Bean Soup

You need:

• 2 cups of dry beans
• 1 pepper, fresh, or dried
• 1 medium onion
• 2 carrots
• 1/3 cup of vegetable oil
• ½ bunch of fresh spearmint, or 1 teaspoon of dry
• 1 tomato
• salt to taste
• 3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

Instructions:

In a pot, bring water to boil. Add the beans and the chopped onion. Cook for 30 minutes before adding the chopped vegetables. It is absolutely delicious, if you try this thing with my recipe: Use a cheese cloth and place the vegetables all together with the ½ bunch of spearmint, without chopping them up. That way you could remove them easily from that cloth when the soup is ready, and serve them separately. The soup will still keep the flavor of these vegetables and remain clear. At the end, add salt and red wine vinegar. Simple as this!

Cucumber Soup “Tarator”

You need:

• 1 European cucumber
• 3 cups of plain yogurt
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• ½ bunch fresh dill
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups of water
• salt to taste

Instructions:

Pour the plain yogurt into a large bowl. Add the water and whisk until smooth. To make it colder, add a few ice cubes. Peel and chop the cucumber. Ground the garlic. Incorporate them into the bowl with the plain yogurt and water. Add the dill, finely chopped. Stir it, with some salt and the olive oil added to it. “Tarator” is a cold summer soup and it is served chilled. You can eat it as soup with a spoon, or just drink it from a cup. If you like it richer, add a couple tablespoons of ground walnuts. Enjoy!

Red Beet Soup (Borsh)

You need:

• 1 large red beet
• 2 cups of green cabbage
• 4 cups water
• 3 -4 medium potatoes
• 2 carrots  
• 1/2 medium onion
• 1 tomato
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2-3 pieces of fresh parsley
• ½ cup sour cream

Instructions:

1. Shred the cabbage and the beet.
2. Dice potatoes and the onion.
3. Cut the carrots into rounds.
4. Add it into a pot with boiling water. Cook it for about 20 minutes.
5. Add diced tomato and garlic. Cook for another 5 minutes.
6. Chop and add the parsley the last min to keep the fresh taste.

Arrange with 1 tbsp of sour cream.