Category Archives: Food

During my junior year of college I was a resident assistant (RA) in one of the dorms. Each Monday night, the RA staff (six of us) and our boss (RD) had dinner in the RD’s apartment and then had our “business” meeting. We all took turns cooking the meals, which actually turned out pretty well for college students who really had no experience in the kitchen. This stew was one of the meals our RD made for is from the “More with Less” cookbook (which I just Googled to find out is indeed a Mennonite recipe collection as I had correctly recalled). It obviously stuck with me since I am still making it over a decade *ahem* later. It is the perfect meal for a cool, fall day; plus it’s vegetarian-, budget- and diet-friendly – those Mennonites are so handy in the kitchen.

Let’s pretend I thought to take a picture of all the ingredients
(missing from the above: butter, celery, onion and carrots).

What you’ll need:
1/4 c. butter or margarine
3/4 c. celery, chopped
1 small yellow or white onion, diced
2 large carrots, diced
3/4 c. lentils
6 c. water (or more – see directions)
3/4 c. barley (I used quick barley)
2 14-oz. cans diced tomatoes
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/2-1 tsp. rosemary

Here is the missing butter, celery, onion and carrots, happily cooking away.

Directions:
Melt butter in large pot, add onions, celery and carrots and saute for 5 minutes over medium-high heat (until onions go transluscent and start to brown).

Add water and lentils and boil 20 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients and simmer 45-60 minutes. I think because I used quick barley, I needed to add more water and perhaps the cooking time didn’t have to be as long for this bit, just watch your pot and make sure it doesn’t all dry up or you will have a burnt mess. You can add more water without ruining the recipe (I rinsed the tomato cans and added that water and probably another 1.5 cups worth in the end).

Enjoy with some hearty bread!

Quinoa Greek Salad with Lemon Herb Dressing

2 cups cooked quinoa
3-4 roma tomatoes, diced OR 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cucumber, seeded, peeled and diced
1/4 cup kalamata olives, halved
2 oz. crumbled feta
Dressing to taste (see below)

Mix salad ingredients (I cook quinoa the night before and refrigerate it overnight). Add dressing to taste, I wouldn’t use it all, but you’re not me, you might like it that way.

Lemon Herb Dressing:
Juice of 1-2 lemons
1-2 T. red wine vinegar
Olive oil (about as much as lemon juice + vinegar combined, but you can add more, depends on how oily you like your dressing – I like an equal to less ratio)
2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: 1 tsp. garlic salt
Mix all dressing ingredients together and shake very well.

And because this is not a cooking blog, you get an unstyled photo of the recipe while it was in the Tupperware container, taken with my cell phone. You’re welcome. It’s delicious. Trust me.

I have a multitude of cook books and while I love how pretty they look all lined up in my kitchen and I enjoy looking through the photos with my mouth watering, I rarely use them. Instead I find my recipes on the internet, either printing them off, copying them down longhand or sitting my laptop on the counter and following along that way. I love finding good recipes and recommending them to others. Today I wanted to share with you a few favorites that I’ve gone back to time and time again… maybe you can add them to your favorites, too!

Mini Ham and Swiss Party Rolls from Tasty Kitchen | I don’t like swiss cheese but baked and all melty with ham, sweet rolls and this divine sauce, and this is one of my favorite meals. It’s also a go-to recipe for when I have to take a meal to a family that just had a baby. Something out of the ordinary that reheats well – you can’t beat it!

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