Gazpacho

Imagine my surprise to check Wikipedia and discover that the soup I have been calling Gazpacho, technically is not! According to that article, the traditional ingredients for gazpacho are stale bread, garlic, olive oil, salt, and vinegar. And my version has only garlic and vinegar from that list. As you can see, I persist in calling my version gazpacho anyway. Besides which, my Spanish-born son-in-law gave my recipe a stamp of approval years ago and that is enough for me.

My first gazpacho was created when we had a summer house on Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes in New York state. I began with a recipe from a Junior League cookbook published by the Finger Lakes chapter. Like many people on the lake we had a garden that thrived, giving us tomatoes and tomatoes and tomatoes, along with other vegetables that we chose to plant. Even better than our own garden, was Frank's garden next door to us. He grew everything from garlic and onions to peppers and corn in a plot about 10 feet by 10 feet. Such abundance came from his green thumb that we were the recipients of a summer's worth of vegetables.

There is nothing like a fresh ripe and sun-warmed tomato from a home garden. But no longer having a home garden, I do the next best thing and shop at The Boys in Delray Beach. And I am sorry for those of you who are still struggling with ice and snow, but we have fresh local tomatoes right now in enough abundance for this soup. Canned tomatoes are an adequate replacement for Northerners who can't wait until June.

Gazpacho soup with jalapeno slices and scallions

2 1/2 pounds tomatoes, cut into chunks
1 medium green bell pepper, chunked
1 medium red bell pepper, chunked
2 stalks celery, chunked
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small onion, chunked
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and chunked
2 large cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 cups tomato juice
ground black pepper to taste


Assemble all of the ingredients so you can easily put them into a food processor in batches. Set aside a couple of strips of peppers and cucumber to dice for garnishing each bowl when served.

In a food processor one batch at a time, buzz all ingredients until small chunks remain. Some people like their soup nearly liquefied; some like identifiable size pieces of vegetables. Stir together together all of the batches and pour into a large bowl with a cover (or plastic wrap).

Chill the soup for several hours and serve cold garnished with a few pieces of diced peppers and cucumber. If you really like hot foods, you can also add jalapeno slices and scallions as additional garnish as Jerry did.

Eating Wisely

Everything important you learned at home or in kindergarten. In "Six Rules for Eating Wisely", an article by Michael Pollan in Time Magazine, he says

Once upon a time Americans had a culture of food to guide us through the increasingly treacherous landscape of food choices: fat vs. carbs, organic vs.conventional, vegetarian vs. carnivorous. Culture in this case is just a fancy way of saying 'your mom.' She taught us what to eat, when to eat it, how much of it to eat, even the order in which to eat it.

Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma, says that even Mom was no match for the $36 billion dollars spent on food-marketing. To overcome this influence, he offers 6 great rules for healthier eating. I recommend reading the article and following his rules. I would also add, however, get the fat out!

One of the things that the food industry has taught us is to like high fat foods. Now that I have been eating so long without the taste of fat, I wondered what a simple Waldorf salad would taste like without all of the mayonnaise I used to put into it. I was pleased with the result which was a quick, easy, and healthy lunch that tasted fresh and light.

No one really needs a recipe for this meal! Chop apples, celery, walnuts and mix it all together with raisins or grapes and enjoy the taste of fresh whole food. Or as Pollan ends his article, "So, relax. Eat Food. And savor it."

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.

Lentil Soup

My friend A has been asking for this recipe and this morning my daughter said she used The Joy of Cooking recipe because I hadn't given her one. I am sure that the recipe she found will make delicious soup, but it won't be fat-free and it won't be vegan. When two people mention a recipe, I know that it is time for me to get busy.

This is a quick and filling meal we rely on when I have been at the pool too late to spend time cooking. Serve it with a salad and/or a loaf of rustic bread.

I like to use Amore Concentrated Tomato Paste in a tube. I used to throw out half used cans of tomato paste and feel guilty about it. Then I discovered the pastes in tubes, widely available in grocery stores. The pastes keep in the refrigerator indefinitely and make it easy to use a couple of tablespoons without waste.

Lentil Soup

1/2 cup water
1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1-quart vegetable broth
2 cups water
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 pound dried lentils, sorted and rinsed


In a 5-quart pan, cook the onion in water over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Add the carrot, celery, and garlic and cook for 5 minutes, adding more broth as necessary to keep liquid in the pan. Add the broth, water, and tomato paste, stirring until the tomato paste is combined. Add the lentils and cook over medium heat until the lentils are soft, about 40 minutes.

Serve piping hot. Like so many soups, this one tastes even better the second day.

Makes 4 servings.

Thanksgiving anytime

First I have to tell you about the Wonderful Wacky Women. The Wackies, started about 3 years ago, is a group of 10 women who take turns planning "adventures" for the group to share. We have been on about a dozen adventures, including a sunset cruise off Key Largo, on a Diva Duck tour of West Palm Beach, and to an art show where we met Suzi Toronto, the artist who inspired us and provides our logo. We have so much fun together that we expanded our activities to include occasional dinners with our husbands.

A few days ago, we had one of those dinners. Several of the Wackies and their husbands are trying to eat less meat, so in addition to the Cornish Hens prepared for the omnivores at the table, my friend prepared a Tofurky Roast for the first time. I assured her it would be a hit. Jerry and I have enjoyed several of them since we discovered them at our local Whole Foods Market. She asked me to bring Dirty Rice and I decided we also needed mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy and cranberry sauce.

