I Dare You To Eat It

You can tell from this picture that I really meant to share this recipe about four weeks ago. Oops. The year is flying by and I’m already TIRED!

Back in December, and thanks to the combined suggestions and ideas from a number of generous readers, I recycled some of my food storage cans, quickly covered them with a little bright red wrapping paper, and filled each with hot soup. Hopefully enough to feed a  family, this neighbor gift was uncharacteristically healthy and came from my food storage.

Fresh Ingredients

1 medium onion, diced

8 carrots, diced

8 celery stalks with tops, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup pico de gallo (This is where I love to use the frozen pico in my freezer.)

Storage Ingredients

2 cups pinto or pink beans (I’m sure that other beans would also work well.)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup powdered milk, dry

2-3 teaspoons salt

Sort beans for debris and rinse. Cover with 2 quarts of water and soak for 12-24 hours. If possible, change the water two or three times during the soaking process in order to draw out and reduce the indigestible sugars that cause digestive discomfort. Before cooking, drain and thoroughly rinse beans.

Fill crock-pot with 2 quarts of fresh water and beans. Then add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, olive oil, oregano, cumin, and pepper. Cover with lid and cook on low for 8 – 10 hours, or until the beans are soft. (My beans are…more mature…so I let this soup cook overnight.)

Then add powdered milk, salt, and salsa. Puree the soup, using a stick blender or regular blender, until smooth. Serve with warm tortillas, corn muffins, or garlic toast on the side. Very yummy.

My number one FAVORITE RECIPE of 2009 was for this simple pico de gallo. It changed my life. Really.  

We’ve easily doubled the use of our rice and beans, and because those dry ingredients are already on hand and in my home as part of our long-term food storage, we’re saving money every time we serve this meal.

Big thanks go to Kris for sharing the recipe last Spring. All summer long we enjoyed our home grown ‘maters’ garnishing rice and bean taco salads. When the change in seasons forced me back to buying the not-so-sweet-little-nothings sold at the grocery store, I decided to experiment with substituting petite-cut canned tomatoes. As the family tasted the food storage friendly salsa Lizzie asked, “Is this the salsa from the Rio Grande restaurant?”

Close enough! 

Fresh Ingredients

8-10 Roma tomatoes, diced or substitute with 2 cans, petite-cut tomatoes (1 lb. 12 oz. each can)

1/2 cup yellow onion, diced

1/2 cup green onion, sliced

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

2 limes, juiced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Storage Ingredients

2 cans petite-cut tomatoes (1 lb. 12 oz. each can) substituted for fresh tomatoes

1 teaspoon vinegar

1 tablespoon salt

Mix all the ingredients and chill for an hour or two. So good! And because I’ve been preparing this recipe again and again, for a year, I’ve also discovered that it freezes well.

Sort of like raspberry freezer jam…but different. The point is, IT’S ALL GOOD, and I hope you’ll love it as much as we do.

Hello again!

Probably more than any other food storage item, people are always telling me that they don’t know how to cook dried beans. (I obviously can’t take a good picture. Here’s hoping that  ’soft edges’ might give a boudoir effect, making a bowl of pintos  even more appealing.)

With thanks for patient coaching and encouragement from my friend, The Amazing Cozette,  I’ve finally learned how simple it is to prepare the least expensive protein.  I’ve also learned that died beans, freshly cooked at home, taste so much better than the precooked canned beans from the grocery store. (Think freshly cooked vegetables vs. canned vegetables.)

Right now, I’m working on serving beans at least twice a week. My twelve-year-old and her friends have enjoyed the after-school bean burritos. I’ve enjoyed serving a healthy snack that comes from food storage. We’re saving money and improving our diet…but don’t tell the kids.

Fresh Ingredients

2 large cloves garlic, crushed

Storage Ingredients

2 cups dry pinto beans

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3 1/4 cups water

Sort beans for debris. Rinse. Cover with 2 quarts of water and soak for 12-24 hours. If possible, change the water three or four times during soaking process in order to draw out and remove indigestible sugars that cause digestive discomfort. Drain and thoroughly rinse beans. Add all ingredients to a slow cooker and cook on low for approximately 10-12 hours, until beans are tender. Add 1-2 teaspoons salt to taste, and serve.

