Breakfast Recipe Fair

Well, today's the day I promised, for the second time, to post the conclusion of our Breakfast Fair. Everone sent in so many really great recipes! I've tried a few and am looking forward to trying all of them eventually. They all sound delicious and easy, which is the busy mom's dream!

To start with we have several make ahead recipes:
An overnight souffle from Maggie H., a breakfast casserole from Karen A., a strata from Katie H., a cookie good enough for breakfast from Cathy D., vanilla granola from Sandy A., and a super easy overnight oatmeal from Schamelot.

For the pancake and french toast lovers out there we have an easy oven pancake and a healthy yogurt whole wheat pancake from Karen H.; spiced pumpkin pancakes and pancakes with a kick from Karen A.; and a challah french toast recipe from Karen H., too!

We also have bite-sized breakfast quiches from Maggie H., creamy cream of wheat from Ruth T., a healthy breakfast casserole from Lisa A., and a country breakfast bake from Anne W.

When you visit the blog just click on "breakfast" in the index on the right and you'll find a few other delicious recipes I threw in. I hope you all are able to try and enjoy these great recipes, and always feel free to e-mail me if you have something to share. I'd be happy to include it in the Schamelot Kitchen Cookbook!

God bless and Buon Apetito!

Bacon Quiche Biscuit Cups from Maggie H.

"This one is very tasty, but definitely not as easy!"--Maggie H.

Bacon Quiche Biscuit Cups
Serves 10-14

2 cans 10 oz. Hungry Jack Flaky Biscuits (can also use homemade biscuit dough)
6-7 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons milk
2 oz. or 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
2 Tablespoons chopped green onion

Beat on low speed the cream cheese, milk, and eggs. Add cheese and onion.

Grease a muffin pan and place biscuits into muffin pan, pressing them into the cups. Leave a 1/2 inch rim around the top edge. Crumble 1/2 of the bacon into the bottom of each biscuit cup. Pour quiche mixture equally into each biscuit cup. Crumble remaining half of the bacon on top of quiche cups.

Bake at 350 degrees for 21-26 minutes, until golden.

(This recipe is also delicious without the bacon.)

Overnight Souffle from Maggie H.

"Here's one (that probably everyone has!) that I use when we have a crowd coming for a weekend brunch."--Maggie H.

Overnight Souffle

4 cups day old bread, cubed
2 cups shredded cheddar (a combo including some pepper jack is tasty)
3 Tablespoons chopped onion
10 eggs, beaten
4 cups milk
1 teaspoon dry mustard (or 1 Tablespoon prepared mustard)
1/2 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste

The night before serving, butter a 9" X 13" casserole dish. Put bread cubes in casserole; sprinkle cheese and onions on top. Mix other ingredients and pour over bread. (You can sprinkle 1 pound of sausage, cooked and drained, over the eggs if you wish.)

Cover and chill for 12-24 hours.

Bake at 325 degrees for one hour. Tent with foil if the top browns too quickly. To test for doneness, insert the tip of a knife in the center, if nothing sticks to it, the souffle is done.

Schamelot Brussel Sprouts, for people who hate Brussel Sprouts

Schamelot Brussel Sprouts

These brussel sprouts have won many converts (not to Catholicism, I mean--just to brussel sprouts). They have been used here at Schamelot for a bit of Character Formation, as well...

Buon Apetito!

1 stick of salted butter

1 tablespoon of coarse ground black pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 bulb garlic

2 bags frozen brussel sprouts, slightly thawed

Melt the butter on medium high in a skillet with a lid. Add salt, pepper and garlic. Let garlic just start to sizzle. Add brussel sprouts, stirring to coat with butter, salt and pepper. reduce heat to med low and cover with lid. Allow brussel sprouts to steam for 30-45 minutes, depending on how thawed they were, and until garlic is very soft. Do not stir too much or brussel sprouts will start to fall apart. You may like to add more salt after serving.

Puffy Apple Oven Pancakes from Karen H.

