Why The Quilted Cook

When I was 10 years old, my grandmother gave me a Singer Featherweight sewing machine and I learned to sew. The same summer I also started writing my first cookbook in a yellow-covered spiral notebook. As soon as the yellow one was filled up, I used a red-covered one – both properly indexed, of course. The covers are now worn by use and pages are stained from kitchen splatters. Many pages have scribbles of pencil and crayon thanks to my children who kept busy while I was totally absorbed in cooking. The scribbles, which bothered me when they happened, have become a cherished memory of raising my children and always bring a smile to my face. Since then, I have cooked my way through several decades. I sent my son and daughter off to their own kitchens with a personalized “Mom’s Good Cooking", a hard-covered journal, each version containing their favorite recipes.

Then I had time to get back to that sewing machine and became a quiltmaker, spending my free time piecing together fabrics that became bedcovers and wallhangings. With such a focus on food and a sedentary lifestyle, it is not surprising that I put on weight. I was successful with the Atkins diet until I was diagnosed with colon cancer. You can read about the Atkins diet and cancer and make up your own mind about that.

I didn’t know what to eat and I am not alone. Nutritionist and author Marion Nestle wrote the 600 page book What To Eat: An Aisle-by-Aisle Guide to Savvy Food Choices and Good Eating after she realized making food choices has become a minefield for many people.

The biggest factor in choosing a fat-free (actually a no-added-fat) vegan diet wasn’t my being a cancer survivor, although I am convinced my health is improved by this way of eating. The precipitating factor was a telephone call from my husband’s internist telling him the results of recent bloodwork. Dr. K said Jerry's health was precarious and that he had to eat as little fat as possible and lose a significant amount of weight. I did the research and discovered the health benefits of the Ornish, McDougall, and other very low fat plant-based diets. We changed the way we eat, the pounds came off and our health improved. Dr. K called us his poster children, the only ones who ever really followed his advice.

Now we look different from most of the people we see around us. What is more important is how well we feel and the numbers we see in the results of medical tests. Our numbers that are supposed to be low are very, very low and the numbers that are supposed to be high are just where they should be as a measure of optimum health.

I wish I could tell you it was an easy thing to accomplish, but that would not be the truth. It is simple, but it is a major life change. It is as simple as avoiding animal products and added fats whenever possible and eating a whole foods, plant based diet emphasizing grains, vegetables, and fruits. The recipes I have developed and collected are easy to prepare and taste so good that many omnivores decide to cook them too.

Right now you are probably thinking about the hole in your plate where the meat used to be. People usually say to me, “But what do you eat if you don’t eat meat? You must eat chicken. Or fish?” No, we don’t eat chicken or fish or eggs or most dairy products, including cheese. We eat everything else. We eat any vegetable, any legume, any grain and any fruit. That is an enormous variety of food.

Just like making a quilt, I pieced together parts of many diets and created one that focuses on familiar foods and easy preparation. We follow a vegan diet, except that we limit fat and we occasionally use non-fat yogurt.Our successful weight loss and obvious good health brought requests for recipes. And that is what I share with you - recipes for simple meals that will help your body return to the excellent health we all should enjoy.

I am not a nutritionist and I am not giving you advice about nutrition. (You should talk to your own physician or a nutritionist before you make a major change in your diet.) My professional training as a librarian gave me the tools to do the research and draw my own conclusions about eating a fat-free nearly vegan diet. I am sharing with you my experiences and recipes that I believe will help you to not only live longer but also to enjoy better health for as long as you live.