Food Storage Friday: Squash and Bean Quesadillas with Apple Salsa

This recipe doesn't contain a "ton" of food storage ingredients, but it's tasty, healthy and a good way to mix it up. I found this recipe when I googled "the best thing to do with butternut squash". My husband hates squash and really liked this, so you know it's good. I have to apologize for the lack of picture. I made it when my family came to visit, and all portions were inhaled before I had a chance to take a picture, but here's where I found it. (Of course I changed it some.)The quesadillas without the fresh salsa are ok, but the apple salsa is what really makes this.

Squash & Bean Quesadillas
Food Storage Ingredients:
1 can (14.5 oz) beans, rinsed and drained (I used kidney)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 Tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Fresh Ingredients:
3 cups of cooked and peeled squash (I used butternut, the original recipe called for acorn)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups spinach, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
12 small tortillas
Salsa
2 medium apples, diced
1 large handful cilantro, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Tablespoons lime juice

1.Mix salsa ingredients and store in fridge. 2. Cook chopped onion & garlic in oil in a large skillet until onions are clear. 3. Add squash & spinach. Cook for 10 minutes. 4. Stir in beans, cumin, salt and pepper. 5. Spread 1/6th of squash mixture on a tortilla. Sprinkle with cheese and cook in skillet until cheese is melted. Cover with a second tortilla, flip and cook until second tortilla is toasted. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Cut tortillas into wedges and cover with apple salsa. Serves 6.

Food Storage Friday: Sweet Chilean Lime Beans and Rice

Recently I got a recipe exchange chain email from a friend of mine. I passed it on to several people in my address book including an old nursing instructor. She's currently serving a mission so declined to participate, but did give me this recipe for Sweet Chilean Lime Beans and Rice. I tweaked it so it worked well in my crock pot and had a stronger lime flavor. My husband (one of my toughest and most important food critics) loved it. This with a side of fruit makes a complete meal, but it would also go great as a side with enchiladas, tacos or chipotle seasoned and grilled meat. The lime and sweetness is subtle, but gives it a nice flavor. Honestly it has more of a pepper, garlic and onion flavor than sugar and lime.

Sweet Chilean Lime Beans and Rice
Food Storage Ingredients:
4 (15 oz) cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
7 cups broth (chicken, vegetable, whatever)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 Tablespoons white sugar
2 cups brown rice or 3 cups instant white rice
salt to taste

Fresh Ingredients:
2 green bell peppers, seeded, 1 diced
2 yellow onions, quartered
2 cloves garlic 
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 cup champagne (I used sparkling red grape juice)

1. Put 6 cups of broth, beans and diced bell pepper in crock pot on high for one hour. 2. Blend onions, remaining pepper, black pepper, cumin, sugar, 1 cup of broth and garlic until smooth. Add to beans. 3. If using brown rice, stir into beans and cook for three hours. If not, just cook for three hours and add instant white rice ten minutes before done. 4. Half an hour before finished slowly pour in champagne (or juice) and lime juice. Makes 10 servings.

Notes: The original recipe called for instant rice. I really prefer brown, so that's what we used with my adjustment, but the instant white rice should work.

Food Storage Friday: Cranberry Upside-Down Breakfast Cake

I found this recipe in the newspaper a couple weeks ago and made it for my family last weekend (adapted using food storage). It was delicious and helped me use some of the very large bag of cranberries that I have in my freezer. (That's three experimental recipes in a row and they were all winners! Score!) My family made this disappear fast. We will definitely be making this again, but only for special occasions, because it is very sugary.

Cranberry Upside-Down Breakfast Cake
Food Storage Ingredients:
1/4 cup of chopped almonds
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose white flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar

Fresh Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, divided & softened
1 tsp orange rind
5 Tbsp fresh orange juice
1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk (I used rice milk with vinegar.)
1 & 1/2 cup fresh cranberries (or frozen and defrosted)
1 heaping Tbsp ground flax seed

1. Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 9" square or round pan with cooking spray and dust with flour. 2. In a small bowl combine almonds, cranberries, and orange rind. 3. In a small saucepan combine three Tablespoons orange juice, two Tablespoons butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir constantly for three minutes and pour into pan. Cover with cranberry mixture. 3. Whisk flours, salt, flax seed and baking soda in a medium bowl. 4.In a large bowl, beat white sugar and remaining butter until creamy. Add vanilla, egg and flour mixture. Spoon over cranberries. 5. Bake for 40 minutes or until passes toothpick test. Cool in pan for 5 minutes while making glaze. 6. Mix remaining orange juice and powdered sugar until smooth. Pour over inverted cake.

