Yikes! There's No Food!

What happens when you thought you had ingredients and you don't? Improvise . Combine this with tat. Add a pinch of what you have and voila - a new  and tasty dish. Necessity is the mother of invention. So is a fridge and pantry full of canned and dry goods.

Every kitchen should have beans.These can be the base for a main dish when there are no other major ingredients such as meat.  These are full of protein and can be mashed into burgers along with veggies and spices to create a satisfying dinner.Don't worry if there are no buns. Toast works perfectly.Beans with tomato sauce and paste make an excellent pasta sauce.Thnik about any kind of bean in a salad too.Also if you've planned on making meringue, remember that chickpea water is the base for aquafaba,It can be whipped up to make elegant macarons or the crown for lemon meringue or Key lime pie. Remember too, that another source of protein, the egg,can be versatile and made into a variety of easy dishes. Combine them with broth to make a type of stratticella or panpiest, especially if you add breadcrumbs. Don't have those  - take stale bread and pop into your food processor. Pulse and you'll have enough for breading too.

Canned food, that kitchen classic , is always welcome.Always buy two or three of one product. You'll never know when you 'll need them.A favorite is Swanson's Chicken Ala King. This has been around sine the Fifties and it makes for a quick and tasty meal.Serve it on toast or even toasted English muffins. It can even be served on top of plain white rice or egg noodles to stretch it out. Tuna too, can prove to be versatile. Use it as the main ingredient for a delicious salad Nicoise or  layer it with  tomatoes on any kind of bread for a Provencale vibe.You forgot to buy meat for your tomato sauce. No problem .Use tuna to give it body.Canned or packaged soup can not only be used for soup, but also for a quick sauce or  flavornig, not only for sour cream but also for Greek yogurt .Keep tins of other seafood too, such as anchovies, sardines and salmon. Another canned must have is chili. It can be good on it's own but also over nachos and hot dogs. Have several cans of the beef, turkey and veggie for those just in case moments.

Don't fret if you don;t have any ingredients for dinner. Improvise with what you have. Be creative. You'll be surprised at what you can make.

The Summery Harvests Of September

Even though it's September there is still tomatoes and greens to be harvested. With them come delicious recipes that utilize the produce of this still summery season. Have them now while  the weather is still balmy and the gardens are still lush. Enjoy these tastes of late summer.

Melissa Clark and David Tanis realized this and made  the early September harvests the subject of their individual columns in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Ms Clark's A Good Appetite  featured the perennial star of the season, tomatoes. She creates a  mash up of three great tomato sandwiches. She deftly blends a BLT with  teas sandwiches  and throws in a heavy dose of the famed Catalan sandwich pan con tomate.The sandwich's base comes from the last. She takes rustic country bread. toasts it and then rubs it with raw garlic and the tomato's pulpy inside.Drizzle olive oil and lightly sprinkle sea salt on it.The tea sandwich part is when strands of tangy white onion is added. Layers of bacon and mayo are added , this is the BLT part of it.It's a messy , yummy sandwich that's literally finger licking good , according to Ms. Clark.Variations abound  with subbing the onions with cucumber and giving it a more Iberian spin by using thinly sliced Serrano ham instead of the  bacon.

David Tanis devoted his a City Kitchen Column to that flavorful French vegetable soup, pistou..This is a Genovese influenced soup from the French Provencale town of Nice. A kind of pesto is made, called pistou and it's exactly the same as its' Northern Italian cousin. Basil ,garlic and Parmigiano cheese is ground  and the olive oil is added to it. since this is a bean soup, there should be  a good mix of them, Use shelling bean from the vibrantly colored  cranberry to the large  , meaty cannellini These should be cooked independently from the soup base. The base itself is a kind of potato stock that also has sautéed onions and more beans, this time romano and yellow wax beans You can add squash and zucchini too, but you can also vary this   with adding a quartered ripe tomato or two.along with cubes f pumpkin of you have any in early bloom. Rice or pasta can be added but it's not necessarily.Afrter cooking  the soup is ladled into bowls and then a spoonful of pistou is added. Serve with toasted baguette slices dipped in oil, or if you want the pistou itself.

The summer is still giving us bounteous harvests. Take advantage of them by making a delicious tomato sandwich  mashup  or a bright green Provencale. soup. Both are perfect to eat during these still balmy days.

Healthy Picnics

Yesterday's Times Food section  about sandwiches brought on ideas about picnics. The weather is perfect for a healthy meal outdoors whether at the park or the beach . Pack your basket with tasty but good for you sandwiches, snacks and drinks.

The sandwich is the main star of any picnic meal. Think healthy with meat from leftover roasts. Cold cuts can be good however try to get those that have less nitrates and fats in them. Although with leftover chicken and turkey , you can pack the wings and legs, if there any left over.Leftover ham, chicken and roast beef can also be devilled simply by adding chunks of leftover roasts to a food processor along with a teaspoon or two of water.This creates a nice paste that can be mixed with low calorie mayo or even olive oil for a spread. Veggie sandwiches are always good. Go Provencale by adding some sliced tomatoes on a whole wheat baguette. The Food Sandwich issue suggests not keeping the tomatoes in the fridge. This will make their flesh mushy. They should have a nice firmness and a chewy sort of meatiness to it . For the Southern French style, you can drizzle some olive oil on the bread along with some sprinklings of oregano and rosemary. For a Nicoise  use tuna, preferably tonno in olio, tuna packed in olive oil. This is both good for you and a luxury. Peeled and  sliced hard boiled eggs add another silken touch of lux,. If you have the time you can make either broccoli or mushroom pate. These are somewhat labor intensive spreads however they are yummy and delicious on artisanal rolls.

One of the most favorite aspects of picnicking are the snacks. Everyone feels like they can go wild on an outdoor jaunt. Bags of potato chips, and cheese puffs are always thrown in  along with every kind of available snack cake. These may be fun to  nibble on  but  whether they're eaten outdoors or indoors , they're still bad for you.Insteead try a bag of pretzels,. You can even pack some kind of mustard too for dipping. Nuts are always a good bring along. Nothing beats some crunchy almonds or lightly sea salted peanuts..As for sweets, dark chocolate  is always a good treat. It's full of antioxidants and flavonoids. Try fruits dipped in it for extra flavor. More natural are cuts fruit pieces such as watermelon and pineapple. Both are sweet endings full of vitamins and fiber.As Spring progresses , think about packing seasonal fruits such as strawberries and blueberries.Cookies are always fun to bring along and there are healthy ones out there such  as the Kashi brand or Fig Newtons. You can also bake a batch too but remember to use whole wheat flour and   brown sugar. All this food requires drink. Again skip the soda and bring the chilled water bottles. If you want flavor then think BAI and BAI5 juices and sodas. These are all natural  with the addition of the coffeefruit and come in tasty flavors like peach and blueberry.Their sodas are light and sparkling ,perfect thirst quenchers during a hot day.

Spring picnics are always fun.Make them healthier too, with  good for you sandwiches, snacks and drinks, It's a great way of enjoying the fresh air.