On Tuesday mornings, at the break of dawn, all of the Sisters, Novices and Postulants divide and conquer the larger vegetable gardens in our community. That’s about 30 of us in each garden, with a small team of older sisters staying behind to make breakfast. In one hour, we are astounded at how much gets done – hauling off wheel barrows full of weeds to the compost pile and bringing in tubs of fresh veggies for the week ahead. The older Sisters teach the younger ones about suckering tomatoes and the younger ones have the strong backs to dig and till. Stories are told about the early days, and new ones are made – it’s Sisterhood life at its best.
This week, we got a bumper crop of Japanese cucumbers in – thin, long and crunchy –a welcome sight after a long winter of frozen vegetables! With the volume of cukes coming in, we opted to make our favorite sweet pickles. For many years, we have been making this special recipe and giving them as gifts at Christmastime. Now we are about to let you in on a big secret recipe that has stayed within the walls of our Convent for over 30 years. Enjoy and Happy Gardening!
“Just to be is a blessing. Just to live is holy.” – Rabbi Abraham Heschel
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The Convent’s Famous Bread and Butter Pickles
SERVINGS4-5quart jars
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COOK TIME10min. |
PREP TIME1hr. |
READY IN11hrs. |
Ingredients
Instructions
- Thinly slice the onions and cucumbers. Chop the peppers (if adding).
- Combine cucumbers, onions, peppers and salt in a large bowl and cover with cracked ice. Mix thoroughly and allow to sit at room temperature for 3 hrs. or until the ice melts. Drain thoroughly but do not rinse.
- Combine the remaining ingredients in a large pot and heat just until boiling.
- Add the Cucumber and onion mixture and cook just a bit.
- Sterilize 5 quart size jars in boiling water.
- Add the pickles to the jar, followed by the juice. You may not need all the juice you have.
- Seal jars and process in a water bath.
I have been exploring “superfoods” for a while now, wanting to incorporate some healthier eating habits into our Convent diet. We live a very active life-style within our Benedictine motto: Ora et Labora (Pray and Work). My task is to make sure we are all eating well and taking care of our bodies (since we are called to be temples of the Holy Spirit).
In my research, I learned about the wonderful nutty grain-like seed quinoa. Quinoa is native to Bolivia and a relative of swiss chard, spinach and beets. We usually think of quinoa as a grain, but it is actually the seed of a plant. It’s also a complete protein, which means it provides all nine essential amino acids necessary for good health, hence the name “essential.” Your body can’t produce these nutrients itself, so you have to get them frequently through food. Quinoa’s slow-releasing carbohydrates help to maintain blood sugar levels. It can be eaten on its own as a side dish, with a bit of butter or oil, salt and pepper, or other seasonings. Quinoa also makes a great breakfast dish mixed with dried fruit, cinnamon, milk, and maple syrup or honey. A healthy substitute for rice, it also makes a tasty pilaf.
I found and adapted this flavorful and surprising salad side dish recipe for the Sisters and everyone loved it. Last weekend we served it to our Oblates who were here on retreat, and promised that we’d share it with all of you. Enjoy!
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Quinoa Salad with Pears, Bacon and Baby Spinach
SERVINGS4-6
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COOK TIME20mins |
PREP TIME30mins |
READY IN2 hrs |
Ingredients
Instructions
- Prepare the quinoa according to the package directions. 1 cup dry quinoa should yield over 4 cups of cooked quinoa. Cool quinoa.
- In a large bowl add the cooled quinoa, diced pears, green onions, spinach and bell pepper. Reserve the crumbled bacon and toasted almonds for later.
- For the dressing: Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and pour over quinoa mixture. Toss gently. You might not want to use all of the dressing depending on how wet you want your salad so add a little at a time. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving so that the flavors can meld.
- Mix the crumbled bacon and toasted almonds into the salad just before serving, reserving a bit to garnish the top as well.
Note: To toast almonds, brown them for a couple of minutes in a skillet over medium high heat. To roast them, bake them in the oven for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees. When you smell them, they are done!
Leaving the noon church service today I got into a conversation that resulted in my late arrival for lunch. As I entered the refectory I heard happy exclamations regarding the meal…”What a great lunch! I loved this…so fresh and beautiful so colorful and tasty.”
What was it they were raving about? It was a brand new crisp, crunchy tofu recipe and it was all they described it to be! Truly sensational and remarkably satisfying.
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Citrus Cabbage Salad with Crispy Tofu
SERVINGS4
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COOK TIME15-20mins |
PREP TIME45mins |
READY IN1hr (approx) |
Ingredients
Instructions
Tofu
- Drain tofu of excess water. Let sit 20 minutes to drain.
- While waiting for tofu, mix together the first 7 ingredients and set aside.