"Doesn't look pretty but the kids said it was the best..."--Karen H.

Puffy Apple Oven Pancake

Eat this pancake while its still warm and puffy!

1 small apple
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup milk, at room temperature
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons confectioners sugar

Preheat an oven to 400°F. Grease a 9-inch glass pie dish with butter.

Peel the apple, then cut it into quarters and core. Using a small knife, cut the apple quarters into small chunks.

In a small bowl, using a fork, stir together 2 tablespoons of the sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of the cinnamon. Add the apple chunks and toss with the fork until the pieces are evenly coated with the cinnamon-sugar. Pour the apple chunks into the prepared dish, spreading them out evenly with the fork. Set aside.

In a blender, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, the eggs, milk, flour and vanilla.

Blend on medium speed until all the ingredients are well mixed and frothy, about 1 minute.

Put the dish in the oven and bake the apple chunks for 5 minutes. Carefully pull out the oven rack until the dish is visible. Do not remove the dish. Pour the batter evenly over the apples. Slide the rack back into the oven and close the oven door.

Bake the pancake until puffed and brown, about 25 minutes. Carefully remove the dish from the oven and set it on a wire cooling rack. Dust the pancake with confectioners sugar using a fine-mesh sieve. Cut into wedges and serve immediately. Serves 8.

Barefoot Contessa's Challah French Toast from Karen H.

Challah French Toast from Barefoot Contessa

6 extra-large eggs
1 1/2 cups half-and-half or milk
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon good honey
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large loaf challah or brioche bread
Unsalted butter
Vegetable oil

To serve: Pure maple syrup
Good raspberry preserves (optional)
Sifted confectioners' sugar (optional)

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

In a large shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, orange zest, vanilla, honey, and salt. Slice the challah in 3/4-inch thick slices. Soak as many slices in the egg mixture as possible for 5 minutes, turning once.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil in a very large saute pan over medium heat. Add the soaked bread and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until nicely browned. Place the cooked French toast on a sheet pan and keep it warm in the oven. Fry the remaining soaked bread slices, adding butter and oil as needed, until it's all cooked. Serve hot with maple syrup, raspberry preserves, and/or confectioners' sugar.

Whole Wheat Pancakes from Karen H.

"This is a small version that we always double so we can snack on it throughout the day. Feel free to triple it!"--Karen H.

Whole Wheat Pancakes

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 t baking soda
2 T vegetable oil
1 egg
1 cup yogurt or buttermilk -- I use the Stonyfield Farm French vanilla whole milk yogurt. There isn't any sweetener in this recipe so this provides enough sweetness. I've made this with buttermilk before, but it would need a Tablespoon of sugar if you use buttermilk.

Preheat griddle. Meanwhile, combine all ingredients in a large bowl. When griddle or pan is hot enough, spoon on the pancake batter. Flip when tops bubble a bit.

Serve with applesauce or real maple syrup!

Summer Berry Pudding

We spent yesterday in Alexandria with friends from St. Mary's. Karen is an awesome entertainer and introduced me to the simple elegance of the Barefoot Contessa. For dessert Karen made Contessa's Summer Pudding, which I've never tried because there's not a picture in the cookbook. It was incredibly delicious! I'm sure it would be O.K. to substitute the framboise with water or wine, and the rum could be left out altogether if you prefer. The best part about this recipe is that you don't have to bake it--so even Ruth, whose oven is STILL broken, could make it!



Summer Pudding With Rum Whipped Cream



Serves 8





1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 half-pints fresh raspberries, divided
2 half-pints fresh blueberries
2 tablespoons framboise (raspberry brandy)
1 loaf brioche or egg bread (1 to 1 1/2 pounds)

Combine the strawberries, sugar, and 1/4 cup of water in a medium saucepan and cook uncovered over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Add 2 half-pints of raspberries and all the blueberries and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches a simmer. Cook for one minute. Off the heat, stir in the remaining raspberries and the framboise.

Slice the bread in 1/2-inch-thick slices and remove the crusts.

