Blood Orange Beet Soup for #Valentine's #TripleSBites {#vegan #recipe #dairyfree}

Are you ready of my second post for the Valentine's #TripleSBevent? I certainly am and bringing soup that is a deep red, almost purple and so fitting for Valentine's Day, or any other day.   

Delicious earthy beets meet tangy yet sweet blood orange ~ it is like a big Valentine's card in a bowl.  Okay, I get it totally exaggerating…but you get my drift, right?!  Now let's be honest so - my entire family loves beets whether roasted or in this soup however if your family or significant other does not like beets this soup is not for you.  There is no way around it - if you are not a beet lover just think of the beautiful color that you are missing :) Take a look

On another note,  I do not use gloves when cooking but also do not mind my hands turning into this…

…so if red purple hands are not for you,  be sure to wear gloves because it sure takes a while to get the color off your hands.

Blood Orange Beet Soup

• 2 large red beets
• 1 TB olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 large organic blood oranges
• 2 C water, or a little more
• 1 vegan bullion cube 
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 C roasted, salted, cashews, crushed
•  2 TB parsley, minced
• 1/4 C Vegan sour "cream" {or your favorite sour cream}

1. Boil beets in salted water in their jackets for about 45 minutes or until cooked through.  Remove from water and immediately slip them out of their jackets.  Be careful, the beets will stain your hands.  Dice beets and set aside
2. Zest 1/2 of a blood orange. Set zest aside
3. Peel the blood oranges, carefully taking off any white skin (bitter) and dice the oranges.
4. Heat olive oil in a pot and add onion when hot add onion with a pinch of salt.  Sauté until onions are translucent and have softened
5. Add diced beets as well as oranges.  Sauté for minute or so before adding the water and the bullion cube.  
6. Cover and bring to a low simmer.  Simmer for about 10 minutes
7. While soup is cooking, mince the blood orange zest and combine with crushed cashes as well as parsley
8. Remove soup from heat and - using an immersion blender - carefully puree the soup.  Adjust salt as well as pepper, you may - if soup is too thick for you - add a little more water at this step.
9. Ladle soup into individual serving bowls topping each with sour "cream" and the cashew/zest/parsley mix

Enjoy!

To enter to win one of several awesome prizes please visit my #TripleSBites Kick off post and be sure to visit all of the participating blogs.

An InLinkz Link-up

Disclaimer:  I have received free products from the sponsors for this event.  All opinions are my own.