Posted on 03/23/2008 11:36:40 PM PDT by nw_arizona_granny
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Selecting high quality food on a low quality budget - PART I
Many mouths, few dollars?
Layoff? Medical emergency? Food stamps? When you find yourself buying food on a very limited budget, you need additional information. You have to buy carefully and prepare thoughtfully in order to make a litle money be enough. The guidelines below will help you to select what is necessary to keep those you feed healthy on a day to day basis.
* Buy for proteins
* Buy for calcium
* Buy for iron and vitamins
* Buy for flavor
* Buy what you need
* Buy supplementary foods to balance protein and nutritional needs
* Never buy anything to throw away! Plan, you can’t afford impulse. Store carefully. Use up all edibles.
* Find free or alternate sources. What else can you get? Where?
The information following may help you to make some comparisons�and adapt your own favorite recipes to a lower cost/higher nutrition style of cooking and eating.
Planning balanced meals
You have to start by planning meals.
When you begin planning menus, start learning to visualize the whole day as the nutritional package and the meal as a working unit. Sometimes you will find you will�change a whole meal from one day to another because it would complement that days’ food or work need or time limitation better, or that by changing one or two items in a meal you can improve the food quality of the whole meal.
No matter what the budget, try at every meal to provide your table guests with the food they need in a form that is palatable to them.
Protein on a budget?
Because meat is the most expensive item on many food budgets, lowering the food budget usually means reducing or eliminating animal protein. When the amount of meat is limited, it is particularly important to use recipes for baking and grain combinations that will supply complete, high quality combined vegetable protein. Don’t cut corners on the supplementary foods: spend the money for nutritional yeast, wheat germ, milk powder, sesame/sunflower seeds and soy products willingly, so that vegetarian meals can be complete.
Take the time to learn what the foods must be eaten to balance each other until you can do it almost automatically. When no meat and no eggs are used, careful protein combining or supplementation can increase the usefulness of your food to your body by about 30 grams protein per day at no cost. That’s about 4 eggs worth, cholesterol and cost free. That amount of roast beef would cost you about $3.40 (2006) at our local store. That is per person, per day, free with good planning!
When you do plan some sort of serious meat eating, do it in the most economical way possible; if time, rather than money, is what you have to spend, prepare some of the foods where time and attention to preparation really count. Try classic recipes such as sauerbraten, terriyaki, shish kebob where marinades turn meat or fish into something remarkable; dishes like cassoulet, coq au vin, paella, curries and tanduri dishes where long cooking or unique combinations show their effect; meat-sparing eastern foods of all types from Arabic to Japanese. Organ meats from organically fed animals are other concentrated sources of nutrients.
Ethnic or regional foods, when eaten as part of the meal they came from originally, usually represent balanced or nearly balanced meals, with the meat used in small amounts to supplement the diet. Some examples of instinctive ethnic combinations: chummus (beans and seeds); rice and soy from the orient; corn and beans from all over the Americas. Boston Baked Beans with brown bread (beans and grains), hopping john and blackeyed susan (rice and beans), many more.
There is even one vegetarian combination that is a part of the modern American diet, a peanut butter sandwichand a glass of milk. Eaten apart, these would provide about 20 grams of protein to your body. Eaten together, on whole wheat/soy bread, they balance one another and provide about 30 grams.
Look for seasonal and regional variations that change prices of protein foods. Sales drastically effect the costs. For example, salmon, usually $8.98 a pound, was on sale here last week for $2.98, making it an excellent protein buy for a moderate budget—it would still have been too much for a poverty-stricken one. Here in Texas, boneless chuck roast still goes on sale occasionally for $1.29 a pound, sitting right next to the $1.79 a pound regular hamburger. Medium eggs are a much better buy than large in the spring, but this can reverse later in the year. Dairy proteins and eggs are the cheapest animal protein sources, and a�number of recipes using them are included on site.
