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With The Grains

Whole Grains, Words and Wanderings by Quelcy

Vegetarian Polenta “Bolognese” with Garlic Flatbreads + Leftovers Mezze

Vegetarian Polenta “Bolognese” with Garlic Flatbreads + Leftovers Mezze

Polenta with a little extra herbs and salty parmesan, a tomato sauce with lentils and sweet, soft garlic are the backbone of this dinner idea. These recipes are loose guides. Simply use what you have on hand for the sauce and follow your instincts, but add lentils for an easy, affordable meaty flavor. Then pair the leftover red sauce with another batch of garlic flatbreads, hummus, tahini sprinkled with za’atar, olives, raw fennel, radishes, or whatever crudités you have on hand, for a Mediterranean/Middle Eastern inspired Mezze.

Socca: A Chickpea Flour Savory Pancake (aka a “Cromlet”) with Fennel Olive Salad & Yogurt Sauce

Socca: A Chickpea Flour Savory Pancake (aka a “Cromlet”) with Fennel Olive Salad & Yogurt Sauce

Crepe meets Omelette, get it? This savory, vegetarian pancake is perfect for small kitchen cooking, especially on weeknights, as it comes together quickly. Double the olive fennel salad, whip up some extra yogurt sauce, wilt some more greens, and throw it all on a lentil pasta the following night to stretch your weeknight meal planning.

Spicy Pepper Roasted Chicken Tacos with Hearth Roasted Potatoes

Spicy Pepper Roasted Chicken Tacos with Hearth Roasted Potatoes

When we escaped to the cabin in the woods, my goal was to cook for the sake of cooking, to enjoy the process and to revel in slow meals. Since the cabin kitchen was on the smaller side, and since our plan was to sequester ourselves in coziness, I had to be more intentional, more prudent. Each ingredient needed to flow from one meal to the next. Tacos are a great decoy for leftovers.

Roasted Chicken Salad on Croissants

Roasted Chicken Salad on Croissants

Next up: Lunch from my Cabin Menu for Two. Little did I know how fitting this recipe would be for our stay at the Beaverdam Cabin. Founders James “Jimmie” Stoughton and his sister, Louise Maust, were known for their delectable chicken salad sandwiches and angel food cake.

Spicy Pepper Roasted Chicken & Vegetables from the book “Soul Food Love”

Spicy Pepper Roasted Chicken & Vegetables from the book “Soul Food Love”

In honor of Black History Month, this is my own humble nod of gratitude for the history the black community built and enriched. This is my own nod of gratitude toward the immigrants, who like my grandmother’s family came to America and worked harder than anyone, planting their traditions into American soils. It’s a nod to those who were here long before any of us, who valued the many resources this beautiful chunk of land had to offer.

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