If you’ve had a hankering for a hot bowl of, Taste of the East Curried Lentils over rice topped with Mango/Peach Chutney & Yogurt, then “venga a la Festival Internacional de Harrisonburg” (come on down to the Harrisonburg International Festival)! We’ll also have Tom Kha Gai (Thai soup) & Out of Africa. For dessert we will have Choco-Bananas, Choco-Bananas & Pineapple, and Hibiscus Tea. The festival runs from 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. You might want to get there at a good hour since we have sold out of EVERYTHING in past years.

At the markets we will have Wild Rice & Apple Salad, Bertha’s Burstin’ Loaves (Burstin’ with Jalapeno & Cheddar) – perfect with Cincinnati Chili on a wet and cold Nor’Easter day!

Smok’n Joe’s Black Bean Soup on it’s own is fantastic! But if you want a quick, hearty meal, place the soup on a bed of rice, and then add a dollop of sour cream, chopped tomatoes, and fresh cilantro (we add a touch of hot sauce for some kick). It’s an easy, home-run meal.

For those of you who have missed Rachael in Staunton, she will be back in style with a special sale on small soups. This is your chance to sample the different soup varieties at a great value. See you there!

At the moment, Rachael and my mother are making fresh Lachmi’s Lentil Salad. It continues to be a hit, selling out most Saturdays. The ingredients are fantastic: lentils, red onions, currants, parsley, a touch of mustard, and other spices.

As we considered a name for the salad, Katrina wanted something that sounded Indian since it has an Indian flair to it. After much debate, we settled on Lachmi’s Lentil Salad. Some of us had never heard of the name, Lachmi, apart from the name of a NPR news reporter. Others of us have a tough time pronouncing it.  Katrina remains resolute that it is the perfect name for it.  What do you think?

Whatever the case, name or no name, what is actually IN the salad is fantastic!  See you tomorrow morning at the market, rain or shine!

- Ernie Didot

Staunton’s “Newsleader” quotes Katrina about cooking as a professional and healthy cook – found here:

http://www.newsleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008809070303

“Chef Katrina Didot owns A Bowl of Good in Harrisonburg, a business that sells frozen food by the quart made mostly from local ingredients and using internationally inspired recipes.”

I’ll let you link to the site to read more of her quote.