Family Meal Ideas - Tapas Style Dishes and Veggies for Dessert!

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Written By Judy Doherty, MPS, PCII

Here is a fun new series with family dinner ideas! This one was inspired by cleaning out my refrigerator. The first thing I thought of after seeing the mushrooms and mirepoix ingredients (see below) was soup. But I spotted a few other odds and ends like bread and eggs and added those to the menu, too. I served dinner tapas-style. Meaning it was a meal with a few small dishes instead of one big entree.The Lentil Mushroom soup is very easy to make and it is based on using items that most people have in their pantry and refrigerator or they are inexpensive to buy and it is all easy to make.

  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, peeled and chopped
  • 1 cup diced celery
  • 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
  • 2 cups sliced or quartered mushrooms
  • 2 cups lentils
  • 4 cups of low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • fresh parsley for garnish
  • fresh thyme for garnish

Heat a soup or large Dutch oven pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and saute the "mirepoix" which is the onions, celery, and carrots.When the onions are translucent, after 3-5 minutes, add the mushrooms. Stir once. Add the lentils, broth, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder. Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer. Cook partially covered for about 25-30 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Serve the soup hot and garnish with fresh herbs.We served our soup with whole-grain bread, salad, and boiled eggs.Perhaps you would like a fun engaging healthy, after-meal "dessert" idea?Check out the latest dessert platter! It uses a variety of fruits and vegetables on hand plus cheese sticks and nuts. Make your own creation on a large white plate and serve. By making it look fancy I got away with serving vegetables for dessert!Clockwise:Pistachios, cheese stickers, berries, grapes, snap peas, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, golden berries.Want more ideas?Family Meal SuccessSee our cooking demo resources:[shopify embed_type="collection" shop="nutrition-education-store.myshopify.com" product_handle="cooking-demo-supplies"][shopify embed_type="collection" shop="nutrition-education-store.myshopify.com" product_handle="cooking-and-food-safety-posters-1"]

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Judy Doherty, MPS, PCII

Judy’s passion for cooking began with helping her grandmother make raisin oatmeal for breakfast. From there, she earned her first food service job at 15, was accepted to the world-famous Culinary Institute of America at 18 (where she graduated second in her class), and went on to the Fachschule Richemont in Switzerland, where she focused on pastry arts and baking. After a decade in food service for Hyatt Hotels, Judy launched Food and Health Communications to focus on flavor and health. She graduated with Summa Cum Laude distinction from Johnson and Wales University with a BS in Culinary Arts, holds a master’s degree in Food Business from the Culinary Institute of America, two art certificates from UC Berkeley Extension, and runs a food photography & motion studio where her love is creating fun recipes and content.

Judy received The Culinary Institute of America’s Pro Chef II certification, the American Culinary Federation Bronze Medal, Gold Medal, and ACF Chef of the Year. Her enthusiasm for eating nutritiously and deliciously leads her to constantly innovate and use the latest nutritional science and Dietary Guidelines to guide her creativity, from putting new twists on fajitas to adapting Italian brownies to include ingredients like toasted nuts and cooked honey. Judy’s publishing company, Food and Health Communications, is dedicated to her vision that everyone can make food that tastes as good as it is for you.

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