For the mashed potatoes, make them just like you used to but substitute rice milk or soy milk and just leave out the butter. I find that soy milk adds a soy taste to the potatoes, but rice milk cannot be detected.

I follow Bryanna Clark Grogan's recipe for Rich (Fat-Free) Brown Gravy along with her suggestion to add mushrooms to the gravy, but I roast the onions and mushrooms together rather than saute them and add fat. This is my adaptation of Bryanna's recipe.

Mushroom Gravy

1 small onion, very thinly sliced
8 ounces Baby Bella mushrooms, thinly sliced
4 ounces Shitake mushrooms
1/3 cup white flour
1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes
2 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Kitchen Bouquet or other gravy browner

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.Spray a non-stick baking pan with vegetable oil. Clean the mushrooms. Remove the stems from the Shitakes and discard them, then slice the mushrooms thinly. Spread the onions and mushrooms in a single layer in the pan. Bake until lightly browned, stirring them around a bit once or twice as they bake. Remove from the oven and set aside.

In a 5 quart saucepan over high heat, stir the flour and nutritional yeast together until there is a toasty smell. It is not necessary to brown the mixture. Remove from the heat and whisk in the water, soy sauce, salt, and Kitchen Bouquet. Stir constantly until the gravy thickens and comes to a boil. Add the mushrooms and onions and simmer for about 4 minutes. The gravy can be made ahead and reheated on top of the stove or in a microwave.

Cranberry Sauce

One of many good cranberry sauces in Holly Garrison’s “The Thanksgiving Cookbook”, this recipe is well worth the little time it takes to make. It will keep for a few weeks in the refrigerator.

1 cup sugar
½ cup water
¼ cup white vinegar
7 whole cloves
1 3-inch cinnamon stick
3 cups fresh or 16 ounces frozen cranberries

In a 3-quart saucepan bring the sugar, water, vinegar, cloves, and cinnamon to a boil and boil for 10 minutes. Remove the cloves with a slotted spoon and discard. Add the cranberries and simmer for 10 minutes until the berries pop. Remove the cinnamon stick and discard. Remove the sauce from the heat and cool slightly. Pour into a bowl with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate.

Veggie Party

Earlier this week, we had an afternoon party for family spending a few months this winter in Florida. Everyone enjoyed the opportunity to be together, if only for a few hours. And the food was wonderful, as it often is when everyone brings something. We always appreciate it when people make an effort to bring food that we can eat. One of my sisters-in-law brought this appealing platter of vegetables and two hummus dips, one spicy and one mild. And we got to keep the leftovers, which became several meals.



The first day, I roasted the leftover pepper and onion slices in a non-stick roasting pan in a 350 degree oven, stirring them a few times to help them brown evenly. Wrapped in a fat-free flour tortilla with refried beans and salsa and served with fresh Florida corn, another quick and easy meal was ready with very little effort. The refried beans are mostly canned, but with flavor greatly enhanced with the adaptations in the recipe below.

Refried Beans

1 small onion, minced
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/2 cup water
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-ounce can fat-free refried beans

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, simmer the onion, garlic, and jalapeno in the water for a few minutes until the onion is soft. Mash the pinto beans with a potato masher or a wooden spoon, leaving some of the beans whole. Stir the mashed pinto beans and the refried beans into the vegetable mixture until well mixed. Cook until heated throughout.

The next day, I revived the cucumber slices by soaking them in 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar for 20 minutes and then drained off the liquid. The cucumber slices with the remaining broccoli pieces, baby carrots, and hummus became an appetizer we ate before dinner.

Mardi Gras Rice

Dirty Rice

The only thing dirty about this rice is the color. It is spicy and flavorful like its Southern namesake but without the animal parts of the traditional dish. Since Mardi Gras is Tuesday and the flavoring makes me think of Cajun seasonings, I decided to call it Mardi Gras Rice.

Lasst night, we were not thinking about Mardi Gras. We went going to a Valentine's party and needed to take food that would pair with Tofurky for the vegans and Cornish Hens for the omnivores. The hostess actually is one of my cheerleaders who encourages me to continue creating a cookbook of healthful fat-free vegan recipes. My friend has cooked dirty rice several times since I gave her the recipe a few weeks ago and asked me to bring it as my contribution to the party.

At home when I have leftovers of this rice, I roast sliced red and yellow bell peppers, sliced onions and diced sweet potatoes. I wrap a scoop of rice in a flour tortilla along with leftover rice and have a delicious and easy meal.


Based on a recipe in "Eat More, Weigh Less" by Dean Ornish.

Dirty Rice

1 cup short grain brown rice
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 large carrot, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
1 14.5 ounce can red beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium tomato chopped
1/2 cup corn kernels

In a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, combine rice, onion, garlic, carrots, and celery. Add the spices to the rice and vegetables, stirring to distribute the spices. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

In a 5-quart saucepan, bring the stock and bay leaf to a boil and carefully add to the rice mixture. The rice may foam up if it is very hot. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes.

Stir in the beans, chopped tomato, and corn. Cover and simmer for another 25 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked.