Mixed Greens and Herb Salad with Goat Cheese

When the temperatures are soaring, such has been the case this summer here in southwestern Ontario, nourishment that requires little fuss or cooking is usually on the menu. And although this light green salad would be a fine accompaniment to a meal anytime of the year, plenty of fresh herbs makes this an especially refreshing one in the summer.

Red Lentils in a Spicy Tomato Sauce (Ye'misser Wot Be'timatim)

A "wot" — or "wat" — is a traditional Ethiopian stew made with meat or vegetables and seasoned oil and served with injera, a spongy fermented flatbread made from the small Ethiopian grain called teff that has a nutty and somewhat sour taste. In this wot, ideally suited to vegetarians, the meat is replaced with cooked lentils, and the usually pre-prepared seasoned oil is replaced with olive oil in which onion and various spices are cooked briefly before adding the remaining ingredients for a quick version of the "ye’qimem zeyet" seasoned oil that is a staple of Ethiopian cooking.