In the bottom of a 7 1/2-inch round by 3-inch high souffle or baking dish, ladle about 1/2 cup of the cooked berry mixture. Arrange slices of bread in a pattern (this will become the top when it's unmolded) and then add more berry mixture to saturate. Continue adding bread, cutting it to fit the mold, and berries. Finish with bread and cooked berries, using all of the fruit and syrup.

Place a sheet of plastic wrap loosely over the pudding. Find a plate approximately the same diameter as the inside of the mold and place it on top. Weight the mold with a heavy can and refrigerate. Remove the weight after 6 to 8 hours.

Cover the pudding with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Just before serving, run a knife around the outside of the pudding and unmold it upside down onto a serving plate. Serve in wedges with rum whipped cream.

Rum Whipped Cream:

Serves 8

1 cup (1/2 pint) cold heavy cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon dark rum

Whip the cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. When it starts to thicken, add the sugar, vanilla, and rum. Continue to whip until it forms stiff peaks. Serve cold.

Flax Oatmeal Cookies from Cathy D.

-Not a breakfast food I guess, although we eat them for breakfast, especially when we're in a hurry.
-My boys think these taste better than sugar cookies. I didn't call the cookies by their name until everyone had tried them and said they loved the taste.
-Don't overbake these. They don't taste really good when they are too hard.
-We've added cinnamon and that tastes great. I'm going to try adding a bannana or two next time we make them.

"We make a batch almost every Monday and eat them for snack, deserts, breakfast, etc. They're a cookie you can feel good about giving your kids. They keep well if you store them in an airtight container."--Cathy D.

Flax Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

1-1/3 cups butter
1-1/4 cup sugar (we use turbinado)
1-1/2 cups lightly packed brown sugar
2-1/3 cups flaxseed meal (high in omega vitamins)
3 large eggs
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
3-1/2 cups white flour
1 Tb baking soda
3 cups rolled oats

In bowl, cream butter and sugars; add flaxseed.

In another bowl beat eggs and vanilla together and then add to falxseed mixture.

Sift together flour and baking soda. Mix in oatmeal and combine with other ingredients.

Form dough into 1-1/2" round logs. Place in frezzer and chill.

Preheat oven to 350. Slice dough logs into 1/4" medallions. Place on parchment lined baking sheet leaving about 2" space btwn. cookies.

Bake 13-15 minutes or until slightly golden on top.

Makes approximately 108 cookies

Overnight Oatmeal

If I don't have the cranberries and figs I just use 2 cups of raisins. Sometimes we like to add walnuts or pecans and shredded coconut. I also throw in a little brown sugar. We roll our own oats and I don't know if that's the same as steel cut, but that's what we use anyway. This is really good and easy!

Buon Apetito!


Overnight Oatmeal

1 cup steel cut oats
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup dried figs
4 cups water
1/2 cup half-and-half

In a slow cooker, combine all ingredients and set to low heat. Cover and let cook for 8 to 9 hours.
Stir and remove to serving bowls. This method works best if started before you go to bed. This way your oatmeal will be finished by morning.

Herb Baked Eggs from The Barefoot Contessa

These are so delicious and so elegant! I love to make them just for John and me, but I've figured a way to make a whole bunch of them at once so the kids can enjoy--they're such foodies and they always want to eat whatever the "grown ups" are eating. I just use a lasagna pan instead of the individual gratin dishes and it comes out fine. I also use dried herbs if I don't have fresh and it's still delicious.

Buon Apetito!


Herb Baked Eggs

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
12 extra large eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
salt & freshly ground black pepper
toasted French bread or brioche bread, for serving (of course at Schamelot it's always Pane Rustica!)

