SERVE CABBAGE SOUP OFTEN - WE'LL ALL BE BETTER OFF FOR IT

For most of us, the most important facts related to cooking are taste and cost. The two recipes that I recommend to you here are tastey soups based on some rather humble vegetables and legumes, and they cost only about $1.25 per person. Family finances aside, these meals should be appealing to you because they have a very low carbon footprint. This means that the resources needed to grow the foods in these recipes represent fewer carbon emissions – relative to those used in producing foods for other common menus based heavily on meat or cheese.

Most of the foods used in these recipes - cabbage, beans, lentils, onions, carrots, potatoes, and leafy green herbs - are readily available in local farmers markets, and their purchase helps to strengthen local agriculture and business. As an added bonus these soups contain some of the healthiest foods you can find. The more expensive foods (that ones that you don't see emphasized here): beef, cheese, pork, and poultry make up a separate group. And foods in this second group are higher in fat and their production involves a lot more carbon emission.

The first group of foods makes for meals that are simple, essential and life-supporting, while meals based heavily on the second group are questionable from the perspective of health and have damaging effects on our planet. A thrifty, eco-friendly kitchen plans for mostly vegetarian menus based on the first group of foods and uses only a little or none of the second group - the exception being their use in small quantities for flavor accents. So, there's wisdom in there. Look for ways to use the first group of foods and downplay the others - this helps sustain your family and community and saves the Earth’s precious resources.

The soups that I describe to you today are built around cabbage. Yes, everyone knows that big heads of cabbage are cheap. But some people have apparently forgotten about the merits of cabbage. All they remember about cabbage is that it can be used to make coleslaw or steamed or boiled, which tends to be a little boring. So, many people don’t regularly use cabbage in family meals.

This page emphasizes the highly positive aspects of cabbage in the diet, and there are many. Cabbage is cheap, eco-friendly, healthy, and available locally almost the entire year. Our ancestors will well-aware of the benefits of eating cabbage. You've probably heard about the custom of eating cabbage (cooked with a ham bone) on New Year's Day. It's done for good luck, and it has been good luck - over and over for thousands of years. Cabbage is easy to grow, available for almost the entire year, and, in hard times, has kept enumerable people from starvation.

Here, I joyfully share two of my favorite recipes for hearty and frugal cabbage soup. Try them at home. I bet your family will be well-satisfied (there’s a lot of fiber in there) and pleased with the taste. Then make some changes to these soups according to your own criteria. If you’re totally happy with your recipes, reproduce them on cards or nice notepaper and have them ready to share with family and friends. Let everyone around you know that: “Cabbage soup may (again) save the world.”

Here are the recipes:

Recipe #1 Grandmas’Favorite Cabbage and Bean Soup (preparation in an hour or so)
1 large onion
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 of a large cabbage, shredded
2 stalks celery
2 carrots
2 tbl olive oil or coconut oil
(Optional) Can add a little fried bacon or pork to further enhance the flavor of the soup.)
3/4 tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper to taste
1 tsp powdered cumin
Can of tomato sauce (may be a small or a large can, according to your love of tomatoes)
2 bay leaves
3 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp brown sugar
2 tbl of fresh parsley or cilantro
1 cup of lentils or navy beans (Beans need to be presoaked or par-boiled, so this needs to be done beforehand. If you’re in a big hurry, just open and throw in a can of beans.)

- Dice the onions, garlic, celery and carrots.
- Cover the bottom of a soup pot with oil and stir-fry the garlic, onions, celery and carrots. Add the salt, pepper, and cumin (along with the pork, if you choose to add it).
- When the veggies are tender, add the beans or lentils and bay leaves, pour in a quart of water and bring it all to a boil. Let the beans or lentils boil until they are almost fully cooked. (You need less water if you're using canned beans.)
- Add sliced cabbage, tomato sauce, vinegar, sugar to the pot, and cook the soup another 20 minutes.
- Serve in soup bowls with chopped parsley or cilantro. With good whole-grain bread or a bowl of rice, you have a hearty meal for 4- 6 people.

Recipe #2: Creamed Cabbage and Potato Soup (preparation in less than an hour)
1 medium onion
2 cloves of crushed
3 lbs. cabbage, shredded
- Optional: 1 diced carrot or small squash
1 large diced potato
3/4 quart of vegetable or chicken stock
1 TPS apple cider vinegar
2 TBS olive oil or butter
1 cup or more of soymilk, evaporated milk or half cream, according to your taste

- Sauté the onion, cabbage, and garlic in olive oil in a large pot until all the veggies are translucent but don't allow them to brown.
- Add the stock, potato and any other veggies to the pot and simmer for 25 minutes.
- Blend the contents and return them to the pot.
- Add the milk or cream to thin it to the consistency you like.
(The cooked, unblended or pressed veggies can also be the basis for another sort of creamed cabbage soup, but, of course, the texture and taste will be different.)
- Reheat the soup for 10 minutes.
- Serve the soup in bowls topped off with any combination of: sour cream, parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, cilantro, toasted peanuts, sliced almonds, pine nuts or soy nuts. With a bowl of rice or whole-grain bread, you’ll have a satisfying meal. Serves 4 – 6 people.

