Thursday, February 24, 2011
Save $5 at Penzeys!
If you haven't requested catalogs yet from Penzey Spices, their latest includes $5 off when you spend $10 so ask for one now - they are fun to read, with recipes and lots of info, helpful even if you don't buy. http://www.penzeys.com/
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Fluffy Brown Rice
Brown vs white rice is about like white vs whole wheat flour -- white rice is mostly just the starch without the nutrients. It can be hard to get your family to like brown rice if its new to you (using "Instant" brown rice can help, but its pricey and the processing undoubtedly hurts the nutritional value).
Fortunately this recipe, that probably originated with Cooks Illustrated, makes a really soft and fluffy rice that's not chewy. If you want to make extra sure they don't notice, add a scant 1/4 cup water to a frozen batch before you micro-thaw it along with an extra minute of heat. That softens it up even more. Also, like whole wheat flour, uncooked brown rice doesn't keep as long as white so its best to toss it in the freezer when you buy it, (or at least store it in a cool basement) if you are stocking up for the long-term.
Baked Brown Rice
2-lb bag of brown rice
9 1/2 cups boiling water
3-6 boullion cubes if desired, or 3 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 375
This batch requires a baking pan the size bigger than a 9x13, or a large oven-safe pot. Put in the rice and boiling water and boullion, can add a little oil or butter but I never have.
Cover tightly with two layers of foil. Even if your pot has a lid.
Bake one full hour. Fluff with fork.
divide into meal-sized amounts and freeze in freezer bags or sour cream/margerine containers. To thaw, microwave one minute on high.
smaller batch:
1 1/2 cups brown rice and 2 1/2 cups water in 8-inch dish, still takes an hour!
Fortunately this recipe, that probably originated with Cooks Illustrated, makes a really soft and fluffy rice that's not chewy. If you want to make extra sure they don't notice, add a scant 1/4 cup water to a frozen batch before you micro-thaw it along with an extra minute of heat. That softens it up even more. Also, like whole wheat flour, uncooked brown rice doesn't keep as long as white so its best to toss it in the freezer when you buy it, (or at least store it in a cool basement) if you are stocking up for the long-term.
Baked Brown Rice
2-lb bag of brown rice
9 1/2 cups boiling water
3-6 boullion cubes if desired, or 3 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 375
This batch requires a baking pan the size bigger than a 9x13, or a large oven-safe pot. Put in the rice and boiling water and boullion, can add a little oil or butter but I never have.
Cover tightly with two layers of foil. Even if your pot has a lid.
Bake one full hour. Fluff with fork.
divide into meal-sized amounts and freeze in freezer bags or sour cream/margerine containers. To thaw, microwave one minute on high.
smaller batch:
1 1/2 cups brown rice and 2 1/2 cups water in 8-inch dish, still takes an hour!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Yaki Soba Cooks Fast
"Fast Food" on the Japanese island of Okinawa is often yaki soba, which translates as fried noodles. This is my version that is a family favorite. Its great in summer since it doesn't take much cooking in hot weather and can use all sorts of fresh garden produce. It is totally variable - use whatever vegetables you have on hand or are on sale or that your kids like. You can use real soba noodles (expensive!) or ramen noodles (higher in fat and calories - did you know they are already fried ?) or regular thin spaghetti noodles. Can't tell much difference in the finished dish.
This does require prep time, but you can purchase "broccoli slaw" as well as cole slaw mix, and you can grate or chop ahead of time and put veggies in the fridge. The actual cooking is very fast, about the time it takes to cook the pasta.
Ingredients:
variety of vegetables (see note below) including a large onion
your choice of noodles (see note above)
ham or Spam if desired (optional)
note: You will need several cups (approximately 4-8) of chopped or julienned vegetables, plus half to a whole package of slaw mix (great dish to make when this is on sale) or half head of cabbage shredded. In oriental cooking you want everything similar sizes and shapes if possible.
In winter this could be coarsely grated carrots, sliced or chopped celery and shredded cabbage, in summer it might be zucchini and yellow squash, green peppers, snow or snap peas, etc. And according to budget and tastes you could always add sliced or slivered water chestnuts, broccoli florets, baby corn.....
Cabbage will shrink down and blend in so don't hesitate to add a whole package of cole slaw mix and think of all those vitamins your kids will hardly notice eating. If they aren't used to eating a lot of veggies you could start with mostly pasta and the most familiar or favorite veggies, and use more vegetables each time until you have mostly veg for a really healthy meal.
Directions:
In a very large non-stick frying pan on medium high heat, start a large thinly sliced onion cooking in a little wok oil (a specially seasoned oil that adds flavor, or use any favorite cooking oil). If you like things pretty spicy you can add some crushed red peppers and garlic to the oil.
