During the month of October, I will be participating in the Write 31 Days hosted by Crystal Stine. My category is Food, Health & Wellness and my theme is "Into The Kitchen".
This is October and the time of year that much of the country starts cooling down. This brings out our desire for warm, comforting dishes, possibly a throwback to when much work was done outside, and as the days grew colder, people wanted to warm up with a good, hot meal at the end of the day. Dishes that quickly come to mind are soups, stews, chili, and casseroles (or hot dishes in some parts).
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| Image Source: wikipedia |
In this series we have been talking about simple recipes, quick-fixes for busy nights, keeping our pantry stocked and saving money. I thought about where to go next, and decided to bring you a soup recipe that you can make entirely from your pantry.
I usually use any fresh ingredients that I have, but I know that if I am out of potatoes or my carrots went south, I can still make my soup. Here is how I would make a pantry version of my vegetable beef soup.
What you need:
32 oz. beef stock or broth
1 can Italian-style diced tomatoes, pureed
1 tomato can of water
1 can diced potatoes
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 can roast beef, undrained (I use Kirkland)
1 can sliced carrots, drained
1-2 tablespoons dried minced onion
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon basil
Salt and pepper to taste
Add all ingredients to an 8-quart stock pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer at least 30 minutes and an hour or more is better. If your soup seems too thick, add more stock or water.
As usual, everything but the canned items are estimates, and this is fine because this is more of an illustration of how you can make a pot of soup with only what you have on hand in your pantry. You can customize it to suit your family's tastes by changing up the veggies, or use it as a guide for your own creation.
Substitutions:
For the Italian-style tomatoes, use any style tomatoes you prefer
For the white beans, use kidney beans, pinto beans or pasta
For the roast beef, use frozen meatballs
For the oregano and basil, use Italian seasoning
For the beef/beef broth, use chicken/chicken broth
Notes:
When using dried onions, you are looking for the equivalent of the amount of fresh you would use.
When using dried herbs, use about 1/3 of the amount you would use fresh.
When using fresh ingredients, I will heat some olive oil in my pot and begin cooking the potatoes, onions and carrots, then add the liquids and other canned ingredients.
Discussion questions:
What is your favorite soup?
Is soup only a cold-weather food?
If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment. I would love to hear your thoughts.
During the month of October, I will be participating in the Write 31 Days hosted by Crystal Stine. My category is Food, Health & Wellness and my theme is "Into The Kitchen".
Previously we talked about how to quickly turn convenience foods into something more interesting and appealing. That is easy to do with a well-stocked pantry, which can be your kitchen cupboard or other storage place for dry goods and shelf-stable items. In addition, we will look at the freezer as another way to save money.
Where to Start?
The best place to start planning your pantry is to look at what your family likes and eats regularly and categorize ingredients such as pastas, soups and sauces, vegetables, meats and fruit. This is not meant to replace fresh foods, but rather to supplement them.
As an example, perhaps you eat pasta frequently, and unless you always make your own sauce, you would want to keep jars of sauce on hand as well as dry pasta such as spaghetti, macaroni or penne.
Other pantry staples include:
Canned vegetables, meats and fruits
Soups, sauces and broths/stocks
Dry mixes such as taco seasoning, gravy mixes and other seasonings
Herbs and spices
Pasta
Rice
Condiments (mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, relish, olives, etc.)
Cooking oils
Peanut Butter and jelly
As I mentioned in a previous post, if you are a baker, you might consider purchasing your baking ingredients in bulk to save money. This also helps keep your pantry functional and prevents that last minute run to the store for sugar or flour. Another tip for the baker's pantry is bulk yeast. It is far cheaper than the 3-packs and will keep for quite a while in your freezer.
Your freezer is an extension of your pantry.
Your freezer is another money-saving strategy, especially on meat, because we all know how expensive that is these days.
When it comes to beef, chicken, bacon, etc. buy one get one free sales are your best friend. Stock up on your family's favorites and freeze them. Some things will need to be repackaged because the way it's packaged for sale will not protect it for long in the freezer.
