Tomorrow is the day I present my Live Stream - Cooking 101 - Winter Detox Recipes That Don't Deprive zoom workshop.
I am excited to present this as there are ways to "detox" without starving yourself through juice fasts, especially during the winter months when the body craves hearty food.
This recipe and photography I actually captured back in the fall of 2019, but I failed to post it in a timely manner. And sometimes the timing in life works out as it's meant to. "The very center of your heart is where life begins. The most beautiful place on earth."
During that time I was integrating notions about heart-centered living while integrating foods that incorporate that energy. It is amazing the inner core of the pomegranate is shaped like a star while beets can mimic similar shapes to the heart.
This coordinated beautifully with the fall foliage, and this vintage winter-style dress that bursted pink as bright as pomegranate juice. The irony of posting this blog when the timing "was right," is that people are awakening to their hearts. There is growth and passion for changing the way we live.
The awakening process is a journey, but much of it comes to the realization that you are the cross. In the center of where the arms meet the torso lays our heart center.
Nutrition habits, lifestyle, mindset and spiritual soundness are all intermingled in our body's ecosystem. One helps the other, but when out of balance, the entire systems gets out of whack. One way to start living in harmony is through the consumption of whole and real foods. Natural foods provide us the nutrients we need to survive, but also to live more sound on a conscious level. For so long, we've become unconscious through mass consumption of artificial food. It's time to get back to nature, especially for women who want to live a healthier life. For more information on foods that promote Women's Wellness, visit this blog: 5 Healing Plant-Based Foods Every Woman Should Eat in their DietOn 1/26/20 at 6pm PST, I'll virtually present this recipe and two others on the Live Stream - Cooking 101 - Winter Detox Recipes That Don't Deprive. Registration for the public is only $5.
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Complete with a shaft of wheat on the table, this holiday is complete with savory food and historic stories.
"Christianity was introduced into Ukraine in 988 A.D. The flourishing pagan religion and traditions associated with it were too deeply rooted in the people to allow the Church to eradicate them completely. Therefore, the Church adopted a policy of tolerance toward most of the ancient customs and accepted many as part of the Christian holidays. In this way, the ancient pagan Feasts of Winter Solstice, Feasts of Fertility became part of Christian Christmas customs. This is perhaps why Ukrainian Christmas customs are quite unique and deeply symbolic.
Ukrainian Christmas festivities begin on Christmas Eve ([G]Dec.24; [J]Jan.6.) and end on the Feast of the Epiphany. The Christmas Eve Supper or Sviata Vecheria (Holy Supper) brings the family together to partake in special foods and begin the holiday with many customs and traditions, which reach back to antiquity. The rituals of the Christmas Eve are dedicated to God, to the welfare of the family, and to the remembrance of the ancestors.
With the appearance of the first star which is believed to be the Star of Bethlehem, the family gathers to begin supper.
The table is covered with two tablecloths, one for the ancestors of the family, the second for the living members. In pagan times ancestors were considered to be benevolent spirits, who, when properly respected, brought good fortune to the living family members. Under the table, as well as under the tablecloths some hay is spread to remember that Christ was born in a manger. The table always has one extra place-setting for the deceased family members, whose souls, according to belief, come on Christmas Eve and partake of the food.
A kolach (Christmas bread) is placed in the center of the table. This bread is braided into a ring, and three such rings are placed one on top of the other, with a candle in the center of the top one. The three rings symbolize the Trinity and the circular form represents Eternity.
A didukh (meaning grandfather) is a sheaf of wheat stalks or made of mixed grain stalks. It is placed under the icons in the house. In Ukraine, this is a very important Christmas tradition, because the stalks of grain symbolize all the ancestors of the family, and it is believed that their spirits reside in it during the holidays.
After the didukh is positioned in the place of honor, the father or head of the household places a bowl of kutia (boiled wheat mixed with poppy seeds and honey) next to it. Kutia is the most important food of the entire Christmas Eve Supper, and is also called God’s Food. A jug of uzvar (stewed fruits, which should contain twelve different fruits) and is called God’s Drink, is also served.
After all the preparations have been completed, the father offers each member of the family a piece of bread dipped in honey, which had been previously blessed in church. He then leads the family in prayer. After the prayer the father extends his best wishes to everyone with the greeting Khrystos Razhdaietsia(Christ is born), and the family sits down to a twelve-course meatless Christmas Eve Supper.
There are twelve courses in the Supper, because according to the Christian tradition each course is dedicated to one of Christ's Apostles. According to the ancient pagan belief, each course stood was for every full moon during the course of the year. The courses are meatless because there is a period of fasting required by the Church until Christmas Day. However, for the pagans the meatless dishes were a form of bloodless sacrifice to the gods.
The first course is always kutia. It is the main dish of the whole supper. Then comes borshch (beet soup) with vushka (boiled dumplings filled with chopped mushrooms and onions). This is followed by a variety of fish - baked, broiled, fried, cold in aspic, fish balls, marinated herring and so on. Then come varenyky (boiled dumplings filled with cabbage, potatoes, buckwheat grains, or prunes. There are also holubtsi (stuffed cabbage), and the supper ends with uzvar."
This vintage shirt and Ukrainian table cloth and other vintage items are available on my Etsy shop, The Elizabethan Closet.
Cook Time: 20-3 minutes
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
4 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 large lemon, juiced
4 smalls pears, peeled
3 tbsp corn starch
1 cinnamon stick
3 cloves
Directions:
Wash and peel the pears. Core the pears and slice the pears. In a pot, bring the water with the pear peels to a boil.
Meanwhile, In a bowl, mix together the pear fruit fresh and the lemon juice until well-coated. Once the mixture is boiling, reduce to a low simmer and add in the sugar, spices and pears covered in lemon juice. This will need to cook for nearly 20. minutes or until the pear slices are cuttable with a knife.
Near the end of cooking, dissolve the cornstarch in some water. Whisk until thin, and do not let it sit as the corn starch clumps at the bottom. Pour the dissolved corn starch into the pot and cook for 1-2 minutes. Stir constantly and then remove from heat.
COOKING NOTE:The mixture will thicken upon standing. This recipe is for more of a dessert-style recipe. If you want it thicker, add one more tablespoon of cornstarch. For a drink version only add 1-2 tbsp.
Recipe adapted from Ukrainian Recipes
Let's Connect! Enjoy my other Ukrainian / winter-based recipes below!
Author
Elizabeth Rae Kovar M.A. is Author of her memoir, Finding Om and is a Fitness Trainer, Yogi, Reiki Master, Presenter and Lover of Life. To view her portfolio please visit www.elizabethkovar.com
Follow her travels at: lemontreetravel.com
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