Land of Plenty

Yet We're

Overfed and Undernourished

Tony Cinecola - NY Times

New Year's resolutions have a tendency to start out with a bang. Lots of good intentions, then we find excuses to slip back into our old ways. With a new addition to my cookbook collection, I've an incentive to stick to my guns about eating healthier this coming year by feasting on some interesting treatments of veggies, grains and beans.

Crescent Dragonwagon has long been a favorite, providing instructions for luscious breads and muffins with her Dairy Hollow House volume of

Soup & Bread. I recently purchased a used copy of the Passionate Vegetarian from Powell's Books.

When the package arrived in the mail, I was floored by the weight. Upon opening the box, I found I'd bought a monster volume of over 1,000 pages, chock full of fun reading and taste tempting renditions of old favorites along with directions and incentives to try lots of new things.

I dug right in, mashing up some baked sweet potatoes with orange juice, orange zest, a dash of Triple Sec, a little brown sugar and a generous dollop of butter. What a hit those were! So good they could pass for dessert. The recipe calls for Grand Marnier but, you know me,

If out, never do without, substitute!

I'm looking forward to exploring some new foods and using old favorites in new ways to keep mealtime interesting and challenging. I'll keep you posted!

I hope each of you has a great new year ahead. Make some positive changes to enhance your life. Remember, one step at a time is both doable and sustainable.

Till next year . . . keep on cooking!