Basil, the Great Leveler: Gardening, Deconstructed

If I can do it, you can too! As a novice assigned the task of growing starts for this year’s garden I dove in head first, and ran right into my total lack of experience and, yes, lack of knowledge. After all, what is so complicated about putting a few seeds in some soil and waiting for Mother Nature to take care of the rest? Here it is July and I’m apologizing to Mother Nature (and my husband) for my hubris, my arrogance, and my ignorance.

Lentil Tacos – High Protein, No Meat

Tacos are a favorite treat for children and teens every where – and don’t forget the adults! How can you offer a tasty alternative that they will love as much as the traditional beef or chicken taco? The easiest way is to make the lentil fulling just as you would the beef filling and add the same toppings. Easy peasy!

Taco Tuesday will still be your favorite quick meal for the whole family.

Jacob’s Red Lentil Soup

The Biblical story of Jacob and Esau and the lentil soup resonates with many as a story of human weakness and trickery, where a younger brother tricks a hungry older brother into selling him his firstborn birthright for a bowl of soup. But is it that simple?

Eating History: Lentils, Dry Peas, Beans, Chickpeas

Lentils (those tiny little legumes often displayed in the “healthy grains” section of the supermarket) are not commonly on the dinner plate in most American households, even though they are a key element in the healthy – and highly recommended – Mediterranean diet.

Pita, Not Pizza – Avoiding a Baking Disaster

I recently avoided disaster, thank goodness! It was Saturday – and we have homemade pizza every Saturday or every other Saturday. So I stirred yeast into some water, let it sit; next added flour and salt. After kneading for a bit, I covered the bowl to let it rise.

Then… Life got in the way. It was not to be Pizza Night!

How Did Our Daily Bread Go Wrong?

Bread went from being a major part of our ancestors’ food intake to being a very small part of the food we eat today. Heavy, rich, and nutritious bread was once a daily staple; today commercial “industrialized” bread is produced in fully automated factories and is full of chemical additives and preservatives, too much salt, and has too little nutritive value. What went wrong?

The Business of Baking at SHIFT

If you see fudge sauce or marshmallows on the dessert menu, you can bet they’re made from-scratch. No food dyes, corn syrup or hydrogenated oils. Fruit is used when it’s in season and bulk ingredients are organic. No, the sugar’s not local and neither is the chocolate; these are fundamental building blocks of dessert as we know it. I can’t figure a way around that one, but considering everything else we do I’m comfortable with the compromise.