Really, I meet the nicest people through this website and blog. Just yesterday a new friend sent me a kind message and included this amazingly simple recipe for what I like to think of (read justify) as “emergency brownies”. Oh yes you do know what I’m talking about. Times when we HAVE TO have a brownie…not a question of IF it will happen, but WHEN.  Anyway, sweet Linda explained that these “shockingly” good, chocolate fudge type brownies are made from one regular box of brownie mix and one can of pureed black beans. That’s it! They’re not only a perfect dessert for storing in our three-month supply but the recipe comes from Weight Watchers and has only 2 points per brownie. I immediately phoned my husband and asked him to snag a box from the store. It was an emergency.

Storage Ingredients

1 box brownie mix (19 oz.)

1 can black beans (15 oz.)

Rinse and drain the black beans. Then spoon the beans back into their can and fill the can with fresh water. Pour beans and water into a blender and puree until smooth. Add puree to the brownie mix and stir. Pour into a sprayed cake pan and follow the directions for baking as printed on the back of the brownie mix box.

I of course, felt obligated to sample these lovies, okay a few times, and can now say with confidence that they are good hot, cold, and one day old. My personal favorite is to enjoy them with a small scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and banana slices. Very happy!

With families here, there, and typically everywhere during the month of July, I decided that Black Bean Brownie kits might be a fun visiting teaching gift. For my drive by, I assembled a copy of the recipe, a brownie mix, one can of black beans, a few bananas, and a little pint of ice cream for each of the sisters I visit. Hopefully this will be a message that the whole family can enjoy.

Thanks for the great idea, Linda!

Fresh Ingredients

Leaf lettuce, washed and torn

3 tomatoes, cut in wedges

1 cucumber, peeled and sliced

1/2  red onion, sliced

Feta cheese crumbles

Storage Ingredients

1 can olives

1 can artichoke hearts, quartered

1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Dressing: Equal parts red wine vinegar and olive oil. Start with about 1/4 cup each and a little fresh minced garlic. I used a store bought dressing that I already had in the cupboard.

This is one of those friend of a friend of a friend’s recipes–specifically from Laurie, to Lynda, to Liesa. From the first time I tasted it, I was immediately reminded of the wonderful deli salads we enjoyed so much while living in New York. Plus…I may have reached critical mass on Craisins, but that’s just me. 

Most of my food storage is based on main course dishes but setting aside 3 each of olives, artichoke hearts, kidney beans, and salad dressing means I’m that much closer to having a tasty salad ready whenever it’s needed. In terms of another emergency meal, those same storage ingredients could be enjoyed with ANY combination of beans, wheat, or rice that’s been substituted for the lettuce and cucumbers.                   

Noticing what we enjoy eating and then making the necessary preparations in order to have those items in our storage means I can expand my three-month supply with a few side dishes added here and there. Having these ingredients on hand simplifies my daily routine and provides greater options in an emergency. Nothin’ scary about that.

Fresh Ingredients

2 carrots

1 onion

1/2 of an 8 oz. pkg. of low fat cream cheese

Storage Ingredients

2 cups dry pinto beans

1/2 cup mild salsa or taco sauce

salt to taste

Rinse off 2 cups of dry pinto beans and soak in 2 quarts of water overnight. Drain all the water, rinse beans thoroughly, and place in crock-pot. Chop the vegetables and add to crock-pot with beans. Cover with 2 quarts of fresh water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or until the beans are fully cooked and soft. Remove 1 cup of the broth and set aside. Add the cream cheese, salsa, and salt. Puree the soup in a blender until smooth. Add some of the reserved broth to achieve the desired consistency. Serve with warm tortillas or corn chips and additional cream cheese and cilantro if desired.

I wanted to share this recipe from Bonnie’s kitchen because it’s a delicious, yet simple way to serve pinto beans. Pinto beans happen to be the least expensive beans in my long-term storage so this meal saves money every time it’s served. Bonnie also told me that this soup is one of her toddler’s favorites. I think it’s important to know how to prepare food storage meals that even little children can enjoy. And when it comes to the health benefits, this creamy bean soup is full of nutritious fiber and protein.

