Ethiopian-Inspired Red Lentil Soup

1 large onion, chopped
1 pound potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 + 1/4 cup red lentils (picked over and rinsed)
3 cups water
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2-3 tablespoons berberé spice mixture, below
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 pound green beans, fresh or frozen, cut into bite-sized pieces
1-2 cups water
salt to taste
3-4 cups fresh spinach

Berberé Spice Mixture (mix all together and store in jar):

1 Tbs. ground cardamom
1 Tbs. ground coriander
1 Tbs. fenugreek
1 Tbs. ground nutmeg
1 Tbs. ground cloves
1 Tbs. ground allspice
1 Tbs. cinnamon
1 Tbs. paprika
1 Tbs. turmeric
1 tsp. cayenne (use more to taste)
1 Tbs. ground black pepper
1 Tbs. ground sea salt (optional)

Sauté the onion in a non-stick pan until it starts to brown. Add the potatoes, lentils, 3 cups water, garlic, and spice mixture. Simmer, covered, over low heat until lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. Add the tomatoes, green beans, and enough additional water to create a thick soup. Check the seasoning, adding salt and more of the spice mixture if needed, and cook for about 15 more minutes. Just before serving, stir in the spinach. Serve immediately. Makes 6-8 servings.

1. That you must be vegan to attend Square Inch.

2. That we’re going to be talking about food and food choices all the time…it actually happens very very rarely.

3. That anyone is going to try and convince you to be a vegan.

4. That the vegan diet is a main focus of the church…it’s not, our main focus is Jesus.

What it DOES mean:

1. That if someone has decided for him or herself to be vegan based on moral issues, that choice will not interfere with his or her ability to truly be part of the community.

2. It means we are trying something in the way of Radical Hospitality.  There’s good stuff to ponder on this issue in Romans 14. Basically what we are saying is this:  we recognize that food is often a contentious issue.  We are deciding to make our meals as inclusive as possible.  Everyone can eat a bean chili, but not everyone can eat a ground beef chili.  This is not a judgment against meat-eaters…so no one who eats meat should feel as if they aren’t as welcome as those among our community who are vegan.  We are made up of Vegans, Vegetarians, Omnivores, you name it.  This is a hospitality measure so people can hear the Good News of the Savior Jesus Christ without feeling like they have to leave during our meal time.

3. It means that we have some really killer recipes to share with you!

our first summer camp outing was to visit the animals at sasha farms in manchester, michigan. we had a fun adventure and met many cute animal friends.

our latest outing was to post farms for a morning of blueberry picking! the kids probably ate more than they picked, but we still left with a few buckets full of plump berries. the few kids that came out had a great time and have been wanting to go back ever since we left. if you missed this or if you want to go again with church friends let me know. we are planning another blueberry picking trip this week.

what should our next summer camp outing be???

a couple things to take note of regarding the love feast. since we are trying to stay cool in this summer heat, you are welcome to bring a salad or chilled soup instead of the usual hot soup. the gazpacho-borscht stephanie and nate brought last sunday was delicious. i will be adding salad recipes to the feeding the parish page, so keep checking back for ideas. if you have a salad or cold soup you love and would like to share, email kotoamade(at)gmail(dot)com.

the last thing on my mind today is the birthday celebration for the kids. we had a fun time celebrating hannah in december and want to continue to do that for all of our children. one recent birthday was sadly missed, and we do not want it to happen again. please email me, kotoamade(at)gmail(dot)com, with your child’s name and date of birth and we’ll make sure to celebrate them. thanks!

have a happy weekend!

hello friends! don’t miss out on square inch’s first bake sale. orders must be submitted by wednesday, so act fast. twenty five percent of all proceeds will be given to hannah’s club at school. the remaining profits used for future ready table projects. please show your support and order today.

fill out the order form on matt’s blog here.

thursday evening, some of us gathered for a seder at steve and tara’s house. our time together was vibrant, and it felt like family observing tradition, while experiencing the wonder of connecting past to present by means of the eternal. congratulations to hannah, the 2011 afikoman champion! the jewish vegetarian foods were delicious. for future passover celebrations we should find recipes that do not contain nuts. unfortunately, due to some oversight, the dishes ended up rather nut heavy. this is something we should consider for all of our church meals. we have a few people in the community with nut allergies, and it is important not to exclude them.

EASTER SUNDAY is coming up in a couple of days. we have decided for this love feast we are going to do a potluck instead of the usual soup and breads. so far, pastor steve is making a brussel sprout and chick pea dish, adam is making mac’n'”cheese”, and marie is making a savory dish and a dessert. i will post a few new recipes in the “potluck” folder for inspiration. otherwise, some simple roasted veggies would be a nice thing to bring. some kind of salad might be a good addition as well. you can leave a comment if you plan to bring anything. excited to feast together again soon!

the seder dinner plate photo was borrowed from aric’s blog. thank you!

today was an extra special day at square inch community church. it was hannah’s profession of faith, and we had a lot of visitors who came to support her. CONGRATULATIONS HANNAH!  the love feast included some of hannah’s favorite soups, including creamy zucchini and taco. when i asked hannah about the taco soup she said “it’s like a taco but without the shell, and it’s vegetarian so it’s even better!”. marie made gluten free bread again for the communion and there was some left over for soup or with sunbutter and jam. i am not gluten free but marie’s bread is so delicious i would happily eat it everyday if i could. it is great to be at a church where every person can eat the same bread at communion and it is something special. someone brought vegan chocolate chip cookies for dessert and they were delicious! i hope they show up at the bake sale.

1. vegan yum yum

2. vegan cupcakes take over the world

3. veganomicon

4. vegan brunch

5. viva vegan

6. vegan soul kitchen

some online sources:

vegan yum yum

the ppk

the veganette

hi everyone! check out some of the new recipes that were posted this the week. some of them include pastor steve’s black bean quinoa chili, ethiopian inspired red lentil soup, spinach artichoke dip, banana date muffins, sweet potato biscuits, gluten free cookies, and chocolate bundt cake (hannah’s birthday cake). enjoy your time in the kitchen!

tonight we tried the moroccan stew recipe pastor steve submitted earlier this week.

this dish would be perfect to make for a family who just had a baby. it is very nutritious and delicious!

it is a touch spicy, i was not sure if agnes was going to like that but she loved it!  if you are making it for children, and they do not do well with spicy food, you can leave out the cayanne pepper.  tonight we made it with brown rice, it would probably be good with quinoa as well.

you can find this recipe on the page titled “feeding the parish“.

enjoy!

if you would like to review any of the recipes on this site or comment on them email kotoamade(at)gmail(dot)com