- Heat a skillet on medium with about a 1/2 inch of vegetable oil inside. While heating, slice tofu into 1/2" slices, then cut each slice into thirds. Coat each cube lightly with cornstarch using a sifter and then place into pan until browned and crispy. You may have to turn up the heat under the pan a bit. Remove from frying pan sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and set aside on paper towels.
- Wipe pan clean with paper towel and add sesame oil, onions, and
chopped ginger. Cook about 1 minute, until fragrant. Add sauce mixture to pan, bring to a boil, and simmer about 2 minutes. Add tofu back to mixture, toss to coat. Top with green onions if desired.
Cabbage Salad
- Put the cabbage in a large bowl, with the celery, cut the skin and pulp from the oranges ...slice them into wheels (cut out any seeds) and add to the cabbage. Whisk the oil, lemon juice, balsamic and oregano and salt and pepper and pour over the cabbage.
- Mix well. Let it settle then mix through a few more times so that it is completely coated. Toss prepared tofu over salad before serving.
One of our cooking sisters has made it her “mission” to incorporate healthy foods into the convent diet and get people to eat things they would not naturally choose-by making them into tasty, attractive dishes. She certainly succeeded yesterday, so much so that I never got to taste her crispy black bean cakes because I was late to lunch and there was not a one left to even sample.
However, all the Sisters who had them insisted they were fabulous and that they must be written up as a blog…..so here is the recipe…..Let me know what you think.
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Crispy Black Bean Fritters
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COOK TIME |
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Ingredients
Instructions
P.S. Black beans have been proven to significantly aid the digestive system.
Vegetable Stack Sandwich on Homemade Focaccia with Pesto and Ricotta
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Vegetable Stack Sandwich on Homemade Focaccia with Pesto and Ricotta
SERVINGS
|
COOK TIME35-40mins. |
PREP TIME |
READY IN155mins. |
Ingredients
Instructions
Focaccia:
- Pour the warm water in a small bowl.
- Sprinkle the yeast, sugar and 2 Tablespoons of the flour over the the water.
- Stir until dissolved, and then let sit until foamy, about 15 minutes.
- In a large bowl, place the 4 Tablespoons olive oil, salt, 1 cup of the flour and the yeast mixture.
- Whisk hard until smooth, about 3 minutes.
- Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until a soft, sticky dough is formed.
- Turn onto a floured surface and knead to form a springy ball, dusting with flour to prevent sticking, about 3 minutes.
- Place the dough in a greased deep container, and let rise until triple in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
- Grease a 17 x 11 inch baking sheet and sprinkle with cornmeal.
- Place the dough ball on a lightly floured surface.
- Press and flatten the dough.
- Lift and pull gently, stretching to fit the baking sheet.
- Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk.
- Meanwhile combine herbs and 1/3 cup olive oil, let sit for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Using fingertips or knuckles, gently poke indentations all over the surface of the dough about 1/4 inch deep.
- Drizzle the oil/herb mixture over the surface of the dough, letting it pool in indentations. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until nicely browned.
- Sprinkle with salt if desired.
Stack Sandwich:
- Lay the eggplant out onto trays lined with paper towel, sprinkle with salt, and let sit for about 10 minutes.
- Blot with more paper towel.
- Place eggplant, zucchini, red pepper and onion on baking sheets greased with olive oil.
- Brush all vegetables generously with olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake in a 400 degree F oven until tender.
- Cut Focaccia into squares, and then cut into 2 layers. Spread each layer with pesto, and the bottom with 2 teaspoons ricotta.
- Place baby spinach next, then a slice of eggplant, onion, tomato, a couple of slices of zucchini and finally some strips of red pepper.
- Place top layer of focaccia on this and you have a great sandwich!
The Sisters have so grown to love and appreciate fresh vegetables, that if occasionally we do not have a full salad bar for lunch they actually feel deprived. Each day they look forward to new and interesting combinations of ingredients which keep the lunches from becoming dull or boring. Their enthusiasm gives incentive to the cooks to creatively come up with bright new healthy additions. One of the more popular combinations of late that has made a hit with most everyone is a crisp cauliflower creation. It’s color appeals to the eye while it’s crunch and zesty flavor pleases the palate.
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Crisp & Crunchy Cauliflower Salad
SERVINGS
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COOK TIME |
PREP TIME |
READY IN |
Ingredients
Instructions
- Cut cauliflower in half and slice fairly thin crosswise.
- Slice black olives.
- Chop red peppers and scallions.
- Crumble cheese.
- Combine all ingredients and toss with oil and vinegar dressing.
- Sprinkle with parsley.
- This can be eaten immediately for a fresh taste or served the following day if you prefer it marinated.
