Let's get cookin'.

Getting older makes you philosophical. You start to realize that the things that used to really piss you off don't really amount to a hill of beans, or maybe you just move on to being pissed off about more important things, like the fact that you live in a country governed by a bunch of wangs who would rather you shut the fuck up about abortion rights than actually advocate for women's issues. All of which is to say, I used to get really upset about anything that had the word "Family" on it, especially cookbooks. I don't know why. Maybe it's the fact that I have lived alone for a long time, and I am PERSONALLY AFFRONTED by the notion that only families deserve good food. Just because I occasionally/frequently eat my dinner from a bowl propped on my lap while watching reruns of 30 Rock, doesn't mean I don't merit a delicious and healthy meal, jerks.

Anyway, I'm pretty much over that. As I slouch toward my thirtieth birthday in about a month, I'm trying to let the little things go and focus on the big things, and getting angry at the mothers and fathers on the covers of cookbooks is not a productive use of my energy. That's why I even went so far as to check out my library's copy of Rose Reisman's Family Favourites and choked my way past the lame photos of the author and her well-dressed grown children to enjoy some really wicked recipes. Even if the sight of a bunch of rich upper class people cooking in an insanely tricked out kitchen while also enjoying each other's company makes you want to throw up in your mouth a little, you cannot deny that the woman can craft a killer vegetarian main. I recommend this comprehensive and pretty book to anyone looking for some new variations on old standbys like soups, salads, and grain-laden side dishes. Reisman even inspired me to make about a million variations on one of my summer favourites, lentil salad. Here's the best version I've come up with.

Salad:

Throw all this stuff into a bowl.

1 can lentils
1 avocado, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
a couple green onions, chopped
1/4 cup or so feta cheese
1/4 cup basil
1/4 cup parsley
1/4 cup black olives (or sundried tomatoes. it's your world.)

Dressing:

equal parts lemon juice and olive oil, and maybe some garlic (or whatever you have on hand, really. If we're going to get honest, I'll tell you that I actually dressed this with some very elderly Newman's Own oil and vinegar that had been sitting in my fridge for a really really long time.)