This is terrific. Made in one pot too. If you buy the pesto it takes only minutes. You can also make it with stringless sugar snap peas or pea pods. Nancy made pesto last summer and froze it in silicone cupcake holders. (Revised January 2021)

Ingredients:
One half of a 7 oz. container pre-made pesto, or more to taste. (For a real thrill, you can pound your own pesto here). The NYT has good basic blender recipe here.
3/4 lb. Linguine pasta
8 oz. unpeeled baby red potatoes, sliced into 1/4" pieces
8 oz. fresh green beans cut bite size, or stringless sugar snap peas, or pea pods
Cilantro for serving

Directions:
Warm a serving bowl in the oven.
Boil salted water. Add the potatoes and cook 5 or 6 minutes. Add the pasta and cook until just done, usually 8 to ten minutes. Add the peas or beans for the last minute or so, to heat them. (You can also just leave the peas or beans in the bottom of  your colander. They will heat when you drain the pasta/potatoes.)
Drain, mix with the pesto a little at a time in the warm bowl, and serve with cilantro.

Congee is rice boiled until it becomes a porridge. In Asia it is a "comfort food", food for infants, breakfast, or for delicate stomachs. By adding toppings you can make it a fine dinner when you want something simple, but healthy. The fried garlic is a Vietnamese condiment, and delicious.

Ingredients:
1 cup brown rice
6 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 pound mushrooms, chopped coarsely

Toppings:
Poached egg
Ten cloves of garlic (prepared as below)
Jalapeno or Serrano pepper (below)
Scallions, chopped
Cilantro for color

Directions:
Boil the rice, water and salt for at least 1 and 1/2 hours, or use your pressure cooker.
The rice is done when there is no separation of rice and water. Stir as necessary near the end. When the rice is done, add the mushrooms, stir and let cook a minute or two.

For the garlic:
Mince the garlic. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a small pan. When hot, add the garlic and stir. When the garlic just starts to just become wheat colored, turn off the heat and continue to stir while the garlic finishes cooking. It should be lightly golden. If you cook it too long it will be acrid.

For the peppers:
Slice the peppers as thin as you can, put them in a small bowl and cover with white vinegar. Do this early so the peppers absorb the vinegar.

Serving: Ladle the congee into bowls, add a poached egg, and spoon on the toppings as you eat.

Wonderful dinner, and easy to make. Just get the different elements ready, and then go at it. (Updated January 2021)

Ingredients:
Rice: One cup of rice (Jasmine is good), two cups water and half teaspoon salt.  Cook like this:

Cabbage:
A large fresh cabbage, about 1/ 1/2 lbs. ( Quarter the cabbage, cut out the core, remove tough outer leaves, and cut the cabbage into 3/4" slices/pieces.) Separate the pieces with your fingers, and set aside in a colander.
3 tablespoons olive oil or peanut oil
Sauce:  Mix these dry ingredients in a cup:  1 tablespoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, and two teaspoons corn starch. Then add 2 tablespoons soy sauce ( Kikkoman is good), One tablespoon cider vinegar, and one tablespoon dry sherry or white wine and mix well.  Set aside. If you get serious about flavor, you can try some "Fried Chili Paste" instead of cayenne. What heat! What flavor!

Tofu:
1 package of firm tofu, cut into cubes by holding the tofu on edge, slicing it three times, lay the block flat, slice again lengthwise, turn the block and slice crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces.
1 small bunch of scallions, (white bulbs discarded) cut into 1/2 inch pieces, and set aside.
1 clove garlic, minced.
3 quarter sized pieces of ginger, chopped fine.
3 tablespoons olive oil or peanut oil
Sauce: Mix in a cup 4 tablespoons mushroom flavored soy sauce (if using heavy "dark" soy, use a little less), 2 teaspoons sugar, and 1/3 cup water. Set aside.
Thickening sauce: Mix in a cup 2 teaspoons corn starch, 2 tablespoons water and 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil. Set aside.