Notes: I was surprised that it turned out looking as well as it did, because after I inverted it about 90% of the sugary coating was stuck to the bottom of the pan. Wha? I used a non-stick silicone pan and sprayed and flour it. So I scraped the sugary mess out of the pan with a fork and then arranged it back on the cake. Most of the cranberries had migrated into the cake, but the nuts were left behind in the pan with the sugar. Now that won't do. That orange glaze really helped with the appearance of the cake. So just make sure that you HEAVILY grease your pan.

Food Storage Friday: Reuben Pinto Burgers

I found this recipe in the newspaper last Sunday. My burgers don't look as pretty, but they were very tasty, and really that's all that matters. (Ok, they are healthier than a standard burger, and I suppose that matters for something too.) If you are not fan of sauerkraut, you can easily change the toppings to make it whatever burger tickles your fancy.

Reuben Pinto Burgers
Food Storage Ingredients:
2 cans (15.5 oz)  pinto beans, liquid drained, 1 can mashed with a fork
1 can (14.5) sauerkraut, drained
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup light mayonaise or Miracle Whip
2 Tablespoons of chili sauce

Fresh Ingredients:
1 & 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
2 eggs, lightly beaten
6 thin slices Swiss cheese
6 whole wheat hamburger buns

1. Mix beans, bread crumbs, eggs, pepper, and garlic in a bowl. Form into six patties (Roughly 4"). 2.Mix chili sauce and mayo, set aside. 3. Place a slice of cheese on each half bun. Toast at 300 degrees F for about 5 minutes. 4. While toasting buns, heat oil in a large skillet. 5. Cook patties in hot oil until crisp on both sides (8-10 minutes total). 6. Assemble burgers with sauce on each side of bun and sauerkraut on top of patty.

Notes: The recipe I read said to drain and reserve liquid from canned beans, then add it to patty mixture for moisture. I found them to be plenty moist without it. I'll have to try this recipe with cooked dry pinto beans and with various burger toppings. I made my bread crumbs by toasting a couple of smashed freezer burnt Kaiser rolls that I found buried in my freezer and added a dash of Kirkland's organic no-salt seasoning. I highly recommend. I also used Monterrey Jack instead of Swiss, because that is what I had in my fridge. Still good.

Food Storage Friday: Chile Verde Burritos

 Whenever I have made chile verde sauce my family pretty much inhales it. Here's the secret to my awesome chile verde sauce: I throw in a bunch of stuff until it looks and tastes right and call it good. The recipe below is what I did most recently, but I can't guarantee that it will turn out the same next time. Peppers have a tendency to vary in flavor and hotness. You can't look at a pepper and know how potent it is going to be. If I mix everything together and it's too bland I throw in a dash of green Tabasco or sprinkle in some red pepper flakes. If it needs to be toned down a notch, I'll finely chop up 1/2 a bell pepper and add that to the sauce. May the force be with you in your endeavors.

Chile Verde Burritos
Food Storage Ingredients:
Re-fried beans
Canned pork (optional)

Fresh Ingredients:
tortillas
grated cheese (I've used cheddar, colby, monterey, pepper jack, and mozzarella, all with great results.)
sour cream
1-2 cloves of garlic, peeled
4 Anaheim peppers
3 banana peppers
4 jalapeno peppers
8 tomatillos
4 green onions, chopped

1. Remove pepper stems, leave the seeds. Remove and save tomatillo husks. Cut tomatillos in half, hamburger style. 2. Roast peppers, garlic and tomatillos until well blistered. (Generally 45 minutes @ 375. I did mine in my sun oven, and it took an hour and a half before I was satisfied with their appearance, but it's cooking times will widely vary.) 3. Puree tomatillo husks and roasted vegetables. 4. Simmer pureed pepper mixture with green onions on low for 15-20 minutes or until desired thickness. Add pork if desired. 5. Assemble burritos as desired. (Whenever I make these I like to make extras and freeze them.)

I like my green sauce to be nice and thick.

Notes: I have found that the best re-fried beans come from the LDS Church canneries; they are so delicious. (Don't worry you don't have to be LDS to buy food storage there. They love to encourage everyone to be prepared.) I also love that they are not actually re-fried and are completely fat free, unlike real re-fried beans which are made with lard. (Bleh.) I have heard people complain that they are bland, but it is all in how you cook them. According to the instructions you mix the dried bean flakes in boiling water and let them set. Before I let them set I mix in a pepper. Either a dried and crumbled Chipotle pepper, a chopped Anaheim or whatever other spicy pepper I have convenient. After the beans have absorbed the water, add a heaping teaspoon of sour cream and a sprinkling of cheddar cheese. Mix it all together and it makes great burritos, improves 7 layer dip, makes an easy Mexican food side or stand alone bean dip.

