I Dare You To Eat It

Fresh Ingredients

1/2 cup Feta cheese, diced (I like the basil and sun-dried tomato variety)

1/2 cup red onion, minced

1/2 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped

1/4 cup mixed fresh herbs, minced (I like parsley, mint, thyme, and basil) plus some for garnish

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Storage Ingredients

3 cups cooked whole wheat berries

1/4 cup roasted red peppers, julienne strips of drained bottled peppers, chopped

1/4 cup peperoncini salad peppers, chopped

1 tablespoon Kalamata black olives, pitted, brine-cured, chopped

5 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Stir together the wheat berries, Feta, onion, cucumber, roasted pepper, peperoncini, herbs, olives, and garlic. In a separate bowl, mix the olive oil, lemon juice, and vinegar. Mix everything together. Garnish with herbs. Serves 4-6

This recipe comes from Charlene and was adapted from “The Best of Gourmet 1994″. Charlene says that this salad is one of her all-time summer favorites, especially because she grows the fresh herbs in her garden. She also suggested that it might be fun to experiment with adding some marinated artichoke hearts. Nothing says, “you’re worth it” like marinated artichoke hearts!

Fresh Ingredients

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 large yellow or green bell pepper, diced

5 cloves garlic, minced

juice of one lime

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1 avocado, diced

Storage Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2  cans black beans, drained (15 oz. ea.) (”Or just pre-cook about 11/2 cups of dry black beans from your long-term storage.”)

2  cans diced tomatoes,  (14 oz. ea.)

1 or 2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced (”Only one or two peppers out of the can, not one or two cans - I didn’t pay attention and mine was a little spicy.”)

2 to 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth (”I just used the 32 oz. of boxed chicken broth.”)

2 teaspoons brown sugar

2 cups cooked wheat berries

Heat oil in a large pot, add onion, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper and cook stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add beans, tomatoes, chipolte peppers to taste, broth and brown sugar.  Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes. Stir in cooked wheat berries and heat through about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat, stir in lime juice.  Garnish each serving with avocado and cilantro.

Here’s another great new recipe from my friend, Kris. In a completely normal way, this chili combines wheat and beans from your long-term storage with basic spices and canned tomatoes from your three-month storage. The fresh ingredients are a bonus.

Look how simple it is to use your food storage, and enjoy it!

Fresh Ingredients

2 cups cooked diced chicken *optional

2 green onions, sliced

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Storage Ingredients

2 cups cooked wheat berries

3/4 cup chopped and toasted walnuts

2 stalks celery, diced

1/2 cup tart dried cherries, diced

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper together, set aside. Mix everything else together and toss with the olive oil mixture. ***The flavors in this salad really blend and taste so much better when prepared a day ahead of time. Also, you may want to consider adding 2 cups of cooked diced chicken for a complete meal.

My buddy Kris just returned from a family thing in Manti, Utah. She served this new salad recipe for the first time and said that everyone enjoyed it. I’ve found that wheat dishes are PERFECT for potluck dinners. They’re almost always better when prepared ahead of time, they travel and store well, and they add something totally new and interesting to the spread. No more frog eye salad for me. There’s a new Mayor in town!

Thank you for sharing this recipe, Kris! I hope to post your Zesty Wheat Berry And Black Bean Chili next! Are we getting healthy or what?

Fresh Ingredients

1 lb. lean ground beef

grated cheddar cheese

Storage Ingredients

1 lb. penne pasta (or you could substitute macaroni)

1 jar prepared spaghetti sauce (26-32 oz.)

1 can Hunts basil, garlic and oregano tomato paste (6 oz.)

1 cup water

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning spice blend

dried parsley flakes

garlic salt and pepper to taste

Brown the ground beef. Drain fat if needed, then season the meat very well with garlic salt and pepper. Add the spaghetti sauce, tomato paste, water and spices. Blend well then simmer on low heat while you cook the pasta. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. Cook the pasta according to package directions in salted water, then drain and return to pot. Mix the sauce with the cooked pasta, taste for seasoning, and add more garlic salt and pepper if needed. Spoon into casserole dish and top with the grated cheese. Sprinkle parsley flakes on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes depending on pan size and whether pasta has been refrigerated before baking. The penne pasta dresses it up a little bit but macaroni from your long-term food storage works equally well.

This recipe comes from my great friend, Bonnie, and I appreciate her sharing. She told me that she’s been making this penne pasta dish for years but never thought about it being a food storage recipe, until recently. “It’s a great Sunday dinner or company dish as it can be assembled a day or two ahead of time, it makes a lot so there are always yummy leftovers for lunches, and my kids love it.”

Bonnie is a highly trained, skilled nurse and mother of three small children, AND she really cares about the food she prepares for her family. Six months ago, Bonnie asked me to answer some food storage questions for her. She came to my house, sat on my couch, and let me walk her through the system that’s worked for me. Now she’s making regular trips to the dry-pack cannery, working on her food storage binder, and learning all the wonderful advantages of food storage. She’s designing what makes sense for her family.

Thanks again, Bonnie. You’re a great example!

Here’s a quick, easy, and full-proof recipe for cooking whole wheat berries.

