European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 24, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                It s hard to beat a flavorful vegetable soup with or without added chunks of beef. By Marian Burros new York times t Rancho la Huerta a mexican spa at Tecate that advertises itself As the place where the fitness revolution began in 1940," lunch and dinner always begin with soup. There is a psychological reason for this soup makes you feel full. Even Clear soup. With Clear soup the feeling is illusory but it keeps you from eating As much of the rest of the meal As you might otherwise. When the soup is filled with vegetables and Beans or Rice or pasta you not Only feel full you Are full. And when the soup is also flavorful you also feel satisfied. Ramon Flores is the chef at Rancho la Puerta in Tecate on the . Border at the Northern end of the lower California Peninsula and he has a sure hand with flavors that do not come from butter and Cream. Flores who was born in Mexico but trained in the United states has never been especially fond of fat in cooking. Despite what most americans think of As mexican food combination plates smothered with melted cheese and retried Beans oozing with lard fats were scarce in Flores s household when he was growing up. When you Are raised in a family where you Don t see grease so much Flores said you  later Flores studied classical French cooking at san Diego state University and in new York. Despite that training Flores said cooking lobster bisque never excited me. I prefer to eat a couple of cups of Black bean soup. It makes me excited to do spa food because it s Good for you and you Don t have to use Cream butter and  after working at two California spas la Costa in Carlsbad and the Golden door in Escondido Flores became the chef last year at Rancho la Puerta the Golden door s sister spa. Flores serves different soups at lunch and dinner each Day but no one would Ever guess that they All Are based on the same Stock. To make the Stock Flores uses vegetable scraps and goes from there. This is a technique that anyone who is willing to devote a Little time perhaps on a weekend can imitate. Making the Stock in Advance is a convenient Way to create the basis for Many simple meals during the workweek when there is less time to Cook. And soups Are a painless satisfying Way to keep calories under control. In making the Stock a Little time Means just that less than half an hour of preparation. The rest involves not watching the pot boil the Stock must Cook two or three hours but it needs no help in this Endeavor. Once you have the Stock you can freeze it in suitable portions. Then when you want soup for lunch or dinner the hard part is done and the varieties you can make Are limited Only by your imagination. Simply thaw the base saute a few seasonings and Cook the Broccoli or the lentils or the mushrooms whatever you like throw the soup into a food processor or blender and then heat briefly. To make it even easier for the Home Cook some adaptations of Flores s Stock recipe have been made. For example you Don t have to wait until you have enough vegetable scraps to Start. Go out and buy what you need. Instead of dicing the vegetables for the Stock it is quicker to slice them in a food processor. This recipe for the Stock makes eight cups. If you prefer to Cook in larger batches simply double or triple the recipe and allow longer for the Stock to reduce. Master vegetable Stock preparation time 25 minutes cooking time about 2 hours 3 pounds assorted vegetables celery carrots red peppers Zucchini and onions heavy on the onions 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil 1 gallon water Wash but do not Peel the vegetables. Dice coarsely or slice using the medium slicing Blade of a food processor. Saute in hot Oil until vegetables Are tender. Combine the vegetables with water in a Large pot cover and bring to a boil uncover reduce the heat and Cook at a rapid simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Strain the Stock and discard the vegetables. Freeze the Stock in portions suitable for your family s needs. Four cup portions will work with any of the following variations. Yield 8 cups. Carrot soup with Curry preparation time 5 minutes cooking time 25 minutes 4 cups vegetable Stock Viz Pound carrots peeled and Cut into a Inch thick slices 2/3 cup chopped onion 2 Teaspoon fresh Ginger minced 2 Teaspoon Curry powder 1 Clove garlic minced 1/2 cup Low fat milk 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter White Pepper to taste 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh mint for Garnish optional. Combine vegetable Stock carrots onion Ginger Curry and garlic in a medium size pot. Cover and Sim Ter Over Low heat for 20 minutes or until the carrots Are tender. Puree the mixture in a blender or food processor until smooth. If you use a food processor do not try to add All the liquid at once or it will overflow the processor bowl. Return the pureed mixture to the pot and stir in the milk and butter. Season with Pepper. Heat to a boil remove from heat Garnish with mint and serve. Yield 4 Servings. Note using just 1 Tablespoon of butter finishes off the soup so that it seems much Richer than it actually is. Lentil soup preparation time 25 minutes cooking time 15 minutes 1/2 Pound dried red lentils 8 cups water 1 Small White onion 1/2 medium size Tomato 4 medium size cloves garlic 1/2 medium size Green Pepper 1 Large Leek 1 Jalapeno or Serrano Chili 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil 1 Teaspoon dried cumin 4 cups vegetable Stock Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper to taste 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh Basil 4 to6 Tablespoons finely chopped Green onion. Tile lentils do not have to be soaked before cooking. Simply Cook them in the water until they Are tender about 10 minutes. Drain. Dice the onion Tomato garlic Green Pepper Leek and Chili in a food processor. Heat the Oil in a Skillet Large enough to hold