the sexy beet soup brought to you by zhana ostorozhna

The Beet Soup! Borscht!



today's post is brought to you by Zhana Ostorozhna, my Russian red nose clown alter-ego.
she has her own fb page where she talks about the nourishing hearth, the beet and life and death and cooking. you can find her if you click here



from zhana, with love:
in russia, the beet is svekla, and is sexy. and is nourishing staple. for purify blood (krov) nourish the heart (serdtsye). it is the wise woman who brings to you the beet because the root food give the deepest nutrient and medicines on earth. the russian earth, zemlya, is the soul of the russian people. so the beet is a little bit like the soul. it is red on the inside, which mean it is sexy. we are not afraid of little bit sin, lot a bit nourishment. lenin did not like his russian people be like radish, red on outside, white on inside. he like his people be like the beet. red inside and out.

the beet in russia is made into the borscht soup, the fermented beet drink, and the pickled salads with cabbage and dill. it is also made into the chocolate red velvet cake, but i bring to you this later at end of beetifesto.

you can buy the beet from beetselling babushka like this one. she is stronger than you because she eat the beet her entire life. she use her big bog arms and make the beet to kiss the dill and then she massage in the sunflower oils or the sourcream. her armpits smell like the potato & the carrot and she hit you if you try squeeze onto metro before her.



in mother russia and ukraine and other parts of former soviet union, beet is ancient healer. russia put the beet in medicine because it strengthen immune system. we are not sissy in russia and do not take the cold pills. we put the horseradish grated on the chest, and take the shot of vodka and put the hot potatoes in the socks while drinking beet infusion. it scare the cold away.

how to treat a cold or the flu with a beet infusion.
Wash and scrub a small beet, grate and place in a saucepan. add fresh sage to pan. and two teaspoons honey and one teaspoon of vinegar. Pour a pint of boiling distilled water, infuse for ten minutes. strain, cool and drink. say, 'svekla' three times while spinning in circle. add more honey if you are scared of hearty flavor. drink it two to three times a day. Make it fresh daily.

you can also gargle with the beet infusion to soothe a sore throat.


in america, the beet is the beet and is not considered so sexy root vegetable. but is is having come back. beet come to colorado via germans who bring beet from russia. colorado has potential for red root soul because of this. america, it is time to resurrect the beet. all rise in favor of the beet and say, 'SVEKlA!' to speak name of root vegetable in morning and before bed is to nourish soul of body, and to nourish soul of earth. you will be fortified with iron dreams. stars that exploded millions of years ago put into the blood the iron. so we say that the beet is little bit like red star in earth. america and your star spangled ways, replace your plastic flag with the beet. nourish yourself with the root, not the star and stripes that wave in sky making the sound like fart in the wind.




the other amazing thing you can do with the beet is to make art. like this matrosyhka print with the stained beet juice. i find on flikr internet and wish to share with you. if you want make your own beet art, get naked, put the plastic on the floor and some precious white canvas materials. peel and grate the beet and squeeze into hands. spread all around the canvas and turn into masterpiece. russia people like iskustva (art) as much as we like the beet. do not be afraid of the blood of the beet


To make the best beet borscht in world and attract sexy husband or wife:
peel 2 pounds beet. cut them and put in pot
add 8 -10 or 12c water (or combination water & chicken stock) (recipe is dumb, improvise what looks right)
4 carrots cut
3 potatoes cut
1 onion and three clove garlic sautee in butter
2 bayleaf
salt & ground pepper
1-2 turnip cut for the indigenous taste

boil then simmer till soft.
puree this till look like sexy red velvet soup.

add fresh dill and smetana/sour cream or cream fraiche, or plain, cream top yoghurt.
eat with the black bread and live longer than you would have.


Lastly, for the beet cake i tell you about earlier:
Go to this link and substitute the stupid processed sugar and stupid processed flour with the healthy honey and the healthy hardy spelt grain.
velvet beet cake inspired by russia with love, click here


Na zdrovye, Rise to the beet and embrace what is sexy from the roots!
Zhana Ostorozhna love your belly!

beet kvass, thai coconut soup & soulcards

images nourish.
tony was stretching this morning, and the soul card deck fell on top of him. soul cards are not tarot cards. they are artistic images that you project your thoughts and story onto. or, you look at it for awhile and see how it speaks to you. you can find them at the center for touch drawing, or if you click on this sentence. this was the image that landed sunny side up. i use imagery a lot in my writing classes. these cards have facilitated a lot of really deep & nourishing writings. i decided to pick one too, to see what it had to say.

they make a good pair.

this is the joy we feel about the nourishment in our lives. and becoming parents. truly. we are so nourished by this unfolding path. and by being with one other. and the food we continue to share together.





