Virginia Beach native creates locavore-friendly cookbook

She didn't feel it at the time, but her organic planet began to spin years ago at Sobeys, Diggles and Caldwell's.

Those tiny stores - one selling meat, one just groceries, another cheese and penny candy - were the only places to shop in the village in Canada's maritime province of New Brunswick, where local cookbook author Bobbie Williamson spent part of her childhood.

Milk came fresh from a nearby dairy, and fishermen pulled a smorgasbord of seafood from the Kennebecasis River and the Bay of Fundy.

Those foodstuffs nourished residents, but no one called it "eating green" or "going organic." The word "locavore" - describing those who eat locally grown foods - had yet to be uttered.

But the way of eating stuck with Williamson, a Virginia Beach native who went on to live in six countries on three continents.

The philosophy and the flavors of her life - seasoned with wisdom from psychic Edgar Cayce's readings - are the main ingredients of her new cookbook, "Bobbie's Organic Planet: How to Buy Local and Cook Global."

"Lots of adventures," Williamson said recently at her home in Norfolk, describing her life and culinary experiences.

She sat sipping steamy homemade, herbed soup from her grandmother's Wedgwood china and apologized for not using more salt. Behind her stood a baker's rack stocked with herbs from France, spices from the Middle East and salts from around the globe.

"I believe food should be easy and healthy," she said, "not a million layers, not so complex that you don't know what you are eating."

Williamson is not a trained chef and has no culinary pedigree, save a lifetime of living the "when-in-Rome" philosophy.

When Williamson married and left Canada to move first to Europe and then to the Middle East, she became an ardent locavore. A love of cooking simmered inside her as she learned to prepare French, Saudi, Indonesian, Moroccan and Lebanese dishes.

Decades later, when Williamson and her two teenage daughters moved from Switzerland to her native Virginia Beach, she learned to cook Southern. When Williamson's daughters were grown and living back in Europe, she flitted over to the West Coast on a lark and worked in a cafe where she learned about Asian food and edible flowers.

When she drifted back East, she spent a spell in Fayetteville, N.C., where she learned Italian cooking from a Southern lady with a bistro and a beehive hairdo.

With all her travels came stories, and those flavor the book, too - short anecdotes and snapshots accompanying each of the 152 recipes.

Consider Argentinean Chimichurri Chicken, for example. Williamson first experienced chimichurri sauce - a mixture of parsley, lots of garlic, olive oil, lemon, red pepper flakes and sea salt - while living in Geneva.

An Argentinean friend, who was moving his family back to Buenos Aires, packed the dish for his going-away picnic and gave Williamson the recipe.

The Cradle of Gold Carrot Cake is Williamson's own creation. When she lived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, it was her contribution to the provisions during a 250-mile camping trip through the desert to the legendary gold mines of King Solomon. The cake, she notes, travels well.

Her spicy Tunisian Vegetarian Couscous - seasoned with turmeric, saffron and cinnamon - is a re-creation of dishes she ate while vacationing in the northern African country of Tunisia, where a merchant offered Williamson's traveling companion 1,000 camels in exchange for Williamson.

Williamson never intended to write a cookbook about her culinary adventures. Her move to Virginia Beach was in part because of its proximity to Cayce's Association for Research and Enlightenment. Cayce, the late American psychic who gave readings on health, healing and other topics while in self-induced trances, has legions of followers worldwide.

"I'm not a Cayce junkie," Williamson said. But the more she probed into Cayce's readings on healthful eating - which advocate raw foods, little meat and local fare - the more intrigued she became.

"It's common sense," she said. "He was ahead of his time."

While volunteering at the Cayce center, Williamson cooked and catered for colleagues, which led to the filming of three cooking DVDs and then an offer from the association to publish a cookbook.

A "solid year" of nonstop eating and cooking - interrupted only by time at the computer - and the book was done. The result is a volume filled with flavors of the world unlocked in simple, healthful and easy-to-follow recipes.

"I don't care if I ever get famous," she said. "I want people to see how easy it is to eat healthy food and bring their families together."

Lorraine Eaton, (757) 477-5652, lorraine.eaton@pilotonline.com

Indian Spiced Kale and Garbanzo Beans Serves: 4

1 tablespoon olive oil 3 cloves garlic, crushed 1 pound kale, stems removed, chopped 1 cup vegetable broth or water 1 teaspoon dried coriander 4 cups boiling water ½ teaspoon dried cumin ¼ teaspoon garam masala (see note) ¼ teaspoon sea salt (optional) 1 8-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add garlic and saute for 1 to 3 minutes, being careful not to brown.

Add kale, broth, coriander, water, cumin, garam masala and salt to pan. Stir occasionally until cooked, about 10 minutes.

Stir in garbanzo beans and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more.

Note  Garam masala is a blend of spices from northern India and is available in specialty markets and the spice section of some supermarkets.

-----------

Moroccan Carrot Soup Serves: 6

1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 onion, chopped 2-inch piece fresh ginger, grated 5 cups peeled and sliced carrots 1 sweet potato, chopped 5 cups vegetable stock Pinch of grated nutmeg ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ cup orange juice Sea salt Freshly ground black pepper 6 edible flowers for garnish

Melt butter in a medium pot. Add onion and ginger and cook for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Add carrots, sweet potatoes and vegetable stock. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, until the carrots and potatoes are tender.

Puree soup. Stir in nutmeg, cinnamon and orange juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with organic edible flowers, if desired.

-----------

Whipped Yogurt and Cream with Honey Serves: 4

2 cups low-fat or nonfat plain yogurt or soy yogurt ¼ cup heavy cream or soy milk ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract 4 tablespoons local honey

Place a mesh strainer or colander in a large bowl. Line with several layers of cheesecloth. Pour the yogurt over cheesecloth, cover and refrigerate overnight. Discard the liquid in the bowl.

In a medium mixing bowl, whip the heavy cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Continue whipping as you add the vanilla extract. Gently fold in the reserved yogurt.

Pour equal amounts of yogurt and cream mixture into 4 dessert bowls or pretty glasses. Drizzle honey on top.

Variation  Replace honey with fresh fruit. Add toasted walnuts for crunch. Source: “Bobbie’s Organic Planet: How to Buy Local and Cook Global,” by Bobbie Williamson, ARE Press, 191 pages, paperback, $24.95