Meatless Soups/Stews

Snug Solitude-Part 1

/ 4 Comments

It’s Ann here today. While I’m busy cooking with canned tomatoes, Andy is in OurLittleCorner griping about off-season fresh tomatoes that taste like wet cardboard.

The first entry of M.F.K.Fisher’s 1948 series, Alphabet for Gourmets, is “A Is for Dining Alone.” It begins “…sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should be indulged in lightly…There are few people alive with whom I care to pray, sleep, dance, sing, and (perhaps most of all, except sleep) share my bread and wine.” And she concludes the essay with “…snug misanthropic solitude is better than hit-or-miss congeniality.”

Lots of great writers in this 2008 book (which includes the essay by M.F.K. Fisher)

In sharp contrast to that, Michael Pollan in his 2008 In Defense of Food advises, “Try not to eat alone.”

So should we side with Fisher or Pollan?

Among our extended group of family and friends we have many who are eating alone these days, for a variety of reasons. And, to be honest, most of these folks would side with Pollan.

I’ve been wracking my brain for months about how to advise these solo eaters, and it’s not easy. Of course, you can suggest that they invite folks over often for a super-simple, home-cooked meal – or that they go out often for casual dinners with friends, but ultimately, the majority of the time they will come back to their kitchen to cook and to eat alone.

Today’s blog will be my first – but not my last – on the subject of solo eating. More blogs will come – but not back to back. It’s all too important and challenging – and, yes, rewarding to figure out.

My personal criteria looks something like this:

A main dish for solo eating should need…

  • a very, very short prep time
  • a short cooking time
  • not too many ingredients (except spices)
  • very, very little dicing and mincing
  • no frying – except in a wok or dutch oven
  • little effort to clean up

And that dish should be fairly nutritious, provide lots of leftovers both to freeze and to eat a few days later – and shouldn’t be ridiculously expensive.

I’ve been searching all of my favorite on-line sites for inspiration…SmittenKitchen.com, Food52.com, NYTimes.com, BarefootContessa.com, SeriousEats.com – and smaller ones such as TheMediterraneanDish.com, PinchofYum.com, CookieandKate.com, and TheWoksofLife.com. A few cookbooks have been useful too – What We Eat When We Eat Alone by Deborah Madison and a brand new one by Caroline Chambers (mother of 3 young boys…so in a different cooking world than we are) – What To Cook when You Don’t Feel Like Cooking (note: Chambers has a very active online presence too, including a Substack site and a weekly newsletter with recipes and ideas – and products to buy :).

There won’t be many recipes that can fulfill all of my criteria, but here’s one that comes pretty close. Plus, it has 6700+ positive reviews on the NYTimes website: Crispy Halloumi with Tomatoes and White Beans. And as far as being “alone in the kitchen with an eggplant,” I’ll have a simple recipe with eggplant up soon!

Note: halloumi is often made with “non-animal rennet,” so it works for vegetarians…just check the label.

Crispy Halloumi with Tomatoes and White Beans

Halloumi should be served immediately after frying and does not rewarm well, so fry only the amount you think you’ll use in one sitting and refrigerate any unfried halloumi for later. Don’t omit the honey and lemon…they’re vital to the flavor. This is a riff on a NYTimes recipes by Nargisse Benkabbou.

  • Olive oil, as needed
  • 1(8-oz) block halloumi, cut into about 9 slices 
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed (or buy a jar of Christopher Ranch Chopped Garlic and use that to simplify your prep even more)
  • 1 (15 oz) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes (or, if you have amazing summer cherry tomatoes, substitute 1 lb of them, halved)
  • 1 tsp honey, plus more for serving
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano or thyme
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 1(15-oz) can cannellini beans, butter beans or navy beans, drained
  • 2 T lemon juice
  • Minced parsley for serving (optional)
  • Crusty bread or rolls for serving (optional)

Heat 2 T olive oil in a medium-sized pan over medium heat. Add 4 slices of halloumi and cook them for about 2 minutes on each side. Remove the halloumi from the pan (it will be added back in later). Add the 2 cloves of minced garlic and saute for about 30 seconds, then add the canned tomatoes, honey, and oregano. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for 2-3 minutes (if you are using fresh cherry tomatoes, you’ll have to cook the mixture about 10 minutes).

