I found this lovely mid-century tea tray that comes from the USSR. Dating back to the 1970's, and painted with vibrant-colored flowers, this toile tray inspired me to make a traditional Russian tea / beverage. Since it is summer, I decided to try something cooling, rather than a warm Russian tea.
Russian Kompot is a fruit-based juice that has many variations and can be served hot or cold depending on the season. The traditional method uses cherries, but many variations use fresh or dried fruits like apples, berries or apricots.
For the summer, you can use any seasonal berry or fruit, and serve it up cold, or over ice. Many recipes use a large amount of sugar, but I drastically reduced the sugar to make this a healthier and sweeter treat. During the holiday season, kompot makes an excellent warm, seasoned hot beverage. It's a fun recipe to experiment during every season of the year! This vintage USSR tea tray + many other vintage items available for purchase on my Etsy shop, The Elizabethan Closet. For more vintage items, let's connect above on the Instagram account!
Russian Cherry Kompot Juice
Make Time: 30 minutes Makes approximately 4 cups Ingredients: 4 cups water 1 lb or 1 heaping cup cherries, pitted 2 tbsp sugar Directions: Begin by putting the cherries. Without a cherry pitter, I remove the stems and hold the cherry in my left hand, bottom on a cutting board. I take a hard plastic straw and push the straw from the top to the bottom of the cherry. Slightly, slide the cherry up the straw to get the pit out of the fruit. In a pot, combine the water and sugar and bring to a simmer. Once the sugar dissolves after one minute, add the cherries. Simmer on low heat for 10-15 minutes. Once the cherries lose color, remove from heat and let the juice cool completely. I find it is best enjoyed 12-24 hours after cooling. Immediately drinking the juice will have a more sugary flavor. The cherry flavor really kicks in once the juice cools entirely. The traditional version leaves the cherries in the liquid, but you can also remove it if you'd like. Enjoy cold! Let's Connect! Enjoy my other cherry recipes below!
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Are you looking for a different type of pasta dish? If so, this one is for you. Healthy, hearty and balanced, this meal balances the macronutrients while packed with nutrients from the butternut squash and kale.
I wanted to make something that was a different type of pasta meal, but unfortunately, this one is slightly time intensive - but super worth it! This is perfect for the winter months, but can be enjoyed year round. I am a bit late on posting this lovely meal.
During this time, it is still very important to ramp up immunity and the more vegetables and bio-diversity in your diet is, will ramp up your health. Butternut squash is like kale and dates - it's almost like a miracle food. It is chocked full of vitamins and nutrients that it can help with the following....
Did you now butternut squash can aide the following?
-prevents asthma -lowers risk of cancer -managing diabetes -improves skin and hair care -aides digestive health -boosts immune function When you know it's health benefits - why would you not want to eat it?
Butternut Squash + Tofu Ricotta Stuffed Shells
Total Time: 1 hr 20 minutes Serves 4 Ingredients: 25 jumbo pasta shells (3/4 of 12 oz. box) 1 herbed tofu ricotta cheese recipe ______________________________________ Butternut Squash Sauce Ingredients: 2-3 tbsp olive oil 2 medium butternut squash, cubed 2 whole garlic cloves (wrapped in foil with 1 tbsp olive oil) 2 cup vegetable broth 1 cup almond milk 1/2 tbsp fresh sage salt + pepper to taste Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prep the squash and mix in a bowl with the sage, salt, pepper and olive oil. In a small piece of foil, put 1 tbsp of olive oil with the whole garlic cloves. Wrap the foil at the top. Place the squash and foiled garlic on a large baking sheet. Place in the oven to bake for 40 minutes or until edible. While baking, begin making the shells according to the package directions. Once done, drain the noodles in a strainer. While the noodles cook, make the herbed kale tofu ricotta by blending all of the ingredients into a blender until smooth. Once the squash is baked, place the squash, garlic cloves, almond milk and vegetable broth and blend until smooth. Use a large 9x13 or a couple circular pie pans, and pour the butternut squash mixture into the bottom of the pan. Begin stuffing the cooked shells with the tofu ricotta, and then press the shells into the squash mixture. Place the stuffed shell pan(s) into the oven and bake for another 30 minutes at 350-degrees. Serve warm! Let's Connect! Enjoy my other butternut squash recipes below!
Making a ricotta cheese filling is pretty simple and easy. All you need is a select amount of ingredients, and you can alter the flavor with various amounts of herbs and spices.
In this recipe, I aimed for a more Italian flavor, and sneak in some extra greens for additional nutrients and vitamins. You don't want to over-do the kale because of its bitter flavor, it will drastically alter the flavor and turn super green!
Whatever flavor you want, you can alter it. The basics include tofu, nutritional yeast, salt, garlic and lemon. From there you can alter the flavor and palate as you desire. Want a spicy flavor? Add red chili pepper. Want a more south-of-the-border flavor? Try some taco seasoning.
You can make this filling in anyway that pleases your mind and palate! Enjoy the culinary experiments! "The mind is like tofu. By itself, it has no taste. Everything depends on the flavor of the marinade it steeps in."
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AuthorElizabeth 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 Categories
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