Finally, meat subsitutes made with wheat or soy, such as my Unchuck Roast or any of the other gluten dishes, provide meaty chew and flavor with a protein punch for about $2.00 a pound.
Calcium sources on a budget
Study the nondairy sources of calcium and include at least one in every meal.
If you are really broke, you will probably be getting most of your calcium from dried milk, and drinking it, too. Do make yogurt; even if nobody eats it plain, it can be made from dried milk and used to make cheese spreads, all kinds of sauces, etc. and to provide a base for sauces and salad dressings. If you are really broke, you won’t even be buying mayonnaise very often (8.50 + per gallon as opposed to about 3.60 for a gallon of homemade yogurt), and thick yogurt mixed with a little oil can be used as a mayonnaise substitute.
When we were on our $4 a week per person budget (1975) in the mountains, breakfast every morning included a half gallon of milk for drinking or cereal and a full gallon of double strength yogurt—the equivalent of more than two cups of milk per person.
No milk was served at other meals, but cheese, yogurt, and dried milk were used in the preparation so that the equivalent of a quart of fluid milk was used for each person every day. More than 40 grams of usable protein were available for each body at breakfast alone, much of it from high-calcium sources, and this meal acted as “insurance” during many stressful days.
Vitamin C
One of the things we spent our money on during our economy month was vitamin C tablets. This vitamin is almost guaranteed to be short in a diet which includes only small amounts of the lowest priced fresh vegetables and fruits, especially in winter when few cheap fresh things are available. What vitamin C is available in sprouts, etc., should be carefully preserved by refrigerating fresh foods immediately in airtight or closed containers, washing vegetables without soaking, and cooking them minimum time, or not at all.
In addition, select vegetables that are higher in vitamins to start with; buy carrots, cabbage, winter squash, broccoli, chili and peppers, spinach instead of iceberg for salads, yams instead of white potatoes if they are the same or near the same price. Use the outside leaves, end pieces, anything that is edible but too scroungy to go to the table as stock base. Use celery and carrot tops in soups or chopped fine in salads (and if the carrots with the tops are only a penny or two more, get them, the tops are worth it in the soup pot!). Buy parsley for eating and put the stems in the stock. It is an outstanding source of vitamin A.
The only canned vegetables which are usually affordable under an austere regime are tomatoes and tomato paste and corn. Others may go on sale at crop harvest time. Frozen foods sometimes go on slae in January.
Buying for flavor
Three vegetables with almost no nutritional value are good examples of the buying for flavor principle. Onions and garlic, and bunch celery, remarkable only for their antiseptic qualities, are included in the budget because of the kind things they do to much of the other food you will be using.
This can be illustrated in other ways: Parmesan at 5.89 a pound looks more expensive than jack or cheddar at 3.59 (and you may not even “see” it at the store because you will be thinking of slabs rather than cans or jars of grated cheese) but the flavor is so rich and cheesy that it uses less and lasts a long time; hot”salsa ranchera” is 79 cents for a small jar, but that bright flavor is enough to turn a #10 can of tomatoes into a flavorful enchilada sauce for a large group and a teaspoon will add considerable spice to cornbread or a casserole; tortillas at 2-3 cents each seem expensive, but two enchiladas cost about the same as and are a lot more interesting than a cheese and tomato sandwich; fresh mushrooms or chopped olives may seem like an extravagance, but both provide satisfying flavor as meat substitutes on pizza, in casseroles, in sandwiches and salads, with the mushrooms contributing useful sulphur compounds and the black olives iron. Spices and herbs, bought from bulk sales and used in moderation, are also not in the extravagance class, especially if you can get them in other forms than small expensive bottles; most supermarkets carry plastic bags full of the most common spices on a rack half-hidden somewhere in the store at lower prices, natural foods groceries have bulk herbs and teas at about 1/4 or less the standard price and ethnic markets of all sorts carry loose and packaged varieties of even the most exotic spices, also for less. The clerks can often even suggest new uses for them. �
For many cooks, the keeping of a moderate amount of potable alcohol for cooking falls into the buying for flavor category. A jug of red wine and a bottle of sherry from which to season, sauce and flavor a month’s food for 20 people needn’t cost more than $10 and add a rich dimension to the preparation of the food.
