WLC: Day 2 ~ Roasted Garlic & Beet Soup

Today looked identical to yesterday, foodwise. And to my surprise, I wasn’t dying of hunger or deprivation at any point. Yeah, I had a headache and felt sluggish for part of the day (read: caffeine withdrawal) but otherwise, so far so good. AND I found out I have a place to live come October 15th when my sublet ends!! Seriously, that is the biggest weight off of my shoulders…like losing ten pounds without even trying  

My lunch is all packed for tomorrow: thawing orange strawberry smoothie, 1/2 banana for snack (1), roasted broccoli and spiced sweet potato soup for lunch and 3 fruity nut balls for snack (2).

Since I got done with dinner and tv watching so early tonight (managed to sneak in 2 episodes of Parenthood, obviously) I jumped on making dinner for the next two nights. Roasted garlic and beet soup! This leaves the door open for a social outing tomorrow without running the risk of not having time to stick to my menu.

The recipe instructs you to throw whole beets into the oven and roast them for an hour. Not necessary. Once peeled, diced and boiled for 7-10 minutes, they only need to roast for about 20. I just made the base of the final product – it will need some additional blending and additions tomorrow… As well as better pictures!

*Side note: a decent substitute for the post-work glass of wine = a couple hot cups of green tea

Roasted Garlic & Beet Soup

3 medium beets, peeled, diced
6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
1 leek, thinly sliced (white and light green parts)
3 cups water
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 tsp fresh)
1 bay leaf (I left this out – used herbs de provence)
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400. Boil beets in medium sized pot until firm but just starting to get tender, about 10 minutes. Toss beets and garlic cloves in olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast for 20-25 minutes, until beets are tender. Remove and let cool slightly.

In the medium pot, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and sliced leeks. Cook for 6-8 minutes, before adding thyme, salt and pepper. Add beets, garlic and water, then bring to a boil, before letting simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a blender. Blend until very smooth. Stir in lemon juice and season to taste.