Gazborscht

3 C peeled, shredded beets
5 C water
2 T tomato paste
1 t salt
1 - seedless cucumber, chopped coarsely
3 - medium tomatoes, chopped coarsely
1 - small white onion, chopped coarsely
1 - slice white bread
2 T olive oil
1/4 C lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
1/2 C fresh cilantro, loosely packed
0 - ground black pepper
1 - avocado, pitted and sliced

Place the shredded beets in a soup pot and add the water, tomato paste, and salt. Partially cover the pot, bring to a boil, and then simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.

Put half the cucumber, half the tomatoes, half the onion, 1 cup of the cooled beets and their liquid, and the bread, olive oil, and lemon juice. Process for about 15 seconds; the mixture should be chunky but you shouldn't be able to detect the bread.

Add the rest of the cucumber, tomato, onion, and the cilantro to the processor. Pulse about ten times so that the soup is still chunky. add this mixture to the rest of the cooled beets and add ground black pepper and salt to taste.

Cover and chill for at last 30 minutes. Garnish with thin slices of avocado.

From Veganomicon