Healthy & Cool Summer Meal Ideas

Posted by wardeh

Don’t want to heat up the house to cook a healthy, tasty dinner? In the mood for a cool and light meal, rather than a meal that leaves you feeling hot and stuffed? Here are four healthy ideas to help you beat the heat in preparing your summer meals.

Cook Outside

You don’t have to have or use a grill to benefit from out-of-doors cooking. Plug in your crockpot or roaster oven outside on the patio, sidewalk or porch. You won’t heat up your house this way, nor will you use as much electricity as when running your oven or stovetop.

I use my roaster oven in the summer to reheat leftovers or bake burritos. I also cook any meat or beans in my crockpot outside. Animals will stay away because they can tell that it is hot. Young children may not have this keen awareness, so make sure that any appliance you plug in outside is well out of their way.

Did you know you can also bake bread or desserts using your slow cooker out-of-doors? Search your library or bookstores for slow cooker recipe books that will guide you in experimenting with this. Two books I recommend are: “Fast Cooking in a Slow Cooker” by JoAnn Rachor and “Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker” by Robin Robertson.

Serve Cold Cuts

A plate full of sliced veggies, cheese, slices or cubes of cold seasoned meat, a green salad or slaw, and toasted whole grain bread or a cold grain salad makes a delicious, healthy, light but satisfying, meal. I serve many of our summer time meals just this way.

To prepare the meat, season it — with salt, pepper, and herbs; with a fruity or zesty marinade; or with your favorite MSG-free seasoning mix. Then cook it outside in the slow cooker or roaster oven. Do it a day or many hours prior to serving. Chill it thoroughly. Either pull off pieces or slice it as desired and serve. Most meats — chicken, beef, lamb, pork — lend themselves to eating cold, as long the cuts are small and tender enough to chew.

Toss Up A Cold Grain Salad

Grain salads have been around for awhile, but I’ve just discovered them. They are yummy! Cook a pot of rice, quinoa, millet or other grain, and then chill it. Several hours before dinner, put a good quantity of the chilled grain(s) in a bowl and toss it with other ingredients and a vinaigrette dressing.

The other ingredients might be — sliced olives; artichoke hearts; diced veggies; cherry tomatoes; shredded cheese; cold and cooked beans such as great northern beans, black beans or pinto beans; toasted chopped nuts or seeds; and/or diced meat.

For the dressing, sprinkle some herbs (Italian seasoning is wonderful, or dill with onion powder), salt and pepper on the ingredients. Then drizzle vinegar — either balsamic, rice or raw apple cider — on it. Add a heart-healthy oil such as extra virgin olive oil, grapeseed oil, or red palm oil* to the bowl, along with a smidge of toasted sesame oil. Toss the grains, other ingredients, vinegar, oil and seasonings together thoroughly. Adjust seasonings to taste. Chill for a couple of hours to let the flavors mingle. A cold grain salad is a delicious side to any cool, summer meal.

*If the red palm oil is solid, it is best to incorporate it with the grains(s) while they are still warm. Allow the grains to sit undisturbed for at least 15 minutes after cooking, then fluff them, and then combine with the solid red palm oil. Chill the grain(s) and oil together before adding the remaining ingredients and seasonings.

Whizz Up a Smoothie

During the summer, when many, many deliciously sweet fruits are in season, why not have a smoothie for lunch or breakfast? If that’s not enough to satisfy, eat it along with a whole grain muffin.

Smoothie making is extremely flexible. Start with the fruit that is on hand or readily available, at least some of it on the sweeter side, such as banana, pineapple or blueberry. Some or all of this can be frozen. Place it in the blender container. If your blender is not that heavy duty, you’ll want to help it along by cutting up the fruit into smaller pieces that it can handle. Refer to your blender’s instructions for further guidance.

To these sweeter fruits, add other fruits that are not as sweet, such as berries, melons, pears, or apples. Don’t use too much of the apple, though, as its inclusion tends to result in mushy and fibrous smoothies. Also add ice (unless approximately half of your fruit is frozen) and water that comes up about half as high as the fruit is in the blender container. Then blend until smooth and serve yourself a delicious, healthy, cool summer smoothie.

