Learn more about vegan cooking

Neal Barnard, M.D. claims heart disease can be reversed through a vegan diet. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine’s 21-Day Vegan Kickstart challenge is based on his research. The challenge starts April 2, and includes recipes and tips emailed daily, as well as access to meal plans, celebrity diet tips, nutrition webcasts, restaurant guides, and a community forum. To learn more, go to http://www.21daykickstart.org/

The cruise introduced me to the cookbook, “Greens and Grains on the Deep Blue Sea: Fabulous vegetation cuisine from the Holistic Holiday at Sea Cruises,” by Sandy Pukel and Mark Hanna. It’s ironic that the picture on the front cover of the cookbook features a

drawing of another ship — the Costa Concordia! But I’m sure these recipes won’t run aground. Here’s the recipe for one of my favorite soups during my trip.

Butternut Squash Cream Soup:

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

6 cups cubed butternut squash

5 cups water

½ teaspoon sea salt

½ cup soymilk or rice milk

1 tablespoon mirin

Pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste

¼ cup chopped parsley

This sweet, golden-colored soup will give you a healthy dose of beta-carotene, deliciously.

1. Bring squash, water and salt to boil in a large pot. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes or until tender.

2. Reserving the cooking liquid, transfer the squash with a slotted spoon to a blender or food processor. Add the soymilk and about 2 cups of the cooking

liquid, and purée until smooth.

3. Return the puréed ingredients to the pot, and add as much of the remaining cooking liquid as needed to achieve the desired consistency. Add the mirin and cayenne pepper. Reheat if necessary.

4. Garnish with parsley before serving.

Variation: Add a sprinkle or two of pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, cloves or nutmeg.

Tags: food, health