1. Measure 4 cups of raw/dry whole wheat kernels.

2. Pour the dry kernels into a large slow cooker.  Add 10 cups of water and 1 tablespoon of salt.

3. Stir.

4. Cover the slow cooker with its lid, set temperature on LOW heat and cook for 10 hours or HIGH heat for 5 hours.

5. Stir the finished 12 cups of cooked whole wheat berries and spoon into 4 Ziploc bags to be stored in the freezer for later use.

Fresh Ingredients

2 eggs

1 cup ricotta cheese

8 tsp. butter

1 cup Romano cheese, grated

Storage Ingredients

1 cup instant potato flakes

1 tsp. salt

3 cups flour

Prepare instant potatoes as directed on package. Combine potato with eggs and salt and whip until fluffy. Add ricotta cheese, butter, Romano cheese and flour. Knead until smooth. Shape into 1/2″ rolls and cut into 1″ lengths. Make impression with thumb in each piece, then lightly dust with flour. Drop into boiling water and cook only until they rise to the surface. Drain and serve with your favorite red sauce, cream sauce, or both!

***NOTE: Before cooking, gnocchi may be frozen on a cookie sheet, then placed in a plastic bag to store for up to a month in the freezer.

KILLER CHEESE SAUCE

Fresh Ingredients

1 cup butter

16 oz. cream cheese

2 c. whipping cream

Storage Ingredients

1/2 tsp. dry minced garlic

1/2 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients and heat very slowly. Stir until smooth and pour over pasta.

RED SAUCE WITH SAUSAGE

Fresh Ingredients

1-2 lbs. mild Italian sausage

Storage Ingredients

2 jars spaghetti sauce (1 lb. 10 oz. each)

Bake or saute sausage as instructed on package, until fully cooked. Slice and add to jarred sauce. Heat and serve over pasta.

This recipe for homemade gnocchi makes two pans full of potato dumplings, smothered in a deliciously rich, creamy blend of cheese, cream, tomato, and sausage. Everyone, including very little children, absolutely loves it. I like to prepare the gnocchi days ahead of time, keep them frozen in the freezer, and then boil them about 20 minutes before we’re going to eat. I also prepare both the cream sauce and the red sauce with Italian sausage slices the day before and slowly warm them ahead of time.

After boiling the gnocchi, I drain and divide them equally between two 9 x 13 inch cake pans, cover each with the Killer Cheese Sauce, and store in a warm oven (300 degrees) until ready to serve. When we’re ready to eat, I also like to garnish the cream sauce with a little additional grated Parmesian cheese and chopped fresh basil or Italian parsley. I serve the red sauce separately so that the guests may help themselves and select the amount of meat they prefer. The preparation for this dish takes some work, mostly ahead of time, but is sooo worth the effort.

Fresh Ingredients

2 lb. lean ground beef

2 eggs

Storage Ingredients

Stove Top Stuffing Mix, for chicken or herb variety (6 oz. box)

1 can evaporated milk (12 oz.)

1/2 cup barbecue sauce or ketchup

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix all ingredients and shape into an oval loaf in a sprayed or oiled 9 x 13 inch baking dish. If desired, top with additional barbecue sauce, ketchup, or chili sauce. Bake for 1 hour.

This recipe (Kraftfoods.com adaptation) is the quickest way I know to whip up a classic family meal, using ingredients from both a three-month supply and long-term food storage. Instant mashed potatoes and canned corn are perfect sides and take only minutes to prepare.

We also love to use the leftovers for meatloaf sandwiches. Just microwave a couple slices topped with your favorite cheese and serve between toasted bread spread with a little mayo, ketchup and mustard. Topped off with pickles and tomato, I’m NOT thinkin’ Arby’s.

So my son-in-law was joking about using Spam (eek!) for our Sunday brunch. I was serving Eggs Benedict with our killer cheese sauce and wanted to use the canned meat from my three-month supply instead of buying ham or bacon. (There’s so much shame in using this product, I’m glad he pointed out the Oliver Twist humor.)

Eggs Benedict

Fresh Ingredients

English muffins

grated cheese

diced tomatoes

diced green onion

eggs

Killer Cheese Sauce:

1 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup butter

8 oz. cream cheese

dash garlic salt

Melt sauce ingredients slowly over low heat and whisk until smooth.

Storage Ingredients

1 can Spam

Slice Spam into thin strips and saute’ until edges are crispy. Toast English muffins. Top each muffin half with two slices of meat, poached or fried eggs, and grated cheese. Then spoon on a little warm cheese sauce and finish with diced tomato and green onion.

I wanted to take a picture of the finished product but there was no way to hold back the crowd. Almost everyone had seconds and my darling son-in-law, bless his heart, had thirds.

That’s exactly what you get by adding whole wheat flour to your gingerbread cake! Truly THE BEST I’ve ever tasted.

We were in the mood for a seasonal treat so I Googled a recipe. Then I substituted 2 cups of whole wheat flour and combined it with 1 cup of white flour to equal the 3 cups that were originally called for. I’m not a huge baker but I’ve tried this same trick in carrot, apple, chocolate, and now gingerbread cake recipes, mixing an approximate combination of 30/70, white/whole wheat flour, and it always improves both the texture and taste. Even after being stored in the refrigerator, the whole wheat flour seems to help these type of cakes stay fresh and retain their moisture. The whole wheat flour also deepens the flavor and adds richness. Healthy too!