Food for Life: How the New Four Food Groups Can Save Your Life (36 page)
Read Food for Life: How the New Four Food Groups Can Save Your Life Online
Authors: M. D. Neal Barnard
Tags: #Health & Fitness, #Diet & Nutrition, #Nutrition, #Diets
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Combine soymilk and vinegar and let stand. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the soymilk mixture and the oil, and stir until just blended. Spread the batter into a nonstick or lightly oil-sprayed 9-inch square baking dish, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve hot.
Soups are wonderful foods in so many ways. Nutritionally, soups retain all of the goodness of the vegetables from which they are prepared, and most are easily prepared without fat. Best of all, they practically cook themselves after just a bit of preparation. I frequently use a slow-cooker to cook soup, so that it can be simmering while I’m attending to other matters. There’s nothing like coming home to the smell of hot, homemade soup!
Soups can play a central role in your menu planning, since they keep well and reheat easily. Put some of your leftover soup into individual serving containers which can be taken to work and reheated in the microwave. Use the remainder for another dinner.
For those occasions when you need an instant soup, there are many excellent canned and dehydrated soups available. Fantastic Foods and Nile Spice both make instant soup cups in an assortment of delicious flavors. All you add is hot water. These are perfect for keeping in a desk drawer at work, or on long airline flights as a hedge against the uncertainty of airline food. Health Valley, Progresso, and Hain offer a variety of instant canned soups.
Serves 8
Serve with fresh-baked bread or muffins and a salad for a delicious and satisfying meal.
1 small onion, chopped
3 ½ cups water
3 cups tomato juice
1 garlic clove, minced
2 medium carrots, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 medium potatoes, diced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 medium zucchini, diced
½ cup pasta shells
1 cup cooked kidney beans, or 1 15-ounce can, drained
2 ½ cups chopped greens (spinach, collards, kale) Salt to taste
Heat ½ cup water in a large kettle. Add the onion and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the onion is soft. Add the tomato juice, remaining water, garlic, carrots, celery, potatoes, parsley, and basil. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook 20 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients except salt, then cover and simmer an additional 20 to 30 minutes. Additional tomato juice or water may be added if the soup is too thick. Add salt to taste.
Serves 8
This soup contains no added fat and is a delicious way to eat green vegetables.
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 medium potatoes, scrubbed and diced
¾ cup split peas, rinsed
2 bay leaves
6 cups water or stock
2 medium zucchini, diced
1 medium stalk broccoli, chopped
1 bunch fresh spinach, washed and chopped
½ teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Pinch of cayenne
1 ½ teaspoons salt
Place onion, celery, potatoes, split peas, and bay leaves in a large kettle with water or stock and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer 1 hour.
Remove bay leaves. Add zucchini, broccoli, spinach, basil, black pepper, and cayenne, and simmer 20 minutes. Transfer to a blender in several small batches and blend until smooth, holding the lid on tightly. Return to kettle and heat until steamy. Add salt to taste.
Or to make in slow-cooker, place all ingredients into pot and cook on high for 4 to 6 hours. Puree as above and serve immediately.
Serves 6 to 8
This stew has relatively few ingredients, is quick to prepare, and tastes wonderful. Who could ask for more? Serve it with a fresh green salad and bread or muffins.
2 medium onions, chopped
½ cup water
1 28-ounce can chopped tomatoes, with liquid
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large green bell pepper, seeded and diced
6 medium red potatoes, unpeeled, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 teaspoon each dried basil and oregano
1 teaspoon mixed Italian herbs
½ teaspoon salt (optional)
1–2 cups green peas, fresh or frozen
Heat the water in a large kettle. Add the onion and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until the onions are soft. Add all remaining ingredients except salt and peas and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook 20 to 25 minutes, or until potatoes are just tender. Add salt to taste. The amount you add will depend on the tomatoes you use. Some commercially canned tomatoes are very salty; if you use these, you may not need to add any additional salt. Stir in peas and continue cooking until heated through.
Serves 4 to 6
This soup is surprisingly quick to make. It is made with no added fat by braising the onion in water or stock in place of oil.
1 small onion, chopped
4 ½ cups water or stock
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 large tomato, diced
2 cups finely chopped cabbage
1 potato, diced
¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
2 cups cooked garbanzo beans
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
In a large kettle, braise the onion in ½ cup water or stock until it is soft. Add remaining ingredients and simmer until potato and cabbage are tender, about 15 minutes.
Ladle approximately 3 cups of soup into blender and blend until smooth, being sure to hold the lid tightly and to start the blender on low speed. Return to kettle, stir to mix, and serve.
Serves 6 to 8
Tomato soup is quick and easy using canned tomatoes, and oh so good on a cold winter day!
1 small onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, sliced
1 28-ounce can tomatoes, with liquid
2 ½ teaspoons raw sugar or other sweetener
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups water or stock
½ teaspoon salt
Place onion, celery, tomatoes, and seasonings in a kettle and simmer 15 minutes. Using a blender, puree until smooth. Do this in 2 or more small batches using only low speed. Hold the lid on the blender tightly to prevent the contents from exploding out the top.
