While our kitchen gets its makeover, the refrigerator, microwave, toaster oven, and water kettle have temporarily taken over a corner of the den, and we are doing our best to use up everything we have. It’s a little bit like camping out, except it’s inside your own house. So I’m trying to be extra-creative.

Our lovely little makeshift pantry has a variety of goodies including a half-empty bag of quinoa, and containers of various dry items such as peanuts, raisins, and cashews; and canned beans, baba ganoush, tomato sauce, and pickles. 

I have a plan to make stuffed peppers today. I see two red peppers and one yellow pepper on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. I spin a knife around the tops to remove the cores, and they sit, rinsed, on the counter.

I fill the kettle and set it to boil. I pour 1 cup of quinoa, 1/4 cup peanuts, and 2 Tbsp. raisins into a bowl, add 2 1/2 cups of boiling water, and leave it all to soak for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, I place the peppers in a bread pan. When most of the water has been absorbed, I stir in 1/2 teaspoon each salt and black pepper, fill the green peppers with the quinoa mixture, spoon 1/2 cup chunky tomato sauce over each pepper, and then empty the rest of the 26-oz. can of chunky tomato sauce into the bread pan. I place the pan in the toaster oven for 45 min at 350F.

Soon the den smells great, and the peppers are beautiful when they come out of the oven. Served with toasted slices of whole-grain bread, they are flavorful and filling. When you eat like this you can forget that it is 14 degrees outside and you don’t really have a kitchen.

Here’s what I did with the extra quinoa + peanuts + raisins: I stored it in the refrigerator, warmed it in the microwave, drizzled it with honey, and ate it for breakfast. I might have to make that again sometime. 

In honor of the weather, I also want to share a simple but elegant recipe that I haven’t made for a long time, but which I plan to make just as soon as we can get into our new kitchen. 

2 1/3 cups yellow split peas
3 quarts water
5 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 medium potato, diced small
1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. sweet paprika

Add all ingredients to a crockpot, set on low, and leave to cook for 12-18 hours. Once everything is very soft and beautifully golden, push a potato masher into the soup a few times to smooth the texture. Please also note that the potato is essential to the texture of this soup, so don’t skip it or the soup will turn out thin and watery.