healthy eating

Once upon a time I ate “healthy.” This is what people do when they mean well and count calories and eat things labelled “low fat.” But a few years ago I turned into the “read every ingredient on the label and then painstakingly research it” kind of person and let me tell you, it was terrifying. On salad dressing labels alone: calcium sodium EDTA, high fructose corn syrup, modified food starch. If you’ve ever made a simple homemade salad dressing, you know that all you really need is balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil… which is exactly how you make one of my recipes!

I have a confession to make. Up until a few years ago, I HATED chickpeas. (Also known as garbanzo beans, which was the name by which I knew them during my decades long boycott.) I remember my mom used to buy a five bean salad from the grocery store deli that included chickpeas and I couldn’t even choke it down. I’ve written before about how I’ve since conditioned myself to love legumes. And out of this super nutritious food category chickpeas are at the top of my list. Can we just talk about how versatile they are for a second?

Mmmm… soup. I am definitely a fan. Winter or summer, day or night, I’d eat soup seven days a week if I could. And I can. Because I’m an adult and although that comes with all sorts of annoying “responsibilities” it also comes with the freedom to eat whatever I want, whenever I want. (Within reason… and often not within reason at all. Hello, leftover pizza for breakfast.) And sometimes I want to eat thick and creamy soup… without the cream.

Yes. That’s right. No cream. Which means no dairy. Which means safe for vegans, lactose-intolerants and calorie counters alike. How is this possible, you say? It’s creamy, but there’s no cream? Well, my friends, let me tell you about a life-changing cooking technique called “roux.” Some of you may already be familiar – particularly if you’ve made gravy before. I myself had used it many a times to make gravy in the past before discovering it actually has a name. But, honestly, I thought it was just a gravy thing and didn’t realize until the last year or so that it can be used in so very many applications. Including the creation of a healthy broccoli soup… that’s also creamy and vegan!