At this point, you may strain the soup or not, depending on your taste. Left unstrained, it will contain small chunks of onion and celery as well as tomato seeds. If you want a perfectly smooth soup, use a strainer.
In the original kettle, whisk the oil and flour together. Cook 30 seconds, then whisk in 2 cups of stock or water until smooth. Stir in the blended tomato mixture, add salt to taste, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
Serves 6 to 8
This is a rich-tasting soup, delicious with fresh baked bread and a green salad.
2 medium onions, chopped
2 ½ cups water or stock
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 ½ teaspoons dried dill
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon caraway seeds (optional)
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup soymilk
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2–3 tablespoons red wine (optional)
In a large pan, braise chopped onion in ½ cup water or stock until soft. Add mushrooms, dill, paprika, caraway, and pepper, and continue cooking for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add soy sauce and remaining water or stock, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
Lightly warm the oil in a saucepan, then add the flour. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly, then whisk in the soymilk until smooth. Simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened, then add to the mushroom mixture. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Just before serving, whisk in the lemon juice and red wine.
Serves 4 to 6
1 medium onion, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, minced
½ cup red wine, stock, or water
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
4 cups water or stock
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cups sliced okra
2 teaspoons finely minced fresh ginger (don’t leave this out)
1 teaspoon each dried oregano, dried thyme, paprika, and ground cumin
¼ teaspoon each black pepper and cayenne pepper
1 cup diced zucchini
1 15-ounce can black beans, with liquid
1–2 tablespoons soy sauce
4 cups cooked brown rice
Braise the onion and garlic in wine until onion is soft. Add tomatoes, water, green pepper, celery, okra, ginger, and seasonings; simmer for 15 minutes.
Add the diced zucchini and the black beans with their liquid, cover and cook until the zucchini is just tender, about 10 minutes. Add soy sauce to taste.
Serve over cooked brown rice.
Serves 6 to 8
This extraordinary soup contains no added fat, and is easy to make on the stove or in a slow-cooker.
2 cups split peas, rinsed
6 cups hot water
1 cup sliced or diced carrots
1 cup sliced celery
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon dried marjoram
½ teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Pinch of cayenne
Rinse the split peas, then place them in a large kettle with the remaining ingredients. Bring to a simmer, then cover loosely and cook until the peas are tender, 1 to 2 hours. Or, place all ingredients into a slow-cooker. Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours, or until the peas are soft and the vegetables are tender.
Serves 8
Here is a spicy alternative to traditional potato soup.
4 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced
3 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon basil
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large bell pepper, finely diced
1 4-ounce can diced Anaheim chilies
2 cups soymilk
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
2 green onions, finely chopped, including tops
Cook peeled, diced potatoes in water until tender, about 20 minutes. While the potatoes cook, sauté onions in the olive oil in a large pot for 2 minutes. Add the cumin, basil, black pepper, garlic, and bell pepper, and continue to cook until the onions are soft. When the potatoes are tender, mash them in their water, and add them to the onion mixture, along with the diced chilies and soymilk. Stir to blend, then heat gently until very hot. Add salt to taste. Sprinkle with chopped green onions and serve.
Serves 12
Thick enough to be called a stew, this hearty soup is made in a single pot. Add more water or stock if you desire a thinner soup. The recipe makes quite a large quantity, so you can freeze half for later use.
2 cups lentils (about 1 pound)
¾ cup barley
8 cups water or vegetable stock
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, sliced
½ teaspoon each dried oregano and ground cumin
½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 ½ teaspoons salt
Place all ingredients except salt into a large kettle and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until lentils and barley are tender. Add salt to taste.
Traditional salad dressings are between 90 and 95 percent fat. A growing number of low-fat and fat-free alternatives are commercially available, but read the labels carefully. Many of the so-called lite or low-fat dressings are 80 to 85 percent fat, and some manufacturers label their products cholesterol free and saturated-fat free, which are not the same as fat-free.
To make your own fat-free dressing, replace the oil in the dressing with water, vegetable stock, or seasoned rice vinegar. Seasoned rice vinegar has a mild, slightly sweet flavor which cuts the sharpness of any other vinegar in the recipe.
The following recipe is a good everyday dressing. Based on seasoned rice vinegar, it has no fat and is simple to prepare. You can keep it in the refrigerator for two to three weeks. It is good on salad and also on cooked vegetables.
½ cup seasoned rice vinegar
1–2 teaspoons stone-ground or Dijon-style mustard
1 garlic clove, pressed
Whisk all ingredients together. Use as a dressing for salads and for steamed vegetables.
Balsamic vinegar is a wine vinegar from Italy. It has a mellow, slightly sweet taste, and makes a delicious salad dressing.
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1–2 garlic cloves, crushed
Whisk all ingredients together.
Raspberry vinegar has a mild fruity taste, well suited to salad dressing.
2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons water
¼ teaspoon crushed rosemary
¼ teaspoon dried tarragon
Whisk all ingredients together.
Serves 6 to 8
Though this is a simple salad with just a few ingredients, the flavors are deliciously complementary. Try using a mixture of lettuces or a commercial salad mix for a variation in flavor.