When I say Anaheims I mean these beauties

 And as for Anaheims, some stores refer to them as Anaheims, others as Cubanos. I'm not sure why. And when I planted Anaheims in my garden, none of the plants I could find had pictures that looked anything like the Anaheim peppers that I am familiar with. And the peppers that grew were small and red.

Thoughts on LDS Doctrine & Vegetarianism

 Last week I wrote a post with a vegetarian recipe and some good reasons to consider becoming a vegetarian, or at least eating less meat. Anna commented that she and her husband have been considering the change because of what is said in the Word of Wisdom. This is something that I have been thinking about, but not saying. For those of my readers who are not LDS, the Word of Wisdom is a name given to some guidelines given to us in the scriptures that we believe will increase and preserve our health. In addition to the advice to avoid "wine, tobacco and strong drinks", it gives recommendations on what we should be eating. Some of the relevant points I will summarize and discuss below.

• wholesome herbs are for the use of man
• fruits and herbs are to be used in season
• flesh of beasts and fowls of the air are to be used sparingly and only in times of winter, famine and excess hunger
• grain is good for the food of man and to be the staff of life

 When I was in college I was required to take a class called "Nursing Ethics and Values". One discussion centered around diet. I remember one of my classmates mentioned that she was a vegetarian and she received a lot of flack for it. Almost everyone asked "How in the world can you not eat meat?" (BTW, this was at BYU, where the vast majority of the student body is LDS.) Her response has stuck with me. "The Word of Wisdom says that meat is to be eaten in times of famine and excess hunger. I don't feel that during my lifetime I have ever really experienced a famine. If I do experience a famine I will start eating meat." That makes a lot of sense to me.
  As I read it, the scriptures are saying that our diets should be built around grains and include fruits, herbs and vegetables in season. We can have meat, but very rarely. Sounds almost like a vegetarian diet to me.
  I also believe that the Lord loves the animals that he has created, and while he said that their "flesh is ordained for the use of man", I don't think He approves of animal cruelty. The more I read and hear about how livestock is raised in America, the more unsettling it is to me. I don't believe that He intended the lives of those creatures to be such a completely miserable experience. There is something very wrong about raising an animal to spend its entire existence in a cage, fed on a diet mixed with steroids so that it's legs can not support it's own body weight.
 And lastly as members of the LDS Church there are some basics that we have been advised to have in our food storage: beans, rice, wheat, oats, pasta and potatoes. We have been advised to store these staples and rotate them on a regular basis. We have been told to store these items because they have a long shelf life and these items can sustain life. It seems logical that meals that are centered around these food items would include many vegetarian entrees.
  Now I am well aware that giving up meat is a huge life-style change for most Americans. We love our meat. In most restaurants, most options are centered around meat. I can't say that it is easy or convenient, but I do believe that it is good for us to cut back the meat content in our diet. And I can't say that I personally have been able ever go 100% without meat, but I'm working on it. The way to do it is start with one vegetarian meal a week and build from there. And I just have to say that I think that sometimes pregnancy and breast-feeding count as times of excess hunger. There were times when I was breast-feeding my kids that I would have a baby on the breast in one arm and a tall glass of undiluted eggnog in my other hand and I felt that there weren't enough hours in the day for me to get in all of the calories that I needed. The Word of Wisdom says that if "they do these sayings they shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones; and shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge...and shall run and not be weary and shall walk and not faint. And I, the Lord give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them." Those are some pretty great promises, and it seems that they are worth putting forth an effort to earn them. I'm not trying to tell anyone what they should believe or what they should eat, that's up to you, but I believe that eating less meat is definitely worth some consideration.

Food Storage Friday and Vegetarian Link-Up

 My husband has recently decided to be a vegetarian. And I sort of follow suit because I don't want to bother making two or three meals every night. Right now I find that if I go two or three days without eating meat I start feeling weak and nauseated (more so than usual). I also found that when I don't eat meat I don't gain weight, which I need to be doing right now. I don't need a lot of meat to fix the problem, a turkey sandwich will usually do the trick, but I have to have meat. Perhaps I will give it a more concerted effort when I am not trying to grow a person in my belly. For now I cook vegetarian meals at home and when we go out to eat, or sometimes when I'm at work I eat meat. (The kids don't really like to eat meat anyway, except for the occasional chicken nugget.) So I'm eating some meat, but not very much.
 So why go vegetarian? Here are a few bonuses about the lifestyle:

• It dramatically lowers your cholesterol and calorie intake.
• Cutting out the meat significantly reduces your grocery bill.
• Vegetarian protein sources are cheaper to store and last significantly longer in your food storage than canned or dried meat.
• Meat is unfortunately "fortified" with steroids, antibiotics and growth hormones. None of which I recommend taking without a prescription.
• It forces you to pay attention to think about what you are eating. While you are looking at the ingredients, it's more likely that you may be thinking 'Is this good for me?'
• Vegetarians live longer and don't get sick as often.
• Going vegetarian leaves a smaller carbon footprint.