Preheat the broiler for 5 minutes and place the oven rack 6 inches below the heat.
Combine the garlic, thyme, rosemary, parsley and Parmesan Cheese and set aside.
Carefully crack 3 eggs into each of 4 small bowls or teacups (you won't be baking them in these) without breaking the yolks (It's very important to have all the eggs ready to go before you start cooking).
Place 4 individual gratin dishes on a baking sheet.
Place 1 TBS cream and 1/2 TBS of butter in each dish and place under the broiler for about 3 minutes, until hot and bubbly.
Quickly, but carefully, pour 3 eggs into each gratin dish and sprinkle evenly with the herb mixture, then sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.
Place back under the broiler for 5 to 6 minutes, until the whites of the eggs are almost cooked (rotate the baking sheet once, if they aren't cooking evenly).
The eggs will continue to cook after you take them out of the oven.
Allow to set for 60 seconds and serve hot with the toasted bread.

Overnight Breakfast Souffle

If you brown up a whole lot of sausage at once and divide it into ziplocks, this one's a snap to put together! It serves 8 without any fillers, like toast, since it's got that yummy layer of hash browns in it.

Buon Apetito!


Overnight Breakfast Souffle

1 1/2 pound sausage or ham
9 eggs, slightly beaten
3 cups milk
1 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup grated cheese
2 pounds hash browns
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup diced green pepper

Put hash browns (slightly thawed), flour and green pepper in greased 9-x13-inch pan. Brown meat and add rest of ingredients. Pour in pan. refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Country Breakfast Bake from Ann W.

Country Breakfast Bake

¼ cup green onions with tops, chopped
¼ cup red bell pepper, chopped
3 cups frozen Southern-style hash brown potatoes
4 slices bacon, partially cooked and cut up
3 Tblspn vegetable oil or bacon drippings
4 eggs
Salt and ground pepper to taster
2 oz Colby and Monterey Jack cheese blend, shredded, ~½ cup

Preheat oven to 450⁰. Chop onions and bell pepper and place in 9” square pan. Add potatoes, bacon, and oil. Mix well and spread evenly over bottom of pan. Bake 20 mintues, stirring potato mixture after 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325⁰. Remove pan from oven and make 4 impressions in potato mixture with back of a spoon. Break an egg into each impression. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Return to oven and bake 15 mintues or until eggs are set. Remove from oven and sprinkle with cheese.

Breakfast Souffle

Not for the busy mornings of the school week, but wonderful for Saturday or Sunday brunch! Serve with thick slices of Pane Rustica from the day before and you can feed a family of 8-10.

Buon Apetito!


Breakfast Souffle

1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
8 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup flour
2 cup milk
pinch salt
pinch cayenne or dry mustard powder
8 yolks
8 egg whites

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place a large (9x13 or so) baking pan in the oven and fill with water, about an inch of water. Spray a 3 quart baking dish with cooking spray. I use my crockpot insert.

Melt the butter and whisk in the flour, cooking for a couple of minutes over medium low heat. Whisk in the milk until smooth and cook until thick, three minutes. Stir in cheeses and spices, cook over very low heat until the cheeses melt. Beat a few tablespoons of the very thick sauce into the yolks, then mix the yolk mixture into the sauce.

Beat the egg whites stiff, but not dry. Mix a big scoop of the whites into the cheese sauce to lighten the mixture. Then carefully fold the sauce into the whites. When combined, put in a souffle dish and slip that into the water filled baking pan, bake for 25-30 minutes. Serve immediately with buttered toast.

Breakfast Apple Cobbler

You can also make this with 2 cans of peach slices, all but 1/2 cup of the juice drained, and leaving out the honey.

Buon Apetito!


Breakfast Apple Cobbler

4 medium-sized apples, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups granola cereal

Place apples in crockpot and stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low 7-9 hours or on high 2-3 hours. Serve hot with milk. Serves 4

Creamy Cream of Wheat from Ruth T.

I tried this this morning with a pat of butter and a spoonful of sugar. It was delicious!



Creamy Cream of Wheat

1 can evaporated milk
1 can milk (use evaporated milk can to measure)
1/4 cup cream of wheat

Bring milks to a simmer and whisk in cream of wheat. Lower heat and stir until thickened and creamy.

