enjoy.