News Taffy

While searching for some good music on the radio recently, I caught two local DJ’s discussing the top five unhealthiest foods due to additives like food coloring. Immediately, I zeroed in on the conversation, curious as to what they were saying. The first DJ read off the list, telling the other one, “You aren’t going to like this.” The list included Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, M&M’s, Cheetos, Pop Tarts and Teddy Grahams. Upon hearing Teddy Grahams, the other DJ exclaimed, “Teddy Grahams! But I thought they were healthy!”

At this point, I groaned in frustration. Even though I have eaten all those foods, served them to my children, and even occasionally still indulge, at no point did I consider ANY of them to be healthy foods. How have we as a society gotten so lost that we don’t even have the most basic understanding of what real, healthy food is? How can it be that we are unable to differentiate between treats, i.e. junk food, and honest to goodness nutritious food like vegetables and fruits that our bodies need? Why is Congress allowed to get by with proclaiming that ketchup and tomato paste are vegetables and hardly anyone notices, much less protests? Why don’t we know WHAT to eat?

The answer is that the food industry, aided by Congress and the rest of the Federal Government, has been allowed free rein to produce a mishmash of chemicals, petroleum byproducts, GMO laden, pesticide and antibiotic filled goop and call it food. These food like substances make big money for the food industry. And because we have gotten too lazy to bother with mundane and onerous tasks like cooking food ourselves, we’ve let them get away with wrecking our health in the process.

If you are still interested in cooking something nourishing, something simple yet filling, try the following recipe. Wean your family from dependence on processed, prepared foods and get back to the basics of real food that grows outside in the fresh air. Food you could even raise yourself. The lemon and herbs give this chicken soup a richer taste than Campbell’s ever could.

Lemony Chicken Quinoa Soup

- 1 to 2 cups diced cooked chicken
- 4 to 5 cups chicken broth
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 to 1 cup quinoa*
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 cup carrots, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 or 4 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried
- 1 tsp. tarragon
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. pepper
- Zest and juice of one lemon
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Heat olive oil in a large stock pot over medium high heat. Add onion, carrots and celery. Sauté vegetables till just beginning to brown. Add garlic and thyme and cook 2 minutes more. Add the broth, chicken, tarragon and quinoa and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes or until the quinoa is tender. Stir in the salt and pepper, the lemon juice and zest and the parsley. *Quinoa is a grain that is a good substitute for pasta or rice and is an excellent source of protein.