February/March 1982 RAIN Page 13 The Economics and Politics of Food "Soybeans can produce more protein per acre than any other grain, legume, or animal. Twenty soy eaters can be fed from the land it takes to feed one meat eater. If the worldwide soybean production were used to feed people rather than animals, it could meet more than a third of the world population's protein needs ..." The Soy of Cooking, by Reggi Norton and Martha Wagner, revised edition 1981, 57 pp., $2.95 from: White Crane P.O. Box 3081 Eugene, OR 97403 or P.O. Box 56230 Washington, D.C. 20011 (Washington D.C. residents, add sales tax) The Soy of Cooking is a tofu and tempeh recipe book of over 60 recipes. It includes a guide to soyfoods, their history, and nutritional benefits as well as hints for using ingredients that might be unfamiliar to the average cook. The versatility of tofu is demonstrated in the variety of recipes, from tofu garlic dill dip/dressing to barbecue tempeh, from tofu It is good to prepare vegetables with real appreciation for what you are doing, thus enabling the radiations of light to enter the food. A potato is no longer just a potato in your hands, but a thing of real beauty. You can feel it is something living, vibrating. Just stop and think what a difference this makes to the vegetables. Sometimes you feel your heart will burst with joy and appreciation. lasagna to tofu cheescake. As a friend of the authors, I was one of their test kitchen "tasters." I have used many of their original first edition recipes, which are uncomplicated and delicious. The new updated and expanded version of The Soy of Cooking is a welcome addition to the cookbook shelf. Tireless Cookery, by Heidi Kirschner, 1981, 179 pp., $6.95, from; Madrona Publishers, Inc. 2116 Western Avenue Seattle, WA 98121 Fireless cookery is an old method of food preparation which addresses some of the economic and political issues associated with food. It works on the principle of "keeping a container of food hot after a short initial cooking period on a heating unit." The cooking container is enclosed in a well-insulated space and the retained heat finishes the cooking process. The fireless cooker is being promoted in Third World countries as a fuel conserving technology. In Tireless Cookery the author discusses the advantages of fireless cookery, comparing it (most favorably!) to the crockpot and the pressure cooker. Instructions on how to construct a cooker and on learning how to use it precede the recipes. Traditional one dish meals, soups, and casseroles are best utilized with this method, but steamed breads or dinner rolls and steamed desserts turn up as a surprise here. Written in a warm personal style. Tireless Cookery is both entertaining and instructive. Bean Teast: An International Collection of Recipes, by Valerie Tur- vey, 1979, 160 pp., $5.95, from: 101 Productions 834 Mission Street San Francisco, CA 94103 When meat prices began spiraling, author Valerie Turvey began to look to beans as an alternative source of protein. Lucky for us and our pocket books that she did. Bean Teast: An International Collection of Recipes returns us to cooking now "in a way our grandmothers took for granted." She regards protein complementarity a la Frances Moore-Lappe, gives a brief history of beans, and in her complete glossary adds historical and ethnic notes to each bean abstract. The introduction also includes sprouting and general cooking instructions for specific beans. The variety with which Turvey uses beans is astounding: not only in the predictable soups, stews, casseroles, and main dishes, but dips and spreads, salads, egg dishes, side dishes, croquettes, fritters, burgers, and even a few desserts! The format is attractive and easily readable; the directions are clear. The Healthy Taste of Honey,by Larry J.M. Lonik, 1981,159 pp., $5.95, from: The Donning Company 5041 Admiral Wright Road Virginia Beach, VA 23462 I almost didn't review this book after I had ordered it because the first thing I turned to when I opened it was a photograph of the Chicago Honeybears, which must be the Chicago Bears female rally squad. Rather than honey, this group is pure cheesecake and I strongly object to the use of the female body to sell anything. I went past my objections, however, because having written You Can Can With Honey (revised edition 1981, 24 pp., $2.50, from RAIN), my affinity with honey is strong. Tm glad I proceeded. Author Lonik intersperses fascinating facts about honeybees, beekeeping, and a variety of uses for honey with often amusing graphics, photos, and verses. He describes the uses of honey, beeswax, and pollen in healing, and spins stories about the bee in mythology and lore. The discussion of nutritional aspects of honey is particularly lucid and after my own heart. The best parts of this cookbook, however, are the twelve categories of over 100 recipes using honey, a collection I have not found the likes of elsewhere. From: The Findhom Family
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