Stir in the beans and then arrange the fried halloumi slices on top of the tomato-bean mixture in the pan. If you want the stew to have more broth, add a little water or vegetable broth. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed.

Drizzle with a little olive oil, squeeze the lemon half over it all and then add a light drizzle of honey. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately with bread.

There are tons of ways to vary this recipe – which makes it even more useful. You might stir in a big handful of fresh baby spinach leaves to the hot mixture or add 1 T minced anchovies or add 2 tsp of white miso paste. Consider frying an egg and serving it on top. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes during cooking – for some spice.

Recipe brought to you by BigLittleMeals.com and Andy and Ann.

Give and Take

/ 2 Comments
OurLittleCorner

Nov 18, 2025 – Ann is in OurLittleCorner today

Give and Take

Our friend David in Albuquerque recently reminded us of the Australian Michael Leunig. Leunig, who passed away in 2024, was known for his “body of work that softened the news, disarmed the powerful, bewildered the cynical, and gave voice to a deep, enduring kind of tenderness,” though Leunig’s work and his life were not without controversy.

You can check out his website for more details on his life and his many talents. We blogged about him back in January of 2020. That particular poem in our blog speaks to us today maybe even more than it did in 2020.

My mother always had us read Psalm 100 before we started eating our Thanksgiving dinner, but music-lover that I am, I think I might opt for this “thanks” that Leunig wrote:

We give thanks for singers.
All types of singers.
Popular, concert singers and
tuneless singers in the bath.
Whistlers, hummers and those
Who sing while they work.
Singers of lullabies; singers of nonsense
and small scraps of melody.
Singers on branches and rooftops.
Morning yodellers and evening warblers.
Singers in seedy nightclubs, singers in the street;
Singers in cathedrals, school halls, grandstands,
back yards, paddocks, bedrooms, corridors,
stairwells and places of echo and resonance.
We give praise to all those who give some small voice,
To the everyday joy of the soul.

Amen.

And during this holiday season, another one of Leunig’s poems/drawings seems “spot on.” It’s “The Kitchen of Give and Take.”

A recipe for soup seems to be in order and – with a little give and take – we got David in Albuquerque to provide us with one of his favorites.

Carrot and Red Lentil Soup

Carrot and Red Lentil Soup

This is a riff on a recipe shared by David in Albuquerque. Should you have Garam Masala or Ras el Hanout or Baharat on hand, you could easily substitute that spice mixture, rather than use the individual spices in this recipe. David and I are estimating you should use 2-3 T but recommend you add it gradually to taste.The flavor will be slightly different but still delicious. Using vegetable broth is an easy way to make this vegetarian.

  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1 large onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 large red or orange bell pepper, roughly chopped
  • 2 T tomato paste
  • 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 2 T grated ginger
  • 1 1/2  tsp ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika (David also adds 1/4 tsp of Spanish pimentón picante- or hot smoked paprika)
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne
  • 6 c vegetable or chicken broth (we use Better than Bouillon)
  • 1 T sugar (optional – but nice)
  • 2 tsp Diamond kosher salt
  • 3/4 c red lentils
  • 1 1/2 lbs carrots, roughly chopped (about 8 medium carrots); note: peels have nutritional value so peeling is optional if the carrots are organic
  • 13.5 ounces canned coconut milk (1 can)
  • 2 tsp cider vinegar or lime juice
  • Greek yogurt (thinned with a bit of lime juice) for garnish (optional)

Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the oil and heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook until softened, then stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Add the garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, turmeric and cayenne pepper and cook for another few minutes – until the spices are fragrant.

Add the chicken broth, sugar, salt, red lentils and carrots. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook covered – but with the pot’s lid ajar -for 30-35 minutes until the carrots are super tender. Add the coconut milk and stir well.

Transfer the soup mixture to a blender and blend in two batches until smooth and creamy. Return to the pot after blending. Or use an immersion blender to blend the soup right in the pot. Stir in the vinegar or lime juice after blending.

