Roasted Beet Soup

After watching a recent episode of Food 911 with Tyler Florence, my interest in beets has been sparked. He made Russian Roasted Beet Borscht for this guy who had adopted kids from Russia. A very sweet story indeed. Anyway, the recipe wasn't quite vegan, not to mention it makes enough for a whole bunch of beet-lovin fools. So I changed a few things around to make it 1.) even healthier 2.) vegan and 3.) a smaller batch. It is deeelicious and very good if you make it a day ahead of time to let the flavors intensify. Not to mention the color is absolutely beautiful. Enjoy! **PS. remember to leave the skin on both the beets and the apple--there is some good nutrition lurking in these peels!
Ingredients:
* 4-5 small beets, leaves removed, scrubbed well and skin left ON
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* black pepper
* a few pinches dried thyme
Combine these ingredients in a packet of aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes, until a knife is easily inserted into the beets. Meanwhile...
* 1 small onion, chopped
* 1 garlic clove, chopped
* 1 large carrot, chopped
* 1/2 small green apple, cut into cubes and skin left on
* 2 teaspoons olive oil
* 3 cups good-tasting vegetable stock
* 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
* 1 tablespoon maple syrup or brown rice syrup
* Salt and black pepper to taste
combine the remaining oil, onion, carrot, apple and garlic in a large sauce pan and cook just a few minutes over medium. Add in the stock, vinegar, and syrup and bring to a simmer. Cook until the veggies are tender, about 10 minutes. When the beets are done, unwrap them and let cool enough to handle. Cut them into small chunks and add into the soup. Pour the drippings in the foil from the beets into the soup as well. If you have a immersion stick blender, blend the soup until smooth--otherwise, blend in a blender. Season to taste. Makes about 4 servings.