Why I cook...

Getting ready for pizza...

I have heard time and again about how important it is to cook and eat at home. But when I hear about it in the news, it mainly refers to meals and ''family time.'' To tell you the truth, ''family time/meals'' are, for me, one of the most stressful parts of the day. 

Cooking, trying to get the kids to eat what I serve them, stopping their fights during the meals, cleaning up after them… why bother to cook, then?

Squash soup in the making...

Cooking is the simplest, easiest, and cheapest way to take care of myself and my family, stay healthy, and lean. 

Yes, it takes work, time and planning. But with time it becomes second nature, just like driving a car. No need to consult recipes and how-to books, no need to make fancy and involved meals. Just simple, intuitive cooking of good, wholesome food. 

When I cook, I eat foods that I don't normally find in restaurants. Foods that seem to be ''beneath'' restaurant grade, such as collards, mustard, turnip greens… chinese cabbage, cabbage, beets, turnips, beans, brown rice… those are the foods that nourish my body and sustain the health of my family. They cost little, and yet give sustenance. When I cook, I control the quality of the cookware, as opposed to the aluminum pots and pans of most restaurants…

Argentinian Tortilla in the making...

My mother cooked everyday, both in Argentina and in Brazil. But I think she forgot that she actually had to teach us how to do it in order for us to learn. When I came to America, I ate Ramen noodles, hot-dogs, tuna sandwiches, eggs, pizza, pasta… I was constantly sick with colds, flu, and ear infections.

Then, one incredible day, my sister came to visit me and, horrified at what I was eating, took me to the supermarket. We bought a variety of fruits,vegetables, grains and beans, and she started to show me how to cook them. I started to feel so much livelier cooking this way, that I have kept doing it now for 17 years and counting…

Roasted beets in the making...

I wasn't born knowing how to cook. The first time I made a pot of black beans it was a disaster. I poured red wine in it, and it tasted like shit. I had to throw the whole batch away. But I eventually learned how to cook a variety of beans and grains, as well as all kinds of vegetables.

How does cooking my own food affect my health? The kids go to the doctor once a year- for a check up. No ear infections, no allergies, colds or flu. No trips to the doctor for us adults either.  

Cooking for me is not a matter of pride or status. I cook because I want my kids to grow up healthy. I will not reject cooking because I am too busy. And I will definitely not reject cooking just because I come from a society where women traditionally belong in the kitchen. I cook because I am too smart NOT to.

Lasagnas in the making...

I cook for my health and for my budget, to make my family happy, and keep them healthy and strong. I cook to bring my friends together. I cook to stay alive and ''full of beans.''