Joel Fuhrman - Eat To Live

Eat to Live 209

2 tbsp. Vege Base by Vogue

1 package mushrooms, any type (optional)

6 oz. TVP (textured vegetable protein), optional

Place the beans and 4 cups of water in a very large pot and start

cooking them, covered, on the lowest flame possible. Take the outer

skins off the onions and place them in the covered pot. Do not cut

them up, put them in whole. Add the zucchini, uncut. Cut the bot-

tom roots off the leeks and slice them up the side so each leaf can be

thoroughly washed, because leeks have lots of dirt hidden inside.

Throw away the last inch at the green top. Then place the entire leek

(leaves uncut) into the pot. Juice the carrots and celery in a juice ex-

tractor. Add the juice to the pot. While the soup is simmering, chop

up the mushrooms (if desired). By the time you get to this stage, the

zucchini, leeks, and onions should be soft.

This next step only works if you have a Vita-Mix, a powerful

blender, or a food processor. Ladle some of the liquid from the pot

into the machine. Use tongs to remove the soft onions, zucchini, and

leeks. Be careful to leave the beans in the bottom of the pot. In a few

separate batches, completely blend together the onions, zucchini,

and leeks. Add more soup liquid and the cashews to the mixture, and

blend in. Return the blended, creamy mix back to the pot. Add the

TVP and the mushrooms, if desired. Simmer another 20 minutes,

and you have my soup that is famous the world over. I know a doc-

tor who makes and freezes my soup and sells it to his patients to cure

everything from sinusitis to cancer. It's not really a cure, but it sure

does taste great.

The Vita-Mix is also great for making salad dressings, pureeing

vegetables into soup, grinding wheat berries into fresh flour for mak-

ing homemade bread, and for grinding flaxseed and sesame seeds. It

is a super machine, but expensive. If you want to inquire about pur-

chasing a Vita-Mix at a significant discount, call 1-800-474-9355 and

tell them you were referred by this book.

LISA'S LOVELY LENTIL STEW

1 cup lentils for every 3 cups water

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

I tsp. black pepper (optional)

1 tsp. basil