If you’re new to smoothie making, pay attention to what you do and don’t like. You might want a thicker smoothie, so next time use less water. You might prefer a colder smoothie, so next time freeze more fruit or use more ice. If you want your smoothie on the sweeter side, add a small amount of a natural sweetener such as honey or agave, or use a larger proportion of the sweeter fruits. If you prefer a creamier smoothie, use milk or your favorite milk substitute in place of the water.

I hope these ideas will help you to enjoy cool, healthy and satisfying summer meals. The internet can be a great resource for specific recipe ideas for cooking foods in a slow cooker or roaster oven, for cold grain salads, or for smoothies. I’d encourage you to look around. If you find a recipe or tip that you find to be helpful, I’d love to hear about it. Please comment below or write to me. God bless you!

© Copyright 2007 by Wardeh Harmon. Used with permission from the author.

Healthy Slaws

Posted by wardeh

by Wardeh Harmon

I want to give my husband credit for our newest healthy habit. We eat salad every day and have for many years. One day, he got to thinking about some of the healthiest vegetables to consume — the colorful ones, like dark leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots — and wondered how we could include them in a salad that was actually fun to eat. He mused that perhaps we could make a slaw out of them. It would be like a cole slaw, but loaded up with more than just cabbage and carrots.

His idea was to create a daily salad that is power-packed with nutrition. We prefer to consume our fruits and veggies raw to prevent nutrient loss. But let’s face it — it is hard to eat those raw, hearty vegetables as is. Creating a slaw out of them makes them tasty. The end result is quite a bit like cole slaw, but it is more interesting and it is much more healthy.

Why would this type of slaw be more healthy? The simple answer is that it has more variety in it than regular coleslaw or even a typical salad. But a more complex answer has to do with the ingredients. Each ingredient in a healthy slaw is a power food, especially the dark leafy greens.

Dark leafy greens are rich with nutrients such as calcium, fiber, and vitamins A, C & D. In particular, dark leafy greens provide a very easy to absorb non-dairy source of calcium. Some of them (kale, collard and mustard greens and broccoli) are rich in folic acid. It is a general rule with vegetables and fruits that the brighter the color, the more the nutrition. So if we load up a slaw with dark, colorful vegetables, we’d be getting more nutrition.

After a few days of doing my own musing about Jeff’s idea to create a slaw, I gave it a go. I made a slaw using some dark greens, cabbage, broccoli, peppers, carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, sunflower seeds and raisins. I tossed it all in our favorite olive oil & vinegar dressing. Wow, was it good! There’s no turning back now. We haven’t had a “normal” salad for a few weeks.

Here are the keys to our healthy slaws.

1) Dice everything up very finely. Otherwise, it is no fun to eat. Each spoonful will offer a variety of good veggies for your palate. The tastes will blend. The tougher veggies won’t be tough to eat this way. (See photo.)

2) Replace wimpy lettuces with hardy dark greens and the like — such as kale, collards, parsley, mustard greens, green cabbage, red cabbage, chard, etc. Slice them into thin strips, and then dice the strips up into little squares.

3) Load up the salad with lots of other good, colorful vegetables and fruits — broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, carrots, celery, bell peppers, mushrooms, green onions, red onions, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, cooked beans and herbs. Make sure all the veggies are diced and shredded up finely. Cherry tomatoes can be halved or left whole if they are small enough.

4) Toss the veggies in a healthy salad dressing, like vinaigrette or a healthy creamy dressing (see below for recipes).

Here’s an example of a slaw. It includes green cabbage, kale, bell peppers, onions, raisins, sunflower seeds, carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, broccoli and parsley. The possibilities are endless. I wonder what will be in your first slaw?

A word of caution. Each bite is much more potent than a bite of a regular salad. Visually, you won’t need to eat the same amount. I’m telling you this because you probably won’t like me very much if you eat too much, especially if your system isn’t used to large quantities of hardy vegetables. You also might consider taking a supplemental digestive enzyme, as each member of our family does on a regular basis.

