Salads for the powerless—and pantry prep

With many Baton Rouge residents still without electricity, 225 asked Kathy Mangham, owner of Gourmet Girls catering, to give us a quick recipe for the powerless.

Although Isaac has now come and gone, that doesn't mean a family shouldn't be prepared for the next big storm to blow through. Below are Mangham's tips for eating well during a hurricane:

1. Make ahead as much food as possible—Mangham reccomends everything from snack foods like chocolate chip cookies to cooked meats like ham that can stay fresh in an ice chest, and are superior to buying processed snacks.
2. Stock up on fruits like oranges, apples and bananas, all of which keep well without refrigeration.
3. Prepare two ice chests—one for drinks and other items that you'll use often, and another for transferring in frozen foods, which you'll open as little as possible.
4. Invest in restaurant-style individual condiment packs for things like mayonnaise and mustard.

Light Tuna Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette

1 large can white Albacore chunk tuna, packed in water.
1 lemon
1/4 cup Sherry vinegar
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
salted capers, about 1 tablespoon
1 Tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons Creole onion, minced
Tomato
Bell Pepper
Cucumber

1. Drain tuna and place in a small mixing bowl, all vinegar, olive oil, parsley, and onion and mix well. Add capers and freshly ground black pepper taste for flavor and add lemon juice as needed.

2. Slice tomatoes, peppers, and cucumber. Arrange on a plate and drizzle with additional lemon juice or vinegar and season with salt and pepper before placing tuna salad on top.

Garbanzo Bean Salad with sherry vinaigrette

2 cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained. (cannellini beans, black beans,
1 red or yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped red onion or 1 shallot chopped.
1pint cherry tomatoes- sliced in half
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon Tony's seasoning
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and drizzle with vinaigrette. Serve at room temperature.

Vinaigrette:
Place all ingredients in a jelly jar with a screw on lid and shake well. This will make extra dressing to keep on hand in ice chest. Great for pasta salads, greens and vegetables.

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, basil, oregano, or rosemary. If no fresh herbs are available use 1 teaspoon dried oregano.
1 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/3 cup vinegar of choice, I use sherry vinegar.
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil.
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Kathy's Hurricane Pantry:

Canned beans
Peanut butter
Jelly
Balsamic
Olive oil
Dried herbs and spices
Dijon mustard packets
Onions
Bell peppers
Tomatoes
Pita bread
Hummus
Shelf-stable milk
Dry pasta
Rice
Canned tuna
Canned chicken
Capers
Olives
Artichoke hearts
Trail mix
Chocolate

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