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MAKE HEALTHIER EATING YOUR NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION

TRY OUT THE THREE-FOODS DIET.

Here’s some advice on how to improve your eating and lose a few pounds without going on a strict diet. It may be a big change for you, but if you’re looking for a better way of eating, you should try the “only three-foods diet”. I recommend this diet and have been following it for some time. It has helped me improve my general health and kept my weight in check. The three-foods diet has existed for many decades, perhaps for centuries, and books have been written about it. I’ll outline the basis for the diet and tell you what I know about it.

The three-foods diet is easy to follow. The main rules are that every time you eat, it must be a real meal and, in every meal, you must eat three foods. One of the foods must be a protein. (Of course, you shouldn't be eating meat, fish, or eggs at all meals - once a day is plenty, and, according to most nutritionists more than you really need.) The second food should be from the fruit or vegetable category. The third should be a grain or multi-grains. This plan allows you to eat almost all your favorite foods, so that’s a good starting point. The things that you definitely need to eliminate are sweets, alcoholic beverages, and salty foods. You may consume a little sugar, added to cereals and drinks.  Honey and maple sugar are better for you than regular table sugar.

Of course, having said that it’s simple diet, there are a few other things to remember. You must try to eat a regular portion of each of the three kinds of food in your meal -- not more, not less. In order not to overeat at any time, the meals need to be spaced out appropriately during the day – a morning, a mid day, and an early evening meal. If there is still hunger at night, and there was no overeating in the first three meals, there can be a light fourth meal. But, all meals must follow the three-food rule.

Nutritional experts emphasize that our bodies can’t digest food well when the stomach is overwhelmed with too much food or with too many different foods. The three-food rule works for you because you have no real incentive to overeat, and the food you eat is balanced. The fact that you eat sufficient protein and get a lot of fiber means that you feel full for longer. By following this diet, many people are totally cured of chronic indigestion.

Depending on your metabolism, you will probably be well satisfied with three or four meals a day. You may feel a little deprived in the first couple of weeks, but it’s mostly a psychological question. Remember to always chew the food slowly and completely. That lets the digestion start in the mouth, where it should, and gives the stomach enough time to let the brain know that it’s full.

Always use a luncheon plate instead of a big dinner plate. The smaller plate helps you serve yourself the right amount of food, and feel more satisfied when you have eaten everything on the plate. Soon, you’ll develop the habit of smaller meals and stop craving more food. You’ll feel healthier and more relaxed, knowing that you are getting a balanced diet.

All meals should be eaten at a table to avoid mindless eating. And, don't bring work or a book to the table. That also means you won’t be doing any snacking in front of the TV or eating popcorn at the movies. A lot of the calories we consume occur from mindless eating, done out of boredom. Snacking really isn’t necessary at all, if you’re having as many as 4 meals a day.

If you find you’re still getting hungry in the first week of this diet, try eliminating coffee and strong tea, as these drinks stimulate more appetite. I’ve found that on this diet, I had to eliminate coffee and have started drinking rather weak, hot tea as a replacement.

Here is a sample menu of the three-food diet for one day. It happens to be what I ate yesterday. According to an Internet calorie counter, it adds up to 1,650 calories -- so, this isn't a starvation diet. (I should also mention that during the day, I also drank about six large glasses of water, a large glass of lemonade, and several cups of unsweetened tea.)

Breakfast
Fruit - small banana and a cup of papaya
Protein – sweetened yogurt (3/4 cup)
Grain – 1 generous slice of homemade wheat bread and margarine.

Lunch
Vegetable – big bowl of homemade vegetable soup
Grain – rice (1/2 cup), added to the soup.
Protein – 1 hardboiled egg

Supper
Protein – refried beans, 2 tablespoons
Grain – 2 corn tortillas with the refried beans inside, fried with a little oil and and topped with lettuce, cilantro and onions
Fruit – 1 small apple

Later meal
Protein – one cup of milk, heated, with some honey and cinnamon
Grain – 1/2 cup white rice, served with the milk
Fruit – 2 tablespoons raisins, added to the milk and rice.

As you can see, yesterday, I ate vegetarian meals -- which is usual for me. But occasionally, I eat some meat or fish. When I do, I never eat more than one serving in a day. In general, I try to avoid all red meat, and do not eat beef in any form.

O.K., having said all this, I must add a note. I come off this diet, despite my good intentions – when I’m on vacation and during the holidays. I also backslide one day or another during the month, when I go out to a restaurant or eat in somebody else’s home or have company over. Sometimes, I also “just forget” about the three-food rule for short periods. But, I always return to this diet and feel much better for it.