#continual feasts

Black Bean, Cucumber, and Feta Salad

Ingredients

6 cups cooked black beans 1 medium seedless cucumber, cut into ¼-inch pieces 4 ½ ounces crumbled feta (1 cup) ⅓ cup chopped cilantro, plus more for serving 3 scallions, thinly sliced ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus wedges for serving Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

Combine all ingredients; season and toss:

Place cooked beans, cucumber, feta, cilantro, scallions, oil, and lime juice in a large bowl. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; toss well to combine. Top with more cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

How to Store Black Bean, Cucumber, and Feta Salad

This salad can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Originally appeared: Martha Stewart Living, September 2018

LENTIL SPINACH SOUP

This is a great dinner party soup.  I serve sausages on the side and they can be cut up and put into the soup for leftovers.  I serve Italian Sausages, chicken sausages [with feta and spinach] and field roast, which is fake sausage.  It was 27 degrees outside tonight and my guests enjoyed the heartiness of the meal.  Served with salad and focaccia which I started at 10 in the morning.  There was plenty of time for the bread to rise and the soup to simmer.  Not a lot of work and a lovely meal. I doubled the recipe to feed 9 people. The Soup 1 cup green or brown lentils cleaned and rinsed 1 bay leaf 1 celery stalk diced into 1/4 inch squares 7 cups of water salt 3 Tbsp. olive oil 1 large red onion finely diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 3 Tbsp. parsley, chopped 3 medium tomatoes, fresh or canned, peeled, seeded and chopped, juice reserved 1 bunch spinach, [about a pound] stems removed and leaves washed Red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar to taste Pepper Asiago or Parmesan cheese, grated

Put the lentils, bay leaf and celery in a soup pot with the water, reserved juice from the tomatoes and 1/2 tsp. salt. Bring to a boil and scoop off any foam that forms on the surface, then lower the heat to slow boil. While the lentils are cooking, heat the oil in a skillet and add the onion and 1/2 tsp. salt: cook briskly for a few minutes, lower the heat and stir in garlic and parsley.  Continue cooking until the onion is soft. Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes, then combine with the cooking lentils.

Cut the spinach leaves into 1/2 inch strips, there should be about 4 cups.  When the lentils are soft, stir in the spinach by handfuls.  Once it has cooked down, thin the soup, if necessary, by adding more water, and taste for salt.

Simmer the soup 5 minutes; then add vinegar to taste, to brighten the flavors.  Serve with freshly ground black pepper and Asiago or Parmesan cheese, or a spoonful of creme fraiche.

Serves 4-6

[Anna and Bernhard Blume]

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RUSTIC POTATO LEEK SOUP

DESCRIPTION

This Rustic Potato Leek Soup recipe is kept nice and chunky, it’s naturally gluten-free and vegan (no cream), and it’s full of the coziest, comforting, simple flavors.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil (or butter) 1 medium white onion, peeled and diced 3 leeks, sliced into 1/2-inch half moons (white and light green parts only) 1 rib celery, thinly sliced 5 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 cup dry white wine 1 1/4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into bite-sized chunks 6 cups vegetable stock 4 sprigs fresh thyme 2 bay leaves 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (or less, if you prefer) fine sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper optional toppings: homemade croutons, grated Parmesan, chopped fresh chives

INSTRUCTIONS

Sauté the veggies. Heat olive oil (or butter) in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the leeks, celery and garlic and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

[Note: I reserved about 1/3 of the soup and blended the rest with an immersion blender, adding back in the potato and leek. Tasted great, creamy texture without cream.]

Serve. Serve warm, garnished with whatever toppings sound good, and enjoy!

My Grandmother Janet

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Janet was a renowned cook and baker. Her yeasted rolls are one of life's marvelous moments of pure perfection. I still remember the look and smell of her kitchen when she got down to the business of baking.

RICH ROLLS

Milk [scalded] 1 cup Shortening [part or all butter] 1/3 cup Sugar 1/2 cup Salt 1 1/2 tsp. Yeast 2 cakes Water [lukewarm] 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour [sifted] about 5 cups Eggs beaten [2]

Combine scalded milk, shortening, sugar and salt. Cool to lukewarm. Soften yeast in lukewarm water and combine with cooled milk mixture; add about 1/2 the flour.

Add the beaten eggs, flour to make a soft dough. Mix thoroughly. Turn out on a lightly floured board and knead about 10 minutes or until smooth and satiny. Put dough in a warm greased bowl and brush with melted butter. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk. Shape into rolls. Let rise until doubled in bulk and bake in moderate oven. [375]

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Now you know the secret of the best yeasted roll that you will ever eat. Hint for success. Follow the recipe EXACTLY. My daughter-in-law made these, following to the letter vs me, who was a little loose with the facts. Hers were better and rose higher. A Word to the Wise.

