Instant Pot borscht with beets and coconut yogurt

Beets stain the cutting board, the towel, sometimes your hands, and peeling and cubing 4 of them is not most people's idea of a relaxing stretch of prep time. That is the real cost of this soup, right up front. The Instant Pot then takes what would be 30 to 40 minutes of stovetop simmering and turns it into 15 minutes under pressure, without asking you to hover over it.

Beets are a genuine source of folate, and the nitrates in them are linked to how well blood vessels function, worth knowing about when so much of Autoimmune healing comes down to circulation, getting nutrients where they need to go. Cabbage does its own quieter share of that work too.

This soup turns out the color of something serious, deep red-purple, with a spoonful of coconut yogurt melting into the middle. Notice that before the first bite. Old food, adapted for where you are now, is worth a moment of real attention.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 4 beets, peeled and cubed
• 4 cups cabbage, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cups bone broth
• Unsweetened coconut yogurt, to serve (verify label for no non-AIP additives)

Method

Set the Instant Pot to Saute. Add the olive oil and heat for 1 minute. Add the chopped onion and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent.

Add the cubed beets and chopped cabbage to the pot. Pour in the bone broth and apple cider vinegar. Add the bay leaves and salt. Stir everything to combine.

Turn off the Saute function. Secure the lid and set the pressure valve to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 15 minutes.

Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then carefully quick-release any remaining pressure.

Open the lid and remove the bay leaves. Taste the soup and adjust salt as needed. Ladle into bowls and finish each serving with a generous spoonful of unsweetened coconut yogurt.

Stovetop variation

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until soft. Add the beets, cabbage, bone broth, apple cider vinegar, bay leaves, and salt. Stir to combine.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cover and cook for 30 to 40 minutes until the beets are completely tender when pierced with a knife. Remove the bay leaves. Taste, adjust salt, and serve with coconut yogurt.

*Adapted from lichenpaleolovingaip.com*

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