In the kitchen: Go, Grow, Glow vegetable soup recipe

In Zambia and other places where World Vision works, families often eat only what they grow, which may be one or two crops.

Community volunteers teach mothers to combine three kinds of foods to give children energy and to build and protect their bodies.

The approach is called Go, Grow, Glow.

“Go” foods are energy foods — grains, roots, and tubers. In Zambia, the most common “Go” food is maize.

“Grow” foods build the body — proteins like milk, eggs, legumes, fish, and chicken.

“Glow” foods — fruits and green leafy vegetables, rich in Vitamin A — help protect the body from disease.

Community volunteers use storybooks with pictures to teach mothers how to combine the food groups, turning them into a tasty porridge, or serve all three together. Mothers then gather — each bringing the one or two ingredients they have in their household — and cook together, combining the foods into a healthy meal like this one. Give it a try with your own kids.

Recipe for vegetable soup

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 60 to 90 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 cups vegetable stock (Zambians would use water)
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (Zambians would use peanuts)
• 2 cups fresh or canned tomatoes with juices, diced
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 cup cabbage, finely chopped
• 1 cup sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup turnips, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup fresh or canned okra, chopped
• Optional: 1 to 2 cups chopped, cooked chicken (Zambians might not have this)

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.
2. Sautee onions about 5 minutes or until translucent.
3. Whisk 1/2 cup of the vegetable stock and all the peanut butter into the onions until the mixture is smooth.
4. Add in the remaining vegetable stock, diced tomatoes with liquid, and red pepper flakes. Bring mixture to boil.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.
6. Stir in cabbage, sweet potatoes, carrots, and turnips. Cover. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
7. Stir in okra and chicken. Simmer until okra is tender (about 30 minutes for raw or 10 minutes for canned).
8. Enjoy!

 

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