For the first time in almost five years, I’m adding a new goal to the list of January goals. It’s an easy-to-do goal, perfect after the stressful weeks of the holiday season. And since we’re all going to lose weight and exercise more (right?) what better time than now to start experimenting with new recipes?
Try some variety
We all tend to get into a dinner rut. The family’s five favorite meals get repeated over and over with an odd one or two non-favorites thrown into the weekly menu. Now it’s time to switch that up a bit and learn ten new recipes. Take this goal up a notch and focus on recipes that use long-storing grains and legumes.
Why try new?
New recipes are also a good way to get family members accustomed to a
wider range of cuisines, making it less likely that they’ll turn their noses up every time something new is on the menu.
How does cured lemons sound?
May I suggest you start by experimenting with cured lemons? That will give you the new skill of preserving lemons. I’ve written about how easy it is to preserve lemons to last all year. And with those preserved lemons comes a dozen or more new recipes, almost all of them from the Mediterranean. But you certainly can use cured lemons in almost any savory recipe that call for lemons.
Grains and legumes
If you want to focus on recipes that use the staples of long-term food storage (wheat and other grains, dry beans and other legumes) start with my Food Storage Staples recipe page. Right now, my favorite recipe is Argentinian Locro. I think the rest of the family would vote for Becky’s White Chili as their favorite.
Two soups to try
Here are two recipes that you don’t see that often and are truly yummy:
Sauerkraut Soup and
Turkey and Wild Rice Dijon Soup
You can find the recipes for both these soups in the Soup section of the Recipe page. Serve these soups with a fresh-baked loaf of this award
winning whole wheat bread and your family will thank you for learning new recipes.
Make working towards a good food storage plan more interesting by experimenting with new recipes and finding new dishes that your family will love.