Garnish, if desired, with Greek yogurt and swirl. Sprinkle lightly with smoked paprika. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe brought to you by BigLittleMeals.com and Andy and Ann.

An Apple or a Green-ish Banana a Day! Or Maybe a Jerusalem Artichoke?

/ 2 Comments

Ann is blogging today. Andy, believe it or not, is over in OurLittleCorner mulling over some cartoons from his childhood.

Is it wrong that I’ve been cooking for fifty-eight years and blogging about food for seven years – and yet don’t know what a Jerusalem Artichoke looks like, much less tastes like?

And is it wrong that a number of years ago Andy and I quit eating bananas – except on rare occasions – and seldom eat a whole apple, peel-on?

Maybe it’s even wrong that I’ve spent lots of hours researching PROBIOTICS when I should have been learning about PREBIOTICS.

Food is just so complicated. And so important. Here’s some of what I’ve learned about prebiotics – as well as Jerusalem Artichokes and bananas and apples:

The University of Massachusets Chan Medical School site explains Probiotics and Prebiotics this way:

As you may know, probiotics are beneficial bacteria, and can be found in foods with live bacterial cultures such as yogurt, sauerkraut, and kefir.  They are also available in supplement form. Prebiotics are foods for the probiotics to feed upon. When the bacteria are fed what they need, they can thrive and provide us with health benefits.

Fortunately, what the good bacteria like also happens to be good for us!  These foods contain types of fiber such as beta-glucans and inulin that the bacteria feed upon. They metabolize these fibers into products that help to maintain our gastrointestinal health.  No need to buy any type of pill!  Food is best.

There’s still a lot of research being done to determine exactly how food sources for your gut microbiota work, but here are a few things we know prebiotics do, according to The Cleveland Clinic:

  • Improve how well your immune system functions.
  • Enhance your body’s anti-inflammatory response.
  • Help your bones mineralize and absorb calcium and phosphorus, which can improve bone density.
  • Stimulate your body to make hormones that aid in appetite, appetite suppression and more.
  • Produce neurotransmitters that go back and forth between your gut and your brain to trigger mood changes and other processes.
  • Help regulate bowel movements.
  • Increase production of good bacteria and decrease bad bacteria that causes disease.
From the National Institute of Health website

There are many kinds of prebiotics, but three of the most common are found in resistant starches, inulin and pectin. To help you out when you’re grocery shopping, be advised that GREEN bananas have lots of resistant starches; an abundance of resistant starches are also found in boiled (not roasted) potatoes, oats, beans and lentils. For inulin, you can try Jerusalem Artichokes, but I recommend leeks, onion, garlic, and asparagus. You’ll get pectin from the peel-on apples.

If you’re interested in more scientific specifics about prebiotics, the National Institute of Health has this helpful article.

FYI: Jerusalem Artichokes (aka sunchokes) have no connection to Jerusalem (they’re native to North America and were cultivated by the Indigenous people) nor to artichokes (the French explorer de Champlain compared their taste to artichokes). They can be eaten raw – unless this comment from a botanist in 1621 worries you: which way soever they be dressed and eaten, they stir and cause a filthy loathsome stinking wind within the body, thereby causing the belly to be pained and tormented, and are a meat more fit for swine than men.

In case you’re wondering: Andy and I quit eating bananas because we decided they were “empty calories.” That’s clearly wrong. And we quit eating unpeeled apples because we thought we were protecting ourselves from contaminants on the peel, even though organic apples should be safe. And, admittedly, I don’t like the often-bland long-shelf-life commercial apples. I just planted an heirloom Black Twig apple. I’ll report back…after I eat an unpeeled one.

Now that apples and bananas to snack on have re-entered our lives, I’m also looking for recipes that increase the amount of other prebiotics in our diet. We’ve got a winner recipe today…filled with barley, garlic, mushrooms, leeks, and dandelion greens.

…

An Apple or a Green-ish Banana a Day! Or Maybe a Jerusalem Artichoke?Read More »

Scroll to Top