Beet Kvass
This is a traditional Russian lacto-fermented beverage that we often recommend. Here is Dr. Shapiro’s version, which is adapted from Sally Fallon’s recipe in Nourishing Traditions, but which utilizes less salt:
In a half gallon jar (I use a wide mouth mason jar) put
3-4 fresh washed beets, cut into 3/4 inch to one inch chunks
1 teaspoon grey sea salt or pink Himalayan salt
1/4 cup fresh whey (see below) or 1/2 cup beet kvass from your last batch
Filtered water to fill jar.
Let this sit on a countertop for 2-3 days, then refrigerate and enjoy.
Beet kvass is a great source of probiotics, and is cleansing to liver, lymph, blood and the intestines. It is mildly laxative.
You can also use other root vegetables, like carrots or parsnips to make kvass, if you prefer.
Make the whey by dripping yogurt through a strainer lined with several layers of cheesecloth. Refrigerate and enjoy the yogurt cheese leftover from this process. The whey should stay good in your refrigerator at least four months.
Garlic "Shot"
Use a Garlic shot at the first sign of cold or flu!
Garlic “shots”:
Mash up one clove of garlic in a cup.
Add juice of one whole lemon and
1/8- 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
Drink it down fast and chase with water if needed.
Do this 2 – 3 times per day for 1 – 2 days, or until your symptoms are gone.
Dr. Shapiro's Family Chicken Soup
Ingredients: Try to select local and organic foods and produce as much as possible, for superior nutrition.
1 whole chicken, ideally organically raised and free range such as “Rosie’s” or “Hoffman Farms”
2-3 ribs of celery, cut into quarters
3-4large carrots cut into quarters, or about 20 “baby carrots”
2 parsnips, cut into quarters
1 bunch fresh parsley (either type)
1 bunch fresh dill
1 leek, washed
1 whole onion
Water
Salt and pepper to taste
Add later, if desired:
1/2 lb shitake mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 cup chopped kale leaves
Rinse chicken and remove giblets from package. Place chicken and giblets in large soup/stock pot and cover with water, and add the onion, and approx 1 teaspoon sea salt.
Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a slow simmer. Skim off any grey foam that comes to the top of the soup and discard (takes about 5 minutes). When the foam is scant and white, you are done with this step. Then add the parsnips, carrots, leek, and then the dill and parsley on the top, reserving about 1 Tablespoon each of parsley and dill for a garnish at the end.
Simmer the soup on low, covered loosely (90% of the pot covered) for about 2 hours until the chicken meat begins to fall from the bone.
Remove chicken and vegetables from the pot and allow to cool. Strain the soup through a fine mesh strainer for a clear broth if desired. Add the shitake mushrooms and the kale to the hot broth, to cook lightly before serving, and add the parsley and the dill to the bowls or tureen as a garnish just before serving.
When the meat is cool, you can pick it off the bones and add it back in to the soup, or if you prefer only broth, store it in a container to use in a stir fry or in chicken salad. When the vegetables are cool, put a few carrots back into the soup and squeeze the rest lightly through a strainer, and add their liquid back into the stock.
