Bone Soup
One of the best ways to nourish yourself in the winter is to make and eat bone soup. It is a great way to nourish your deep core energy and support your kidneys. It is an ancient practice still in use by Chinese medicine practitioners and others.
It is a way to extract the nutritional essence of an animal without having to eat the meat. Using bones from organically raised animals is the best. You can purchase organic beef bones from PCC. Also cooking an organic whole chicken is a great way to use all of its nutritional value.
It is important to break the bones and cook them just below boiling for 18 hours. A crock pot is also a great way to do this. Fill a large pan with water, the bones and root vegetables. Slightly acid vegetables such as carrots, celery, squash and beets help to extract minerals and other nutrients from the bones and their marrows into the broth. A tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice will do the same. After it is cooked, remove the bones and use the broth alone, or as a liquid base for other foods.
In China this kind of soup is called "Longevity Soup
Congee
Eating warm food in the morning, especially in the winter, can greatly enhance one's vitality and health. For thousands of years, Chinese families have routinely started the day with a bowl of congee, or rice porridge. Congee is easy to digest, and because of the way it is prepared, it's nutrients are easily absorbed
Furthermore, one can tailor their congee to their constitution, disease state, or the season by adding various ingredients. Here is a basic recipe for a simple congee and some winter suggestions.
How to make congee:
Use 1 part rice with 4-6 parts water, depending on your taste. The goal is to end up with a thin gruel, soup, or porridge.
Add the rice to the water and bring it to a boil. Then turn the heat to a low simmer. Many people use a crock pot or slow cooker and leave it on overnight so that the congee is ready for the morning. Cooking on a stove usually takes 2-6 hours. Low heat is best. It is said that the longer it cooks the more "powerful" it becomes.
All sorts of ingredients can be added before or after cooking, including meat, nuts, vegetables, dried fruits, or even Chinese herbs.
A basic congee recipe to supplement the Kidneys, invigorate yang, and strengthen the Spleen / pancreas during the winter is to cook the rice with lamb, then add salt, scallions and ginger to taste.
Congee is especially appropriate for people with very weak digestion, babies, those who are chronically ill or recovering from serious disease, and the elderly. In general it supplements the middle burner (digestive organs such as the pancreas, stomach, and small intestine) and boosts the body's qi (energy). Congee is a great alterative to our typical Western breakfast.
