You must check out www.NewAmericanNomads.com. Our friends Judy and Tom Nichols, newspaper colleagues from Arizona, are living a life many of us only dream about. They retired early ("While we can still hike," Judy says), sold their house in Scottsdale, bought a Roadtrek RS Adventurous van, and are roaming the country while living comfortably in it.

They parked their home in our driveway for a New Orleans visit. It was so much fun to hear where they've stayed, the national parks and wilderness areas, their philosophy behind their route - they try to stay around 72 degrees - books they've read and people they meet. What was the Corn Palace in South Dakota was really like?

Unlike many people they meet on the road, they love visiting small towns. They avoid freeways and take it slow, traveling 200 or so miles a week. Walmart and hospital parking lots are free spaces to overnight. They both write for the blog; Tom focuses on the financial aspects of life on the road.

And he shares recipes. They visit farmers markets whenever possible. He drinks local beers and Judy sticks to gluten-free beers.

Tom loves to cook and nicely manages 18 or 19 meals a week out of a dorm-sized refrigerator, where a third of their 4 cubic feet of space is devoted to their first priority: beer. Ice cream is in the tiny freezer instead of ice.

The kitchen space has two (propane-fueled) burners and a small sink. Cookware is one nonstick skillet and one nonstick saucepan. Meals, mostly one-pot dinners, are served in two bowls. He usually makes six servings. Leftovers, like everything else in the fridge, are stored in plastic ziptop bags. Eggs are the exception: They keep them in a plastic camping case.

"Don't buy jumbo eggs. They won't fit. Trust us. We tried it, and it wasn't pretty," Tom writes.

Judy loves goat cheese, and one of their favorite dinners is this one. Tom adapted it from the "50 Shades of Kale" cookbook, by Drew Ramsey.

Quinoa, Kale and Goat Cheese

Makes 4 servings

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

12 ounces kale, chopped

1 cup cooked quinoa, red or white

Salt and pepper

4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Heat olive oil in skillet. Saute garlic and kale.

Add quinoa and mix. Season with salt and pepper. Dot with the goat cheese. If desired, run under a heated broiler to melt the cheese a bit. Add walnuts and serve.

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This is one of Tom's favorite recipes, from "Sharing the Table at Garland's Lodge," by Amanda Stine and Mary Garland, the chef and owner of a magical place in Arizona. In the late 1990s, we spent my birthdays at Garland's Oak Creek Lodge, outside Sedona in Oak Creek. Before it was a thing, chef Amanda cooked out of the lodge's organic gardens and apple orchards.

Tom says the summer squash are especially nice with the red lentils.

Garland's Red Lentil Chowder

Makes 8 to 10 servings

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 or 3 stalks celery, sliced, about 1-1/2 cups

2 medium carrots, peeled, sliced, about 1-1/2 cups

1 medium yellow onion, diced, 1-1/2 cups

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon minced ginger root

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more later to taste

1 teaspoon EACH leaf thyme and marjoram

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1 cup canned pear tomatoes, chopped

1-1/2 cups red lentils, well washed in cold water

8 cups water or half stock/half water

1-1/2 cups yellow summer squash, cut in 1/4-inch dice

2 to 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons lemon juice or to taste

In a 4- to 6-quart stockpot warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add celery, carrots, onions, garlic, ginger and salt. Stir well, cover, and sweat 5 minutes. Add herbs, spices and chopped tomatoes. Cover and sweat again for a minute or two.

Add the red lentils and water, stir well, and cover. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook another 15 minutes. Add squash and cook 15 to 20 minutes, or until lentils break down and veggies are tender. Stir in cilantro, add salt and pepper if needed, and add lemon juice just to brighten.

If desired, thin with a little water.