Directions:
Put a bowl in the oven on "Keep Warm". 
Put the cut up cabbage in a colander, ready to be rinsed.
Directions for the rice:
Cook the rice, let it sit until you are ready.
Directions for the Tofu:
Get things going by sauteing the garlic and ginger in 3 tablespoons olive oil, Carefully add the mushroom soy sauce mixture, bring to a boil, add the tofu, then cook on low, covered for 5 minutes. Then thicken the sauce by slowly adding the cornstarch mixture while stirring the tofu. Add the scallions, mix once then transfer to the warm bowl in the oven
Directions for the Cabbage:
Wipe the pan, add 3 tablespoons oil, heat until hot, then quickly rinse the cabbage, shake off excess water, and carefully add to pan. Cook until the cabbage is hot and starting to shrink down. Give the sauce mixture a stir, then slowly add it to cabbage while stirring. When the mixture thickens, you are done.
Put the rice, cabbage and tofu into your serving bowl, sprinkle with a little cayenne, and thank Irene Kuo for the recipe.

Cut up fresh corn tortillas are part of an easy, crazy delicious Tex-Mex dinner.   Condiment Heaven. A really fun Holiday meal. (Updated December 2020)

Ingredients:
One can red beans, drained but not rinsed
One can black beans, drained but not rinsed
Three tablespoons olive oil
Three cloves garlic, minced
One pint cherry tomatoes, halved
One medium red onion, chopped
One medium  green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup chopped Kalamata Olives
One cup cilantro coarsely chopped
4 to 6 corn tortillas, small, fresh 5" diameter 
One teaspoon cumin seed, ground
One half teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
One and one half teaspoons salt
Chopped Romaine as a bed for serving if you like (Nancy does)

Condiments:
Shredded cheese
Salsa
Sour cream/yogurt mix
Chopped pickled Jalapeno peppers

Directions:
Drain but don't rinse the beans. Get the chopped cilantro, olives and tortilla strips ready. (To make the strips, stack the tortillas, cut them in half, then cut the halves into 1/2" wide pieces. Toss the pieces so they don't stick together when you add them). Have your condiments ready on the dinner table.

Saute the garlic, onion, and green peppers in your soup pot for four or five minutes, add the  tomatoes, cumin, cayenne and salt, bring up to heat again and simmer covered for 10 minutes, add the beans and olives and cook about 10 minutes more, until everything is hot. Turn off the heat, scatter in the tortillas and  cilantro and mix  them in well. Serve hot, on top of chopped romaine if you like, and use the condiments with abandon.

A good winter soup. The Kalamata olives make it formidable.

Ingredients:
One can Cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
One 14oz. can diced tomatoes. I like "Fire Roasted"
One pound potatoes, bite size pieces. I like Russet for this, but almost any will do.
4 or more oz. chopped Kale. Use as much as you like
One half cup chopped Kalamata olives (I love these, good for most recipes, and a bargain)
One onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, ground pepper to taste
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Instructions:
Saute the onion and garlic, add three cups water, the tomatoes, potatoes, half of the beans, salt, pepper and cayenne. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook 25 minutes.
Use a potato masher or stick blender to thicken the soup to a consistency you like.
Add the Kale and the rest of the beans, and cook on low another ten minutes.
Serve with a topping of the Kalamata olives, and grated Parmesan to taste.

  It's not easy to make beans and rice taste other than meh, but this recipe from Ale Mendez does the trick. A fast, nutritious and really cheap meal. The addition of poached eggs makes a dinner and not just a side dish. (Revised 3/20/20)

Ingredients:
3/4 cup rice and 1 1/4 cups water or vegetable stock
One can of black or red beans, drained
One medium onion, chopped
One medium red bell or green pepper, chopped
1/2 Cup tomato sauce (8 oz. can) or handful of cherry tomatoes chopped
3 Cloves garlic, minced
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 Teaspoon cumin seed, ground in your mortar and pestle
1/4 Teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 Cup chopped cilantro, (save some for garnish)



Directions:
In your soup pot, add the olive oil, the onion, bell pepper, and garlic, and saute on medium high heat for about 4 or 5 minutes, until onions become translucent.
Add the salt, pepper, cumin and cayenne, stir, then add the rice to the pot, and stir for a few minutes to mingle the flavors and coat the rice. Then add the water, beans, tomatoes or tomato sauce  and heat  until boiling. Turn down to a simmer, cover, and let cook for twenty minutes. Turn off the heat, let sit for at least 5 minutes. Don't peek and take the lid off the pot. Turn off the heat. Add most of the cilantro and stir to mix.
Serve with poached eggs if wanted, and cilantro for garnish.

