Cooking with Food Storage
We had a great, no, AMAZING night learning different ideas of utilizing food storage. Luke N., Suzanne M., and Valeria S. all shared their expertize with us. Having food storage in case of emergencies is strongly encouraged by church and government leaders. In addition, it has helped several families during difficult financial times to have food on the table.
Food Storage Recipes
Suzanne demonstrated how to use hard wheat in meals and had wonderful recipes. These were wonderful recipes and I couldn't make up my mind what was my favorite.
Black Bean Cake
This is a DELICIOUS cake and I really, really had to refrain from grabbing the pan and running out the door. You cannot taste the black beans and I feel that it should be renamed to Banana Cake. This was a big hit!
1 Can of Black Beans
1 c. butter
1 c. sugar
2/3 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1 banana (frozen or ripe)
2 c flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 c. powdered milk (reconsituted) or prepared milk
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and oil a 9x13 pan. Puree beans (in liquid) with 1/4 c. of water. (If liquid was removed add 1/2 c water.) Set aside. In a separate bowl cream butter, sugar and add eggs, vanilla and banana. Add beans to mixture and beat until smooth and scrape down the bowl. Combine dry ingredients alternating with milk. Pour and spread into pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.
Cracked Wheat Pancakes
These pancakes are delicious and filling! A big favorite in our family.
1 c. uncooked whole wheat
1/3 c powdered milk plus 1 cup of water
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. oil
2 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp. honey
Pulse wheat in a blender until coarsely cracked. Add milk and pulse 3-4 minutes until smooth(or less time for crunchier texture). Add remaining ingredients and blend on low until combined. Cook on a greased griddle. Waffle variation: Add 1 Tbsp of wheat and increase oil to 4 Tbsp.
Sweet Rice
Makes 3 cups
1 c. rice
4 c. water
6 Tbsp. powdered milk
1/2 c.sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
Combine rice and 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand for 30 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, and cook until it thickens stirring constantly. Rice will continue to thicken as it cools. Top with dried fruit, nuts, apple butter, etc.
Tabouleh
1 1/2 c. water
3/4 c. whole wheat
1 c. chopped tomatoes
1 c. chopped parsley
1/2 c. chopped scallions
1-2 tsp. fresh dill
1/4 c lemon juice
2 Tbsp. oil
1/2 c olives (optional)
1/2 c raisin (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
Pulse wheat on high in a blender until cracked. In a large pan bring water to boil. Add wheat and cover and steam 20-30 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover and chill at least 2 hours before serving.
Creamy Cracked Wheat Cereal (no picure available)
Makes 3 cups
1 c. cracked wheat (pulse in blender to crack)
3 c water
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. powdered milk
2-3 Tbsp. sugar
Add dry milk to water, whisk and bring to a boil at medium high heat. Add wheat, sugar and salt. Cover and reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes, occasionally until water is absorbed. Serve.
Tips:
You can find steamers in Asian markets or any camping store and the base will run about $15 to $20 and the steaming trays are about $20. Butane gas to reheat in emergency situations is about $1 per butane. (Note, do not use inside your home during a catastrophic disaster. Just cook outside to prevent an explosion with a gas line in your home.)
Muffin mixes ready to be cooked are stacked on the base which boils water and steams the muffins. They were so light and fluffy!
What the finished product looks like. Blueberry muffins on the left and Strawberry Cheesecake on the right. The poppyseed were a hit too and are not pictured here.
Luke brought in items from his pantry which can be prepared quickly. In the left hand corner, those are prepackaged Indian dinners which he also highly recommended.
We had a great, no, AMAZING night learning different ideas of utilizing food storage. Luke N., Suzanne M., and Valeria S. all shared their expertize with us. Having food storage in case of emergencies is strongly encouraged by church and government leaders. In addition, it has helped several families during difficult financial times to have food on the table.
Food Storage Recipes
Suzanne demonstrated how to use hard wheat in meals and had wonderful recipes. These were wonderful recipes and I couldn't make up my mind what was my favorite.
Black Bean Cake
This is a DELICIOUS cake and I really, really had to refrain from grabbing the pan and running out the door. You cannot taste the black beans and I feel that it should be renamed to Banana Cake. This was a big hit!
1 Can of Black Beans
1 c. butter
1 c. sugar
2/3 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1 banana (frozen or ripe)
2 c flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 c. powdered milk (reconsituted) or prepared milk
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and oil a 9x13 pan. Puree beans (in liquid) with 1/4 c. of water. (If liquid was removed add 1/2 c water.) Set aside. In a separate bowl cream butter, sugar and add eggs, vanilla and banana. Add beans to mixture and beat until smooth and scrape down the bowl. Combine dry ingredients alternating with milk. Pour and spread into pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.
Cracked Wheat Pancakes
These pancakes are delicious and filling! A big favorite in our family.
