COOKBOOK

Recipes that Give Back

Highlighting a cookbook with a greater purpose

By Laura Tuzzio

With access to restaurants limited during the lockdown, the concept of sharing recipes for quick and delicious meals came to light once again. Throughout these months, two long-time friends decided to write a book inspired by what inevitably became the revival of the home-cooked meal. Pinch-Dash-Done: A Gateway to Flavorful Recipes by Beatrice Moore and Vernita Harris now provides an answer to the age-old question, “What’s for dinner?” and so much more.

While working from two different countries with Beatrice in the U.S. and Vernita in the Bahamas, they managed to compile an eclectic assortment of recipes reflective of both locations over a three-month period. Growing up, both authors watched and admired their family matriarchs’ natural abilities in the kitchen, and about her and Vernita’s collaborative efforts, Beatrice shares that, “Some recipes were family treasures and others were simply bold creations.”

Teaming up with small local minority-owned businesses in Texas, the two women were able to create a cohesive gathering of recipes for their book, one chapter at a time. Along with writing the book, Beatrice and Vernita also started to look for ways to help dissipate local need as they wanted the book to serve a more meaningful purpose to their community in Texas.

How can a recipe book help people? Well, all it took was two intelligent and caring women aiming for a greater purpose. Both alumni of Prairie View A&M University where they met and community advocates in Houston, the women knew there was a great need during the pandemic for access to food supplies.The creation of Pinch-Dash-Done LLC was made possible through their own personal investments. Through the company, they were able to use a portion of their book sales to provide donations to the Houston Food Bank to help supply relief from food shortages. Houstonfoodbank.org. donations were also given to Prairie View A&M University in hopes of establishing a scholarship for economically challenged students majoring in Agribusiness.

Beatrice and Vernita describe themselves as “resilient, confident, risk-taking and optimistic.” Taking on challenges and achieving success comes from what Vernita calls a “why not me” attitude. It wasn’t enough for Beatrice to be a nationally recognized leader in the world of mathematics, mother to three who also makes time to work in ministry, and someone who has contributed to and authored several books. For Vernita, it wasn’t enough to be the first woman Board Chair of The Greater Houston Black Chamber, or to help form the first International Alumni Chapter for Prairie View A&M University in the Bahamas while living abroad. She said her “biggest accomplishment is yet to come.”

With that mentality in mind and two more publications already in the works, these savvy business women with philanthropic goals show no signs of slowing down. Order your copy of Pinch-DashDone: A Gateway to Flavorful Recipes on Amazon and feel good about finding wonderful recipes to share with loved ones while helping a worthy cause. Enjoy a sneak peek into the book with this Butternut Squash Soup recipe, perfect for warming up on a cool autumn day. Z

Butternut Squash Soup

Pinch-Dash-Done: A Gateway to Flavorful Recipes by Beatrice Moore and Vernita Harris

Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 25 minutes Ingredients 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 large onion, chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced 48 oz. butternut squash (frozen or fresh, cubed) 2 cups vegetable broth 2 cups chicken broth 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream Heat the oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the onion, then cook and stir until tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add in the squash, broth, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until the squash is tender. This should take about 10 to 15 minutes. Once the squash is tender, use an immersion blender to puree the soup in the pot until smooth. (Or you can allow the soup to cool and then puree in small batches in a blender.) Add the cream to the pureed Beatrice Moore and Vernita Harris soup and simmer until heated. If your soup is looking a little thin after pureeing, whisk together two tablespoons of olive oil with two tablespoons of flour until smooth and add to the soup, stirring constantly; simmer until it thickens to desired consistency.