Buying what you need
How do you know what to buy? Always shop from a list! Or to be less doctrinaire, iIf you can go into a store knowing that you want high-vitamin vegetables for 20 people for three days and come out with the right stuff, great. Otherwise, make a list and use it.
Some of the specific needs of the bodies you are nourishing are predictable; the people you are feeding may also have some other needs around food that you will be working with. Buying what you need means knowing what is necessary and providing it to the full extent of your ability. It includes learning to re-think your own habits and prejudices about food and changing them to allow you to deal with this group now; learning not to trick yourself into too rigid categories (for example, in the Parmesan cheese example above, it means realizing that what you need is strong cheese flavor, not a block of cheese). Sometimes, you will be buying things that you personally would rather not buy or don’t enjoy eating, sometimes a chunk of food money will have to be spent for a non-food emergency. That’s life! Learn to buy and prepare food without resentment.
One a more mundane level, buying what you need means buying the appropriate sizes of things and storing them so that they are still usable when it is time to use them. Buy bulk sizes cautiously, and with an eye toward storage. A good quality number 10 can of tomato sauce costs around $4.00, and holds over 3 quarts. Compare this to 2.29 for a 24 ounce container that holds 3 cups, over $9.00 for the same amount. But if the large can is used once and carelessly stored so it is wasted, it will actually cost more than the extravagant jar.
Leftovers or planned overs?
While being thrifty and planning wisely, don’t fall into the habit of using each meal as the garbage can of the previous one. Sometimes you will deliberately prepare more than is needed for one meal, sometimes a leftover will inspire a new combination. Safe storage and alert monitoring of saved foods is the key here. Otherwise, the leftover gets thrown away, or often it will just be put into the next similar meal—and every meal will begin to taste the same. Freezing small amounts of foods before they become leftovers or waste, then using them for freshly made soups or casseroles, is a part of the thrifty plan.
There is another aspect to buying what you need. People need different forms of food at for different kinds of work or even at different seasons, so be aware that changes in seasons and weather should bring about corresponding changes in the food you serve.
Per person planning guide
Daily Proteins
At least 6 servings of protein foods such as:
(1 serving)
*3 oz. serving of meat, fish, or poultry
about 1/3 C cooked soybeans (that’s about 120, if you eat the roasted nut-type ones)
*about 1/2 C grated cheese (2 ounces)
1/2 C instant dry milk OR 1/3 C non-instant type
1 1/2 C (12 oz.) fluid mlk
*2 oz. (1.2”x1.2”x3.2” cube) regular cheese
2 vegetarian or regular hot dogs
about 1/2 C wheat germ
3 T food yeast (Kal or Red Star VSF are the tastiest, in my opinion)
7 oz. soy cheese (tofu)
*1/3 C cottage cheese
1/3 C soy flour
*1 whole egg
5 T miso (fermented soy paste)
1 C plain, solid type yogurt
1/2 C nuts or seeds OR 1/3 C nut or seed butter
*1/3 - 1/2 cup gluten-base or soy base vegetarian meat substitutes
3 tablespoons vital wheat gluten
* low carb protein choices- may be used without limit by people restricting their intake of carbohydrates
Vegetable proteins except soybeans tend to be less useful to the body than animal proteins because their amino acid balance is not as favorable. The amounts given here are for unsupplemented foods. If you learn to combine foods, you will need to eat less of these foods to get the same amount of usable protein by eating them in complementary combinations.
Green vegetables and salads
Bulky green and yellow vegetables are the key to improved nutrition at a low calorie cost, providing vitamins, fibers and pectins. Use 4 or more servings including 1 at breakfast!