RUSTIC POTATO LEEK SOUP

DESCRIPTION

This Rustic Potato Leek Soup recipe is kept nice and chunky, it’s naturally gluten-free and vegan (no cream), and it’s full of the coziest, comforting, simple flavors.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil (or butter) 1 medium white onion, peeled and diced 3 leeks, sliced into 1/2-inch half moons (white and light green parts only) 1 rib celery, thinly sliced 5 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 cup dry white wine 1 1/4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into bite-sized chunks 6 cups vegetable stock 4 sprigs fresh thyme 2 bay leaves 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (or less, if you prefer) fine sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper optional toppings: homemade croutons, grated Parmesan, chopped fresh chives

INSTRUCTIONS

Sauté the veggies. Heat olive oil (or butter) in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the leeks, celery and garlic and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

[Note: I reserved about 1/3 of the soup and blended the rest with an immersion blender, adding back in the potato and leek. Tasted great, creamy texture without cream.]

Serve. Serve warm, garnished with whatever toppings sound good, and enjoy!

Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Soup

By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN

This silky fall/winter puree tastes rich, though there is no cream or butter in it.

1 tablespoon canola oil 1 small onion, chopped 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger 1 pound butternut squash, peeled and diced

1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

1 medium-size Yukon gold or russet potato, peeled and diced 6 cups water, chicken stock, or vegetable stock Salt to taste 1. Heat the oil in a heavy soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger and stir together until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the squash, sweet potatoes, regular potato, and water or stock, and bring to a simmer. Add salt to taste, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 45 minutes, or until all of the ingredients are thoroughly tender. 2. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup (or you can put it through the fine blade of a food mill or use a regular blender, working in batches and placing a kitchen towel over the top to avoid splashing). Return to the pot and stir with a whisk to even out the texture. Heat through, adjust salt and add pepper to taste. Yield: Serves 6 Advance preparation: You can make this a day ahead and refrigerate. Reheat gently. The soup freezes well. Once thawed, whisk well to smooth out the texture, and reheat.

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[Erin's version, also heavenly] 4 slices of uncured bacon cut into 1/2 inch pieces 2 leeks- white and light green parts only, cut length wise into 1 inch pieces 6 cups butternut squash ( ~3 lb) 2 Granny Smith apples 3 cups water 3 cups milk - I used 2 1/2 c almond milk and 1/4 c coconut cream (off the top of coconut milk in can)

1. Heat up soup pot over medium heat. Add bacon & let sauté a few minutes until crispy. Remove but leave the bacon fat in the pot.

2. Add leeks, butternut squash, & apples to hot bacon fat. Stir & let cook a few minutes until the mixture begins to soften.

3. Add water and milk. Bring to boil. Lower heat to low/simmer and let simmer for 25-30 minutes.

20 Minute Sweet and Spicy Noodles

These Sweet and Spicy Noodles are a Thai inspired fast, easy weeknight dinner that can be ready and ...

Ingredients

16 oz linguine rice noodles (or regular pasta)

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons hoisin

4 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce

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Added advice from my best-cooking-friend Joyce : "I use rice noodles. Very thin. Soak them for 15 minutes in hot tap water. Drain. In a pan stir fry in oil slivered onion, add garlic and shredded ginger; and add some veggies like slivered zucchini and shredded Napa cabbage. In a bowl, Mix together 1-2 tbs fish sauce ( or soy sauce to salt the mixture) equal amounts of oyster sauce and hoisin sauce, lemon or lime juice and some brown sugar. Taste it and adjust until it is salty sweet tangy. Add drained noodles to veggies and stir to combine. May need more oil. Turn on low heat add fresh basil leaves and add sauce mixture to combine. Stir fry until basil is wilted.

CORN AND CHEDDAR CHEESE CHOWDER

1 large potato, peeled and diced 2 cups boiling salted water 1 bay leaf 1/4 tsp dried sage 1/2 tsp cumin seeds 3 Tbsp. butter 1 onion, finely chopped 3 Tbsp. flour 1 1/4 cups heavy cream kernels from 2 ears of corn 1/2 tsp Bakon yeast [not a meat product] chopped chives and parsley 1/4 tsp nutmeg salt and pepper 1 1/2 cups sharp Cheddar cheese, grated [4 oz] 4 to 5 Tbsp. white wine

Peel and dice the potato and boil it in the salted water with the bay leaf, sage and cumin seeds until just barely tender - about 15 to 20 minutes. Melt the butter in a saucepan and saute the chopped onion it it for a while, then add the flour. Mix well and add the cream, stirring with a whisk. Pour this sauce into the potatoes and their water, adding also the fresh corn kernels. Add the Bakon yeast, the chopped herbs, and the rest of the seasonings and let the soup simmer gently for about 10 minutes. Then stir in the grated cheese and the wine and mix well; heat until the cheese is completely melted, correct the seasoning, and serve.

This is a wonderful , hearty soup, recommended for cold nights and hungry people. This recipe serves 4 to 6 people.

[I actually add more corn and more potatoes. I like having left over soup. It's great reheated]

[This is from my recipe blog "Continual Feasts" which hold my favorite recipes for sharing]