Steemit Culinary Challenge #46: Apple Double Feature--Vegan Take on Borscht & Radish Slaw

Hello all!  I am excited once again to join in on the #steemitculinarychallenge put on by the amazing @woman-onthe-wing!  This week's theme is apples!  After going to the orchard a month ago to get fresh apples, I had made a lot of different apple recipes over the past month.  I decided to try something a little bit different to make for this challenge.

My boyfriend, @dksart, was born in Poland, so I have gotten to try some of the classic Polish dishes when we go visit his parents.  I had never really eaten beets before we started dating, but I found I really like them.  I am especially fond of them in soup.  Apples and beets actually go very well together since beets have that natural earthy sweetness.  I decided to try a little riff on borscht for half of my submission today.

I also saw the lovely lavender daikon radish at the farmers market and decided that would blend well with apple for a fresh slaw.  Thus, I had my dinner menu of a variation of soup and salad with my apple component in both!

I started out making my slaw first.  It is really very simple, but the ingredients played off each other perfectly for a refreshing salad.

Slaw Ingredients

• 2 large daikon radishes
• 2 apples (I found Mutzu at the market)
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons grainy mustard

First I cut up the apples and radishes to place in the food processor and shred.  You can also use a regular grater, the food processor just makes it a lot faster!  The radishes were so pretty on the inside!

I then place them in the food processor and shredded them all up for the slaw.  I didn't bother peeling either of them, just trimmed the ends of the radishes and cut out the core from the apples.

To finish it off I just mixed together my mustard and cider vinegar then drizzled it over the slaw.  Stir it together to combine, then let it sit until your soup is ready. :)

Vegan Borscht Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 parsnips, ends trimmed and roughly chopped
• 6-7 small beets, ends trimmed and roughly chopped
• 2 apples, cored and roughly chopped
• 3 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup dry red lentils, rinsed and drained
• 8 cups water or vegetable broth
• 2-3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

I always start by pulling out all of my ingredients.

Next I do all of the chopping of the vegetables, and I usually like to have the seasoning measured out, as well.

Heat a large stockpot over medium heat and add the onion and celery.  Cook for 5 minutes, or until softened.  Then add your seasonings (oregano through pepper) and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Turn up the heat on the stove to high and add the remaining ingredients except for the apple cider vinegar.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low.  Simmer partially covered for 30 minutes.

Once everything is cooked through, remove the bay leaf, pour in the apple cider vinegar and let cool slightly.  Use either an immersion blender or blend in batches to puree the soup.

Taste and add extra salt and pepper to your liking!

Both the soup and slaw came out delicious!  Using similar ingredients in both made them a great pair, and I do enjoy having a cool and warm element in the same meal to keep things interesting.  I hope you guys enjoy my take on these, as well!