From Our Table: How much should I make?

By Medicine Hat News on September 11, 2018.

With the start of another school year the number of mouths to feed around the dinner table may need some adjusting. Some families may find a few new extra friends appearing at suppertime and the amount of food needs to increase while others may find they adjust to fewer faces appearing.

I tried to keep a few extra chicken breasts or cooked hamburger in the freezer in case our family had extra friends show up for supper and I quickly had to adjust the meal amount. Conversely each fall I’ve had to adjust my cooking quantity from feeding 6-10 people to eventually just two and now three. You can only imagine the amount of leftovers we had those first couple of years!

I found a helpful chart in a cookbook that gives a guide on how much to cook. It’s based on average healthy portions and can be helpful of you are trying to make just the right amount or are planning extra for lunches or meals later in the week. As I mentioned it is just a guide. You will need to adjust portion sizes based on age and other factors.

Here is the item and the average portion per person.

Side Salad – 1 cup

Main Dish Salad – 2 cups

Soup Appetizer -1 cup

Soup Meal – 2 cups

Whole Chicken/Turkey – 1/2 pound raw or 8 oz

Meat, Fish, Poultry -60-125 grams depending on other ingredients added

Vegetable Side Dish – 1 cup

Pasta -1/2 cup uncooked

I hope that gives general guidance on amounts to make for a very small or very large group of satisfied eaters.

With a bit cooler weather coming what’s nicer than a hot and hearty bowl of soup that’s a meal all on its own. The following recipe is great for fall and using up some root vegetables from the garden, or from the market or grocery stores that keep it local, love those ones.

You can also make it in the crockpot by getting everything chopped up the night before and put in the fridge. The next morning put all the ingredients into the crockpot on low and let it simmer all day. When you get home at the end of your day the house will be full of succulent smells of supper waiting to be enjoyed. You can add cheese bread made with multigrain bread and you have all your food groups in a healthy mouthwatering meal.

Joanne Smith is a registered dietitian.

Cilantro Bean Soup

Makes 4 Two cup servings

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup diced carrots

1/2 cup diced celery

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1 19 oz/540 ml can white, black or kidney beans drained and rinsed (about 2 cups)

1 tomato, seeded and chopped

3 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro

1 cup diced peeled potato

Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Additional chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

In a large saucepan heat oil over medium heat and sauté onions, carrots and celery until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in cumin and coriander and cook 1 minute. Add beans, tomato, broth of choice, cilantro, potato and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Remove from heat.

Working in batches, transfer soup to blender and purée on high speed until smooth. (I use my Braun handmixer and just puree in the pot, it’s not quite as smooth as a blender but still delicious). Return to pot and reheat if necessary. You can also skip the blending step if you would rather leave the soup chunky.

Ladle into bowls and garnish with cilantro (I put a small dollop of sour cream too)

If you use vegetable broth this meal is vegan and gluten free. If you use chicken broth check the ingredient list if you want it to be gluten free, some chicken broth is gluten free while others contain wheat or barley ingredients.

Feel free to try the recipe then make it your own by adding other herbs or spices, more veggies or even some chopped up cooked chicken. That’s why it’s called making your own creation!

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