 Here's the my vegetarian experiment of the week:

Crock Pot Pepper Pasta
Food Storage Ingredients:
2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
1/8 cup olive oil
2 cans (6 oz) tomato paste
2 Tablespoons jarred, pre-chopped garlic
1 Tablespoon dried basil
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1 lb pasta, prepared according to directions

Fresh Ingredients:
3 bell peppers, chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
6 Tablespoons shredded Parmesean

1. Mix everything except pasta and cheese together in crock pot. Cook on low for 7 hours or high for 3 hours. 2. When sauce is almost done prepare pasta. 3. Season sauce to taste. Serve with Parmesean.

This stuff made my house smell wonderful. I served it over whole wheat pasta with green apples and french bread (in the interest of providing something I could guarantee my kids would eat.) I thought the sauce was a little thinner than I liked, so next time I may drain one of the cans of tomatoes. My husband loved it the way it was and used his french bread to soak it up.

Now I am well aware that giving up meat is a huge life-style change. I obviously can not say that I have managed to do it. But if you can reduce the amount of meat that you're eating, think of the benefits. You will save money and improve your health, (which also saves you money). It has taken a little work and experimentation, but I have found myself trying and loving many foods that I never would have thought of trying before. Vegetarian cooking has also given me a boost of confidence in my culinary skills. Where my husband works they go out to eat/order in pretty frequently, and usually he's more interested in my leftovers than what is available at local restaurants. Haha!  So this week I am inviting anyone out there to share their favorite vegetarian recipes. And if it includes rice, pasta, oats, potatoes, wheat or beans, all the better!

Food Storage Friday: Bean Pancakes

Over a year ago I came across a recipe blog hop on Trying Our Best, (I love getting recipe ideas from other people.) which included a recipe from Sunrise on the Water for bean pancakes. I thought that I would give it a try, but of course I made several changes, shared it with my buddy Liesa who had some good suggestions and voila!- another happy food storage concoction. I love that this recipe is a good mix of fresh and food storage ingredients and in a pickle I could make it from all food storage ingredients. Plus it's healthy, easy to prepare and super cheap to make. Also if the name "bean pancakes" sounds too weird for you, try calling them bean tortillas, because really they're like a healthy tortilla, you just cook them like a pancake. You could easily fill them with eggs and green chiles or taco stuffings. Enjoy!

Bean Pancakes
Food Storage Ingredients:
1 15 oz can beans, rinsed, drained & mashed (I've done black or kidney, both are great, the pancakes pictured are made with black beans)
1 12 oz can evaporated milk
1&1/4- 1&1/3 cup wheat flour (depending on how moist your beans are)
2 Tablespoons canola oil
dash of lime pepper
a couple shots of Tabasco sauce (I prefer the green variety for this)
salsa for topping

Fresh Ingredients:
1-2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 egg
shredded cheese
avocado sour cream or ranch dressing

1. Mix beans, milk, wheat flour, oil, pepper, Tabasco, cilantro, garlic and egg until a pancake consistency. There will still be chunks of beans, but you want to make sure that the flour is mixed in well. 2. Make into pancakes. While you are cooking the second side of the pancakes, sprinkle a little shredded cheese on top so it melts onto the pancake. 3. Top with salsa, avocados, sour cream or whatever you please.

 I served mine with Cafe Rio style rice, peach salsa and mango smoothies, but go with what sounds good to you. If you plan on stuffing them taco stuff I would add the lesser amount of wheat so they're a little thinner and easier to fold. As I'm writing this I just had the thought that next time I should add some green chiles or other peppers to the pancake mix. I'm sure it will be delicious. I'll let you know how it goes. Also I would advise against telling small children that these are pancakes. Both of my kids were pretty upset that I made them pancakes that we were not putting syrup on.

Food Storage Friday: Red Pepper Pesto Pasta

My husband originally made this when we had numerous red peppers from one Bountiful Basket and it became a favorite for Meatless Mondays. He can't remember where he found the recipe and we tend to wing it every time. It's fairly simple and delicious.