Meanwhile start your noodles cooking unless they are fresh soba noodles. For ramen (use two packages for a smaller family and three for a large batch) put into boiling water and then put the lid on and turn off the heat. For spaghetti, set water to boiling and cook as usual - using the amount you would if fixing regular spaghetti for your family.
If you want meat, you can add to the cooking onion some finely chopped ham (leftover or canned) or even Spam that needs rotating from your emergency food storage. Stir it in and give it a minute to heat up and start the flavors mingling.
Next add the vegetables that require the most cooking, like broccoli and cauliflower, gradually adding in all the veggies according to how much you like them cooked - cabbage after a minute or two, red peppers & peas would be last. Sprinkle with ground ginger, garlic powder (if you didn't add plenty of real garlic already), soy sauce, freshly ground black pepper.
When the veggies are crisp-tender (or however you like them), remove to a large bowl and add another swirl of oil and 1/2 cup water to the hot pan. Toss in drained noodles and stir, then sprinkle them with another round of ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and pepper - I like to chop them up quite a bit so it will all mix more easily. Chop and stir while they "fry" a minute or two, and then put veggies (and meat) back in and make sure it is all good and hot. If your mother isn't looking, serve right from the pan and pass more crushed red pepper flakes for those who like extra heat.
All you need is a slice of whole wheat bread & buttter on the side.
disclaimer: while I was out, my son Drew added many editorial comments. I had a good laugh but they were a little distracting and somewhat misleading to those of us who do eat vegetables, so if I missed any, forgive the confusion!
This does require prep time, but you can purchase "broccoli slaw" as well as cole slaw mix, and you can grate or chop ahead of time and put veggies in the fridge. The actual cooking is very fast, about the time it takes to cook the pasta.
Ingredients:
variety of vegetables (see note below) including a large onion
your choice of noodles (see note above)
ham or Spam if desired (optional)
note: You will need several cups (approximately 4-8) of chopped or julienned vegetables, plus half to a whole package of slaw mix (great dish to make when this is on sale) or half head of cabbage shredded. In oriental cooking you want everything similar sizes and shapes if possible.
In winter this could be coarsely grated carrots, sliced or chopped celery and shredded cabbage, in summer it might be zucchini and yellow squash, green peppers, snow or snap peas, etc. And according to budget and tastes you could always add sliced or slivered water chestnuts, broccoli florets, baby corn.....
Cabbage will shrink down and blend in so don't hesitate to add a whole package of cole slaw mix and think of all those vitamins your kids will hardly notice eating. If they aren't used to eating a lot of veggies you could start with mostly pasta and the most familiar or favorite veggies, and use more vegetables each time until you have mostly veg for a really healthy meal.
Directions:
In a very large non-stick frying pan on medium high heat, start a large thinly sliced onion cooking in a little wok oil (a specially seasoned oil that adds flavor, or use any favorite cooking oil). If you like things pretty spicy you can add some crushed red peppers and garlic to the oil.
Meanwhile start your noodles cooking unless they are fresh soba noodles. For ramen (use two packages for a smaller family and three for a large batch) put into boiling water and then put the lid on and turn off the heat. For spaghetti, set water to boiling and cook as usual - using the amount you would if fixing regular spaghetti for your family.
If you want meat, you can add to the cooking onion some finely chopped ham (leftover or canned) or even Spam that needs rotating from your emergency food storage. Stir it in and give it a minute to heat up and start the flavors mingling.
Next add the vegetables that require the most cooking, like broccoli and cauliflower, gradually adding in all the veggies according to how much you like them cooked - cabbage after a minute or two, red peppers & peas would be last. Sprinkle with ground ginger, garlic powder (if you didn't add plenty of real garlic already), soy sauce, freshly ground black pepper.
When the veggies are crisp-tender (or however you like them), remove to a large bowl and add another swirl of oil and 1/2 cup water to the hot pan. Toss in drained noodles and stir, then sprinkle them with another round of ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and pepper - I like to chop them up quite a bit so it will all mix more easily. Chop and stir while they "fry" a minute or two, and then put veggies (and meat) back in and make sure it is all good and hot. If your mother isn't looking, serve right from the pan and pass more crushed red pepper flakes for those who like extra heat.
All you need is a slice of whole wheat bread & buttter on the side.
disclaimer: while I was out, my son Drew added many editorial comments. I had a good laugh but they were a little distracting and somewhat misleading to those of us who do eat vegetables, so if I missed any, forgive the confusion!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
save time pre-cooking sale meat
Save lots of time during that pre-dinner crunch by browning ground beef ahead of time (can also cook sale chicken and cut in chunks or de-bone). Chop an onion and start it cooking in large frying pan, breaking up ground beef on top of it. Stir and chop occasionally, continuing to break up meat. When all is browned, push to one side and tilt the pan to drain off fat. Let it cool a while.