Breakfast Casserole from Lisa A.

"Here is my favorite breakfast casserole. I make it for Christmas breakfast, but it is easy enough to do any time. It is pretty healthy too, no creamed soups required. It serves about 8 people."--Lisa A.

Breakfast Casserole

4 slices whole wheat bread (I use Ezekiel)
1 lb turkey sausage, cooked and crumbled
6 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Butter the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Spread broken pieces of bread on the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle sausage over bread. Mix the eggs and milk; pour over the sausage. Salt and pepper the mixture and spread the cheese on top. Bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

Make Ahead Breakfast Casserole from Karen A.

Make Ahead Breakfast Casserole

1 loaf of sandwich bread
2 c. shredded cheese (favorite type)
1 lb. cooked bacon or breakfast sausage
8 eggs
2 c. milkdash nutmeg
1/2 t. saltbutter

Butter a 9"x13" baking dish. Line with pieces of white or wheat bread. Layer with shredded cheese and crumbled cooked sausage or bacon. Add two more layers of buttered bread, cheese and sausage. Beat together 8 eggs and 2 cups of milk with a dash of nutmeg and 1/2 t. salt. pour over the bread layers to cover top of casserole. Let sit overnight in fridge. In the morning, bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until eggs set. Cut into squares and serve with fresh fruit, orange juice and hot coffee -- yum!

Spiced Pumpkin Pancakes from Karen A.

Spiced Pumpkin Pancakes

Mix together dry ingredients:

1 1/4 c. unbleached flour
3 T. sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 t. pumpkin pie spice
3/4 t. salt

Whisk together:

1 1/3 c. whole milk
3/4 c. pureed pumpkin (canned or fresh)
4 large egg yolks (reserve whites)
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 t. vanilla extract

Add pumpkin mixture to dry ingredients; whisk just until smooth. Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold white into batter in 2 additions.Heat griddle with a little oil or butter. Drop batter by tablespoonfuls onto hot griddle and turn once, after bubbles form over top. Serve immediately.

"Pancakes with an extra kick" from Karen A.

"I think these are best with pure maple syrup!"--Karen A.

Three Grain Pancakes

Make a dry mixture of the following ingredients. Of course this can be made well in advance of cook time.

1/2 c. yellow corn meal
1/2 c. unbleached flour
1 c. whole-wheat flour
1 c. rolled oats
2 T. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
2 t. sugar (optional)

Mix the following wet ingredients and then add to the dry ones, stirring just enough to blend. [This can be done the night before.]

3 c. buttermilk
2 eggs
2/3 c. corn oil (or other vegetable oil)

Spray a hot griddle with non-stick spray, or melt a bit of butter and spread around. Drop pancake mixture by tablespoonfuls onto the griddle. Turn only once, when the tops of the pancakes are covered with bubbles. Remove to a warm plate when they are browned on the bottom. Serve immediately with maple or fruit syrup and/or applesauce.

Vanilla Scented Granola from Sandy A.

"We like a light breakfast and I make this granola once a week. It will keep in an airtight container for 2 weeks. It never seems to last that long at my house. Enjoy!"--Sandy A.

Vanilla Scented Granola

4 c. rolled oats
1 c. sliced almonds (or walnuts or pecans)
1/2 c. light brown sugar
1/4 tea. salt
1 tea. cinnamon

1/3 c. canola oil
2 Tbs. honey
3 tea. vanilla extract

Position rack in middle of the oven and preheat to 300 degrees F. Lightly oil large baking sheet. Mix first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Combine oil and honey in a small saucepan; bring to simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla. Pour hot liquid over oat mixture and stir until thoroughly combined.

Spread granola on prepared pan. Bake until golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 30 min. Place sheet on rack cool completely.

Ham-Asparagus Strata from Katie H.

HAM-ASPARAGUS STRATA

(makes:6 servings)...easy to double this recipe.

