Yom Kippur: Pre and Post-Fast Menu a Success, B"H!

Yesterday before Yom Kippur I posted about my meal plans for before and after the twenty-five 25 hour Yom Kippur fast. Planning ahead is extremely important, because it's forbidden to cook or day any food preparation on Yom Kippur. It's an otherworldly holiday when we are supposed to pray to Gd begging that He forgive us and grant us life in the new year.

Simply described, I cooked double, so that there would be enough to eat before and after the fast. I made a fairly traditional chicken meal.

• chicken soup with (brown) rice
• re-cooked the chicken with vegetables
• kasha and mushrooms
• baked vegetables

Chicken Soup

• Boil cleaned chicken in water about half an hour a few hours (or day) before you plan on serving the soup.
• remove chicken from soup
• Cool liquid in fridge, best in different container.
• An hour or more before serving, skim off any fat or whatever from top of cool soup.
• Add (checked) rice and vegetables-onion, carrot and others to soup pot; add soup liquid and cook until seems ready, about 40 minutes. Season with a bit of salt and pepper just before turning off heat. (Do not serve immediately.)

Chicken with Veggies

• Place cooked chicken and cut vegetables in a pot, cover. 
• I used onion, zucchini, sweet potato and carrots.
• Add a bit of oil.
• Cook on low flame until vegetables are soft.
• Serve half before the fast and half after.

Kasha and Mushrooms

• Saute onions and mushrooms in pot. 
• Add checked kasha/buckwheat.
• Add water* and cover.
• Turn off heat when there is almost no water. And leave covered for 20 minutes.

Baked Vegetables

• I just layer a variety of vegetables, such as onion, squash, pumpkin, sweet potatoes and more. 
• Add a bit of oil on top
• And bake until it looks ready.

I also made a big salad, which was finished after the Yom Kippur fast. Yes, cooking was easy, and heating it up was easy too. The soup and chicken were heated on the stove, and the kasha and vegetables were in the oven. 

*The ratio of water to buckwheat is 1 cup buckwheat, to 1.5 cups of water. You can try a 1 to 2 cup ratio, but the buckwheat may be more mushy, or have a longer cooking time. How to Cook Buckwheat (Kasha)