Pantry Picnic

Cooking your own food is one of the simplest ways to take control of your health—you make the call on salt, fat, and sugar, and even better: no mystery ingredients. On these hot summer days, cooking might seem like an extra chore. But a delicious nutritious meal doesn’t always means standing near a hot stove.

Below is a fun recipe you can enjoy straight from the cold fridge using a coveted ingredient here on Manna’s shelves: canned vegetables! We receive canned corn and canned green beans in abundance, but there is a whole world of canned vegetables with greater nutrient density. Next time you’re picking up an extra can at the grocery store when Manna comes to mind, consider canned asparagus, artichokes, beets, carrots, collard greens, kale, peppers, pumpkin, turnip greens, spinach, or mushrooms…the list goes on, but of course “no salt added” is best! We want to be able to provide our clients vegetable variety, and you can help us do that. Just when you thought canned vegetables could get a little boring, whip up this chilled chunky salad—a picnic pairing that needs neither the chicken nor the egg.

Chunky Artichoke and Chickpea Salad

From Vegetarian Times, serves 6

1  16-oz. can / jar artichoke hearts packed in water, drained

1  12-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

¼ cup chopped onion

¼ cup chopped cornichons, French baby pickles (I used a bread & butter spear)

¼ cup chopped green bell pepper

¼ cup chopped fresh celery

¼ cup mayonnaise (vegan mayo works, too)

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 teaspoons capers

1 clove garlic, minced (1 teaspoon)

1 teaspoon seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Pulse all ingredients in food processor until chunky. (If you don’t have a food processor, just roughly chop the ingredients and stir). Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Chill at least 30 minutes, or overnight.

Serve this dish as a dip with crackers or spread on pumpernickel and top with tomato. Or enjoy with your favorite sandwich—mine is apple, cheddar, sprouts and spinach.

About Lindsey Seegers

Lindsey Seegers is the Program Manager of Nutrition Education at Manna Food Center. Her background is in Social Work and Nutrition; her passion is cooking food always delicious and nutritious. She teaches cooking and nutrition classes, and leads grocery store tours around Montgomery County about affordable and do-able healthy cooking. Since 1983, Manna has been feeding Montgomery County’s food insecure residents. In our 30 years of service Manna has served nearly 3 million people, 668,527 households, and distributed 45 million pounds of food. As the designated food bank for Montgomery County we are the main resource people turn to when they find themselves in need of food assistance. Manna delivers emergency food assistance through its three main programs: Food for Families, Smart Sacks, and Agency Food Distribution.

View all posts by Lindsey Seegers