Red Pepper Pesto Pasta
Food Storage Ingredients:
1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Italian spices to taste (rosemary, sweet basil, Italian parsley)
1 7oz can of mushrooms, drained
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz of pasta, cooked according to directions

Fresh Ingredients:
2 red bell peppers
1 clove garlic
freshly grated Parmesan

1. Broil red peppers until blistered on a pan covered in foil. (Similar to peppers for chile relleno) When thoroughly blistered, remove from oven and wrap in foil from pan. Allow to sweat for 10-15 minutes. 2. Toast almonds in oven. (In the same pan if you wish.) 3. Remove peels, seeds and stems from peppers and put remaining pepper pieces in a small blender. 4. Add olive oil, almonds, garlic and spices and puree. 5. Top each plate of pasta with half of canned mushrooms, red pepper pesto and freshly grated Parmesan.

I served it with some toasted Rosemary sourdough bread from Costco.

Mexican Party At My House

I just have to say that 'I Heart the Bountiful Baskets Mexican Pack'. Nothing inspires a fiesta like fresh Mexican food, even if it's just for me and the fam. I considered saving these for a guests and having more of an actual fiesta, but to be honest this meal is a little too labor intensive to do on a large scale, unless you're ready to start your own Mexican restaurant. I love getting my surprise bag of Mexican produce.  I was super excited to discover that last weekend's pack included these beautiful babies:

For those of you who have not had the pleasure, these are poblanos and they make terrific chile relleno. (Anaheims and Cubanos also make great chile relleno, but the flavor is slightly different.) One of my very first blog posts was on how to make chile relleno, but I didn't post pictures. This time I decided to do things the harder and more time consuming way, more or less following the instructions from the video.
First you broil the peppers until they blister. Then you flip them over and broil the other side. Then throw them in a plastic bag to sweat for 20 minutes or so. Peel off the skin and remove as many of the seeds as you have patience for. Afterward it should look something like this.

Next I made up some refried beans and mixed in a little bit of sour cream. (Actually it was plain yogurt because I got to this step and discovered that I had no sour cream. It still tastes great and is probably better for me.) And of course we have to work food storage into the meal somehow. :)

Next I cut Monterrey Jack cheese into wedges and inserted those into the chiles. (You need wedges so you have something to stab.) I filled the remaining space with some bean mixture and sealed them together with some toothpicks. Ok, they're becoming less pretty, but tastier.

 Put the peppers in the freezer for five minutes, so things solidify a bit. While I was blistering the peppers I started the chile relleno sauce.

Chile Relleno Sauce
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 large clove of garlic
1 onion, cut in half
2 jalapenos, de-seeded
1 chipotle pepper
juice of one lime
handful of cilantro
1 & 1/2 cups homemade chicken broth/stock (or the canned variety if you don't have the other stuff handy)
Mexican spices to taste
Simmer all ingredients until onion is soft. Puree in the blender and return to pot to simmer some more.

Then I separated three eggs. I beat the whites until stiff,  beat the yolks a few strokes and then folded them together with a dash of salt.

Then I covered three sides of the peppers with the egg, and put them in a pan with one quarter inch of heated oil, a batter side down. It was then easier to cover the un-battered side. I have also discovered that it is easier to smear the batter on with a spoon than to try to dip the peppers in it. Cook until egg is thoroughly cooked. Drain oil off chiles on a paper towel. I also recommend that you not start your paper towels on fire like I did.

I also made some fresh salsa while waiting for my chiles to blister. (It's a process.)

Fresh Salsa
3 tomatoes
4 green onions
1 clove of garlic
handful of cilantro
juice of one lime
2 jalapenos
salt and pepper to taste
1. Chop everything up, mix and let it marinate.

Once the chiles are adequately drained of oil, put them in the pot of sauce, so the batter can soak it up. I served them just like that with salsa and half a mango on the side. (And for size comparison, that is an extremely large mango.) But you can also top them with sour cream, salsa and or guacamole.

Review: Everything part of this meal except the beans, eggs, canned tomatoes, cheese, chicken broth, spices and oil came from my Bountiful Basket (or BB extras), reducing the cost of this meal by a lot. :D  I do not make this often. I can't handle much fried food  and this is also pretty labor intensive. My husband loved it. He inhaled three of these plus a large quantity of chips and salsa. He said he really liked them, but said they don't taste quite like the ones that you get at restaurants that are basically a plate full of greasy melted cheese with a pepper floating in it. (No kidding, hon. I don't cook that way.) My kids turned their nose up at it and had chips and mango chunks. Whatever. If you want 6 peppers to serve more than 2-3 people a good way to stretch it is with Cafe Rio Style Beans and Rice. (But by the time I was done with this I was not motivated to whip up two more side dishes.)

Food Storage Friday: Thai Vegetables and Rice

Last week I decided to try out the Asian pack when I ordered my Bountiful Basket. It came with Napa cabbage, bok choy (another kind of cabbage that is very large), fresh ginger, basil, garlic and snow peas. I don't think that I will get it again, because that is just a whole lot of cabbage.