A well-stocked pantry is about saving money, reducing last minute trips to the store and having what you need when you need it. This will help with quick-fix meals as well as allow you to eat better on a regular basis. Personally, I use fresh, frozen, dried and canned foods, and each has it's own place in my kitchen.
Discussion Questions:
Are you a weekly shopper, a monthly shopper or a stop-on-the-way-home shopper?
What are your favorite money-saving strategies?
If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment. I would love to hear your thoughts.
During the month of October, I will be participating in the Write 31 Days hosted by Crystal Stine. My category is Food, Health & Wellness and my theme is "Into The Kitchen".
We all do it, right? We are busy running around and all of a sudden it's time to make dinner. You have hungry mouths to feed, not the least of which is your own, so you grab whatever is the easiest or worse, take-out.
When hunger strikes, I look to my pantry and freezer to see what I can pull together in a hurry. It is important to be able to make a meal without having to run to the store (which is another post), but how do you turn your quick-fix convenience foods into something interesting rather than serving up the same old boxed mac and cheese, or frozen pizza...again?
Here are a few examples:
Buy frozen cheese pizza and add your own toppings. This way you can make one or two pizzas and everyone can customize their own portion. Maybe you add extra cheese to one half and peppers and onions to the other, and make the second one half mushrooms and ham and the other half pepperoni. Everyone wins!
Take boxed or frozen hash browns and add chopped onions and green peppers and top with cheese or bacon bits. Serve with eggs and toast for breakfast or dinner.
Boxed mac and cheese can be dressed up with add-ins such as ham, bacon, onions, or prepared as directed and then topped with buttered bread crumbs and baked like homemade.
Packaged pasta salad is another side dish you can embellish upon. Prepare as directed and add in things like olives, pepperoncini, pepperoni, tomatoes, feta, red peppers, onions...whatever suits your family's tastes.
Another tip is to check the bag or box for alternate preparation ideas.
Not every meal has to be slaved over or planned to the nth degree to be delicious and satisfying. So next time you're puzzling over dinner to the tune of grumbling stomachs, try some of these ideas or come up with your own creations.
Discussion questions:
What is your favorite pantry staple?
What are some of the ways you jazz up convenience foods?
If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment. I would love to hear your thoughts.
During the month of October, I will be participating in the Write 31 Days hosted by Crystal Stine. My category is Food, Health & Wellness and my theme is "Into The Kitchen".
Many good recipes come with a story. They can be handed down for generations or the result of a plan gone awry. This recipe comes from friends who served it at a wine dinner they held in their wine shop. Their backgrounds are Italian and Polish, I believe...forgive me if I got that wrong.
We were all gathered around the table and when the course was announced, I thought hmm, I probably won't like this but here goes. I forget exactly what they called it, but essentially it was white rice and navy beans (white beans) with a onion and butter sauce topping.
Who would have thought that the combination of white rice, white beans and onions would make such a tasty dish? Not me for sure, but let me tell you I was surprised and pleased. It was so simple and so delicious, I had to try and duplicate it. Now I don't make it like they did, but it is every bit as good because all the same ingredients are there.
What you need:
1 can white beans (drained and rinsed)
1/2 cup rice (long-grain, parboiled)
1 ¼ cups water
4 cups sweet onions, rough chopped
2 tablespoons butter
Olive oil as needed
Salt and pepper to taste
Remember, I don't measure this stuff (except the rice and water), so these are my estimates, and I may use more or less on any given day. And yes, you read that right. Four cups of onions...don't skimp, the onions make the dish!
Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium low. Add the onions and let them cook, stirring occasionally for about 45 minutes total, adding more olive oil as needed. I put a lid on mine, but it's not necessary.
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| 4 cups of onions |
Periodically add small amounts of butter, reserving some to stir in just before you add them to the beans.
At about the halfway point, bring the water to a boil and add the beans and rice. Cover, reduce the heat and cook for 20 minutes.
When the rice is done and the onions are a dark golden color, add them to the beans and rice and mix thoroughly.
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| Caramelized onions |
This recipe can be used as a main dish or a side and is easily doubled. I often serve it with a small portion of sausage or perhaps a vegetable.
