Cookbook Review: "more-with-less"

by kristin friedery




More-with-Less: Recipes and suggestions by Mennonites on how to eat better and consume less of the world's limited food resources by Doris Janzen Longacre

When the Mennonite Central Committee issued a request for families of North America to examine their lifestyles and commit to eating and spending 10 percent less, Doris Janzen Longacre got to work on this book. She researched eating habits, spending habits, and nutrition. She collected recipes, tested them, and made slight adjustments. The result is a cookbook that not only gives recipes, but speaks to the reasons for changing one's habits.

My sister gave me this book for my birthday about a month ago and I was thrilled to get it. I would describe myself as a person who is concerned about how I eat and what I eat, but that concern has always stopped short of acting. This book is a manageable intro to reducing consumption. The first third of the book is dedicated to information about the eating habits of North America. We consume and consume, and not in an efficient manor. Longacre also addresses the question that I always get hung up on "How can what I do in my kitchen make a difference?" Her answer to this question is that changing your eating habits alone is not going to solve the global food crisis. But it is a way to be faithful and it is a beginning step for concerned Christians to take.

In terms of steps to take, Longacre also goes into depth about how we can combine food to get the most bang for our buck..."more with less" if you will. She talks a lot about complementing protein, which I am still trying to understand. But she gives practical examples, such as milk products should always be served with grains and legumes should always be served with grains.

After reading all of this information, I decided to jump into the recipes. I was limited in how many recipes I could try for a few reasons, the not the least being that I am a single woman living by myself. It is not practical for me to make a full meal every night of the week. But I did take the time to read through the recipes and try a few different things. (note: I am not going to take up space by writing out these recipes, they are all in the book and please let me know if you want more details kofriedery@gmail.com)

The Baked Lentils with Cheese is a dish made of lentils, onions, tomatoes, carrots, and celery. It is super flavorful and easy to make, although it does require about an hour and fifteen minutes from start to finish. I also made my own granola from a recipe in this book. I had never done that before and had a hard time finding wheat germ in the grocery stores down here, but the end product was very good. The recipe for basic granola in More-with-Less calls for rolled oats, whole wheat flour, wheat germ, honey, coconut, vanilla, water, and salt. I had never made granola before so I was pleased with how easy it was and also, how great the yield was. I halved the recipe and it was plenty for me to have a bowl every morning for a little over a week.

The two other recipes I'll mention here before I close are the Crusty Mexican Bean Bake and Spaghetti with Zucchini Sauce. The bean dish was very tasty once it was all finished, but I never knew how involved cooking dry beans was! You have to soak them overnight, then boil them, and then let them simmer for several hours, depending on the bean. I, of course, handled the soaking part pretty well, but that was after delaying my recipe for a day because I hadn't realized how much time the beans entail. The next afternoon, I proceeded to burn the beans to the bottom of my pan, which then required a different kind of soaking. I was able to salvage enough to make the recipe, which was very tasty, but next time I am going to buy a can of kidney beans to save some time and my pots! The spaghetti dish was simple and delicious. The sauce is made of zucchini, onion, tomato, salt, a bay leaf, pepper, basil, and oregano. This, by far, was the simplest of the main dishes I made. Put the ingredients together, simmer, and serve over cooked spaghetti.

All four of these recipes definitely proved the "more with less" theme. They were flavorful and filling, and the ingredients were simple and inexpensive. I think this is book is a great addition to anyone's kitchen library, but I would especially recommend it to those who are on the brink of changing habits. Longacre does a great job of making these types of changes accessible and also puts a great deal of time explaining why we should reduce our consumption. I'm looking forward to continuing to use this book as a guide in my daily cooking.