1 c. uncooked whole wheat
1/3 c powdered milk plus 1 cup of water
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. oil
2 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp. honey
Pulse wheat in a blender until coarsely cracked. Add milk and pulse 3-4 minutes until smooth(or less time for crunchier texture). Add remaining ingredients and blend on low until combined. Cook on a greased griddle. Waffle variation: Add 1 Tbsp of wheat and increase oil to 4 Tbsp.
Sweet Rice
Makes 3 cups
1 c. rice
4 c. water
6 Tbsp. powdered milk
1/2 c.sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
Combine rice and 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand for 30 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, and cook until it thickens stirring constantly. Rice will continue to thicken as it cools. Top with dried fruit, nuts, apple butter, etc.
Tabouleh
1 1/2 c. water
3/4 c. whole wheat
1 c. chopped tomatoes
1 c. chopped parsley
1/2 c. chopped scallions
1-2 tsp. fresh dill
1/4 c lemon juice
2 Tbsp. oil
1/2 c olives (optional)
1/2 c raisin (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
Pulse wheat on high in a blender until cracked. In a large pan bring water to boil. Add wheat and cover and steam 20-30 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover and chill at least 2 hours before serving.
Creamy Cracked Wheat Cereal (no picure available)
Makes 3 cups
1 c. cracked wheat (pulse in blender to crack)
3 c water
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. powdered milk
2-3 Tbsp. sugar
Add dry milk to water, whisk and bring to a boil at medium high heat. Add wheat, sugar and salt. Cover and reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes, occasionally until water is absorbed. Serve.
Tips:
- Wheat can be rehydrated boiling with water and salt. Once rehydrated it will last one week in the refrigerator and added to meals for more fiber.
- To make wheat flour you don't need a wheat grinder to grind wheat. Simply place hard wheat into a blender instead.
- Bulgur aka wheat can be popped and only double in size. Simply place in a large pan over the stove and add oil and cover with a lid and shake. Season with salt.
- Wheat can be added to meat dishes to help stretch meat portions. (i.e. meatloaf, meatballs, sloppy joe's, taco's.
- Garnish a salad with whole wheat.
- Add to soups like chili or a curry dish.
- More recipes can be found at providentliving.org and blessfamily.com.
***For more ideas to cook with food storage visit http://www.blessfamily.com/. It is the BEST compilation of recipes to utilize your food storage for things you will eat today and in a disaster. In addition, providentliving.org has some great recipes too.
Cooking with Steamers and Food Storage Ideas
Luke brought his steamer and demonstrated how we could use it cooking food without cooking in our home. In Asian countries steamers are used in place of ovens and provide moist and tender foods including baked goods.
You can find steamers in Asian markets or any camping store and the base will run about $15 to $20 and the steaming trays are about $20. Butane gas to reheat in emergency situations is about $1 per butane. (Note, do not use inside your home during a catastrophic disaster. Just cook outside to prevent an explosion with a gas line in your home.)
Muffin mixes ready to be cooked are stacked on the base which boils water and steams the muffins. They were so light and fluffy!What the finished product looks like. Blueberry muffins on the left and Strawberry Cheesecake on the right. The poppyseed were a hit too and are not pictured here.
Luke brought in items from his pantry which can be prepared quickly. In the left hand corner, those are prepackaged Indian dinners which he also highly recommended.Tips:
- Buy food you eat.
- Foods that work well in the steamer are canned vegetables, soups etc and mixes that only need water. i.e. muffin mixes, angel food cake, mashed potatoes, pasta, funnel cake.
- Dress up angel food cake by adding a pudding snack on top or canned pie filling.
- Great proteins for food storage are Bumble marinated chicken breast or tuna. Salami is also excellent and will last for years. After slicing be sure to hang the salami in a cool, dry place away from the sun and it will last for years.
- Rotate your food storage using the first in and first out method. Simply place the new products in the back of your pantry and older products to the front.
- For extra storage space Luke suggested a small bureau from IKEA.
- Buy food on sale in advance and be sure to eat it or you tend to lose money.
- Buying food in smaller packaging and cans will help prevent wasting food and attracting weevils to bulk items (i.e. oatmeal).
- If purchasing bulk items repack them into smaller plastic bags.
- For a variety in food storage Luke shops at A1 Indian Store for pre-packaged Indian dinners and H Mart for a variety of Asian dishes.
- Hard cheese will last for years as well
Sprouting
Valeria shared the benefits of sprouting seeds. She said sprouting seeds will increase the food value 400 to 600%. She brought samples of red lentils, peas and wheat sprouted. The red lentils were a BIG hit. She said she had great success with a product called Easy Sprout and recommended their website http://www.sproutamo.com/.
Tips:
- Buy organic seeds only and soak overnight in warm water. Rinse well in warm water as hot water will kill the sprouts.
- Store in the refrigerator for maximum freshness.
- The older the sprouts are the longer they will get.
- Sprouts add great flavor to a sandwich and salads or just eaten plain.
- If adding to soup add just before serving as a garnish. Cooking the sprouts will make them lose their food value.
