Simple, No Cook Recipes

Recipes & Photos by Laura Miner

Is there anything to snack on?”

It’s a question you’ve likely heard time and time again—or even thought for yourself. You find yourself raiding the fridge or pantry in between meals, hoping for something to tide you over until mealtime. You don’t want a snack that’s too heavy, you don’t want to mindlessly munch on potato chips, so what do you do? Enter these three simple no cook recipes that can be prepped in advance, so you always have something healthy on-hand.

Salami & Cheese Bites (photo above)
This no-cook, 4 ingredient snack is wonderful when you’re craving something special but only have a few minutes to prep. Creamy, smokey gouda is stacked on a toothpick with savory salami, marinated artichoke hearts, and just a bit of fresh, herbaceous basil. This recipe is great sharing with friends, or for an impromptu cocktail hour served with your favorite fancy drink!
Makes: 12 bites

Ingredients
8 oz. smoked gouda cheese
6 oz. (about 1/2 cup) quartered marinated artichoke hearts, drained 
12 slices thinly sliced salami
Fresh basil leaves
Black pepper

Instructions
Cut away any wax rind on the cheese, and cut the block into bite-sized cubes, about 1/2 inch each. 

Skewer a basil leaf and artichoke heart on a toothpick. Fold a piece of salami twice, then skewer the salami onto the toothpick. Last, skewer the cheese on the toothpick. Repeat until all the ingredients are used. 

Sprinkle lightly with black pepper and serve. 

Notes:
For even more flavor in each bite, add a small slice of sun-dried tomato. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. 

Goat Cheese & Pistachio Stuffed Dates
Elevate your snacking game with these little bites of heaven! Sweet dates are stuffed with creamy, tangy goat cheese, then topped with crunchy pistachios and a drizzle of spicy honey. The combination of flavors and textures in every bite is simply incredible!
Makes: 15-18 dates

Ingredients
2 oz. goat cheese
1/3 cup shelled pistachios
15-18 medjool or noor dates
2 tbsp. spicy honey 

Instructions
Remove the pits from the dates. Roughly chop the pistachios. 

Use a small spoon to add a few pieces of chopped pistachios to the cavity of each date, then fill each one with about 1/2 teaspoon of goat cheese.

Drizzle the stuffed dates with the spicy honey and sprinkle with more chopped pistachios.

Notes:
Make your own hot honey by stirring the honey and 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper together in a small bowl. Microwave for 30-40 seconds, until it begins to simmer. Allow it to cool.

To save time, buy pre-pitted dates!

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

5 Minute Sweet & Salty Snack Mix
This delicious and nutritious snack mix is made with lots of different, ultra-satisfying, crunchy, chewy, salty, and sweet goodies. It’s great by the handful for a quick afternoon pick-me-up or movie nights at home, and it’s perfectly portable for snacking on the go. To make this recipe, simply toss nuts, seeds, dried fruit, popcorn, and chocolate together in a bowl. It doesn’t get any easier than that! Serves: 6

Ingredients
1 cup total mixed nuts (almonds, peanuts, walnuts, cashews, & pistachios are great choices)
1/2 cup dried coconut flakes
1/4 cup pepitas
1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
2 cups popcorn, cooled
1/2 cup chopped chocolate bars or chocolate chips

Instructions
Add all the ingredients to a large bowl. Mix well and serve immediately!

Notes:
Use unsalted nuts, seeds, and popcorn for a lower sodium snack.

Use unsweetened dried fruit and dark chocolate for a lower sugar option.

Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container to keep the popcorn from becoming stale. 

Foster Fuels Does More Than Heat Homes This Winter

By Rachel Dalton  |  Photos by Ashlee Glen

In 2019, Jennifer Bryant-Foster saw a need. On a visit to a local elementary school, she noticed that several children were playing on a chilly playground without coats. So she sent a plea for outgrown coats to friends and neighbors. That very night, around 20 coats appeared on her doorstep. The “Spread the Warmth” campaign was born. 

By the end of 2019, the campaign had gathered, cleaned, and donated more than 400 coats, setting in motion a heartwarming success story that has since evolved into a full-fledged annual operation under the Watt Foster Family Foundation banner.

The foundation’s offices are now equipped with a bank of commercial washers and dryers, symbolizing Foster Fuels’ deep commitment to making a difference in the lives of those less fortunate. 

Collection containers for coats found their way into all Foster Fuels showrooms and local community business partners. Even during the challenging year of 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the foundation managed to amass an impressive 900 coats. 

In 2022, the “Spread the Warmth” campaign reached a remarkable milestone by donating over 3,500 coats to school students and local community foundations, providing much-needed warmth, comfort, and safety to adults and families facing cold weather hardships. These coats have become a source of confidence for countless individuals in communities served by Foster Fuels. 

Community involvement and giving has always been close to the heart of the Foster family, with Watt Foster, President and CEO of Foster Fuels, at the helm. The words “it is more blessed to give than receive” bred Watt’s desire to further the legacy of giving instilled in him from a young age. His desire to give combined with Jennifer’s passion for serving women and children of the community led to the rapid growth of this annual coat drive.  

What started as a grassroots effort has flourished into a mission with more than 70 local businesses, public and private schools, and even several nursing homes as community partners collecting coats across four counties. With over 3,500 coats collected last year and over 1,200 collected in the first 2 weeks of this year’s campaign, Watt saw a need for more efficient coat transport and surprised Jennifer with a truck he found at auction. The Foster marketing team worked on a full wrap design to serve as a mobile billboard for the foundation’s mission and they even rolled out a Spread the Warmth Truck tour date calendar for 2023. 

