Borscht -- Russian Beet & Vegetable Soup (Vegetarian Recipe)

When I think of Russian food, first thing that comes to mind is Borscht --  beet & vegetable soup. To be honest I'm not a bog beets fan, so this was soup was something that I was not too excited about and kept looking for other dishes. But finally I realized I had no time and then ended up making the soup anyway. I was surprised that I liked the soup, it is very hearty and technically I didn't taste the beets as much as I feared I would. The color sure makes the beet presence apparent and I really loved how photogenic this soup was.
Russian Borscht (Beet &Veggie Soup) -- Adapted from here.
Ingredients: Serves 2~3
Beet - 1 medium, peeled and grated
Carrot - 1 small, peeled and grated
Tomato - 1 small, chopped
Lemon juice - 1tbsp
Potato - 1 large, diced
Cabbage - 1 cup, thinly sliced
Onion - 1 small, thinly sliced
Bay leaf - 1
Dried Parsley - 1tsp
Salt & Pepper - to taste
Sour cream - to serve (optional)

Method:

• Heat 2tsp oil in a medium sauce pan, add beets, carrots and tomato. Saute for 1~2 minutes.Add the lemon juice and cook on medium flame until the veggies are tender, about 12~15 minutes.
• Add 3~4 cups of water (or vegetable stock for extra flavor) and salt; bring to a boil. 
• Add the potato, cabbage, bay leaf, dried parsley and pepper. Cook covered until all the veggies are cooked through and tender, about 12~15 minutes.
• Adjust the seasonings and serve with a dollop of sour cream.

Check out the complete Russian Vegetarian Meal here.