Roasted Garlic & Beet Soup

When I first started making this soup I wasn't sure if I was going to like it, and was really happy with how it came out.  I'm not a huge fan of beats, but really liked the flavor!

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.  Drizzle 3 medium beets with olive oil an roast on foil until tender.  Should take around an hour.

With around 20 minutes left, I drizzled 6 unpeeled garlic cloves with olive oil and added them to the pan.  Let them cook with the beets.  

One the beets have cooled, peel and quarter. Squeeze garlic from the skin and set aside.

Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a pan over medium heat.  Add one thinly sliced leek and cook, stirring until tender. 

Add the beets, garlic, 1 teaspoons thyme, and 1 bay leaf.

Stir in 3 cups of water, and season with salt and pepper.  

Bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.  Discard bay leaf and let cool slightly.  Puree in a blender until smooth, adding a couple tablespoons of lemon juice.

This is full of flavor and very good for you!  I am convinced this helped me fight off getting sick, as C has had a bad cold for a while.  Every time I felt it coming on I ate a bowl of this and it never got a hold of me.  It's spicy and unexpected, you're sure to enjoy.

Roasted Garlic & Beet Soup

Serves 6

Adapted from Whole Living Magazine

3 medium beets

5 tablespoons olive oil

6 garlic cloves, unpeeled

1 large leek, sliced

1 teaspoons fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

3 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.  

Drizzle the beets with olive oil, place on foil paper and roast until tender, around an hour.

Meanwhile drizzle garlic cloves with olive oil and roast for around 20 minutes.

When beets are finished, let cool.  

Peel and quarter the beets, and set aside.

Squeeze garlic from the skin and set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pot over medium heat, add the leek slices.

Cook, stirring until tender; around 6 minutes.

Add in the beets, garlic, thyme, bay leaf and 3 cups of water.

Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil.

Reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes. 

Let cool slightly then puree in a blender until smooth.

Add freshly squeezed lemon juice and adjust seasoning if needed.

Soup Spoon Cafe - Lansing MI

A couple weekends ago I took a trip to Michigan State, to see old friends and be in town for the big MSU vs UofM football game.  One of my good friends from college is in grad school and working in Lansing right now, and had scoped out a great place for us to have dinner, Soup Spoon Cafe.  She knows me so well, and honestly picked the perfect place :)  I started out with the pumpkin soup, served with a little whip cream on top.  Amazing.

A couple other people at the table ordered the seafood chowder, which was also delicious.  I could taste that these were homemade soups, which is rare and made me very excited for my main dish.

I ordered the shellfish risotto, and I had trouble not stuffing my face!  It was delicious, and filled with whole scallops, shrimp, and blue crab. 

I had to take a picture of every one's meal, so my friends got a taste of my obsessive food picture taking ;) This is the east side chicken, a chicken breast stuffed with spinach, sun dried cranberries, garlic and goat cheese.  It was served with fresh veggies and rice.

This pork looked amazing, like I said I wish I could have tried everything, but my meal was taking up all of my stomach's available space.  Slow roasted pork loin in a caramelized onion and pepper glaze.  YUM!

And finally the largest salad I've seen in a while.  It was filled with fresh vegetables, and looks just as good as it taste. 

With all the delicious food, two bottles of wine, and the great company I couldn't have asked for a better night.  I will definitely be back to the Soup Spoon Cafe the next time I'm in the Lansing area.  Take a look at their website by clicking here, and if you live in the area take a night to try them out. The atmosphere is very relaxed and comfortable, and the food will leave you very satisfied.  Thank you for the great service and night!