Apples, Walnuts, Lentils, Prunes: Who knew? Derived from a great dish at "Panjshir" in Falls Church, Virginia. Nice idea for a Holiday. You could serve it with Curried Rice and Raita.   (Updated 12/6/20)

Ingredients:
One large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
Three tablespoons olive oil
One 8 oz. can tomato sauce
One third cup red lentils
Half dozen pitted prunes chopped bite size (3/4 cup halved red grapes will work too. Add them at the end.)
One third cup of chopped walnuts (soak them in warm water a few hours for best taste)
2 teaspoons Garam Masala ( most supermarkets have it)
3/4 teaspoon salt, ground black pepper
One tablespoon brown sugar
One and one half cups water
One pound cored and chopped McIntosh apples. I leave the skins on.

Directions:
Saute the onion in the olive oil until  light brown. This is important.
Add the rest of the ingredients: Garlic, Masala, water, tomatoes, lentils, prunes, drained and rinsed walnuts, salt, pepper, brown sugar and apples. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes.
Serve with cilantro or parsley.

Another nice surprise made from a modified Rose Shulman recipe. The garlic rubbed baguette toast is boffo. (Updated November 2020)

Ingredients:
3 tablespoon olive oil
2 cans of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
6 oz. baby spinach
1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved, about 5 to 6 ounces.
1 largish yellow onion
3 or 4 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup vegetable broth or water, or a little more
1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon cumin seed, pan toasted briefly
Thick sliced french baguette bread, toasted, rubbed with cut cloves of garlic, and drizzled with olive oil. Or, use your garlic press and make a slurry of olive oil to brush on the bread.
Some fresh lemon slices

Directions:
Toast the cumin seed and then grind it in your mortar and pestle with the salt, pepper and cayenne.
In your large saucepan/pot saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil for 5 minutes or so, add the tomatoes and simmer a few minute until the tomatoes dissolve. Add the ground spices, stock or water, and chickpeas. Bring to a boil, turn heat down and simmer for 10 minutes. Add more water or stock if the mix is too dry. It should be slightly soupy. Turn off the heat. Relax. When you are ready,  toast the bread and prepare as above.
Put your toasted bread in your serving  bowls. Turn the heat back on the chickpea mix, add the spinach and stir and cook until just wilted. Serve on the toast, and add some lemon squeezes while eating.

Sometimes potatoes just hit the spot.  It's great when something unassuming like this works.
Serve it with or without the poached egg. It is good without the egg, but great with it. (Revised November 2020)

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 1/2 lbs. baby red potatoes cut in half
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
I cup water or vegetable stock
1 cup cilantro chopped coarsely
6 small or three large scallions, white and green parts sliced
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
Fresh ground pepper

Directions:
Grind the spices together in your mortar and pestle. Heat the olive oil and saute the onion well, add the ground spices, potatoes and chickpeas, and stir to coat everything. Add the stock or water, heat to just boiling, turn heat down to a simmer, cover, cook 15 minutes, stir, cover, cook another 15 minutes.
Most of the liquid will have been absorbed. Turn off the heat, add the scallions and most of the cilantro. Poach the eggs, plate the potatoes and add the poached eggs. Garnish with the remaining cilantro.

Try it. A real surprise combination of pasta and potatoes. This Southwest breakfast favorite is an excellent casual dinner. Just substitute a glass of red wine for the cup of coffee. (Revised 11/2020)

Ingredients:
One pound Russet potatoes, cut into 3/4 " chunks
One cup dry small pasta
One large red onion, chopped
One medium green bell pepper, chopped
One medium red bell pepper, chopped
One Jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped fine, or chopped pickled hot jalapeno, both good.
One and one half teaspoons salt, one teaspoon fresh black pepper
Four Tablespoons olive oil
Four eggs
Cilantro or parsley to garnish

Directions:
This is very much a no panic meal. You can take your time, It just needs to be heated right before the poached eggs go on.