Regardless, I tried to make good use of it, the other fresh produce on hand and incorporate my food storage too. I found this recipe in How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman (possibly my new favorite book), and made a few modifications. It's kind of like a Thai-style curry. I don't know if this recipe will make it into my standard repertoire, because it called for a wide variety of fresh ingredients that I may or may not generally have on hand, but I like it and will probably make it again on occasion.

Thai Vegetables
Food Storage Ingredients:
2-3 cups prepared white rice
3 Tablespoons oil (canola, peanut or corn)
1 dried chile
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 cups coconut milk

Fresh Ingredients:
1 plum tomato, diced
1 medium yellow squash, cut into chunks
6 green onions, diced
1 cup snow peas
2 medium carrots, diced
2 Tablespoons garlic
1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger
zest of 1-2 limes

1. Add oil to a wok or large skillet. When hot, add onions and carrots. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. 2. Add garlic, ginger, chile and squash. Adjust heat so that vegetables are cooking quickly without burning, about 10 minutes. 3. Add tomato and snow peas and cook for another 10 minutes. 4. Add coconut and lime zest and simmer for about 5 minutes. 5. Add soy sauce and salt and pepper if necessary.

Here's what it looks like in the wok when finished.

There are tons of variations you can do with this. You can increase quantities of or change  for different vegetables. Some of his suggestions were eggplant, zucchini, celery or potato. I think water chestnuts  and bell peppers would also be good. You can add chicken, pork or tofu for more protein or fresh basil, mint, or cilantro for different flavors. And because some like it hot, you can increase the amount of chiles you put in. I used half the amount of chiles that the original called for.

Fresh bok choy

In case you are wondering what that green and white stuff on the side is, it's quick cooked bok choy. Another recipe from How to Cook Everything. I was not as pleased with it as other recipes of his I tried. I think I may just blame the vegetable here. The stalk (white part) is good, it becomes creamy and tender, but the greens tastes like boiled spinach, even though that part was cooked for half as long. Bleh. Thing 1 was willing to try it, but I couldn't blame her when she spit out the green part.

Zucchini Souffle

I have lots of grated zucchini in my freezer. I don't even have a garden. I just live in Utah where lots of people grow zucchini and it doesn't take a green thumb to get more zucchini than you can eat. I have been blessed with neighbors who share their surplus, and have been trying numerous ways to use this green vegetable. I found this recipe on The Mom Blog awhile ago; I made a few changes, but it turned out well. I like this because it's easy, inexpensive and is another way to sneak in the veggies.

Zucchini Souffle

1/3 cup canola oil

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp grated Parmesan

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning 

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

3 cups grated zucchini

3/4 cup Bisquick

4 eggs

1/2 cup chopped green onion 

1. Preheat oven to 350. 2. Mix oil, salt, Parmesan, Italian seasoning, onion, and eggs. Mix in Bisquick.  3. Fold in zucchini and cheddar. 4. Bake for 50 minutes.

The picky eaters in our family wouldn't eat this because it had "too much green stuff" to be worth trying. We liked it though. We served it with watermelon and corn on the cob which satisfied the munchkins. 

For more ideas for your zucchini surplus go here. 

Edit 12/11/10: Tonight I made this again, but I used yellow squash instead of zucchini (it was in my Bountiful Basket) and added half diced sweet bell pepper. It was amazing.

Food Storage Friday: Lentil Soup

So this week I tried something different, lentils. Lentils are high in protein, iron, fiber and folic acid. They cook faster than beans and when stored in #10 cans have a shelf life of approximately 30 years. Not to mention super cheap, I bought a pound bag for 98 cents. They're pretty much a super food, and a great way to add protein to your long-term food storage. Why is it that I've never had these things before? This recipe seemed like a good one to try because it includes so many food storage ingredients and it cooks in the crock pot.

French Lentil Rice Soup
Food Storage Ingredients
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup lentils, sorted and rinsed
3 Tablespoons uncooked rice
1/3 cup dried onions
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/3 cup dried carrots
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash of pepper

Fresh Ingredients
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
2 Tablespoons minced garlic
3/4 cup water
sour cream (optional)
pesto (optional)
parsley (optional)
dried Italian seasoning (optional)

1. Stir all but optional ingredients together in crockpot. 2. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. 3. Remove 1 1/2 cups of soup and puree until almost smooth. Stir back into soup. (Make sure that the blender is vented when pureeing hot liquids.) 4. Garnish as desired.

