This is not your babushka’s borscht.

Funny thing about me is that I am not the biggest fan of beets. However, the simplicity and balance of sweet, sour, salt and umami make me crave this whenever it’s hot out. Oh did I mention that this a chilled soup? If you’re a fan of gaspacho, this will definitely be a favorite. It’s not totally authentic – my partner’s babushka can attest to that – but I think with the addition of umami from the fish sauce and the brininess pickle juice balance out the sweetness from the beets. I also use chicken bone broth and plain greek yogurt to increase the protein and make this a more well balanced meal on it’s own.

Ingredients:

• 3 medium beets
• 1 large russet potato
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 4 cups chicken bone broth (i like the cartons from Trader Joe’s)
• 2 cups of water
• 1/4 dill pickle juice (love Bubbies)
• 3 tbsp of monk fruit sweetener
• 2 tbsp of fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• salt & pepper

Toppings:

• plain greek yogurt or sour cream
• persian cucumbers
• green onions
• fresh dill
• white wine vinegar

Directions:

Heat the oven to 400°F. Wrap each beet individually in aluminum foil with a tiny splash of water. Roast for 45-50 minutes until the beets are soft and can easily be pierced with a fork. Meanwhile, peel your potatoes and cut into small cubes. Season with olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Roast for 20-25 minutes until potatoes are fork tender. You can throw them in with the beets if there is room in the oven.

Once the beets are done cooking and have cooled, peel off the skin by hand (make sure to use gloves to avoid turning your hands and nails pink). Grate the beets using the small side of a box grater or a cheese grater.

Add bone broth, water and grated beets to a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, partially covered with the lid. After 20 minutes, add the potatoes and cook for 5 to 10 minutes more. Add the dill pickle juice, monk fruit sweetener, fish sauce, lemon juice and white wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let cool and store in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.

Serve:

Portion out a serving of cold broth. Add diced persian cucumber and finely chop green onion and dill (I use about a half of a cucumber and green onion per serving). Add a dollop of greek yogurt/sour cream and a dash of white wine vinegar. Enjoy!

The post Hot Girl Summer Soup – Borscht first appeared on Kale and Collagen.

When you are feeling under the weather, cooking is the last thing you feel like doing. Tired of toast and butter or other quick no cook meals (yogurt, frozen food, whatever else I had in the fridge that didn’t require any effort) I threw together this quick _ minute soup with vegetables and pantry items we always keep on hand.

I also add a couple scoops of collagen powder to the finished soup to add more protein. I typically do this to most of my soups if I’m using store bought chicken broth or chicken bouillon paste as it shocked me how these store bought options do not contain any protein.

If you have the time (and chicken bones), I would recommend making a large batch of chicken stock and freeze in quart sized containers. Nothing is better than homemade chicken stock. Check out my simple chicken stock recipe (link). It’s only a few ingredients (chicken bones, water, garlic, spices) and can be left on the stove all day.

Now back to this chicken noodle soup. We start by sautéing the vegetables – onions, carrots, and celery. Once veggies have softened, we add the garlic and red pepper flakes (omit if avoiding spicy foods). I learned from one of Kenji Lopez’s recipes to add red pepper flakes during the cooking process rather than at the end, and it has been wonderful. After a minute, we add the chicken broth and herbs.

The herbs used are bay leaves, thyme, oregano and parsley. I keep dried bay leaves and oregano in the pantry. I also have dried thyme, but try to keep the fresh version in the fridge and eventually freezer. Any time I buy fresh herbs, I freeze the remaining. You don’t have to follow the herbs I use exactly if you do not have on hand. Your soup won’t taste exactly like this one, but it will be pretty dang close.

This recipe is versatile and you can add whatever veggies you have on hand. I chopped up a couple leaves of kale and added it in.

For the chicken, I used a shortcut and had a rotisserie chicken in the fridge.

For the noodles, I prefer the short spaghetti noodles in my chicken noodle soup. You can obviously use whatever noodle you prefer (egg noodles would be good here) and just cook it as long as it says on the package.

Make sure to salt your soup to taste and salt as you go. I add a pinch of salt when sautéing the vegetables and after adding the broth. Please make sure to watch if you’re using low sodium or regular chicken broth as this will impact how much salt you need to add.

My last tip is to freeze any leftovers in individual servings. This way the next time you are feeling under the weather, you can quickly reheat! Your future self will thank you!

Ingredients (Serves 2 big bowls):

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 carrot
• 1 stalk celery
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced or grated
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• 4 cups of low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon of fresh thyme (or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme)
• 1/2 teaspoon of fresh oregano (or 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano)
• 2 oz of preferred noodle (I use spaghetti and break it into little pieces)
• 1 cup of shredded cooked chicken
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
• 2 scoops of Vital Proteins Collagen
• salt & fresh cracked pepper

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a small dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat
2. Add the carrots, celery, onion, and sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 7 to 10 minutes
3. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté for another minute
4. Add the chicken broth, bay leaves, thyme, oregano (and any other veggies you wish to add) and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Add noodles and boil until al dente (follow instructions on box)
6. Add the chicken, parsley and collagen for an additional minute, until warmed up
7. Season with salt & pepper (don’t forget to remove the bay leaf before serving)

Nutritional Information (Per Serving): 336 calories, 7g fat, 32g carbs, 25g protein

The post Quick and Delicious Chicken Collagen Noodle Soup first appeared on Kale and Collagen.

This mocktail is the perfect drink whenever you are feeling like your body needs a reset. The ginger, cinnamon, lemon, ACV and cayenne all help boost the metabolism and remove toxins. I like to make a batch on Sunday evening and drink it throughout the week. It should be taken first thing in the morning before consuming breakfast.

Ingredients (Makes 5 servings):

• 4 cups filtered water
• 2 inch piece of ginger peeled and sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• juice of 2 lemons
• 4 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
• couple dashes of cayenne

Directions:

Add the ginger and cinnamon stick to a heat-proof jar or carafe. Boil the filtered water and add to ginger and cinnamon stick. Steep overnight. The next morning add the remaining ingredients. Enjoy!

The post Metabolism Boosting Morning Mocktail first appeared on Kale and Collagen.