In a special way

My graduating class in college was 30 people. We were a very close knit bunch because there were so few of us and everyone knew everything about each member of the class. So when N and L- roommates, decided they wanted to lose some weight by going on the cabbage soup diet - we all knew about it. Now I can't vouch for whether the diet actually worked, like most of the girls in my program, N and L really didn't need to lose any weight. However, I can tell you the side effects of the cabbage soup diet were not pleasant, and when there are only 30 people in your program, it's not very considerate of others either.

The entire experience turned me off of the idea of cabbage soup and so I'm sure you won't be surprised when I tell you that I got nervous when I noticed the next soup recipe was for beet and cabbage soup. It doesn't help that I'm not exactly a beet fan either. But I'm a solider - I forged ahead anyway.

And I am very glad I did. This soup was fantastic from step one. We begin with the gorgeous color. We continue with the amazing taste. Thatboy had three bowls of this, and then got mad at me when I ate the leftovers the next day. I may very well be a beet convert. Although I like keeping them in a simple soup, I'm still a little nervous about eating them on their own.

And this soup is so filling, I can definitely imagine how the cabbage soup diet would work. There's almost nothing bad in this soup at all so you don't need to feel guilty after consuming bowls and bowls. Frankly, if I had to eat this soup every day I think I would be quite the happy camper!


Cabbage and Beet Soup (From The Fannie Farmer Cookbook)

• 1 qt beef stock
• 2 cups peeled and diced raw beets
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cups coarsely chopped cabbage
• ground pepper
• 2 Tbsp cider vinegar

1. Put the stock, beets, onion, and cabbage in a soup pot.
2. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer, partially covered, replacing any liquid that evaporates with additional stock or water.
3. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until the beets are tender. Season with pepper and vinegar.