Out on the desert they were living on Hamburger Helper and fast food. She was really craving something besides meat and fat, so she suggested that she take a trip to the grocery store in Boron and get some supplies to make what she called “Hippie Stew.”
Back in the days when she was staying in Long Island, the young attractive co-eds would convince the clerk in charge of produce at the market to give them the older bruised veggies for this recipe. After they cut off all the spoiled or mildewed portions, they had a tasty mix:
- corn
- egg plant
- onions
- peppers
- zucchini
- broccoli
- cabbage
- carrots
- celery
- Swiss chard
- tomatoes
- potatoes
Heat oil and add spices to taste: garlic, parsley, basil, soy sauce, and pepper. Add a pound of cooked kidney beans or tofu for protein.
Serve over short grain brown rice for the true experience.
Add grated cheese if desired.
Dubbed “Hippie Stew.” It was made differently every time depending on the availability of the vegetables they could get.
The menu at World College was usually vegetarian, but sometimes they would cook up a big pot of meat based spaghetti sauce leaving half of the sauce meatless for those die hards who preferred not to partake of animal flesh. Some really great cooking standards came out of that poor student phase. Kristie kept them in her repertoire her entire life:
- Spaghetti and Eggs
- Bean Tacos
- Tofu Stew
- Champs
- Lentil Stew
- Vegetarian Chile or Spaghetti
- Beans and Greens
- Noodles and Pace Picante Sauce
The recipes are cheap and could feed a large crowd.
The crew at Four Corners was unimpressed and dissatisfied. After all that trouble shopping, cutting, slicing, chopping and cooking it all up in a big pot of melded health and goodness, both of her cohorts (Lenna and Charlie) opted for a burger at the fast food place.
Kristie ate her fill of the Hippie Stew by herself. A couple of days later Lenna threw the whole mess out. “Lack of appreciation,” Kristie thought at the time. She guessed a person had to be introduced to vegetables at a young age or be really poor and have nothing else to eat.
Hippie Stew
(First published 3/12/12)
