Detoxifying Recipe for Beet Soup Gazpacho

Perfect for the sultry summer season, this recipe for beet soup gazpacho is both hydrating and detoxifying. Cool and refreshing, the flavor profile is one you are already probably familiar with; beets and oranges. Its a tasty combo that works perfectly in salads, so why not in soup?

Recipe for Beet Soup Can Be More Detoxifying than Beet Juice

Known as one of the most potent natural liver detoxifying foods on the the planet, beets are a superfood rich in both betalains and pectin. Betalains are a class of phytonutrients that not only encourage the liver to eliminate toxins, but also reduce systemic inflammation and exert powerful antioxidant activity within the body. The pectin in beets is a type of fiber that helps sweep and flush the toxins out before your body has a chance to reabsorb them. Basically, the betalains and pectin work in synergy with each other when they are consumed together in the form of a “whole” beet.

As far as detox tonics go, beet juice is far more popular than beet soup or beet gazpacho. But, if you have read our Clean Cuisine book then you know our stance on juicing (if not, be sure to watch the this video explaining the why juice detox is not as healthy as you might think).

The main problem with juicing beets rather than eating them raw is that the juice is missing the fiber. That’s a problem because the fiber plays a pivotal role in flushing (literally!) the toxins from your body. However, since the betalains in beets are heat sensitive and lose many of their potent detox properties the longer they are heated and the higher the temperature, raw beet juice is beneficial in that it keeps the betalains in tact. Pulverizing tough raw beets doesn’t work so well if you are trying to make a creamy soup, so a recipe for beet soup will almost always require softening (i.e. cooking) the beets first. But, by keeping the temperature rather low and roasting beets the bare minimum amount of time, you can preserve a significant amount of betalain activity, keep all the beet pectin and still end up with a creamy textured soup.  And that’s exactly what has been done in the recipe for beet soup gazpacho below…

Oh! And if you want a super clean sour cream topping for your beet soup, check out my homemade dairy-free sour cream recipe HERE.

Detoxifying Recipe for Beet Soup Gazpacho

• Author: Ivy Larson
• Yield: 4 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 3 medium-sized beet bulbs (ends cut)
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest for garnish)
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup pine nuts
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 whole peeled oranges (cut into segments (plus 1 teaspoon orange zest for garnish))
• Unrefined sea salt (to taste)
• Finely chopped cucumber and radishes (for garnish)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Wrap each beet bulb in parchment paper. Place the wrapped beet bulbs on a heavy cookie sheet. Roast beets for 30 to 35 minutes, or until just tender. Remove beets from oven, carefully unwrap and let cool. When beets are cool enough to handle, coarsely chop.
3. To a high-speed blender, add ½ of the chopped beets, lemon juice and water. Process until very smooth. Add the remaining beets and process again. Add the pine nuts, garlic and orange segments and process until very smooth. Season with salt to taste.
4. Transfer soup to a large bowl, cover and chill for 2-3 hours. Garnish with chopped cucumber and radish.