You can do all this while working on another meal, pulling out what meat you need for that one and then placing the rest in containers to freeze - put in whatever amount you usually use in a meal. Buy enough on sale to last at least through 4-6 weeks, it will keep longer but starts to lose quality, especially if you do chicken. Please date packages - use a Sharpie or freezer tape- you’ll be glad you did when that lost package surfaces in the back of the freezer.....
Cheapest:
Space saving: freezer bags you can lay flat (and for extra protection you can put several smaller bags into a larger one recycled margarine or sour cream containers (and they go in the dishwasher for re-use)
You can do all this while working on another meal, pulling out what meat you need for that one and then placing the rest in containers to freeze - put in whatever amount you usually use in a meal. Buy enough on sale to last at least through 4-6 weeks, it will keep longer but starts to lose quality, especially if you do chicken. Please date packages - use a Sharpie or freezer tape- you’ll be glad you did when that lost package surfaces in the back of the freezer.....
Cheapest:
Space saving: freezer bags you can lay flat (and for extra protection you can put several smaller bags into a larger one recycled margarine or sour cream containers (and they go in the dishwasher for re-use)
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
5-minute dinner
To get things rolling, here's one of the fastest dinners I've found, if you have two or three kids helping it can be done in 5 minutes (we timed it once at a Relief Society activity). It does require that you do one of the most helpful time-savers for cooking dinners: when you buy hamburger on sale, brown it with a chopped onion, divide and freeze (I use old margerine tubs with an "H" on top written with the ever-popular Sharpie). Now I know there are many versions of taco salad, but this one works for us, the kids get some choice in what goes on their dinner and everyone comes out happy.
Grab from freezer and pantry:
a container of browned hamburger from the freezer (or for even healthier and cheaper version, grab a can of black or kidney beans - rinsed and drained - instead),
a pack of cheap tortilla chips (also can be frozen to keep on hand),
a pack of grated Mexican cheese (tossed in the freezer from the last time HyVee had their $.99 sale)
a can of tomato sauce and one of refried beans.
Put the hamburger in the micrwave for one minute while opening the tomato sauce and pouring into a saucepan on medium - high. Add hamburger and turn it down to medium, stir in about one-third of the can of refried beans and your favorite mexican-type seasonings (Penzey's Adobo is good, cumin, cilantro, ancho pepper powder, etc). Stir occassionally - should be simmering until everything else is ready and on the table.
Meanwhile one helper is chopping lettuce, tomatoes if you have some, others are heating the remains of the refried beans in the microwave, putting some cheese in a serving bowl, finding the salsa and sour cream (we use fat-free, we're used to it so there's no turning back).
If your budget allows, pull out some guacamole and sliced olives (I freeze the guacamole that comes in pouches and thaw in a bowl of water - afterwards squeeze out all the air, fold and clip the corner and put back in the freezer til next time).
Smash the chips somewhat and put in a large bowl and microwave for one minute -- this heats them up and refreshes them.
If you have enough help you can have someone slicing some apples or combining some favorite canned fruits.
Lemonade goes nicely with this.
Grab from freezer and pantry:
a container of browned hamburger from the freezer (or for even healthier and cheaper version, grab a can of black or kidney beans - rinsed and drained - instead),
a pack of cheap tortilla chips (also can be frozen to keep on hand),
a pack of grated Mexican cheese (tossed in the freezer from the last time HyVee had their $.99 sale)
a can of tomato sauce and one of refried beans.
Put the hamburger in the micrwave for one minute while opening the tomato sauce and pouring into a saucepan on medium - high. Add hamburger and turn it down to medium, stir in about one-third of the can of refried beans and your favorite mexican-type seasonings (Penzey's Adobo is good, cumin, cilantro, ancho pepper powder, etc). Stir occassionally - should be simmering until everything else is ready and on the table.
Meanwhile one helper is chopping lettuce, tomatoes if you have some, others are heating the remains of the refried beans in the microwave, putting some cheese in a serving bowl, finding the salsa and sour cream (we use fat-free, we're used to it so there's no turning back).
If your budget allows, pull out some guacamole and sliced olives (I freeze the guacamole that comes in pouches and thaw in a bowl of water - afterwards squeeze out all the air, fold and clip the corner and put back in the freezer til next time).
Smash the chips somewhat and put in a large bowl and microwave for one minute -- this heats them up and refreshes them.
If you have enough help you can have someone slicing some apples or combining some favorite canned fruits.
Lemonade goes nicely with this.
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