Speaking of food, how about this afternoon's Thai Coconut Chicken Soup, made from home made roasted chicken soup stock

How do you make it?

Tony roasted the chicken last night. He massaged it simply with olive oil, salt and pepper. It wasn't a very big chickie (and not one from our farm) only a 3 lber.
he roasted it for 15 minutes at 500 degrees, and then he roasted it a remaining hour and 15 minutes at 375. we made a gravy w/ the drippings. tony made quinoa and we ate it simple and fluffy with butter & salt & cracked pepper. and he made chard sauteed in garlic & onion and coconut oil. Yum!

This morning's roast chicken stock.
i prefer the roast stock to the old fashioned way because the flavor is yummy, and why throw the bones/carcass away if you can use it for yet another amazing meal, namely, home made chicken soup?
My simple thai chicken coconut soup
i took the bones/carcass from the roasted chicken, brought to boil, in a pot of water with two sticks of lemon grass, 2 inches of ginger, and a 1/2 onion. i simmered for a few hours. then i strained all of it and put the stock back in the pot. added another stick of lemon grass & another inch of ginger (sliced thin); sauteed shallots in coconut oil w/ thinly sliced carrots & potatoes. added that to the stock. let it cook on low for about 15 minutes. added chicken from the roast from last night. 4 tbl fish sauce. a can coconut milk. 2 tbl sucanat (brown sugar is fine). and 1 tbl thai chili paste (thai chilies would suffice). and juice of one lime. and salt.


If you have a cold, this is a tried and true remedy for healing from a cold. The coconut milk and oil is anti microbial/fungal and the home made stock is nature's penicillan, not to mention the chilies and ginger adding an extra fireboost to your immune system's natural ability to strengthen.



lastly: made beet kvass this morning


in honor of my ukrainian, russian & romanian ancestors, and my time spent living in Russia (one of the most meaningful times of my life in exploring nourishment through opposites). kvass is a very popular fermented drink in russia and ukraine, usually made with fermented bread and raisins. you can make it with beets. it's simple, and drinking a little fermented beverage each day is so incredibly good for your digestive system. Don't take my word for it. More on beet kvass if you click this sentence.

You can find the same recipe I used on the link above. But in case you want to see it here:

2-3 beets, peeled and chopped.
2 qts water
1/4 c whey (i used whey from the yoghurt i turned into creamcheese in yesterday's post)
1 tbl salt

Add it all to a 2 qt jar (leave about an inch to the top)
let it sit 2-3 days in a warm place.
and then refrigerate.

xo! To nourishing foods, imagery, love & full bellies!

weekend nourishment: fire planting days, beets & home made cream cheese

i am nourished by our garden, not by grocery stores.
i wasn't able to write yesterday. because i got my hands dirty in the garden. which felt far more sensual. pregnant belly to earth, knees on earth, hands in dirt. mmmmmm. mmmmmmmmm. mmmmmmm.


john our landlord came by to start planting pea seeds. he wanted to experiment with planting different kinds and planting them early, just to see what will happen. we didn't water them and will cover them with straw to keep them warm and let nature take over in the spring. it was a fruit day yesterday, according to the biodynamic calendar, which is a fire day (ruled by aries, leo, & sag)(the moon was in leo); the german anthroposophists denoted fire days excellent days for pruning fruit trees and/or for planting fruit seeds. of which peas is considered one. click me if you want to know: what the hell is biodynamics and why plant seeds in alignment with planets?

he encouraged us to plant the seeds with intention. you know how food tastes if you eat a meal made by a grumpy wumpus versus someone who's feeling particularly sunshiney? one of the fellows here sang a lullaby as he planted his seeds. i thought of the baby and the amazing life force in my belly and the way in which peas have their own little bright green wombs containing them. so i said, 'i love you' to each little seed as i planted it in the ground. i know that sounds silly; i don't care. i love the seeds for their nourishment.


he pulled up beets. svyokla in russian. and now i have dozens of beets. i adore beets. i didn't know we had beets in the ground. that was so exciting to discover. i'm going to make a simple vegetarian pureed borscht this weekend. and maybe pickled beets now that i have more whey for fermenting.


speaking of whey!