4 English Muffins torn into bite size pieces to make 4 cups
2 cups cooked ham or chicken
1 10 oz package frozen cut asparagus or frozen broccoli, thawed and well drained, or 2 cups fresh of either
4 oz process Swiss cheese, torn, or process Gruyere cheese, cut up
4 beaten eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups milk
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon Dijon style mustard

In a greased 2-quart square baking dish spread half of the English muffin pieces. Top with ham, asparagus and cheese. Top with remaining English muffin pieces.

In a bowl whisk together eggs and sour cream. Stir in milk, onion, mustard and 1/8 tsp black pepper. Pour evenly over layers in dish. Cover and chill for 2-24 hours.

Bake, uncovered, in a 325 degree oven for 60-65 minutes or internal temp measures 170 degrees on thermometer. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

I do not recommend freezing this dish...it just doesn't taste as good.

Authentic Pasta e Fagioli (NOT Pasta Fazool!)

My mother always made this for us as kids (along with Pasta e Lentichie--lentils) and I crave it all throughout the winter months. My seventh child, born in the dead of winter, was grown in utero almost entirely on Pasta e Fagioli and milk--he weighed 11.5 lbs at birth! My mother learned to make this from her mother who is from Naples. I learned to make it from my mother with no measurements, but I've tried to approximate the measurements for you--give or take a little. We like to serve it sprinkled with fresh diced onions, and, of course, thick slices of buttered Pane Rustica!


Authentic Pasta e Fagioli (pronounced fah-jo-lie, like Angelina)

1 lb. dry cannellini, navy or great northern beans (I usually use navy beans)
2 stalks celery (optional)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2-3 tomatoes, diced for 1-1/2 cups
2-3 cloves garlic (usually I just use the whole stinking blub!)
2-3 quarts water
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup olive oil

You can soak the beans in water and 1 tablespoon baking soda for 8-10 hours, drain and proceed with the recipe, of you can throw it all in a pressure cooker like I do. If you soak them, then drain them, place them in a large stock pot and add the remaining ingredients except for the salt and pasta.
Boil for 1-2 hours with lid on, checking to make sure the beans don't lose their boil, and stirring frequently.

If you pressure cook them, then just place the rinsed and picked over beans in the pressure cooker with all the other ingredients except the salt and pasta, and bring to full pressure. Lower the heat to medium low and cook for about an hour, adding salt after the beans are tender, but not mush.

Now for the pasta--you can either cook it separately, ladeling the beans over them in each individual bowl, or just throw the pasta into the boiling beans before serving. It's better when you cook it separately, but if you don't want to take up another burner on the stove, then just throw them in with the beans and cook until al dente, about 8-10 minutes, depending on the quality of the pasta. I like to use the small to medium shells because the bens get cupped inside. I hope you enjoy this old family recipe as much as we do!

Buon Apetito!

Indian Lentils With Coconut

We're trying this recipe today in honor of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta's feast day (San Lorenzo Giustiniano of Venice on the traditional calendar--maybe we'll have Past'é Fagioli for dinner!)
Mother Teresa travelled all over the world and helped the poorest of the poor, rescuing the dying from the gutters of India (Hinduism teaches that the suffering deserve to suffer for their transgressions and we will be punished for helping them) and nursing the sick and suffering for almost all her life. However, she said that throughout all her travels the one thing she has seen that saddens her more than anything else in the world is communion in the hand.

I fully concur.



Indian Lentils With Coconut



Prep: 5 minutes; Cook: 45 minutes.

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
4 cups water
1 pound dried small red lentils, washed and picked over
1 (13.5-ounce) can light coconut milk
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion; sauté 5 minutes or until just beginning to brown. Stir in the water, lentils, coconut milk, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, 40 minutes or until the lentils are soft.

2. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Then stir in salt and pepper.

Yield: 10 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup)

CALORIES 196 ; FAT 3g (sat 1g,mono 0.0g,poly 0.0g); PROTEIN 13g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 25mg; SODIUM 129mg; FIBER 7g; IRON 3mg; CARBOHYDRATE 30g

Health, MARCH 2006