Seasonal prices and sales are the key to lower fresh vegetable cost. Because fresh vegetables are fragile and relatively expensive, plan purchases thoughtfully and store/chill carefully. In cities, produce wholesalers will often sell single cases to individual buyers, reducing costs about half.
Sales on freezer vegetables are big in January. Canned vegetables are somewhat more cyclic, tending to fall at harvest time for the particular crop.
Home grown sprouts are a cheap salad. Middle eastern tabouli and pasta salads are examples of stretching salad ingrdients with less costly grains.
Substitute less expensive for more expensive. Cabbage stores well, is a good lettuce replacement when finely shredded, and bulks out any stirfried dish if finely shredded as a bean sprout replacement.
Waste nothing! “Hearts of cabbage”, one of the most popular vegetable dishes at the Luby’s cafeterias, was created to use up the cores of all the cabbages made into coleslaw. All cooked leftover vegetables can be marinated and chilled, or pureed into the soup pot.
Economy limits purchasing expensive tomatoes, peppers and summer squashes, but think outside the box; all of these grow like weeds, even in a bucket or box on the porch. Line a box with a garbage bag, punch a few holes for drainage, add some potting soil and a plant or two and in less than two months you have free food.
Fruits. Fresh or frozen without syrup:
Fruits provide principally vitamins, fibers and pectins, and carbohydrates in the diet. They may be used in reasonable amounts by people not limiting their carbohydrate intake, but should be considered a garnish, rather than a staple, to the diet. 2 to 4 servings including 1 high vitamin C per day is usually enough of fruits or juices. Commercial juices are sugary and have no fiber; eat the whole fruits.
Breads, grains, and starchy vegetables:
Sedentary adults aim for not more than 6 servings per day of whole grain or Cornell formula bread and whole grain cereal products. 1 serving is 1 slice of bread or 1/2 C cooked grains or cereals. Kids, teens and those doing heavy physical work, use carbohydrate foods for extra calories, but ABSOLUTELY NO JUNK FOOD, CHIPS, CRACKLES, DOUGHNUTS or other “BAKERY PRODUCTS”.
Sugar and sweets:
These are concentrated calorie sources, second only to fats and eaten in larger quantities.
For sedentary people, preferably none, but in no case more than 2 T sugar (or its equivalent in honey, syrups or dried fruits) a day. A craving for sweets is often one of the first signs of a protein deficiency and is intensified and aggravated by feeding sugar or other carbohydrates in any form. Eat these with or right after proteins to slow their bad effects on your blood sugar.
About the Food Stamp program
The budget for food stamps is based on the thrifty plan (see below), which the USDA states plainly is an emergency plan, not nutritionally adequate for use forover three months. Millions are trying to live on it. Shop smart. If you can, donate time, food or money to your local food bank.
Estimated Monthly Food Costs
at Home at Four Levels U.S. Average, April 2001 Official USDA Food Plans
FAMILY OF 2:
20-50 years
51 years and over
FAMILY OF 4:
Couple, 20-50 years
and children—
2 and 3-5 years
6-8 and 9-11 years
Thrifty Plan
266.00
251.70
387.40
447.20
Low-Cost Plan
341.80
328.90
491.40
579.80
Moderate Plan
421.90
407.10
602.30
723.30
Liberal Plan
525.10
487.50
741.30
872.20
The complete current USDA file includes weekly and monthly cost data for individuals and groups.
It may be accessed on CNPP’s home page at www.usda.gov/cnpp
Bean and grain dishes cost less. Meat and dairy dishes are more expensive.
05/13/08 03:37:31
http://www.ellenskitchen.com/~cook/cgi-bin/eprintable.pl
Here are other gluten and seitan recipes on Ellen’s Kitchen:
New Unbeef and Unchicken gluten seitan steaks A great starter recipe, with tips about improving the texture of homemade wheat meat or gluten
Basics About Gluten Roast
History of Gluten as a Food
Quick Homemade Wheatmeat Cutlets
Favorite Gluten Roast
Crockpot Gluten Roast
Gluten Lunchmeats and sausages Pastrami for your sandwiches or pizzas!