If, for any reason, I was not able to purchase fresh ingredients from the grocery store, this soup recipe would still provide a viable meal for my family. I would simply substitute dehydrated carrots and onions for the fresh vegetables and then add 1/2 cup of dry powdered milk to replace the cream cheese that’s originally called for. Using our food storage NOW means that we’re saving money in our monthly food budget (cha-ching!) and we’re getting comfortable preparing and eating foods that might be the only option, later.

I think our family could enjoy eating this soup once a week! It’s definatley good enough to serve to company. The creamy texture reminds me of a gourmet Southwestern bisque yet it’s so economical and so easy to prepare. Even my daughter, Lizzie, was able to prepare the creamy bean soup as a Personal Progress goal, and she’s only 12.

Are you smarter than a 6th grader?

You get the picture!

Fresh Ingredients

1 bunch cilantro, leaves chopped

Storage Ingredients

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (15 oz.)

2 cans crushed pineapple, drained (8 oz.)

1 can corn, drained (15 oz.)

1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz.)

1/3 cup Italian dressing

Mix all ingredients together. Serve salsa with tortilla chips and enjoy!

I found this recipe in the December, 2008, issue of the Friend magazine. The list of ingredients were perfect for food storage so I had to experiment. Everyone in my family thought it was great. This salsa is slightly sweet, not too spicy, loaded with fiber and just about every vitamin under the sun. I’m for sure going to add it to my three-month supply and then use it as a quick and healthy after school snack.   If I let my daughter and her friends prepare it themselves they even learn how to cook with food storage.

Fresh Ingredients

15  8″ tortillas

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced *optional

1 cup combination of celery and or onion, diced *optional

Storage Ingredients

1 cup dry pinto beans, (3 cups cooked)

1 cup leftover cooked rice

1 cup cooked whole wheat berries

1 can cream of chicken soup (10 3/4 oz.)

1 can diced green chilies (7 oz.)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon paprika

Soak pinto beans in 5 cups of water for 24 hours. (Change water once or twice during that time.) Drain. Thoroughly rinse softened beans and then cook in a slow cooker set on low with 5 cups of fresh water for approximately 8 hours, or overnight. (If I have them available, I like to add one minced clove of garlic and 1 cup of diced celery and/or onion to help flavor the beans while they cook, but it’s not necessary.) When beans are soft and fully cooked, drain the cooking liquid.

Mix beans with all the other ingredients and spoon 1/3 cup of filling into center of each tortilla. Fold in two sides slightly to close ends and then roll the opposite sides over filling. Wrap every other one in waxed paper (to prevent them from freezing into a burrito-block) and store in freezer bags.

To serve, microwave for 2-3 minutes. Garnish with any combination of grated cheese, diced tomato, sour cream, sliced olives, and cilantro.

This is where fast food meets food storage. I highly recommend that everyone try these little sliders! With my schedule, I NEED to have meals that can be ready in minutes. Having these burritos prepared ahead of time means we enjoy the advantages of instant food while we’re using our food storage.They take very little effort to prepare, are virtually vegetarian, high in nutrition, supplying whole protiens with the combination of rice, beans, and whole wheat, cost pennies a pop, AND they taste terrific. One of my daughters likes to take them to work so that she can actually enjoy the lunch she microwaves. I think you’re going to like this one!

Fresh Ingredients

• 2-3 c. grated Colby-Jack cheese                   
• 24 corn tortillas

Storage Ingredients

• 1 c. pink or pinto beans
• 1 c. salsa
• 2 cans tomato soup (10 ¾ oz.)
• 2-3 T. chili powder

Sort and rinse beans. Bring to boil for 2 minutes in 4 cups of water, cover, and set aside to soak for 1 hour. Drain water and rinse beans. Add 6 cups of water and simmer beans for approximately 2 hours until very soft. Drain cooking liquid and stir in salsa. In a shallow dish, mix the tomato soup with chili powder and 1 cup water to make a simple sauce. Cook tortillas in their package for 1 minute in the microwave to soften. Dip each tortilla in the sauce and fill with ¼ c. beans and grated cheese. Roll and place in a baking pan. Repeat until all tortillas have been filled. Top with any leftover sauce and grated cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

This recipe isn’t difficult, but you do have to start cooking the beans early in the day. Once that initial step is completed the recipe is easy to assemble and makes a pan of delicious bean burritos. My family likes to garnish them with fresh chopped cilantro and a little sour cream.