Friday, September 7, 2018

Victory Garden Soup and a Review of Food Fight by Tanya Steel




Today I'm serving up a bowl of delicious Victory Garden Soup that I made from one of the recipes in Tanya Steel and National Geographic's new educational book, Food Fight, intended for kids 10 +.







:Review of "Food Fight" by Tanya Steel

Tanya Steel, award-winning food journalist, outdid herself with this educational kid's book that explores important periods of history through the food they ate. An interesting read for both kids and adults alike, this colorful hardback book includes thirty delicious global recipes that focus on real food and healthy eating based on food eaten throughout history.

Starting with Prehistoric cave-kids and ending with present day, the author addresses food, politics, culture, class differences and economics of major periods of world history. There are lots of photos, quizzes, and fun woven into the written material.

There are interesting facts and trivia in sections like "A day in the Life of Paris 1793", " Menus of the Rich and Famished," "Bite-Size History" and "Common Foods eaten in Ancient Rome". It's a read that foodies, future chefs, and history buffs of all ages will devour!




The book is large, colorful, well illustrated, well written, and interactive. It was published in conjunction with National Geographic Kids whose mission is to help teach kids about the world and how it works. National Geographic Kids targets young readers through award -winning magazines, books, games, videos and their website."Food Fight" is recommended for ages 10 and up.

About the Author: 
You may recognize Tanya Steel's name as a leader in the global food industry. Tanya worked with First Lady Michelle Obama to start the Healthy Lunchtime Challenge and the annual Kids" State Dinner" at the White House. In addition, the author is a former editor of Bon Appetit and Food and Wine, former editorial director of Epicurious, Clean Plates and Gourmet.com.

How I decided on this recipe

While browsing through the book,  I enjoyed reading about food during  the Prehistoric Era, ancient Egypt and ancient Greece, ancient Rome, Medieval Times, the Renaissance, The French Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, World War I, American's Great Depression, WWII, and the 1960's.

There were many interesting recipes that sounded appealing including  Heavenly Humus, King Tut's Not Fishy Cakes, and Revolutionary Potatoes. 

I eventually selected "Victory Soup" from World War II section. I selected this recipe because I am a backyard vegetable gardner at heart and love a good bowl of soup. This is a simple vegan and gluten free vegetable soup that would be easy and fun to make with your kids or grandkids!

I liked this tidbit from the WWII section about kitchen tools.

        " Amazing technologies were invented during the 1940s including the first microwave                            (weighing in at 600 pounds), the first crockpot, and the trash compactor. But none of these                   were available to the home consumer until after the war."

   


Victory Soup  - A recipe from the book
(which called for vegetables from people's victory gardens during the war )

Ingredients: 
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 potato, peeled and chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
1 cup fresh or frozen peas or edamame
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernals
2 quarts vegetable broth
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro or parsley

Directions: 
Ask an adult to warm the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for two minutes. Add the carrots and potato and cook for 4 minutes. Add the garlic, peas, and corn and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add the broth and vinegar and cook on low heat for about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and cilantro. Divide into bowls.


It turned out to be a very easy and delicious soup






Shared on Weekend Cooking where anyone can share a food related post.

Also sharing on Souper Sunday where anyone can share a soup, salad, or sammie recipe.




Disclaimer : I received a copy of " Food Fight" from the author and publisher for review on my blog.  I was not compensated for this review and the opinions are my own.


20 comments:

  1. I am definitely a soup person. This garden soup looks comforting and tasty, Judee.

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  2. Helping kids to be aware of food history is a great idea!

    best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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    1. I think it will make a great holiday gift or stocking stuffer

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  3. Oh I think I'd love this book, and the Victory Garden soup is perfect: both contemporary (with edame & cilantro) and traditional. Great pick.

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    1. It is a very interesting read about the history of food and shares some simple food examples and recipes for kids.

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  4. Cooking and history are right up my girls’ alley. I think they would enjoy both the read and trying some of the recipes from this book. Looks like it could be a interesting holiday gift!!! Great suggestion thanks!!

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    1. I highly recommend the book . It's educational, fun, and creative.

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  5. A good soup recipe is just the thing for fall! I don't garden myself (unless you count container flowers), but this makes me wish I did!

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    1. Me too.. my garden consists of herbs like basil, mint, oregano, and thyme .

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  6. This look so yummy. I love vegetable soup. Thanks for the recipe and book review. I find children’s cookbooks irresistible.

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    1. The soup was surprisingly tasty considering it was from a children's book

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  7. Yay for soup! Cheers from cArole's Chatter
    PS I have just read (ok, skimmed) a book called Food in Art - was inspirational for some future posts. Cheers

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    1. I do love soup and I love the idea of a victory garden

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  8. I haven't thought about victory gardens and the PBS series by the same name in a long time. This soup looks and sounds delicious. While I love soup all year long, I'm so excited that it's about to be soup "season" when everyone, including Mr. GFE, expects it to be on the menu more often!

    Shirley

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  9. I like this book and think I will get a copy for my granddaughter. Also, your soup looks so good. There are so many spare veggies in my fridge now that I will adapt a version of yours here for the upcoming week.

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  10. This looks like a fun and interesting book for foodies of all ages. Your soup looks really tasty too. Thanks for sharing it with Souper Sundays. ;-)

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  11. What a great way for kids to learn about nourishing food and history at the same time! Food Fight sounds like a great book, Judee, and I'm so glad you shared it with us at the Hearth and Soul Link Party. I liked the Victory Soup too! Hope you are having a lovely week.

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  12. This looks like a tasty recipe Judee. Yum! Thanks for sharing at Creative Mondays, you will be one of my featured blogs today :)

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  13. I think this will be on my to get list for my little Miss sous chef.

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