His Kitchen Is the Family Bonding Center

By both nature and professional training, Darrel Jensen is deeply concerned about nutrition--which leads him inexorably down the kitchen path, where he says he not only finds health but a great deal of pleasure to boot.

A Huntington Beach chiropractor, Jensen sees the kitchen as a family bonding center, a “place where everyone in the family can pitch in and share,” as he does with wife, Shari, and 17-month-old daughter, Jesstine, who admittedly does more pitching in than helping.

While he describes himself as more of a “kitchen helper,” bowing to his wife’s “absolute artistry,” Jensen often does a lot more than prep the vegetables and scrape the pans.

That is especially true when there is soup to be made, as a main course for a meal, something he says he never would have dreamed of back on the farm in Nebraska where he was raised. “I was strictly a meat and potatoes and milk man, with a Pepsi thrown in if I could get it,” he said.

“I quite frankly never heard of a light meal and never connected my dietary habits with my general sluggishness and lack of energy. But, after I became educated to the benefits of good food, I really discovered a new, energetic way of life.

“And your body knows when you feed it something good; you get that boost of energy.”

While he estimates that fresh vegetables, fruits and grains make up “about 90% of my diet,” he said he is not a zealot or “health nut.”

“I believe in moderation in most things and would never be so rude as a guest as to reject food placed before me by a host, even if it’s something I wouldn’t normally eat.

“But I am very careful in the selection of ingredients for our kitchen at home. I avoid foods with refined sugar and chemicals and believe very strongly in a minimum of preparation, so that the natural flavors remain.”

That theory is proven by the chicken-vegetable soup he prepared for Guys & Galleys. In the Chinese fashion, it is light with emphasis on the vegetables, cut in chunks so that their individual flavors are not lost. The garnish of cilantro, fresh lime and grated ginger root add all the spice needed. And most important, it is not overcooked.

Jensen said that while his interest in cooking is relatively new, it is a passion that can at times match his one time theatrical ambitions. A speech and drama major, he was graduated from tiny Chadron State College in Nebraska and spent several years on the stage, primarily dinner theater in the Midwest.

In the early-1970s, he moved West for a stab at Hollywood. He said about the nearest he got to a screen role was breaking horses for a Kirk Douglas Western being filmed in Arizona.

Then his interest in health was piqued, and he decided to enter the field, studying chiropractic “because it blends the mental, physical and spiritual.”

That is something he thinks food preparation should also do.

Each week, Orange County Life will feature a man who enjoys cooking and a favorite recipe. Tell us about your candidate. Write to: Guys & Galleys, Orange County Life, The Times, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, Calif. 92626.

CHICKEN-VEGETABLE SOUP

Ingredients

(serves 2-3)

1 breast of chicken, boned

2 ears fresh sweet corn

3 carrots

3 stalks celery

1/2 bunch broccoli

2 red potatoes

6 scallions

2 tablespoons cilantro

1/2 lime

1 teaspoon grated ginger root

2 tablespoons sour cream (optional)

Preparation

Bring 1 1/2 quarts water to boil; add chicken and simmer 1/2 hour. While chicken is cooking, cut kernels from corn, dice potatoes, broccoli, carrots, celery and scallions. Remove chicken and add vegetables to stock. Dispose of chicken skin and dice or shred meat; return to stock and simmer 1/2 hour.

Serving:

After removing from heat, squeeze in juice of lime, stir and spoon into bowls. Garnish with cilantro, ginger root, sour cream and maybe a little Spike (herbal seasoning).

Alternative: For a heartier soup, add 2 cups cooked brown rice.