Cooking from Scratch

I cook dinner from scratch almost every night.

It’s not as hard as it sounds.

Since I discovered the strain chemical pesticides and fertilizers put on my body, I’ve been committed to eating organic food, and that’s hard to find except at home.

Even the pre-packaged organic meals from Whole Foods are laden with ingredients I don’t call food.

So I cook my own.

Over the years I’ve devised a cooking system that suits me. When I get home from work, I’m mentally tired. I can’t be inspired by the contents of the fridge to create a healthy dinner.

So I plan ahead. Saturday night I decide on the menus for the week. I consider what we have in the fridge and pantry, what seasonal produce will be at the market, and what our week will look like (when will Larry be home late from the gym, do I have an evening meeting?).

For dinners, I select a main course to be accompanied by two or three vegetables. Often a dish can carry us through a couple of nights. The accompanying vegetables will be whatever looks good at the farmers market. I try for the greatest variety possible during the week - one night cauliflower and snap peas, another beets and turnips, another mustard greens and carrots. The more kinds of vegetables, the greater variety of nutrients that we consume. And I enjoy the contrast of colors on our plates.

I’ve learned that unless I have a lot of time and energy, one recipe is enough for an evening. The vegetable sides are steamed or roasted. Fortunately, fresh-picked organic produce tastes great without being made into a fancy dish. My energy goes into the main course, which might be a bean stew or a grain casserole. If I have a bean dish planned for one night, then I write myself a note to soak and cook the dried beans the night before and store them in the fridge.

I post the menu on the fridge, make my shopping list, and the creative part is over.

When I get home from a long day at work, I look at my menu list, and settle in to chop, steam and sauté. There’s something deeply satisfying about the colors of the vegetables and the aroma of frying onions and garlic. I think of where the produce has come from. I appreciate the farmers who grew it and brought it to market. I marvel at the variety of nutrients and beauty in front of me. Cooking becomes a sacred act of connection and gratitude.

I love being able to tell Larry “the black beans are from Lompoc, the sweet potatoes from Joshua Tree, the mustard greens from Three Rivers, and the beets from Ventura County.”

We eat at the dinette in the kitchen, serving ourselves from pots on the stove. And we enjoy the seasonal organic produce, and the knowledge that we are eating real food.