Customer Reviews

Simple Food for the Good Life: Random Acts of Cooking and Pithy Quotations

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I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, more than I enjoyed "Living the Good Life." Helen Nearing gives clear, concise arguments for eating simple, unprocessed food. As a strict vegetarian who has to sometimes defend my dietary choices to my family and friends, I treasured her well-laid out chapter on vegetarianism. Though Helen definitely had her own opinions and stuck to them, I like the message of tolerance that comes through when she speaks about dietary choices and conciences. The recipes are all very simple and easy to understand, and, unlike some vegetarian cookbooks, do not call for hard-to-find ingredients. I also liked her use of quotes on vegetarianism, food in general, and cooking. A very good book, good for anyone who is reevaluating his or her diet.

I borrowed this book from my local library. Not being able to sleep one night, I picked it up and dug into page one. At 2 am, I finally set it down, reading the entire volume in one entranced sitting, eagerly anticipating the next morning when I could try some horse chow for breakfast rather than my usual cooked oatmeal glop. A handful of raw oats, a banana, some nuts, a few raisins, and a splash of soy milk was all it took that morning for me to become addicted to a way of eating that makes so much sense, it's amazing to think of mind-numbing habits that contribute to the dismal American diet. I love the author's no-nonsense approach, writing for "the rest of us" that don't relate to the idea of spending three hours in the kitchen to make a meal that will be gulped down in twenty minutes. I recommend it to anyone wishing to slow down and simplify in this diet-crazed country of ours.

Helen Nearing does not mince words. She tells it like she thinks it, which is part of the beauty of her style. This book will make you thing about the way you eat, and what you feed those you love, so get ready to have some assumptions challenged. I have used some of the recipes in this text, and have not been disappointed (try any of the salads described or the banana cookies for a snack).

If you Hate to cook but really want to be healthy, this is your book. A good value. You get a lot of ideas from this book. It encourages good thinking. Not for people who Love to Cook. This is for the rest of us. Enjoy!

I must correct my receipe above (below?) for Helen's horse chow. It's four cups oldfashioned oats, a half cup of raisins, good olive oil, salt, and juice of a lemon. MIX RAW, NO COOKING NEEDED. Believe me, that is an unbearably delicious breakfast. You MUST STOP at one bowl--but you don't want to. I usually make a big salad bowl full, two or three pounds (and it's far cheaper than processed breakfast food), which might last four days, if I'm a good boy.

Nearing explains straight off that there are too many cookbooks out there ranging from the simplest to the most outlandish fares. Hers are quite simple rarely using more then 3 ingredients and saving a lot of time in the kitchen in order to do more important things such as savoring life. These recipes are highly nutritious and come from such simple foods as potatos, rose hips, and turnips which are basic fare that is abundant through the seasons and cheap on the budget. Dont be mistaken these foods are hardy and tasty. I have though always preferred a simple vegetarian stew or soup, to fine dining. Helen Nearing and her husband Scott were remarkable people because they were advocates of homesteading, simple living and just making do with what you got. They both chose their way of living because they wanted to reconnect with the earth, something that most all people take for granted. Their other books are remarkable as well because their choosing the good life afforded them the pleasures of living to older ages while still keeping their wit and energy til the end.
This book reflects the good life and the teachings of these wondeful earth lovers.

This book is a collection of essays and recipes explaining and demonstrating Helen Nearing's philosophy about food. Nearing is the first to point out that she does not enjoy cooking in the least. For this reason, she spent as little time as possible in food preparation. Nevertheless, as thousands of visitors would testify, the food from her kitchen was wholesome, tasty, and most of all, nourishing. Her cardinal rule was that food should take no longer to prepare than to consume. Of course, some dishes required simmering for several hours on the woodstove, but the active involvement of the cook was still limited to just a few minutes.

The first part of the book is devoted mainly to Nearing's philosophy of food. She explains the benefits of minimal processing and raw foods, for the cook as well as for health. She devotes an entire chapter to espousing vegetarianism. The second part of the book contains recipes or general directions for the kinds of foods she and Scott ate on their homesteads. Separate chapters cover breakfast, soups, salads, vegetables, casseroles, baking, desserts, and beverages. She also discusses seasonings, food preservation, and food storage. One delightful aspect of the book is her collection of quotes from old books that she sprinkles throughout the text.

Nearing is very clear about her approach to cooking-she doesn't consider the process itself a worthwhile activity. She tells us "work is only work if you'd rather be doing something else. Well, I'd rather be reading (or writing) a good book, playing good music, building a wall, gardening, swimming, skating, walking-anything that is more active, more intellectual, or more inspiring." She states that if a person actually enjoys cooking, that's fine for them, but she gets little pleasure from it herself. On the other hand, she certainly sees food as worthwhile. For this reason, she advocates eating food raw, or with as little cooking as possible. She notes that if you fuss over food and make it too good, people will be tempted to eat more than they need and get fat, but that nobody ever got fat on a diet of raw foods-they eat what they need and then stop. Seasonings and sweeteners also lead to overindulgence, and so she rarely uses them. Her breads chapter is somewhat unique in that there is hardly a recipe calling for yeast, and few that are even baked. She suggests eating foods raw that many have never considered, such as potatoes, oats, or even wheat berries. Though much of her advice is profound, she does make one suggestion that makes me pause. She notes that she and Scott were not in the habit of supplementing their food with beverages, not even water, and that a single glass of water could last a week for them. Odd. Nevertheless, it's hard to argue with someone about their diet when both she and her husband lived healthy and active lives into their late nineties.

...because the recipes are the best part of this book. I'm not particularly fond of the writer's style, though one could admire the honesty and candor in her writing. To me she seems just too self-righteous, and I'm not too fond of any book where meat-eaters get unnecessarily criticized. If I choose not to eat meat, why in the world would I want to bash those who do? What? Does it make ME look better? Make THEM feel stupid for their choices? To me that doesn't really accomplish anything, and only pushes people further away. She has a real take it or leave it attitude ("here's what I cooked. Eat it. If you like it, good. If you don't, go get it somewhere else.") Well, it's pretty easy for her to have that attitude, because she and her husband eat the same way...she can afford to make that statement without great risk. I just wasn't feeling her attitude in this book, but to her credit, her recipes are great. Nothing is too time consuming, and everything is healthful and all natural...just the way I like to eat. If you want to create food that's simple, close to the earth, and fast and easy, without much fuss or muss, or if you just plain old hate to cook, then this IS the book for you...read it and enjoy...

This is an excellent book! It is much more than a recipe book, and is a recipe for long life and health as well. It describes the negative health results of constantly "feasting" in this country, and shows how a much simpler approach to eating can bring health and longevity. The author and spouse lived an active life to their late 90's and rarely if ever were sick. This book explains why.

I own about 50 cookbooks, but since buying "Simple Food for the Good Life" I am thinking about chucking all others but this one. This is the ultimate cookbook that I have been looking for. The proof is in the pudding as they say, and the pudding here is the delectable way that these recipes come together. So far, I've tried the Horsechow (Yum), the Black Bean Soup (best I've ever had) and the Peanut Butter Balls (which turn out to be a treat very close in taste to a Power Bar or Peanut Better Candy ...only good for you, too) Next I will be trying the onion curry. The best of all of this is that these recipes use very few ingredients and the effort to nourish yourself with good food is reduced to minimum. I love this book!