Saute/cook the onion, peppers, jalapeno, salt and pepper in the olive oil until the onion is transparent, almost brown, about five to ten minutes. Cover, turn off the heat.
Simmer  the potatoes in a small covered pot about 35 minutes in two cups of water. You want them soft enough to mash, but don't mash them.
Cook the pasta. Coordinate the pasta and potato cooking time so you can just dump them both in a colander in the sink, drain them for a second, and add them to the onion mixture.
Poke, push and prod the mixture until the potatoes lose a little of themselves to the other ingredients.
When you are ready to go, get the eggs poaching and reheat and remix the potato/pepper/pasta.
Divide into two bowls, slide the eggs on, and sprinkle on a little cayenne and black pepper.
Garnish with cilantro or parsley.

This is spicy, and fun to eat: Requires deft spoonwork. A little sour cream, a little tortilla, a bit of cilantro and a lot of good taste. Even better the next day. (Revised October 2020)
 
Ingredients:
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups red lentils
4 1/4 cups water or vegetable stock
2  Chipotle peppers, chopped, (or 1 for less heat) and a little sauce from canned Chipolte peppers, ("Embasa", or "Goya" for example). You can freeze the extra peppers in individual snack bags.
1  14 oz.can of diced  tomatoes, undrained. I like "Fire Roasted"
1 teaspoon of cumin seed, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon fresh pepper (ground together in a  mortar and pestle)
Garnish: sour cream/ Greek yogurt mixture, cilantro and toasted tortilla chips (there are a lot of fun flavored snack packs to choose from).

Directions:
Saute the onion, garlic and bell peppers in the olive oil until the onions are translucent, a few minutes. Add the spices, lentils, tomatoes, chipotle pepper and water, bring to a simmer, and cook at least 30 minutes. Use your stick blender to consolidate the ingredients.
The soup should be thick, but add a little more water if needed for the right consistency.
When done, garnish with broken tortilla chips, chopped cilantro, and the sour cream/Greek yogurt mix. Sprinkle a little cayenne pepper for color.

All Chili recipes are dependent on the the spices used. This is a simple one that can be made more or less potent with the amounts and quality of the chili powder, salt, or additional spices like cumin or cayenne. (Revised 10/24/20)

Ingredients:
One cup of brown or green lentils
One can of black or red beans, rinsed and drained
One can of diced tomatoes (I like to puree it with a stick blender a little before adding)
One medium green bell pepper chopped
One medium onion chopped
4 cloves of garlic minced
Two tablespoons of your best chili powder
One teaspoon of salt (or more)
Three cups of water or stock.
One cup of chopped cilantro optional

Directions:
Saute the onions, green pepper and garlic in three tablespoons of olive oil for about five minutes, add the rest of the ingredients except the beans. Bring to a boil then simmer for 35 minutes, add the beans, bring back to a boil, then simmer for another 10 minutes. Add optional cilantro.
Serve with sour cream or yogurt.

 Oh boy. This is slightly modified Indian Dal recipe from Nigella Lawson of the NYT.  Wonderful with Jasmine rice on the side. "Dal" is an Indian word for a thick soup made with "pulses": lentils, peas or beans. (modified October 2020)

Ingredients:
One medium sweet potato, about 10 ounces, chopped
One medium yellow or red onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 quarter sized pieces of fresh ginger, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup red lentils
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes (or 8 oz. can tomato sauce)
1/2 teaspoon each of turmeric, cumin seed, coriander seed, ground ginger, and 1 teaspoon salt.
1/4 teaspoon each black pepper and cayenne . Grind all the spices together in a mortar and pestle.
About one and a quarter cup water or vegetable stock ( adjust for proper consistency)
1 can coconut milk
For the rice: 1/2 cup jasmine rice, 1 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, some black pepper and a little curry powder. Bring to a boil in a small saucepan, cover, turn to lowest simmer, cook for 20 minutes without peeking, turn off heat and let sit for 10 minutes.

