Cooking from Scratch

Cooking from scratch is something that I think is so important for a variety of reasons, yet so few people engage in doing it anymore. In our family we still resort to the box and/or can frequently, but as food scares continue to be an issue (and as I learn even more about what is really on our food) I find it more important to cook (and grow!) our own food. Since I can't exactly grow everything I would like to at this point in my life, then I recognize that the next step with the most control is that of food preparation.


It took me quite a few years to enjoy cooking but it is something that I have begun to enjoy more within the last few months. (Partly due to The Moosewood Cookbooks!) The health benefits can be incredible as one recognizes exactly what is going into their recipes. It also leads one to be closely involved in the cooking process and allows for recipe alteration. Cooking is a great example of both science and artistic creativity.


In the pan on the left, I made a homemade spaghetti sauce of onions, garlic, yellow peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, and broccoli. Usually it has white wine, tomato paste, and stewed tomatoes included in it also. Eventually it would be ideal to have the paste and stewed tomatoes be homemade. However for now, the sauce makes the ideal component for many of the vegetable left overs that we will have in the fridge from time to time. Corn? Throw it in! Now that our herbs are producing, I can also add those in.


The pan on the right is actually vegan banana bread. We've had many speckled bananas as of late, and as I'm on the only one that eats speckled bananas in the house, I sort of have fallen behind on the job! However it made the perfect opportunity to try out a new recipe and the best part (well besides that it tastes as normal as non-vegan bread) was that I could lick the batters and not have to worry about getting sick from raw eggs! It was also nice to be able to alter the recipe, so that sugar went from white to brown and half the flour became whole wheat.



Thus cooking from scratch is perfect because one is much more involved in what is produced. It does take more time, but in its own right it can be very relaxing. Nothing beats anger or stress like kneading bread dough that needs to rise. There is something very invigorating in creating an item for another individual, whether it be birthday or just regular meal time fare. (How often do we have fond memories connected to shared food moments with those we love?) It also allows for continued knowledge of the food and nutrient process. Do we have multiple colors present in our meals for balanced nutritional value? Have we cleaned the meal prep and food items appropriately? Through home cooking, we can better understand and control our health, our creativity, and our pocketbook. So give it a try and make something from scratch!