I will be the first to admit that this is not something that I'm going to crave in the middle of the night. I felt the fresh pesto improved it, as did the dried Italian seasoning. My husband likes it and has even chose it over leftover pizza for lunch one day. Sometimes you cook with food storage not because it tastes better than your alternatives (and sometimes it does) but because you're just getting comfortable with your options so if it comes down to "We are eating only food storage" you know what to do. I feel like this is one of those meals, but at least it's packed with lots of nutrients which makes me feel a little better about it.

Book Review: 101 Things To Do With Zucchini

It's late summer in Utah, and that means that you can probably find someone to give you excess zucchini, that is unless you're trying to give it away yourself. And not only is zucchini good for you, there many, many things that you can do with it. 101 Things To Do With Zucchini by Cyndi Duncan and Georgie Patrick gives many enlightening recipes as well as several helpful hints for this versatile vegetable. Another great book to help you make use of what you have.

1. Zucchini can be substituted for many vegetables in your favorite recipes. It works well in soups, salads, sauces and egg dishes. It works especially well in Italian dishes.
2. For most recipes it is not necessary to peel zucchini. The peel is where you get most of your vitamins.
3. Yellow straight neck squash is often referred to as yellow zucchini.
4. Zucchini can be eaten raw or cooked, with or without peel. It can be fried, boiled, baked, steamed, sliced, diced, shredded, stuffed or grilled.
5. Zucchini is about 95% water and low in calories. 1 cup yields 25 calories.
6. Shredded zucchini can be added to soups and sauces without draining, but if using for cakes or breads, the liquid must be squeezed from the pulp.
7. Zucchini is bland in taste and usually takes on the flavor of other ingredients. It is commonly seasoned with oregano, basil, tarragon, garlic or dill.
8. Approximate measurements: 1 pound=3 cups sliced=4 small or 2-3 medium; 1 medium shredded= 1 1/2 cups; 1 large=2 pounds
9. Small to medium zucchini have the best flavor. Overgrown zucchini are best for breads and soups.
10. If zucchini is to be used in 1-2 days, store at room temperature. It can be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Here's my version of one of the recipes I tried. I started making it as a side dish, but it is enough to be a meal in it of itself.

Skillet Tomatoes and Zucchini
2 small zucchini sliced
1 medium onion thinly sliced
1 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp dried basil
dash pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup grated mozzarella
1/8 cup grated parmesean
1 cup seasoned croutons (I used Caesar with good results)

In a large skillet, saute zucchini and onion in butter until tender. Add tomatoes and seasonings. Cover and simmer 3-5 minutes, or until tomatoes are tender. Remove from heat and sprinkle with croutons and cheese. Cover 2-3 minutes, or until the cheese melts. Serves 4

More Ways to Save Money that are Good For the Environment

My last list on this topic was fairly popular, so I decided to dig up a few more ideas. Many of these require a little more effort, but most not really that much more. And isn't doing your part worth a little effort?

1. Refill your printer ink cartridges- I only started doing this in the few months and I feel like a sucker that I was paying so much for ink all of those years.
2. Compost- Why not make good use of your kitchen scraps and pulled weeds instead of taking up space in a landfill? You can use those things to improve your soil and grow a better garden. Composting is much cheaper than buying soil and additives and is often of better quality.
3. Eat more fresh vegetables- Switching to a vegan diet does more to decrease global warming than buying a hybrid car. Am I suggesting you do this? No. But decreasing the meat in your diet and increasing the vegetables and whole grains will improve your health, save you money and help the planet a little too.
4. Learn to make things yourself- Recently my husband came home from work and said that he needed a hobby to take out his frustrations that didn't involve torturing his high school students. His plan- make a few pieces of wood furniture. Boy, am I excited. Even if he only makes the first two items on the list it will more than cover the cost of the tools, plus no packaging and I can use the sawdust for the compost pile. So far he has made a shelf which has made a small dent in the clutter in my home. :) Now this is not the answer every time, but if you can makes things for yourself there is a lot of potential money savings and it can be good for the environment as well.
5. Pay your bills online- Save paper, clutter and postage.
6. Use less heat/air conditioning- Turn it off when you're out of town. Turn it down at night or when you're away. Consider a programmable thermostat or installing a few ceiling fans.
7. Potty train your toddler- Easier said than done. But think about how much money you'll save when you don't have to buy diapers. Disposable diapers are not recyclable and they're a huge contributor to landfills. Forcing a child before they're ready is not really effective, but you can still strongly encourage. (Almost every day my son tells me he wants to sit on the potty. He sits there long enough to eat his gummy bear and then we're done. Perhaps someday we'll get more results.)
8. Use the cruise control button- This can give you up to 15% better gas mileage.
9. Plan errands to avoid driving back and forth across town. Group them together.
10. Fix things that aren't preforming at their best. A few months ago I got a new dishwasher, and while I was excited to have a dishwasher again, it's performance was somewhat lacking. Everything had to be pre-rinsed and put on the soak cycle, plus I usually had to wash things a few times. Finally I called a repairman. He was amazed that it worked at all. He fixed a valve and we are in business. It was under warranty so I didn't have to pay for the visit, but I was annoyed with myself that I didn't do it earlier. I could have saved a lot of time, energy and detergent if I had called him months ago. This principle applies to more than dishwashers.
    