This is whey. Why whey? Click me and find out more!
Good question! Whey ferments vegetables simply and naturally. And it also helps to soak grains and break down the phytic acid in the kernel of the grain, which over time, is actually difficult for our digestive systems. You wonder why so many food allergies and bowel syndromes? We don't eat the way our ancestors ate and we suffer for it. So Why Not Whey?

How do you make it?


simple as a dimple~
Dump a container of yoghurt (i use brown cow, plain whole milk yoghurt)
into a strainer lined w/ cheesecloth. let sit over night or during the day for several hours. it will separate. whey on the bottom in the bowl and cream cheese on the top in the cloth. put the whey in a jar. will keep for like 4 weeks or so.

to make the cream cheese a better texture, take the cheescloth ball of cream cheese out of the strainer. twist the excess cloth tight and wind over a handle of a wooden spoon. rest the handle of the spoon over a bowl. put a wooden cutting board over it to add excess weight. you'll get more whey in the bowl and a bit of a more authentic consistency of the creamcheese.


We made jamaican sweet potatoes w/ bananas, curried eggs and heated corn tortillas and put the creamcheese on the tortilla with a little raw honey, and then added the sweet potato banana mixture. mmmmmm~ mmmmmmmm! nourishment!

Thursday's Nourishment: Clafoutis

processed sugar & wheat doesn't nourish me. but a lightly sweetened, buttery french apple custard cake does.



tony is kissing the clafoutis. it nourished him too. clafoutis comes from the limousin region of France traditionally used with black cherries. when other kinds of fruit are used the dish is properly called a flaugnarde. i made mine with apple & pears and am going to continue calling it clafouits.

clafoutis derives from occitan clafotís (occitan pronunciation: [klafuˈti]), from the verb clafir, meaning "to fill" implied (fill the batter). it filled our bellies and our hearts real nice.



i like getting kisses and nourishment for nourishing others.
we took our clafoutis to the fire pit/hearth on our land and had a sweet ceremony in anticipation of the full moon and the birth of our baby moon, who is coming any day now. we honored the belly that held her and the delicious nourishment of being pregnant. we honored ourselves for growing these past 9 months. and we released what no longer serves us as we move forward into the world as parents. we honored the baby for the creative intelligence and miraculous mystery of her amazing growth in 9 months. it's difficult to let go of the belly and the feeling of her presence inside me. but we're ready for her to come so we can nourish her and be nourished by her wonder and innocence and sweet baby smile. she made happy kicks while i ate the clafoutis and said little prayers to her and the hearth.






my yummy clafoutis recipe
batter:
2/3 c flour (i used a mixture of spelt & oat flour)
1/2 c sucanat or honey (or some kind of sugar) (i used a little less than 1/2 c)
3 eggs (we used farm fresh!)
1 tsp vanilla
1 c cream or milk (i used half and half)
6 Tbl unsalted, cultured (if possible) butter melted (i think 4 would suffice but 6 is delicious!)
1/2 tsp salt

1. heat oven to 400. generously butter 10' pie dish or 9x9 pan
and place in oven till ready to add ingredients.
2. mix all ingredients for batter in a blender or with beater. Set aside.

apple filling:
4 tart apples or combo of apples & pears (i did the latter)
recipe calls for 1/2 more sugar, but i used only a wee bit of sucanat, less than 1/4
2 tbl rum or brandy (i used vanilla extract)
4 tbl butter (you could get away w/ 2 but 4 is yummy!)