Directions:
In your soup pot saute the sweet potato, onion, garlic and ginger in the olive oil for about ten minutes, or until the onions are transparent
Add the spices and the lentils and stir until coated with oil
Add the tomatoes, water and coconut milk
Heat until boiling, then reduce to a simmer
(Pause for a minute to get the rice going) 
Cook the dal mixture about 35 minutes, checking and stirring to prevent the dal sticking to bottom of pan. Turn off the heat, use a potato masher or stick blender to break up and mix the ingredients. The consistency should be like a very thick soup or a puree.
Serve the dal with the rice on the side, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt and some cilantro and cayenne pepper for color.

Another very simple and surprising meal. And it is so good for you that you will live into your 90's and die in your sleep after winning the charity dance marathon. This and recipe #30 really work well served on  toasted garlic rubbed sourdough or French bread (Revised September 2020)

Ingredients:
Two cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
One half of a 7oz. jar of sun dried tomatoes in oil, chopped
Half a 12oz. bag of chopped kale
Three cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
Half or more teaspoon salt, fresh ground black pepper, cayenne pepper

Directions:
In a large bowl add the beans, chopped tomatoes, two tablespoons of the oil from the tomatoes, the vinegar, salt, pepper and cayenne, and mix.
In your wok or deep sauce pan saute the garlic in two tablespoons olive oil, then add the kale and two tablespoons water. Saute the kale until wilted, just a minute or two. Stir in  the bean mixture and heat and sir until mixture is hot. Add a little water if needed. Serve over garlic rubbed toasted sourdough or other thick sliced bread.

A wonderful soup. You can experiment with toppings. (Revised September 2020)

Ingredients:
One 16 oz. package of frozen corn, yellow or white, or both
3/4 pound red potatoes, cut into bite size pieces
One medium yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 quarter size pieces fresh ginger, minced
Two serrano or jalapeno chilies, sliced thin, or red pepper flakes, or cayenne, all to taste. The soup should be a little spicy.
3 tablespoons olive oil
One can full fat coconut milk
2 cups vegetable stock or water
One teaspoon plus of salt
Lime wedges for squeezing, and chopped pickled jalapenos for garnish

Directions:
Saute the onions, garlic, ginger and peppers in the olive oil a few minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 1/2 hour.
When you are ready, use your potato masher or an immersion blender to thicken the soup.
Garnish with the pickled jalapeno and squeeze some lime while you eat.

This is a once a week favorite. Try it with different beans and pastas. Always satisfying. Great with a poached egg on top. (Revised October 2020)

Ingredients:
One can (drained and rinsed) of cannelloni, red or black beans
One pint container of cherry tomatoes, halved (around 10 to 12 oz.)
One half large onion
Three cloves garlic, minced
2 cups dried pasta, medium shells, penne, cellentani or similar,
One half teaspoon salt, more to taste
Ground pepper
Optional ground hot pepper flakes or cayenne
Chunk of Parmesan for grating
One cup chopped cilantro.

Directions:
Saute the onions and garlic, add the tomatoes, salt and pepper (and pepper flakes) and cook covered on low until the tomatoes dissolve, about 10 minutes or a little more. Add the beans, and cook another ten minutes. Check and stir every 5 minutes or so to be sure the tomato mixture does not stick to the pan. Turn off the heat, and when you  are ready, start the pasta.
Cook the pasta al dente, add to the tomato and beans. cook, stir, turn off the heat and mix in most of the cilantro.

Serve with cilantro garnish and grated Parmesan. We like Parmigiano Reggiano. Adding a poached egg makes this dish super.

 This has been moving up the charts at our house. A fun change, and really easy. Really. (Edited September 7, 2020)

Ingredients:
The zest and juice of one lemon
1/2 small container of full fat Ricotta (about a cup)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
3/4 pound large shells or any pasta you are fond of.

