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Even though we live in a society ruled by internet articles and television information, I still really believe in books. Books are pretty awesome, as often times they contain a great amount of information which can be helpful in figuring out life and learning how to cook.
Here's my 5 Most Inspiring Books of All Time:
This guy really knows his stuff. Originally published in the 80's as "
Diet for a New America", Robbins updated and re-designed the first edition and came out with "Food Revolution". I read this book in 2005 while first learning about
factory farming,
GMO's and healthy eating and was very inspired by his language, stories, and subject matter. "Food Revolution" discusses the underlying dietary and environmental causes of cancer and the most humane solution to world hunger: veganism. I also heard
John Robbins speak at a conference in 2006 and was blown away once again. If you are going to read one book in your life about sustainability, veganism, healthy eating and learning to appreciate and love, this is it.
I read this book while traveling around the country with a boyfriend about a year ago. Naturally, him being a man and I being a woman, we had conflict but had no idea how to solve it. We weren't able to fully understand what each other was saying and it was almost as if we were speaking different languages. One day while at a thrift store, I found this book, "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus" and thought we should check it out. Little did we know it would be our saving grace and teach us so much about the opposite sex and how to learn to read eachother's signs. I really enjoy Gray's analogies and how he breaks down the different male and female psyches. Thanks John Gray for writing such an inspiring and informative book!
Jeffrey and I started
Wholesome Chow to share our passion for food, community and healthy eating with the world. Both of us are very well versed in our specialties: Mine is food, Jeffrey's is being a business man. Neither of us knew much about the logistical, technical, website-mumble jumble though, let alone how to spread the word through our website. Then came "What Would Google Do?" Before starting the business, I didn't pay much attention to techie stuff or the big business world, but thanks to
Jeff Jarvis, I've been introduced to the whole relm of website economics and strategy, and have fallen in love. Jarvis, to me, is like an angel fallen from heaven and has landed on my lap in the form of a little book. He's taught me how awesome Google really is and how to use Google's strategies, information spreading techniques, and goodwill to further Wholesome Chow and keep up with the "good guys." Thanks Jeff Jarvis for being such an inspiring writer and online guru!
If you've never heard of
Osho, now's the time. I first found this book while visiting back home for a week at my mother's house.
She's quite the book lover, as all through my childhood it was always my chore to dust her countless book shelves. One day I was looking for something nice a pleasant to read and found Osho's "Courage: The Joy of Living Dangerously." Immediately I fell in love with his playful, joyful, sarcastic writing style and gobbled up every word. In "Courage," he writes about love, life, just being happy and not taking everything so literally - which are all of my mottos. He also tells little funny stories and rambles on with run on sentences and skips from one theme to the next. He's kind of like an old grandpa: full of wisdom and a little crazy. I just love him. I wish he could have been one of my grandpas...
I went to culinary school in 2003 just after graduating high school. I was fresh, young, full of life and
loved being a vegetarian. Though, this was a challenging thing at times: being a vegetarian at a Classical French Technique school before vegetarianism got really big. But, I stuck with it and never gave up on my beliefs. One day, while in my European Cuisine class, my classic French Chef Instructor got a little angry with me. I was always making the vegetarian dishes in class and avoided the Stuffed Rabbit and Escargo choices. "You will absolutely NEVER succeed in this profession if you don't cook or eat meat. There aren't any restaurants which do not serve meat ANYWHERE!" he dramatically screamed at me in his thick frenchy accent. I was blown away. First, by him being so mad at my love for vegetables. And, second, that he hadn't heard of the all-vegan, fine dining Millennium Restaurant, a mere 15 blocks from our school. "Well that's interesting, because I've actually worked at an all vegan restaurant, Chef." I sweetly replied. This really set him off and I'm surprised I didn't get rejected from the class. But, lesson learned: He now knows about vegan restaurants
In summary, "The Artful Vegan" has always been, and still continues to be my absolute favorite cookbook of all time. Their inspiring technique and delicate flavors combine to create some of the MOST amazing food I've ever tasted. Thanks Eric!
So, now I've shared my 5 Most Inspiring Books of All Time, what are some of yours? And, why?
1 tsp Jalapeno, minced
2 tbsp yellow onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin seed, ground
1/2 tsp coriander, ground
1 tsp celtic sea salt
Cracked black pepper, to taste
Chopped tomatoes, garnish
In a blender, combine the almond butter and water and blend until completely smooth. This will be your milk for the recipe. Add the corn, onion, jalapeno, garlic, cumin, coriander and salt to the blender and pulse several times until corn is chunky. Pour the soup into a medium sized pot and turn flame on to medium-high. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer for 5 - 10 minutes. Soup should be thick and creamy when finished cooking. Disperse into bowls and garnish with chopped tomatoes and more black pepper. Serve immediately. Store in refrigerator for up to 2 days in an airtight container.