It's not the most photogenic dish, but it is really good. I served this last night with some spicy sausage. Yum!
If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment. I would love to hear your thoughts.
During the month of October, I will be participating in the Write 31 Days hosted by Crystal Stine. My category is Food, Health & Wellness and my theme is "Into The Kitchen".
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Rice, as we know it, was domesticated from Oryza Rufipogon some 10,000 to 14,000 years ago and has been eaten by people all over the world. Rice was first grown in California back in the gold rush days, and it is one the top rice producers in the U.S.
The question on our minds today is this: What is the best rice? There is no right answer because there are multiple types and varieties. Let's break it down and take a closer look at one of the most common foods on earth, found in almost all cuisines.
Rice comes in three basic sizes:
Long-grain, which is the most common, it cooks up fluffy and stays separated. It is about four times as long as it is wide.
Medium-grain is tender, moist and chewy. It is twice as long as it is wide.
Short-grain rice is short and plump, sticks together and clumps when cooked.
Each size has it's own characteristics and dishes for which it is best suited. There are many varieties of rice, which come in one or more of the sizes discussed above.
Variety and Uses:
White Rice. Most common is the standard white rice, which has been milled to remove the husk and then polished to remove any remaining bran. This has fewer nutrients than the other types. It is, however, very versatile and great for everyday dishes with meat, chicken and veggies, and also as part of a salad.
Brown Rice. Brown rice comes in both short and long grain sizes and is milled to remove the husk, but the bran layer remains. It has a chewy texture and a nutty flavor. It is very nutritious, and you can substitute brown rice for any recipe made with white rice. Brown rice does take longer to cook than white rice.
Parboiled Rice. Parboiled rice is the product of rice that has been soaked, steamed and dried. During this process, the nutrients from the husk are absorbed into the grain, making it more healthy than standard white rice. The starch content is altered, and the lower starch content means it is less sticky than white rice, and particularly well-suited for thick curries.
Other more specialized types of rice:
Arborio is used mainly for risotto and absorbs liquid and flavors from slow cooking.
Basmati, a long-grain rice from India, is very fragrant and full flavored. This comes from aging for one year after harvest. Basmati is often served with curries.
Black Rice, once known as "forbidden rice" or "emperor's rice" is high in antioxidents. It is a medium-grain rice frequently used in Asian cuisines. It is also nutritionally even more impressive than brown rice.
Jasmine is a long-grain, slightly sticky rice that pairs well with curry or Jamaican Jerk Chicken.
Sushi Rice comes in white or brown and is a Japanese short-grain. It's high starch content gives it the stickiness needed to make sushi.
Nutritionally Speaking:
Now that we have covered the styles and some of the varieties, what should we use for our go-to rice? While brown rice has more calories, protein, carbs, fiber, sodium, sugars and fat than white rice, it also is rich in magnesium, selenium, phosphorus, B vitamins, copper, zinc, iron, calcium and potassium. There are differing opinions on the brown vs. white question, but based on it's nutrition analysis, brown rice is certainly a good choice. It is healthy, versatile and delicious.
Brown rice does require more liquid and needs longer to cook (at least twice as long as white rice). Also, because of it's higher fat content, it does not keep as long as white rice.
White rice has had the husk and all bran removed, so it is basically stripped of many of its nutrients. It is lower in calories and fat content and has more iron and calcium than brown rice. A negative is that it has a higher glycemic index than brown rice.
Which brings me to parboiled rice, and my rice of choice for everyday cooking. What is the nutritional difference? Compared to standard white rice, parboiled rice has more fiber (double that of white rice), calcium, potassium, B6, niacin, magnesium, iron, zinc and more. Here is some good news for diabetics; parboiled rice, like brown rice, has a lower glycemic index than white rice.
The best rices for everyday use are brown, parboiled and white. For specialty dishes or cuisines, choose the best rice for the dish based on it's type and characteristics.
Discussion questions:
What is your rice of choice for every day?
What is your favorite specialty rice or rice dish?
If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment. I would love to hear your thoughts.