Directions:
While you are boiling the salted water for your pasta, mix the cheeses, the lemon juice and the zest in your large sauce pan or wok. No heat required. I like to add a half teaspoon of salt, fresh pepper and a little cayenne too.
A few minutes before your pasta is done, take 1/3 cup of the pasta water and mix it with the cheese mixture.
When the pasta is done, drain it, then blend it into the cheese mixture. Done. Serve and garnish with black pepper and a few hot pepper flakes.

A summer version of beans and rice. Really tasty, good for you, and easy to make.  (Revised September 2, 2020)

Ingredients:
One cup rice, cooked like this, then cooled. Basmati is good for this. Brown rice is great too.
3 small fresh corn, kernels sliced off. Fresh corn does not need to be cooked.
One can black beans, rinsed and drained
One can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained.
On half red onion, chopped
Half a bell pepper, your choice of color(s)
Half a bunch of cilantro, chopped
Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
One minced garlic clove
One tablespoon sugar, one teaspoon each of salt and Dijon mustard, fresh ground pepper

Directions:
Whisk together the dressing ingredients.
Prepare the vegetables in a large bowl, add the dressing, and chill until ready to serve.

There may be better sandwiches, and perhaps faster to make sandwiches, but there is no better tasting, faster to make sandwich.  An unexpectedly rewarding texture. The ingredients are important.

Ingredients:
Arnold or Pepperidge Farm seeded rye
Skippy Chunky peanut butter
Claussen Kosher dill sandwich slice pickles

Directions:
There is debate whether to coat both or one slice. I like both.

Cold pasta for hot days. You can use most any vegetable you like. If you have a dinner party, serve the vegetables and sauce on the side in separate bowls so your guests can build their own meals. The recipe is easy to scale up. *Try cooking the sauce. (Updated June 16, 2020)

Ingredients:
12 oz. pasta. I like Linguini or Fettuccine. (To make the pasta easier to cook and eat, you can break the pieces in half by bending the box over the counter. Be sure to stir the pasta when you first put it in the boiling water to stop the pieces from sticking together).
5 or 6 leaves or small heart of Romaine lettuce, cut into bite size pieces
4 stalks of celery, sliced
Handful of pea pods, bite size
Half a small red onion, sliced thin.
Cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, de-seeded and sliced 1/4 inch
One tablespoon toasted sesame oil to mix with cold cooked pasta

Directions:
Cook the pasta in salted water. While the water is heating, make the sauce: Mix together 4 tablespoons
good soy sauce, 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, 3 teaspoons sugar, and 2 cloves finely minced garlic.*
When the pasta is done, drain and rinse in cold water, put in your serving bowl and mix with the tablespoon of sesame oil. Refrigerate until well chilled.
When ready, mix the vegetables with the pasta and serve with the sauce on the side.
*Try this with the sauce: Mix the ingredients in a small sauce pan. In a cup mix 2 teaspoons cornstarch with a tablespoon of water to make a slurry. Heat the sauce ingredients until just simmering, and stir while slowly adding the cornstarch. It will thicken. Let it cool and use it normally. The sauce sticks to the pasta and has a deeper flavor.

Fun and fast to put together, and a family favorite. You can use any short pasta. Probably the most popular of these recipes. (Revised 4/10/20)

Ingredients:
1 medium cucumber
1/2 pound small pasta
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
1/2 of 9 oz bag of baby spinach
1/2 cup of Kalamata olives (bulk baby olives from Amazon save you a ton)
1/2 red onion
1/2 of a 6oz block of feta cheese

Directions:
Make the dressing first: Combine 4 Tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or  red wine vinegar, 1 finely minced garlic clove, 1 teaspoon each of salt, sugar, Dijon mustard and 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper. Whisk together with a fork. Let it sit while you make the salad.

Cook the pasta al dente, drain and rinse with cold water
Cut off ends of cucumber, peel and slice it lengthwise.Use a spoon to remove the seeds. Stack the halves and cut into 1/4" slices.
Cut cherry tomatoes in half
Cut red onion into thin slices
Roughly chop the Kalamata olives
Put all the above in a large bowl with the spinach, crumble the feta on top, add the dressing and toss well.