3. sautee apples in butter with sugar & rum for about 10 minutes.
4. take pan out of oven, add 1/2 batter. add apples. add remaining batter. sprinkle entire dish w/ cinnamon and a little more sucanat. bake 25 - 30 min or until set & golden brown.

after it has cooled serve with creme fraiche or whipped cream. we put the creamtop from plain yoghurt on top and it was delicious.


my clafoutis is adapted from saveur. it was buttery (and delicious). butter isn't bad for you in case you are worried about fats. fats (and cholesterol) are good for you. they are demonized in our culture. but they are good for you! this is an important nourishing mantra. fats are good for you and me. it's the kind of fat that is or is not nourishing. more on the health benefit of fat & cholesterol here: the truth on fats.

wednesday's nourishment: food!

waking up before the light is nourishment.

and a few other nourishing things i can't live without:




1. fresh eggs from our coop. the natural light is growing, it's warmer and our 11 chickens are producing about 2-4 eggs a day. when they don't lay, we go to betsy's farmette down the road (she has more chickens and she puts hers under lights in winter, which we don't). i read in our backyard homesteading book that you should slaughter and eat your chickens after a couple years bc it costs too much to feed them and they don't produce as many eggs. i'm not really into that at the moment. we're getting a new hatch this spring (the landlord does all of this for our property, it's truly amazing).




2. crispy nuts. according to one of my favorite nutrition experts, sally fallon of nourishing traditions, it is important to soak and crisp your nuts before eating because there are many enzymes in raw nuts that if consumed in bigger quantities, put a strain on your digestive system. traditional peoples used to soak their seeds in brine and then dried them in the sun to crisp. i soak 2 c nuts in water w/ a tsp of salt and let sit overnight (unless they are cashews) and then i 'crisp' in the oven at no more than 170 degrees for about 24 hours. Above 170 kills the enzymes you are cultivating; once in a while I'm impatient and don't care about the enzymes --i just want the crispy nuts, so i turn up the heat a little. they taste incredible. really are worth the time. crisped pecans and walnuts are amazing. the recipe itself is effortless other than the annoyance of having to wait 36 hours before you can actually eat one.



3. homemade almond butter. rather than paying 7.99 or more for a good jar of raw almond butter, i make it. with 2 cups of crispy nuts, processed in a food processor, a couple tbl or more of coconut oil, 1 -2 tbl raw honey and a 1/2 tsp salt or so, processed together till creamy, you will have, i promise, the best almond butter you have ever tasted in your life. i'm not lying. tastes like candy but better.



4. fermented almond milk. i don't know if i like this yet. its not yet ready for me to try. but because i was soaking nuts, i had about 2 c extra soaking that i didn't crisp (bc we have a small oven and can't do large quantities) so i decided to make fermented almond milk. the recipe calls for 2 c soaked almonds, 2 quarts water, 2 tsp salt (i did one tsp), 2 tbl raw honey, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp almond extract & 1/4 c whey (**which is the byproduct of yoghurt that is produced if you drain your yoghurt to make cream cheese). whey is what helps to ferment vegetables and make sauerkraut the old traditional way, to make fermented beverages and also to soak grains to assist in breaking down the difficult to digest phytic acid that surrounds each grain kernel.

blend nuts in processor. add everything together in jars. let sit out for 2 days. then refrigerate. the longer you let it sit, the more bubbly, fermented-y it becomes.

why ferment a beverage? according to sally fallon, the theory for craving alcohol and soft drinks stems from an ancient collective memory of lacto-fermented beverages still found in traditional societies. these beverages supply mineral ions depleted through perspiration and also contribute to easy and thorough assimilation of our food by supplying lactobacilli, lactic-acid and enzymes. American Indians used to make a drink from crushed pecans and our European ancestors made them from walnuts. if you drink kombucha, that's a different sort of fermented beverage. Russians drink a beverage called kvass, which i loved while living there --fermented sour black bread drink. sounds gross to the uninitiated, but really does make you feel quenched and strong.

nourishing benefits of fermented beverages: relief of intestinal problems and constipation; good for skin; promotes lactation; strengthens the sick and promotes overall well-being and stamina. faster absorption by the body than water because of dilute sugars and electrolytes of minerals. and many valuable minerals in ionized forms.