Deciding which veggies to add to your slaw is easy; the harder (but still not too hard) part is finding the dressing to jazz it all up. Perhaps your family has a favorite healthy dressing. That is the perfect dressing to use first, because your family will already know and love it. Here are our two favorite dressings to give you some more ideas.

Healthy Ranch Dressing (Non-Dairy)

A friend passed this recipe on to me. If I knew who had given it to her, I would certainly give them credit. I’ve made a few adjustments to it, but essentially, it is little changed and delicious.

• 1 cup Vegenaise*, preferably grapeseed oil version
• 5 tablespoons water
• 2 to 4 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1 tablespoon dried dill
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon xylitol

Whisk together all ingredients in dressing container. Add 1 add 1 tablespoon of water at a time, to desired consistency. Start with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Taste for tartness. Add more lemon juice if desired. Makes 2 cups. Keep refrigerated.

*Vegenaise is a delicious, heart-healthy, egg-free mayonnaise that is available at health food stores or in the health food section of a normal grocery store.

The Harmon’s Vinaigrette
by Wardeh Harmon

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar or raw apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dill
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon raw honey or raw agave
• 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• dash sesame oil or toasted sesame oil

Blend vinegar, spices, sweetener and mustard together. Add oils. Whisk thoroughly. Keep refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before using.

Until next time, healthy eating! I always welcome your comments, questions or suggestions. Comment below or write to me at wardeh@t2chk.org.

© Copyright 2007 by Wardeh Harmon. Used with permission from the author.

Healthy Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Foods

Posted by wardeh

by Wardeh Harmon

I am thankful to have grown up eating and loving the foods of the Middle East and the Mediterranean. My namesake grandmother, Tata Wardeh, taught my mom authentic recipes and techniques when my mom and dad were first married. My grandmother lived most of her life in the Middle East cooking the foods just the way they have for ages. Even though she is no longer alive, I’m thankful to share her name and to have learned her ways.

Traditional Mediterranean foods are known for being tasty and healthy. Originally, the women of this part of the world used whole food ingredients in their cooking. However, at some point in time, they made a switch to using some not-so-whole ingredients, like white flour, white rice and white sugar. On the other hand, many food ingredients that we know to be healthy — whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, extra virgin olive oil, nuts and seeds — are still staples in this rich diet.

The advantages to following a traditional Mediterranean diet are*:

• lots of whole-grain foods, as opposed to refined grain foods
• mostly mono-unsaturated fats (from olive oil)
• good amounts of omega-3 fatty acids from nuts, seeds, fish and vegetables
• less consumption meats and poultry
• greater consumption of legumes and fish
• less consumption of dairy foods
• where dairy in consumed it is usually in the form of small amounts of cheese & yogurt
• emphasis on fresh foods and a great variety of fruits & vegetables
• little processing of foods
• usage of seasonal, local ingredients

The Mediterranean diet is associated with a lower incidence of obesity, cardiovascular disease and cancer than in most of Europe and the Americas.

Dr. Andrew Weil, Eating Well for Optimum Health

Benefitting from the training of my mom, I have been able to adapt some of my favorite Mediterranean recipes to using whole food ingredients (if they weren’t already this way). Our family has two reasons for preferring whole foods and whole food ingredients over more processed foods. First and foremost, we desire to honor God by using ingredients that are as close as possible to the way He created them. Second, we know that doing so ensures that we eat in the most healthful manner. So, you will find that in my recipes, I use brown rice instead of white rice; whole wheat flour instead of white flour; and natural sweeteners such as raw honey or raw agave in place of white sugar.

I truly hope you will enjoy experiementing with the foods of this region of the world. I love to cook them for my family and I’m pretty sure my family loves to eat them. Your palate may find some of the flavors familiar and others unfamiliar, but I hope the experience will be a delight to you!

Arabic Meatballs ~ Kefta Kebobs

Makes 2 dozen meatballs

• 2 pounds ground beef or lamb (grass-fed is preferable)
• 1 onion, diced very fine
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1/2 tablespoon dried mint
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Mix all ingredients together well. Form into 2 dozen 1-1/2 inch balls or football shapes. Brown all sides and cook thoroughly in a frying pan. Or, bake in the oven for about 30 minutes at 375 degrees. Eat as is, in a pocket bread sandwich, or incorporate into sauce.