Meatless Mondays

When perusing Skinny Bovine Kitchen I came across a link to Meatless Monday. Their goal is to get people to reduce meat consumption to improve personal health and the health of our planet. Hoorays! I can't go full vegetarian, but I can go meatless once a week. Here's a great quote from their site.
"Going meatless once a week may reduce your risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. It can also help reduce your carbon footprint and save precious resources like fresh water and fossil fuel."
 So for the past couple weeks we've gone meatless on Mondays. One week we had Black Bean and Mushroom Burgers and last week we had Creamy Tomato Basil Soup with Garlic Knots. I nabbed the garlic knot recipe from Skinny Bovine, and I have to say it was a big hit in my house. It went perfect with my tomato soup which I will share below.Tonight I'm going to try burritos with my own refried beans. I'll let you know how that goes.
 Once I had a terrible experience at the Olive Garden and was determined never to go their again, (which rule didn't last that long) however, I was very much in love with their Creamy Tomato Basil Soup. So I decided to make it myself. After some internet searching I found a copycat recipe that had 75% of your  RDA of saturated fat for the day in one small serving. Yikes! So I cut out the butter and cream, experimented with it several times over the last few years and finally came up with this recipe. My husband hates tomato soup, but he readily eats this and every time I take the leftovers to work I get comments about how great it smells. I will admit that it doesn't taste quite as good as the recipe with butter and cream, but it is still very satisfying. Plus, it's easy to make.

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup
2 cans of diced tomatoes
1 large red onion
2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 can of 2% evaporated milk (or you can make it from nonfat powdered milk)
2 cups of chicken stock
1 tsp of sugar
1 package of fresh basil (I have used 1 Tablespoon of dried basil before, but it's not nearly as good)

1. Finely chop onion and saute in a soup pot with olive oil. When onion is clear transfer to blender with a can of tomatoes (not drained). 2. Puree onion and tomatoes and return to pot. Puree second can of tomatoes  with basil and add to pot. (I found that if you try to puree both cans of tomatoes at once you will most often have a large mess. I've also tried fore-going the puree step. It is worth the hassle, because it really gives you a smooth creamy texture.) 3. Add milk, sugar and chicken stock. Stir until heated all the way through.

Book Review: Deceptively Delicious

My husband is allergic to almost all raw vegetables and many cooked veggies too. My kids just generally won't eat them. This makes getting my family to eat well-balanced meals a challenge, too say the least. I thought Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfield, might be able to give me some pointers on getting my family to eat better, and it does. She has lots of great ideas. I haven't tried all of her recipes, but there are some good ones, as well as different tips on getting your family to eat better.
The recipe that I go back to the most is Macaroni and Cheese (with Cauliflower). My spin on it is below. The cauliflower isn't totally hidden, but I like the taste and my kids don't mind either. We have a winner! She suggests using pureed butternut squash as an alternative to cauliflower, but I don't know if I could pull that off. As it stands, this recipe is lowfat (as compared to regular mac & cheese), high in fiber, calcium and vitamin C and folic acid. It's pretty quick and easy to make (if you have the puree ready) and reheats well. I've made this for my brothers-in-law (who are very anti-vegetables and pretty picky eaters) and they eat it without complaint.

Macaroni and Cheese (with Cauliflower)
1 1/2 c macaroni
Nonstick cooking spray
1 T olive oil
2 T flour
3/4 c skim milk
3/4 c cauliflower puree (see below)
1 c shredded reduced fat Cheddar cheese
3/4 shredded reduced fat Mozarella cheese
4 oz Neufchatel
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/2 t Tabasco sauce

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.
2. While cooking pasta coat medium sized saucepan with cooking spray and heat on medium. Add oil, then flour and cook stirring constantly until mixture is a thick paste, but not browned.
3. Add milk and Neufchatel. Mix until smooth. Add remaining sauce ingredients and mix until melted and smooth. Add pasta.

Cauliflower Puree
This takes a little bit of time beforehand, but I think it is well worth it.
Cut out core of one head of cauliflower and discard. Cut head into quarters. Steam for 8-10 minutes. Blend one quarter at a time with a few tablespoons of water until you have a smooth texture. Freeze in small tupperware containers until ready to use.

Other favorite recipes from this book include: french toast, carrot cake muffins and burgers 1.