books are DANGEROUS

I’m reading “The End of Overeating.” Much like “In Defense of Food,” I’m finding this book inspiring and yet horrifying. None of it is really new information: Americans are no longer eating actual food, but rather processed food-like products chock full of a delicious yet deadly and nutritionally wretched combination of fat, sugar, and salt. I’m up to the section on chain restaurant food and much like when I read “Fast Food Nation,” I’ve gotta say it’s gonna be a loooong time before I’m able to eat anything from either an Applebee’s or a McDonalds-we tend to think the bigger chains are better for us than fast food. They rarely are. Yes, Applebee’s at least has “healthy” options, but the practices of big chains have a huge impact on not only the environment, but also on what kinds of food are available. And the “healthy” options are such a small percentage of the overall menu. And most chain restaurants aren’t even really cooking the food. Everything-from the chicken to the burgers to the fries to the sauces-are cooked first (usually in oil), frozen, then shipped to the restaurant where foods are “assembled.” We have people in kitchens of restaurants who are assembling our food. Like a car.

Skeezes me out. Big time.

Thanks to this book (and the Pollen), I’m now being hyper-vigilant again about what I put in my mouth. I spent most of my day off yesterday reminding myself that the box of macaroni and cheese on the shelf was NOT food. It was chemicals and salt and nutritionally a nightmare. And it wouldn’t even taste good. It would be comforting, sure, but ultimately I wouldn’t be getting anything out of it.

So I made carrot ginger soup. Which RULED. It was comforting and spicy and perfect.

Here’s the recipe I used:

Classic Carrot Ginger Soup
vegan, serves 3
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp ginger, peeled and sliced thin (add more to taste)
1 1/2 bunches of stemmed carrots (about 9 medium carrots)
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cups soy milk
1 small onion, diced
1 Tbsp agave or maple syrup
1 tsp black pepper
salt to taste
tools: blender and soup pot.
Stove-top Procedure:Heat oil, 2 Tbsp broth, onions, ginger and garlic in soup pan. Saute for a minute or two. Add remaining broth, soy milk, pepper, honey, and carrots. Bring to a simmer. Heat until carrots are soft and will break with a fork. If soup seems too thick, add more broth to adjust consistency

Take off heat and blend with immersion blender.

As I ate some last night and am about to go home and eat the rest for supper, I’ll be making it again soon mostly because I made barely a dent in the CSA abundance of carrots we have and because I didn’t make enough to share with Peter.

Try it. You won’t be sorry.