A sauce idea: Put all meatballs in a 4 to 6 quart stockpot. Add:

• 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 tablespoon dried mint
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Let simmer for 10 to 20 minutes. Serve over warm brown rice.

Cucumber-Yogurt Salad ~ Khyar bi Laban

Recipe from the cookbook “Sahtein”

• 2 large cucumbers
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 quart of plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon dried mint
• sea salt to taste

Peel and chop cucumbers to medium/fine size pieces. Mash garlic. Add to yogurt. Salt to taste. Add the cucumbers to the yogurt. Mix. Garnish with dried mint.

Falafel

Recipe by Martha Bisharat, Wardeh’s mom

My mom submitted this recipe to a newspaper’s cooking contest back in 1984 and she won first prize — $50. I have upped the seasonings a bit, but other than that, this is the same great recipe.

• 4 cups dry garbanzo beans
• 3 large onions
• 6 to 8 cloves garlic
• 2 bunches parsley, with stems removed
• 3 to 5 jalapeno peppers (optional)
• 2-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 5 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 t baking soda (when ready to fry)
• expeller-pressed canola or grapeseed oil (for frying)
• Garnishes: whole wheat pocket bread, sliced tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, shredded greens, sliced avocados, sprouts

Soak the garbanzo beans in water overnight. Wash and drain. In an electric or manual meat grinder*, grind together the garbanzo beans, onions, garlic, peppers and parsley. Grind a second time. Add salt and pepper, cumin and baking powder and mix thoroughly.

When ready to deep fry, add the baking soda to the mixture and mix again. Shape the falafel mixture into patties which are 1 1/2 inch in diameter and 1/2 inch thick. You may also use a Pampered Chef small scoop to shape the balls easily. Deep fry the patties in hot oil until golden brown.

While the falafel is still warm, serve the patties in half rounds of pocket bread. Garnish with thinly sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, shredded greens and top with 2 tablespoonsful of tahini sauce (see below).

*You may also use a food processor or Vita-Mix to grind the ingredients. Grind the ingredients separately. Do not puree the onions or the parsley, but keep them fairly chunky. Otherwise, the parsley is likely to turn the whole mixture green or the onions may make the mixture too watery. Add a small bit of flour or commercial falafel mix if too watery.

Tahini Sauce ~ For Falafel Sandwiches

Recipe by Martha Bisharat, Wardeh’s mom

• 1/2 cup sesame tahini
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup filtered water (or more if needed)
• handful of parsley, chopped

Cream tahini and lemon juice together. The lemon will thicken the tahini. Add water to thin the sauce until it has a creamy, spoonable consistency. A handful of chopped parsley added to the sauce gives it an interesting texture and delicious taste. Sauce may be prepared ahead of time.

Hummus ~ Garbanzo Bean Spread

Recipe by Wardeh Harmon

• 2 cups cooked garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
• 3 tablespoons sesame seeds (heaping)*
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup water**

Put all ingredients in Vita-Mix. Adjust water to desired consistency. Blend to make a smooth, thick paste. Place in serving bowl and garnish with paprika, parsley and/or extra virgin olive oil.

*3 tablespoons tahini if not using a Vita-Mix. **You may also use bean cooking water, as long as the beans were soaked and drained before cooking in fresh water.

Halawa ~ Halvah

Original recipe by Bruce Weinstein, modified by Wardeh Harmon

Makes about 1-1/2 pounds

Wardeh’s note: In the Middle East, both Jewish and Arabic people love this dessert. Arabic people call it Halawa and Jewish people call it Halvah. Everyone calls it healthy and yummy! The commercial varieties, however, are NOT healthy. This version is.

• 1/2 cup untoasted or toasted sesame oil
• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 cup tahini
• 3/4 cup raw agave (or raw honey)

Warm the oil in a large heavy skillet over low heat. Add the flour and stir until the oil and flour are thoroughly combined. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the mixture begins to turn pale brown. Add the tahini and stir until the mixture has a uniform color and consistency. Turn off the heat.

