The Reluctant Cook

Zucchini barley soup

A number of years ago, on my journey to better nutrition, I came to the realization that in order to eat well, one must eat home-cooked or home-prepared meals as much as possible. Making your own food allows you to control what goes in the food you eat and how it is prepared. As a result, I rarely eat out. The place we frequent most often though, is the Barrhaven Vietnamese Restaurant, also known as the BVR. This is a mom and pop locally-owned restaurant that their makes meals from fresh ingredients. Less often we may end up at a pub or road-house where healthy food is virtually non-existent. On these occasions I eat whatever I like and then get back on track.

Nevertheless, I am not someone who really enjoys cooking. I am a reluctant cook. In fact, I hesitate to even call myself a cook. I never learned to cook growing up and so I can follow a recipe and that's about it. I admire those with creativity in the kitchen. I like to make something in a single pot and have enough leftovers for two or three days. The rest of the time I eat salads, eggs on sprouted grain bread or tortilla with sprouts and lettuce, or I make a smoothie.

If you’re like me then, you want recipes that are easy to make. Recently I made zucchini soup because I happened to have a zucchini and four Roma tomatoes on hand. The recipe was quick and easy. I also cooked some barley to add to it, which was a great combination.

ZUCCHINI SOUP

2 tbsp olive oil

½ medium onion (I used the whole onion)

3 cloves of garlic, minced

4 cups diced zucchini, ½ inch

3 cups vegetable stock or water

2 cups of coarsely chopped tomatoes (or canned)

1 tsp oregano

1/8 tsp nutmeg

2 tbsp green onion (I used some leftover leek greens instead)

2 tbsp fresh basil

Salt and pepper to taste

Sauté onions over medium heat for 5 minutes or until soft. Add garlic, zucchini and sauté until zucchini is lightly browned. Add stock, tomatoes, oregano and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until zucchini is cooked. Add green onions and basil, adjust seasoning and serve.

I am not a huge fan of zucchini, but this soup was delicious! I found the recipe in the Cookbook for Cleansing by Terry Willard. Soup is super healthy because, although the vegetables are cooked, they are not cooked in water and removed. The nutrients are retained in the soup broth. Vegetable-based soups combine a high nutrient density with a low energy density - this means that we get lots of key nutrients including vitamins and minerals for relatively few calories.

Barley is a cereal grain that belongs to the grass family. It is a good source of dietary fibre, energy, protein, vitamins and minerals, including iron and selenium.

I love soup year-round but it is particularly appealing during the winter season. So go ahead and enjoy your soup!