As temperatures descend into winter, a warm pot of soup cooking on the stove is a warm and wonderful welcome home.

Inexpensive, tasty and plentiful, this ancient protein is believed to have originated in Asia. Thought to be one of the first agricultural crops, archeologists have found evidence that lentils were eaten as much as 13,000 years ago.[1]

Lentils are rich in protein and fiber, much of which is heart-healthy soluble fiber, very low in fat and packed with iron, folate, phosphorus and potassium. All of which makes lentils a healthful alternative for meat-eaters.

Lentils are wonderful in stews, salads and homemade veggie burgers.  There are many varieties of lentils with differing characteristics, the most common being brown, green and red. …read more of Easy, Satisfying and Delicious, Lentil Soup is a Nutrition Powerhouse here

More than a decade ago, the Quarterly Journal of Medicine published a review entitled: “Vegetarian Diet: Panacea for modern lifestyle disease?”

The answer in the affirmative, noted those eating vegetarian have less obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, cancers, kidney disease, maybe less stroke, less age-related vision loss, less diverticulosis, fewer gallstone and of course, less constipation.

After going through the laundry list of benefits, the researchers did identify two drawbacks of a plant-based diet:

1) Risk of vitamin B12 deficiency, which I’ve covered previously

2) Increased intestinal gas production. So on one hand, we have half of the top 10 causes of death in the United States, and on the other, flatulence. …read more of Beans and Gas: Clearing the Air here

Edamame (eh-dah-mah-may) is a tasty snack food from Asia that has become a popular appetizer at Japanese restaurants here in the west. Often called green vegetable soybeans, they are a special variety harvested when still immature and green.

Served in the pod at restaurants, frozen shelled edamame are now widely available at supermarkets and Trader Joe’s, as well as in health food stores. Possibly be the worlds oldest snack food, going back well over a thousand years, edamame could very well be the healthiest, too.

Edamame has a lot going for it. Great taste, ease of preparation and excellent nutrition make it a delightful snack, not only in restaurants but in kitchens across America. Try adding shelled edamame to your favorite stir-fry, pasta dish, soup or stew in place of any other bean. …read more of Edamame: Planet Friendly Protein, Tasty and Nutritious! here

Photo: Joseph A. Garcia

There is something especially satisfying about a big pot of split pea soup warming on the stove as it fills the kitchen with delicious aromas. Hearty soups are a mainstay of comfort food cookery with their “stick to the ribs” density, warmth and homey goodness.

Spit Pea Soup is typically made from dried peas, which are actually legumes cultivated in ancient Rome and Greece as long ago as 500 BCE. In that era, street vendors were selling hot pea soup on the streets of Athens.¹

Pea soup is filling and inexpensive and recipes for this homey dish can be found in cuisines around the world. In the U.S., pea soup is most popular in the Northeast, particularly in New England, where the winters are cold, grey and long. …read more of Sensational Split Pea Soup with Yams here

 
Photo Credit: Joseph A. Garcia

Back-eyed peas are a dietary staple in the American South and Hoppin’ John is a traditional dish made with black-eyed peas believed to bring good luck when served on New Year’s Day. According to the legend, if you serve black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day, you’ll have plenty of pocket change in the New Year. If you serve “Hoppin’ John” with cooked greens you’ll also have plenty of folding money. Many southern families toast each other with Champagne and a bowl of Hoppin’ John at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve.

Black-eyed peas are cream colored beans that have a slightly smoky flavor, smooth texture and a distinct black dot. Food historians agree that “Hoppin’ John” is an American dish with African/French/Caribbean origins. African slaves, who worked the rice plantations, brought black-eyed peas to the U.S. and by the 1700′s they were growing extensively in the south.

Where did this dish get its strange name? One theory is that “Hoppin’ John” was a corruption of the French ‘pois à pigeon,’ (pigeon peas) when the dish was created in the French colonies of the Caribbean. John Mariani suggests, in The Dictionary of American Food and Drink, “it derives from an old ritual on New Year’s Day in which children in the house hopped once around the table before eating the dish.” …read more of Serve Hoppin’ John for Good Luck on New Year’s Day here