In a separate small saucepan, bring the agave (or honey) to a boil over high heat. Boil for 1 minute. Immediately add the hot honey to the flour mixture. Stir until the honey is completely incorporated.

Spread the mixture into a small ungreased 5- by 9-inch loaf pan and pack the mixture down with the back of a spatula. Let the halawa cool at room temperature for at least 2 hours or until the pan feels cool. It will shrink back slightly from the edges of the pan as it cools, and should therefore unmold easily when the pan is inverted. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

To serve, cut into thin slices.

Quinoa Tabouli

Recipe by Wardeh Harmon

The quinoa must be cooked ahead of time and allowed to cool completely. If the quinoa is even the slightest bit warm, it will cook the parsley — turning it brown — when the salad ingredients are mixed together.

I chop the parsley finely using my Vita-Mix. I put the wet container (with lid on) on the motor base and turn it on to between 5 and 6 (variable speed). Then I drop handfuls of parsley leaves through the hole in the lid. The leaves fall on the blades, get chopped and move to the sides of the container. After chopping a few handfuls, I empty the container into a bowl and repeat the chopping, until all the parsley leaves are chopped.

• 2 cups quinoa
• 4 cups filtered water
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 4 bunches parsley, washed
• 1 1/2 bunches green onions
• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 3/4 t sea salt
• garnishes (optional): Romaine lettuce leaves, diced cucumbers, diced tomatoes

Rinse the dry quinoa in a fine sieve under cold running water for 2 minutes to rinse off the bitter saponin coating. Put in a small pot with the 4 cups water and the teaspoon of olive oil. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat. Transfer the quinoa from the pot into a bowl and chill until it is no longer warm.

Pick leaves of parsley off stems. Discard stems or set aside for green smoothies. Chop parsley fine, either by hand or in food processor. Chop green onions fine by hand. Mix parsley and onions with 7 cups of the cold quinoa, olive oil, lemon juice and salt. Adjust seasonings to taste. Chill. Allow the flavors to mingle for several hours before serving. Give the tabouli a stir just before serving to incorporate the juices throughout.

If desired, scoop servings of tabouli onto Romaine lettuce leaves and top with diced cucumbers and tomatoes.

I have three more technique-intensive recipes/tutorials posted on my blog: Stuffed Grape Leaves (Dolma); Whole Wheat Pocket Bread; and Raw Goat Milk Hard Cheese. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please contact me at wardeh@t2chk.org or comment below.

*information taken from Dr. Andrew Weil’s book, Eating Well for Optimum Health.

© Copyright 2007 by Wardeh Harmon. Used with permission from the author.

Simply Lentils

Posted by wardeh

by Wardeh Harmon

I grew up loving and enjoying Middle Eastern food. My namesake, Tata (”Grandmother”) Wardeh, taught my mom how to cook the traditional foods from the Middle East. Olives, rice, lentils, fava and garbanzo beans, lamb, cinnamon, cardamom, goat cheese, pickled vegetables and fresh yogurt — just to name a few. As an adult, I look back on my upbringing and wish I’d paid more attention to the preparation of these incredibly nutritious and flavorful foods. I know and love the flavors, but now that I’m grown, I’m working hard to merge our whole food diet with those traditional, rich and healthy staples of the Mediterranean diet.

Healthy lentils are a staple food in the Middle East and other eastern countries, such as Africa, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Turkey. I see that more and more health-conscious people in our country are beginning to favor lentils and other legumes. The legumes — lentils, beans and peas — are the fruit of leguminous plants. According to World’s Healthiest Foods,

[Lentils] grow in pods that contain either one or two lentil seeds that are round, oval or heart-shaped disks and are oftentimes smaller than the tip of a pencil eraser. — World’s Healthiest Foods

For more in-depth information on their history and nutritional information, please visit World’s Healthiest Foods.

In our family, we love lentils. I will tell you why –

1. Lentils are highly nutritious. Lentils are high in fiber, protein and complex carbohydrates, while being low-fat. With almost no fat, one cup of lentils offers good to excellent amounts of six important minerals — molybdenum, folate, tryptophan, iron, copper, and phosphorus; two B-vitamins; and protein.