5. homeade fermented granola. i don't like to buy it bc i think it's dumb. $5.99 for a little container that will be gone in two days or less? I experimented this week w/ a soaked oats recipe. it's a little odd but it tastes really nourishing.
10 c oats soaked in 3 c water and 1/8 c whey overnight
add to another bowl, 3/4 - 1c honey or maple syrup, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 1 c coconut 2 tsp cinammon and 2 eggs, beaten (this clumps the oats when they are baking/drying in the oven). mix all together. it's real sticky. spread on baking trays (not too thin, not to thick) and they say to dehydrate in oven or dehydrator for 12 - 24 hours at 150 degrees. i wasn't feeling patient, so i turned up the heat after 4 hours to 350 and allowed it to turn golden brown. in between, i turned it over to get it brown and golden on all sides. afterwards, i added 1 c chopped crispy nuts and 1 c dried apples chopped. it has a slightly soured taste like ezekiel cereal or bread. turning the heat up past 150 kills the enzymes that would make this 'raw'. oh well. it still tastes heavenly.

fermented porridge! you can also make porridge w/ soaked oats in the morning. w/ a small amount from what you soaked the night before --like a cup or so of soaked oats, add oats and water to a pot--it cooks in minutes and has this delightfully soured flavor. add apple butter or chopped fruit and regular butter and honey or nuts and cinnamon. it's better and easier for your body to digest your grains if they are soaked for numerous reasons, and the taste is really unique. if you are allergic to dairy you can substitute lemon juice for whey.




6. chicken soup stock --my new favorite method
i make a stock with the carcass of a roasted chicken (some meat still left on). it tastes far richer than the stocks i've been making w/ a whole uncooked chicken. i roasted my own chicken the other night w/ vanilla extract, butter, soy & honey. so the carcass & meat had a unique flavor already. and then i cooked the carcass in a pot of water w/ a whole onion and a whole garlic (no need to chop anything, just strain it in the end). i cooked it for about 6 hours on low after bringing to initial boil. made an italian soup w/ it here (added chard, thyme, parsnips, tomato and a few other odds and ends of veggies). i start w/ the stock, strain it (pick out chicken pieces and put back in) and get creative at the end, sauteeing whatever i'm going to add to my soup in butter and oil and then adding it to the strained stock only for the last 15 minutes of cooking.


7. chocolate nourishes me! i made these home made truffles w/ cacao, (raw (process in coffee grinder for finer processing) and processed cocoa) coconut oil, honey, dates, raisins, cayenne, cinnamon. process all in food processor. make into little balls and roll into coconut or whatever else you wish to and then chill.

tuesday's nourishment

i'm blessed with the gift to nest and nourish myself and my surroundings more deeply now. baby is coming anytime in the next 3 weeks. tony started working full time a couple weeks ago. nourishment is on my mind. it's become the essence and stability of my foundation. this blog is intended to expand and grow my relationship to nourishment.

i learned today that the word nourish comes from root words 'flow' 'suckle' 'feed' 'protect' 'nurse'. for me, it has to do with tradition. i've been transitioning for a little over 10 years to a more simple, nourishing lifestyle. i don't own much and i like it that way. i've lived on different farms and with different people and families and in different cultures to explore food and place and alternative ways of living. the most recent experiment was a few years ago, when i lived in a small simple cabin and hauled my wood and water and really explored local living near the place where i grew up because i wanted to really know what 'native' and indigenous means in a non-romantic sense.

i live very simply now. in a small apartment attached to a small farmhouse. we have two rooms. a large living area that functions as office, dance space, kitchen, living room, music room; a bedroom which is our sweet sanctuary. there is a bathroom too. i live w/ my sweetie and soon to be baby. it's a small nest and i like it.

however, we live on 2 pt. 2 acres of land with a garden plot that is 1/3 of an acre. in the front we have a chicken coop and 11 chickens; there is talk of getting two pigs for pork this spring. we also have two creeks --one in front, and one behind. i'm researching beekeepers and wish to apprentice this summer on our land w/ the help of a local bee person. there is a small 1/8 acre w/ a labyrinth which we may transform into a flower patch to sell flowers at the local market. and a small apple & pear orchard in the back with a big big fire pit. everything i need is possible here. it's a backyard homestead and i can create dreams here.

our landlord john has been stewarding the land for years. he lives a couple miles away but is here often. he's into biodynamic agriculture. which means things are prepared differently -the soil, the compost, and the plants in accordance with planets and the moon.

today's nourishment is the gratitude that i feel for this land.