Homeless People Don't Need Vegetables
December 11, 2009 8 Comments
A couple days before Thanksgiving, I called our local "Survival Center" to find out how I could help. I was ready to roast a turkey, clean up, or help serve. I was really surprised at the coordinator's response.
Turkeys - got those, volunteers - had to turn them away, stuffing - more than we can stuff ourselves with. So, what do you need? Green vegetables.
What? The cheapest and easiest thing to bring was the one that they needed? I asked her why she thought that she didn't have enough green vegetables and she said that she didn't think people thought of them.
Of course not.
Who in the United States thinks you need green vegetables to survive? We think of meat and potatoes because those are the staples that keep us going.
But, in Africa the average per day amount of meat is 1/2 an ounce. Okay, I'm not talking about malnourished Africans, but people who survive an almost exclusively vegetable diet.
For survival, we should be eating vegetables. The next time you sit down to a meal, think of vegetables FIRST. They are plentiful, cheap, and delicious (if cooked properly).
True confession, I can't stand steamed vegetables with nothing on them. I really like to add olive oil or some other fatty thing to make my green vegetables taste good - and as long as I don't pour a whole bottle on them - the calorie content is very reasonable.
Here is the recipe I made for my town's neediest:
Green Bean and Olive Oil Recipe
(Makes 4 servings)
Ingredients
1 pound green beans
2 tablespoons good quality olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Place a large pot of water on stove and heat to high. Remove the stem end of the green beans and wash. When water reaches boil toss in green beans and cook for 5-10 minutes until your favorite consistency (this will depend on how tough the beans are). Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper and serve. To get fancy add sliced or slivered almonds.
Points values are calculated by Snack Girl and are provided for information only. See all Snack Girl Recipes
Please share your favorite EASY vegetables in the comment section.
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