the vegetables and saute them with the cumin until they Are tender just a few minutes. When the lentils Are cooked Combine with vegetables and vegetable Stock. Season with Salt and Pepper and add the tarragon and Basil. Puree and reheat to serve garnished with the chopped Green onion. Yield about 61/2 cups. Note using red instead of yellow lentils speeds up the preparation of this soup considerably. They Are available in natural food stores and Indian markets. Variations Broccoli soup use Broccoli instead of the lentils All other ingredients Are the same. Trim the Steirs from 4 pounds of Broccoli and steam the florets until they Are tender but still firm and Green. Becin with step 2, and continue. Yield about 7 cups. Mushroom soup use mushrooms instead of the Lents All other ingredients Are the same. Trim and thinly slice 3 pounds mushrooms in a food processor. Saute the mushrooms in 1 Tablespoon Oil unti soft. Pour off excess liquid. Set the mushrooms aside and add them in step 4 along with the vegetables. For the other ingredients begin with Stew 2, and continue. Yield about 51/2 cups. Zapping your Way to better health by Nancy Weir Gwinnett Lawrenceville a daily news z a your Way to healthier eating habits. That s the advice of Susan Nicholson a licensed dietitian who teaches a microwave cooking course called save your heart with Susan in Atlanta. Microwave cookery lends itself to Low fat Low cholesterol Low calorie food preparation. You Don t have to add extra fat said Nicholson. Instead of frying Basting or trying to keep food from sticking to a pan by using Oil butter or shortening the Cook can simply let microwaves Cook the food internally. Microwaves agitate the molecules in food to steam it she said. She said that comparatively Low fat foods such As fish and Chicken do especially Well in the microwave staying More moist than when baked broiled or Fried. Vegetables which Are naturally healthful can stay that Way with microwave cookery. In contrast when vegetables Are simmered in water with pork fat for an hour or More soluble nutrients Leach out into the water or Are destroyed by the Long heating process. The added fat lends flavor but does not contribute to Good health. Admitting that some people May need to acquire a taste for tender Crisp vegetables free of added fat or Salt Nicholson said that the process is More like a discovery than a grudging adjustment. The microwave intensifies flavors More than other methods of cooking she said. I who love Salt can eat microwave vegetables and not put any Salt on them. It s like you re eating a whole different vegetable because they Are so  fresh or Frozen vegetables also keep their color because of the Short cooking time. The attractive appearance further helps people develop a taste for microwaved vegetables. You eat with your eyes said Nicholson. If something looks Nice you have a much greater tendency to want to eat  the cooking teacher said that microwave cookery provides one other advantage that encourages people to keep using it and thereby stick to a Low fat diet. You Don t have the clean up that you do with other kinds of cooking said Nicholson. You often can mix Cook and serve All in the same  Nicholson has a personal interest in healthy cooking that goes beyond her profession As a dietitian. My very own brother at age 47 had to have a heart bypass operation she said. He had had a very unhealthy diet. He lived on Bologna pizzas hot dogs eggs. He has had to make a total life change. That s another reason i m More tuned into saving the  Nicholson who owns a microwave store in Atlanta sees the save your heart with Susan class As the Start of bigger ventures. A new York publisher has approached her about writing a Book. Cable news network has done a feature on her. She envisions giving workshops As part of corporate wellness programs. With 23 years of experience As a practising dietitian Nicholson feels an obligation to share what she knows that might help others improve their health. Here is a taste of what Nicholson teaches. Her favorite microwave cookbooks Are microwaving on a diet and microwaving Light and healthy published by by Decosse of the microwave cooking Library Minnetonka Minn. Chicken breast Caccia Tore 1 can 16 ounces whole tomatoes Cut up Low sodium tomatoes if required by special diet 1/2 medium Green Pepper Cut into thin strips 1 medium onion sliced and separated into rings 1/4 cup dry White wine or water 1/4 Teaspoon oregano leaves 1/2 Teaspoon Parsley flakes 1/4 Teaspoon Salt optional 2 whole Bone in Chicken breasts halved skin removed 1 package 7 ounces Vermicelli cooked 2 Tablespoons shredded Romano cheese in two quart casserole Combine tomatoes Green Pepper onion wine and seasonings cover. Microwave on High for 5 to 7 minutes or until vegetables Are tender stirring once. Arrange Chicken in 12 x 8-Inch baking dish with meat est portions to outside of dish. Pour sauce and vegetables Over Chicken. Cover with Wax paper. Microwave on High for 14 to 18 minutes or until Chicken is tender and no longer Pink rearrange and spoon sauce Over Chicken twice during cooking time. Serve Chicken Over Vermicelli that has been tossed with Romano cheese. Serves 4. From microwaving on a diet fresh vegetable plate select and Wash a colourful mixture of fresh vegetables such As carrots Broccoli cauliflower yellow crookneck Squash and red Bell Pepper. Slice carrots yellow Squash and Bell Pepper. Break Broccoli and cauliflower into Floweres. Place a plastic microwave cooking trivet in the Bottom of a 10-Inch Glass pie plate. Arrange vegetables with the hardest vegetables such As carrots toward the outer Edge of the plate and More tender vegetables such As yellow Squash in the Center. If vegetables were washed a few Days in Advance you can Spray them with water. No additional water must be added to the dish cover with plastic wrap. Heat on High for 6 to 7 minutes per Pound of vegetables. Remove plastic wrap carefully. Page 14 the stars and stripes Friday february 24,1989 the stars and stripes Page 15