Breaking The Fast

There are all sorts of fasts on the Jewish Calendar. Fasting in Jewish Law are total fasts, no food and no drinks. Most of the fasts are just daylight ones, from the first rays of the sun until the sun sets. When those are in the winter, they aren't very hard nor long. But we also have two mid-summer fasts. (Of course it's all reversed for those in the southern hemisphere.)

Yesterday was the most difficult fast, almost 25 full hours without eating or drinking, Tisha B'Av, the 9th Day in the Month of Av. It commemorates the destruction of our Holy Temples and other tragedies which "somehow" happened over the years on the same date.

When our house was full with the kids and all, I'd do lots of cooking the afternoon of fasts, my legendary vegetable soup and homemade pizza or rolls. In recent years, when it's just me and my husband home, I sometimes make soup, a simpler one, or we eat left-overs. Last night, soon before the fast was to end, I decided to cook, but make something very simple.

I "baked" vegetables. It's easy and healthy. I served it with a simple salad and cheese.

• cut potatoes, carrots, squash and onion
• to take into consideration different cooking times, size them differently
• from smallest to largest: carrots, potatoes, onion, squash
• place the cut vegetables in low-sided baking sheet, casserole dish, pyrex or ceramic
• dribble some oil and then season to taste
• bake in a hot oven, I use the hottest heat, and when the vegetables are soft, they're ready
• Of course, you can use lots of other vegetables, not just the minimal ones I listed.