Now my vice of choice. A coconut variation of the 666er. (Revised 6/9/20)

Ingredients:
Ghiradelli 60% dark chocolate baking chips
Baker's sweet coconut flakes,
Maybe a little coarse salt.

Directions:
Put about an ounce of chips in as many baking cups as you like, put the cups on a plate and microwave for two or three minutes, until just melted (All microwaves are different)
Take out and stir about a pinch of coconut flakes into each cup using  a toothpick. Add a pinch of coarse salt if you like. Cool. Freeze. Despair.

A tangy mostly yogurt dressing and almost total nutrition make this a very easy lunch or dinner. You have to chill it for best flavor and texture. A slaw for survivalists: if you keep these ingredients in the bunker you can probably make it to the End of Days.

Ingredients:
One small cabbage, enough to make about a pound sliced. Slice it thinly like cole slaw.
One can of red kidney beans drained and rinsed
One half pound of pasta
One half red onion sliced thinly and chopped once or twice
One carrot grated
1/2 cup Greek yogurt, whole milk works best
1/4 cup Hellman's Original mayonnaise (not low fat) 

Directions:
For the dressing combine 1/2 cup Greek yogurt with 1/4 cup Hellman's mayonnaise, 3 tablespoons cider vinegar, one tablespoon sugar, one teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper. Whisk together with a fork.
Cook the pasta in salted water until done, drain and rinse with cold water. In a large bowl combine all the ingredients with the dressing, and chill for at least a half an hour. It is even better the next day.

Spanish Brown lentils are available in some specialty stores, but you don't need them for this recipe. They just sound tastier. Use any color lentil but red, which get mushy. This is the only simple lentil salad recipe that I actually want to eat, not just take to the pot luck fund raiser. (Updated 6/4/20)

Ingredients:
One cup of brown or green lentils (You can buy Spanish Pardina brown lentils direct from the farm, Look up Palouse Brand)
2 1/2 cups water
Half a small red onion chopped
One small red bell pepper chopped
One cucumber, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, de-seeded with a spoon, the halves cut into 1/2"strips, then chopped 1/4" long.
2 cups parsley leaves.
Feta cheese for garnish
Romaine lettuce or other green as bed for serving optional

Directions:
Cook the lentils in the 2 1/2 cups water or stock with  1/2 teaspoon salt for 30-35 minutes, then put in a colander, rinse with cold water and let sit until you are ready.
Make the dressing: Combine 5 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, one clove of garlic finely minced or put through a press, 1 full teaspoon Dijon mustard, and a little more than a 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and sugar, and whisk to combine.
When you are all set, combine the lentils, the vegetables and the dressing, serve and garnish with some feta cheese.
A bed of greens for serving is a nice addition, Romaine, Iceberg, or baby spinach.

 Served at room temperature or chilled, this is a great meal year round. The dressing  mixes with the Romaine/celery while you eat. (Revised 5/23/20)

Ingredients:
One cup dried small pasta
Two cans (drained and rinsed) or 3 cups cooked white (Cannellini) beans
One bunch of scallions, green parts, sliced half inch long
1/2 cup or more Kalamata olives, roughly chopped (you can get a cool little barrel of them from Amazon.)
Handful cherry tomatoes, halved
One head of packaged Romaine hearts, cut crosswise into 1/2" strips, then halved lengthwise
2" of a celery bunch cut crosswise into quarter inch slices.

For the dressing: Add 2 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 teaspoon each of sugar and salt, black pepper to taste and a tablespoon of Dijon or Spicy Brown mustard to 5 tablespoons of olive oil and  2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or vinegar. Whisk with a fork.

Directions:
Cook the pasta, rinse and add to a bowl with the rest of the ingredients, (except the lettuce and celery),
and mix with the dressing.
Divide the Romaine and celery mixture into two large serving bowls. Push the lettuce to the edges of the bowl. Heap the Provencal mixture in the centers of the bowls and serve.
Hint: In the summer you can slice off kernels of fresh corn and then add them into the pasta pot for the last minute of cooking,  rinse both the pasta and corn in a colander and add to the dish.