2. Lentils are easy to cook. They do not require soaking and cook up in 30 to 40 minutes. To those of us used to spending all day cooking up a pot of pinto, kidney or black turtle beans, this seems incredibly speedy!

3. Lentils are a great meal-stretcher or meal-filler. I routinely add lentils to main dishes to stretch out how far our meat goes. This offers a financial benefit since lentils are much cheaper than meat. It also adds a nutritional benefit to the meal; meat has little fiber, so adding lentils boosts the fiber content of the meal.

4. Lentils make a fantastic meal on their own. They are high in protein. They are mild tasting themselves, but readily absorb other spices and flavors, for a very satisfying main dish. When combined with a grain, such as rice, barley or quinoa, they can make a complete protein offering optimum nutrition.

5. Lentils are a food in the Bible. When the Israelites were under seige, the Lord saved them from starvation by giving them a recipe for bread-making. One of the foods that was to be ground into flour was lentils. To our family, this is an endorsement by the Creator that lentils are a good food to eat.

PURCHASING LENTILS

Lentils are available for purchase either in packages or in bulk. You’ll find the greatest cost savings by purchasing in bulk. However, choose a store that has good turnover in its bulk department which will ensure that you are buying fresh, bug-free lentils. Before dipping in and scooping out a bagful, check the bin for bugs. Whole lentils are preferable to cracked. For the maximum health benefits, choose organic lentils. They’re better for you and the way they are grown is best for God’s world.

PREPARING TO COOK LENTILS

You will not need to soak the lentils before cooking. However, it is a good idea to spread them out on a tray and pull out any little stones or debris. Also, take the time to rinse them under cool water for a few minutes.

COOKING LENTILS

Incorporate lentils into a main dish. Add a cup or two of lentils to your stew or sauce and let them cook along with the other foods. Be sure to add enough liquid to sufficiently cook the lentils and the other foods in the dish. One cup of lentils requires three cups of liquid and about 30 to 40 minutes of cooking time.

Pre-cook the lentils. Using three cups of liquid for every one cup of lentils, bring the lentils and liquid to a boil, then cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes. Consider adding another grain (and sufficient liquid to cook its quantity, too) such as brown rice or barley, as well as spices such as onion, garlic, parsley, cumin, salt and pepper. Add these cooked lentils to finished dishes or store in the refrigerator for up to three days.

I like to keep a large bowl of cooked lentils in the refrigerator and I will add them to meals over the course of a couple days. These meals include — stew, chili, Sloppy Joe’s in a Bowl, or spaghetti sauce, to name a few. As I mentioned before, they readily absorb other flavors, so you’ll hardly know they’re there. Except, as a mom, you’ll notice satisfactorily that your meal stretched further than usual!

Consume lentils warm or cold. Obviously, lentils in a stew or casserole should be served warm. But cold, cooked lentils are delicious added to a pasta salad or rice salad.

A FEW NOTES

Adjust the cooking times to your desired degree of doneness. A shorter cooking time will result in firmer lentils while a longer cooking time will result in softer lentils.

If adding lentils to a main dish recipe, increase some or all of the seasonings to account for the increased volume of the main dish.

Experiment, experiment, experiment! If your family resists drastic changes, just use a small amount of lentils in a meal. Wait until they acclimate before increasing the quantity of lentils.

For recipes using lentils, please visit my Such Treasures blog:

• Mujadareh — Arabic Lentils & Rice
• Garden Lentil Patties
• Ginger Chicken, Rice & Lentil Soup

Enjoy those healthy lentils — and feel the satisfaction that you’re eating one of God’s favored foods!

I always welcome your comments, questions or suggestions. Write to me at wardeh@t2chk.org or comment below.

© Copyright 2007 by Wardeh Harmon. Used with permission from the author.

Creating a Workable Pantry

Posted by wardeh

by Wardeh Harmon

Many health-conscious cooks and mothers of large families often make bulk food purchases. It not only simplies shopping but often rewards the family with great savings in food costs. My family is no exception. We purchase non-perishables to last for one or two months or more. To make purchases this way requires workable pantry storage. My dream is to have a walk-in pantry for all pantry items. We don’t have that, and perhaps we never will. Even with more than adequate cupboard space in my kitchen, some items just won’t fit. This is often the case with bulk food purchases.