“I just want to help lead the community in an effort to help others with something so many of us take for granted,” said Jennifer. “A coat is something we should all have—young to old—and if we can work together to make it happen, let’s do it!” 

“I’ve been privileged to witness Jennifer in action at different meetings and events throughout the community,” explained Cameron Anctil, Vice President of Marketing at Foster Fuels. “It’s incredible to think back to the beginning when we had to approach businesses and ask them to place coat collection boxes in their lobbies. Now, the tables have turned, and local businesses are approaching us, eager to partner and support the Spread the Warmth campaign.” 

Looking ahead with unwavering determination, the campaign had an ambitious goal for the 2023-24 cold winter season: to collect, clean, and distribute 5,000 coats within the community. Each coat undergoes meticulous inspection before and after washing to ensure that zippers remain intact and pockets are free of debris. Coats with irreparable damage find a new purpose at Mission Thrift, a non-profit thrift store operated by Freedom 424, where they contribute to fundraising efforts. 

If you are a business who wants to get involved, Foster Fuels makes it easy for you. They will arrange to get your business a box, flyer, and yard sign to use for collection. When the box fills, the business gives Foster Fuels a call, they schedule pickup, and take the coats to be cleaned and processed. From there, the coats go right back out into the community. Some businesses have them pick up on a weekly basis, others monthly. They also take coat donations year-round at all Foster Fuels Hearth & Home showroom locations. 

Foster Fuels has relationships with several community organizations as well as the local schools who know about the program and can reach out when they have a need. They process the coats by size and gender, so the team can go into their inventory to pull exactly what is requested, when it is requested. This year specifically, they had many requests for pre-k and smaller sized coats, so they are asking for people to check their closets for all coats, but especially smaller sizes. They also collect hats, gloves, and scarves. 

“A donated coat for our neighbors, whether homeless or don’t have inadequate heating, could be the difference between life and death,” said Todd Blake, Executive Director of Park View Community Mission, a local nonprofit that Spread the Warmth donates coats to on a bi-weekly basis.  

If you are a family in need of coats this winter, you are encouraged to call Foster Fuels directly by phone or email, or families are welcome to request coats through their student’s school office or community resource of their choice.  

Heather Elizabeth King Builds Worlds and Wonder

By Megan Williams  |  Photos by Ashlee Glen

Dark fiction writer Heather Elizabeth King is a builder of worlds. The author of three book series with themes ranging from urban fantasy and horror to paranormal romance, she’s an expert at crafting captivating tales that hook a reader from the first page.

“When I first started my main series, I thought it was a cozy mystery. I’d submit to publishing houses and they’d say they like the characters, but it was too dark for their line. So my editor finally said, ‘I hate to tell you, but you write pretty dark,’” King laughed.

King admits that even her romance novels have a dark element to them.

“There’s typically some kind of supernatural element but, with romance, the goal or the main point of the story is the relationship and falling in love. The subplot, though, is there’s this scary thing happening and in the process they fall in love,” she explained. “With my horror or urban fantasy books, the main point is whatever scary thing is happening.”

King, a Long Island, New York, native relocated to Appomattox County when she was a teenager.

“Manhattan was an hour away,” she remembered. “As a kid, I thought everyone went to Broadway shows. I thought everyone had the ocean. On all levels it was a shock when we moved to Concord.”

After high school, King moved around a bit but returned to the area in 2007.

“It was a lot different then than it was when I moved here originally,” King said. “In the main series that I write, the story takes place in this area. Of course, I created a fake town under a different name, but it’s inspired by downtown Lynchburg. There is so much that inspired that whole series—everyday life at the community market, how much people in this town have joy when something new opens. Everyone feels like they own a little bit of Lynchburg.”

A self-proclaimed “major plotter”, King spends an incredible amount of time planning her books before ever putting pen to paper. 

“I jot down all of the ideas that I get, but when it comes time to develop a story, I’ll come up with a mind map with the idea in the center and the who, what, where, and how around it. I build layers of questions that help me get a good foundation or idea of what’s happening,” she explained. “Then I’ll go and make a fully fleshed out outline. After that, I’ll write three chapters. Once I start writing, I can feel the story more. I can start to understand the characters and motivations better. If I don’t outline, I’ll write myself into a corner.”

King is a self-published author with books available for purchase online at Apple Books and Amazon, but also available at our local libraries.

“Initially when I was writing exclusively romance, it was such a different experience in terms of getting published,” she said.

“It’s a lot easier to be published as a romance author, even as a Black romance author.
But publishing horror fiction, you start hearing back from editors saying that, while they thought characters were good, they didn’t see a market for a Black heroine or for a lot of Black characters. That was really frustrating, which is why I decided to go independent.”

King admits that it is more work publishing independently. Where publishing houses will often take care of hiring editors and cover designers, King has to manage all of that work herself, on top of her full-time technical writing job. But at the end of the day, the process is worth it so she can write the stories she and other readers ultimately want to read.

“Before I’m an author, I’m a reader,” King concluded. “There are books I’d love to see more of. Now it’s gratifying to make sales and see that people are enjoying those stories and there is in fact a market for those stories.”