Health Food Junkies

Okay, I looked at the calendar, it says it’s February but you’d never know it with the weather we are having. Soup for lunch is a staple for me in the ‘winter’ but this winter is a bit funky. Enjoy it while it’s here but be a little concerned about what it means in the bigger scheme of things. Anyone that doubts climate change should go outside for a walk on February 5, in a light jacket. I saw kids playing basketball at the park across the street yesterday.

We go to Costco about once a month to pick up our toiletries and such. More and more organic foods are arriving there which is super exciting. I noticed a few months ago a new addition to the TruRoots products, sprouted bean mix.Until recently Costco was only selling their quinoa but now has the bean mix and chia seeds. Nice. The bean mix is super good and quick. The beans have been sprouted and dried so you can have cooked beans in about 15 min. It has lentils, mung beans and adzuki beans in it. I made up this super simple soup and have eaten it a lot for lunch this ‘winter’. I skip the onion completely but if you want, add it in with the carrots and celery for a proper mirepoix. The veggie stock has onion in it anyhow.

• 1 tbsp Olive Oil or Coconut Oil
• 2-3 large Carrots
• 2-3 stalks Celery
• 2-3 medium Parsnips
• 2 cups TruRoots Bean Trio
• 1 Bay Leaf
• Small bunch of Parsley
• Sprig or two of Thyme (remember you can keep parsley, thyme, rosemary etc in the freezer)
• 5 Pepper Corns
• 2 cubes of low sodium Veggie Stock
• 9- 10 cups of filtered Water
• 1 can of Diced Tomatoes, drained
• 1 medium Zucchini
• Sea Salt and fresh ground Pepper to taste

Prepare the veggies by chopping them small. For soup I like to cut my carrots and parsnips into half-moon like shapes, celery the same, unless it is quite big, then I might cut it lengthwise first. Heat the oil in a soup pot, add the carrots and celery and cook on medium heat until they start to soften. Add the parsnips, beans, spices, stock and water. Bring to boil, cover and simmer for 15 min. Check the beans for softness. Add the tomatoes and zucchini, simmer covered again for another 10-15 minutes. If you think you need more liquid, add a bit more water or next time add less beans. This ends up being a thick and hearty soup which I like at lunch. Experiment, add other veggies of your choice.

My Sunday-post-primary-practice-yoga-ladies were talking today about the cost of food and the ‘healthlessness’ of our society these days. An important element to this is that we have lost our means of being resourceful people in regards to eating. I hear all the time that vegetables are expensive. I don’t say they aren’t but in relation to what? Being compared to processed foods like KD and ichiban, not a fair comparison. It’s what is more nourishing that matters. This soup costs less than $10 and it feeds me for five or more days (I added it up below). I’m full and have done good for my mind and body. The other options? Probably the same price at way less value. And if you’re buying lunch every day, totally different story. This post is for my Sunday ladies, love our time together.

Eat well, be well,

Nat

• Bean Trio $15 (enough for about 6-8 pots of soup)
• Bag of organic carrots $4
• Organic celery stalks $3
• 1 Organic zucchini $2
• Bag of Organic parsnips $4
• Organic Parsley, Thyme $4 (and freeze left overs for later)
• Bay Leaf, pepper corns $4
• Box of organic veggie stock $5
• Can of organic tomatoes $2
• Oil of some sort, salt and pepper – nil (I assume most people have something of the sort)
• Water – nil
• 1 hour of time
• Total: $43 and you have ingredients to make more soup or other things. Don’t buy organic and maybe save a bit more, but not much these days. Shop local and within season.