Would you like to develop a workable, efficient and even fun-to-use pantry? You don’t have to get fancy with store-bought solutions to get your pantry storage in shape. To make your time in the kitchen delightful and efficient, keep these things in mind.

PANTRY STORAGE TIPS

1. Think outside the box. It is probably true that most of us don’t live in our dream house with a huge walk-in pantry. Therefore, we must reconsider what “pantry” means to us. It is perfectly acceptable to have a pantry that extends through several cupboards and even into extra space of other rooms in the house. For instance, you might have extra space in a bedroom or family room where you can creatively conceal food items. I would encourage you to store infrequently used items this way, because the hassle required in fetching items more often used could eventually discourage you.

2. Take time to consider your needs and the possible solutions. Don’t start rearranging your pantry until you’ve taken some time to think. Consider what doesn’t work and what does in your current set up. Brainstorm possible solutions. Put it down on paper, even draw a picture, if it helps you picture your current situation and possible improvements. Taking this time will help you in the long run, saving you time because you’ll have a plan in mind. However, you might find that there are some pieces of the puzzle that aren’t clear at first. It may be helpful to accomplish a few rearranging and organizing tasks before the solution comes to mind.

3. Keep like things together for better efficiency and enjoyment in the kitchen. By “like things” I actually have two similarities in mind — similarity of purpose and similarity of container size. Many cooks keep all baking supplies together. Some might do this just for a season, while others do it year round. Also keep in mind that similarly sized items stack and fit well together, maximizing your storage space.

4. Break up the task of organizing your pantry into workable stages. If your kitchen storage isn’t ideal or if you have a seemingly insurmountable task to get it workable, please don’t be discouraged. Break it up into manageable tasks. Take one cupboard or area at a time. Once you accomplish the first task, that accomplishment will motivate you to tackle the next. Work at it a little every day, if necessary. If it takes you 2 weeks, that’s okay! My children recently sang a song at church with these encouraging words:

5. Use recycled containers and boxes to solve storage issues. You needn’t run out and purchase fancy storage solutions for every nook and cranny of your cupboards. Containers from other food or household purchases work great to store bulk food items. In addition, a handy benefit to buying in bulk is that you eventually end up with some nice, big containers. Boxes slid into a cupboard can contain all your pasta, spices, nuts, etc. I have used priority mail boxes from the post office before because I had some left over from Christmas shipping. It is okay if it isn’t fancy. Wouldn’t you rather have something that works, which may look plain, but prevents an unworkable mess in your cupboards?

6. After you’ve exhausted what you have on hand, consider making a few necessary purchases. Even though I’m a great advocate of making do, there may come a time when making a purchase of a baker’s rack, a couple of lazy susans,in-cupboard shelving, or food-grade buckets would be very helpful. Go for it! Save up if necessary. In most cases, these decisions are best made over time, when you’ve had time to consider what you really need.

7. Rearrange as needed to make things work. Pantry storage is never static or settled. I am constantly changing how my pantry functions to get it right. Food needs change from season to season. You may need to find more space in one place or another. I had a new need come up last week — the kids couldn’t reach baking supplies and spices, which made them less able to be a help in the kitchen. So I cleaned out the spice & baking cupboard and put the items that the kids need to reach on the bottom shelves. Be willing to take the time to make changes. I am certain that if you keep up with things in this way, you will enjoy your time in the kitchen more.

8. Get your whole family involved. Explain to them how your pantry storage works and ask them to help you keep it functioning. Seek their opinions about what works well and what could be improved. They may have some great suggestions to offer you. Finally, let them know that you enjoy cooking for them very much, and that you would appreciate their help in keeping things organized… for everyone’s sake!

Having a workable pantry requires patience, thought and a little creativity. If you have any thoughts to add on the subject — perhaps some tips or suggestions — please leave a comment below or email me at wardeh@t2chk.org. On my Such Treasures blog, I have made an entry including pictures to show my own pantry storage solutions. Feel free to take a peek.

© Copyright 2006 by Wardeh Harmon. Used with permission from the author.