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The Seasoned Franciscan

Welcome to The Seasoned Franciscan. Sisters and their partners in mission—including affiliates, prayer partners and staff—share these recipes hoping to provide you with new ways of looking at the food around you. Being mindful of the food we eat is integral to making lasting change throughout the world. We focus these recipes on five themes: eating seasonally, exploring our heritages, pursuing meatless meals, foraging or using food scraps and embracing indigenous and ethnic foods.

New recipes are shared on a regular basis and can be submitted to the FSPA Eco Pact Team at ecopact@fspa.org.

Easy Vegetable Frittata

Easy Vegetable Frittata

Frittata is good for breakfast, lunch or dinner and a great way to use whatever veggies you have on hand or leftover pasta. It’s easier than quiche, but may take practice to get it set how you like it! What meatless dishes come to you from your food heritage? We’ll be sharing some this Lent!

Bran "Penitential" Biscuits

Bran "Penitential" Biscuits

Saint Rose Convent Nurse Zona Kern writes, “Over the years many sisters have mentioned that "penitential biscuits" were being served to them on occasion. (Apparently, it used to be on Good Friday.) This year one of the sisters brought a biscuit to the nurses to try and it was very good. The recipe is attributed to Sister Marcella Marie Dreikosen.

Monastery Lentil Soup from "Diet for a Small Planet"

Monastery Lentil Soup from "Diet for a Small Planet"

With Lent approaching, this recipe from Jean Feeney for "Monastery Lentil Soup" uses a versatile plant protein and great pantry staple.  She got it from "Diet for a Small Planet" by Francis Moore Lappe published over 50 years ago.  Make it for Lent.  Meet another author named Marion Nestle who writes about how to vote with our fork and our votes to help our small and warmer planet today!

Red Rice for African American History Month

Red Rice for African American History Month

Rice is a nutritious pantry staple. It provides nearly 80% of the nutrients for 50% of the world’s population. Make some Red Rice, also called Gullah, Savannah or Mulatto Rice which was a staple for West Africans. Enslaved people brought it to the low country of Georgia and the Carolinas. Red Rice tells a story of African American culture as we celebrate African American History Month.

Tuna and Noodles Hot Dish

Tuna and Noodles Hot Dish

Tuna and noodles hot dish, aka casserole, is part of the upper, Midwest's unique food story. This recipe is similar to the one from a Campbell’s soup label. Is the quick supper that many of us grew up on! It’s a quick “from the pantry” meal that appeals to all ages. Maybe it’s the potato chip crust! We called Mrs. DeCur's version “Toodles and Nuna,” a slip of the tongue that stuck! What’s your favorite “hot dish” memory?

Quick Chicken Pot Pie

Quick Chicken Pot Pie

While here is another "pie" recipe, this one from The Seasoned Mom is pantry friendly, quick and satisfying. It relies on staples like canned soup, frozen veggies and baking mix rather than “from scratch” ingredients, with several easy options for the chicken. Read on for a list of pantry staples that both chefs and nutritionists recommend!

Salmon Pie

Salmon Pie

Enjoy a great recipe for Salmon Pie from affiliate Sandra Hoeser! Canned fish like salmon can be an important pantry staple. Salmon is found all over the northern oceans including Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, Ireland, Scandinavia and Lake Superior.

"Cooking Joyfully" from the Pantry

"Cooking Joyfully" from the Pantry

With holiday feasts behind us, what can keep us “Cooking Joyfully” at this time of year? A mindful PANTRY (cupboards, fridge, freezer) can be a tool to foster Cooking Joyfully. If you're privileged to have a stocked pantry as I am, let's shop in it and cook from it with that in mind. It may lead us to live more simply and be more generous.

Chocolate Almond Spice Cookies

Chocolate Almond Spice Cookies

Try this gluten-free Chocolate Almond Spice Cookie recipe from Switzerland. It was shared by Wis-Corp intern Lisa Broulette while setting up Luminaria for the Advent hike at St. Joseph Ridge. Food traditions of any culture get conversations started!

Pepperkaker Cookies

Pepperkaker Cookies

“This recipe is one which I have made the last few years for Christmas” said Director of Affiliation Michael Krueger. “It is a Norwegian gingerbread recipe but with a spicier taste to it due to the freshly ground cloves and pepper.

Spritz Cookies

Spritz Cookies

My father-in-law was a baker and inherited a treasured wooden Spritz cookie press from one of his employers. Spritz are a Christmas favorite in lots of households and it takes practice (and cookie press or pastry bag skills) to make them! Try them for yourself during the 12 days of Christmas. They make great Epiphany gifts!

Kolaczki Cookies

Kolaczki Cookies

When asked about a favorite Polish holiday cookie, Viterbo Chaplain Father Conrad Targonski, OFM described his Mother's Kolaczki (Koe lach' kee, in some Polish circles!). Poles claim it, but so do Slovaks, Croatians, Czechs, Scandinavians and others. Discover the Polish version and other ethnic variations of this celebration recipe.

Vicki Lopez-Kaley – I am an affiliate with FSPA and a member of the Eco Pact Team. For me the kitchen and garden are about slowing down and being creative. Sharing stories and connecting with others and the earth through food can bring great meaning and pleasure.

Isabel “Iggy” Bauer – I served as an AmeriCorps Service Member with FSPA. Sustainable food is one of my passions and I have a vision of bringing local food, gardens and green spaces to urban areas in support of human health and happiness.

The FSPA Eco Pact Team – We are a cooperative group of sisters, affiliates and partners in mission focused on making an impact on integral ecology through the lens of Laudato Si’. Since beginning our mission in the summer of 2021, Eco Pact has brought forward many changes, including initiating effective recycling practices at St. Rose Convent. Connect with us at ecopact@fspa.org.

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