Excerpt from Bragg Vegetarian Health Recipes — Chapter 5
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Some nutritionists look with respect on the tales of the “magic potions” of the Dark Ages: soups brewed with wild herbs and greens of the forest. Most agree now that the “magical broth” had practical and miracle curative properties, rather than supernatural charms.
Throughout history, Europe and Asia suffered from food shortages. Rather than roam the forest hunting for game and eating wild berries and herbs, Europeans crowded into small communities and concentrated efforts on wars and munitions instead of food. Death, rather than life, was paramount. Is it any wonder that the magician with his vitamin-rich herb pot, and the old crone with her love potions brewed from forest remedies, could seemingly work miracles? Of all the richness of nature’s gifts to humanity, the living, growing foods that nurture our bodies are miracles in themselves! The custom of having the soup pot on the back of the stove (into which all water left from cooking vegetables, as well as odds and ends of the vegetables themselves, were tossed) is a healthy practice in nutritional cookery. Far too many people destroy their foods. First, they take carrots, scrape all the vitamin-rich skin off; toss them in large quantities of boiling water; boil the life out of them; and throw all the water, into which the vitamins and minerals have escaped, down the drainpipe. Millions feed their sink nature’s richest gifts and keep the dead, lifeless remainder to eat!
Save those beet tops, extra spinach leaves, green lettuce leaves that you think are too dark to serve on the table, tomato skins, skin from any vegetable you feel you absolutely must peel – all the little odds and ends and leftovers that you would normally throw away – toss them into the soup pot. I call it my “vitamin pot.” Above all, save the precious liquids that remain in a pot after cooking. You will find no more delicious soup in the world than the rich soup made of pot liquids and mixtures of vegetables that you would ordinarily discard. That, above all, is your basic soup recipe.
This Blog is moderated. It is created to be informative, inspiring and uplifting. Our positive philosophy at Bragg is to communicate with love and respect. As Paul and Patricia Bragg teach, in expressing your thoughts and opinions to others, ask yourself: "Is it good, is it kind, is it necessary?" All comments that do not fit this philosophy will not be posted.
Excerpt from Bragg Vegetarian Health Recipes — Chapter 1
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Ordinarily, cookbooks have a stereotyped sequence. First come the tables of measurement, then the soups, salads, etc. To my mind, no recipe Book — Can start without flavor as a basis – and especially no health food recipe book. In cooking for health, the pleasure of well-savored flavor is almost as important as nutritional quality, as it makes mealtime more enjoyable, which also helps with digestion. Good cooking is the combination of two great fields of human experience: science and art. The science of food tells us what good nutrition is. The art of preparing food requires learning the art of flavor. Using herbs such as Bragg Sprinkle (24 herbs & spices) and Bragg Kelp Seasoning, garlic and 100% whole, fresh, organically grown foods are always the best.
Stock: the Foundation of Flavor
Flavor can only be as good as the stock from which it is based. Good stock, properly used, is the difference between excellent and mediocre cooking. When the stock (or consommé) is excellent, the creation of fine flavor is easy. When food lacks flavor, meals can taste flat and dull. In foreign lands, mention of stock in a cookbook would be superfluous. However, in our culture it is a little-known and seldom practiced principle of the basic art of cooking.
There are several reasons for this: unless a great deal can be prepared at a time, the cooking of stock is time– consuming. You can make three quarts at one time, freeze some in ice cube trays, and transfer to freezer bags to use as-needed for small amounts. Place remaining stock in jars and refrigerate. Put a date on all stored food items! A stainless steel pressure-cooker is a great time-saver in the preparation of stock. The cooking time can be divided by ten.
This Blog is moderated. It is created to be informative, inspiring and uplifting. Our positive philosophy at Bragg is to communicate with love and respect. As Paul and Patricia Bragg teach, in expressing your thoughts and opinions to others, ask yourself: "Is it good, is it kind, is it necessary?" All comments that do not fit this philosophy will not be posted.