Worthington-style PeanutSoyWheat Loaf An easy low salt seitan variation with a mild flavor, simmered in a vegan corn or butternut soup. Deliciously similar to the expensive commercial canned loaf, with a vaguely meatloafy texture, this slices without crumbling and makes great sandwiches whether sliced thin or thick.
Ellen’s Best Unchuck Roast
This recipe is a personal best. It is is vegan and low cholestral, has a balanced protein, and is both easy and cheap to make ($2 a pound in 2004). So whether you are looking for great taste, better health or just a balanced budget, give it a try.
Because of the amount of kneading and resting and the cooking temperature, the texture on this is very meaty: it shreds and slices like a chuck roast and the color is beefy. Even though there are several textured ingredients, the roast ends up with a uniform texture.
This recipe has a 38%CHO/35%Pro/28%Fat breakdown for zone users.
Ellen’s Best Unchuck Roast: Rooiboos-simmered Seitan/ Gluten
makes about a 4 pound piece- 16 to 20 servings
Make dough on the dough cycle of a sturdy large automatic bread machine.
Cook covered in 6 quart crockpot on low approximately 6-8 hours. Doubles in size as it cooks.
Place in the bread machine in this order:
2 1/4 cups vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup sesame butter, unhulled (4 ounces)
1/2 cup minute tapioca
1/2 cup Kal nutritional yeast flakes
1/3 cup dried onion flakes
1/2 cup soy flakes (not grits) OR flake tvp/tsp
2 tablespoons Italian herb blend
Mix together and pour on:
1/3 cup vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce
2 cups water
1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice syrup, OPTIONAL
Simmering broth for crockpot:
4-5 cups warm rooiboos tea may substitute Chinese black tea
1/2 cup vegetarian oyster sauce
1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce, OPTIONAL
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
Fill the mixing bowl of the bread machine with the dry ingredients, blend and pour on the wet mix and run the dough cycle- two kneads with a long rest in between. When complete, turn out the rather soft dough and knead by stretching and folding at least 6 times, until the piece has strong smooth edges and is the size of the bottom of the 6 quart crock pot- for best cooking and flavor, it should start about 1 inch thick or a little less. Mist with oil spray and let rest while you prepare the crock pot.
Mist the inside of the crockpot with non-stick oil spray. Mix the simmering broth, pour about 1 cup into the pot. Place the roast, pour on the rest of the broth. It should just cover the roast, if not make a little more broth using the same proportions.
Cover and simmer on low about 6 hours, up to 8 if you started cold or it is an old crock pot. Turn once if you are up (I make mine overnight). When done, there is no stretch to the edges, almost all the broth is absorbed.
Cool in the remaining broth, store in a zippered plastic bag with the remaining broth for up to a week. Good hot or cold, can be sliced very thin for sandwiches, pepper steak or fajitas, or cut into chunks for “stewing”, or diced or ground for hash, burgers,etc.
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BRYANNA GROGAN’S NEW HOMEMADE CHINESE VEGETARIAN MUSHROOM “OYSTER” SAUCE (ALSO KNOWN AS “VEGETARIAN STIR-FRY SAUCE”)
Makes 18 liquid oz., or about the same as a commercial bottle. I sent Bryanna a basic substitute, she sent back a great homemade recipe for this sometimes hard to find condiment. Chinese oyster sauce is a favorite flavoring, thick, rich-tasting, and slightly sweet.
Bryanna says, “This recipe differs from the one in my Chinese cookbook in that you don’t need mushroom bouillon cubes, which are expensive and sometimes difficult to find. I wanted to make one that would be cheaper and would use easily available ingredients.
You can find commercial vegetarian versions, made with mushrooms, in some Asian groceries and large supermarkets. Sometimes it is labeled “vegetarian oyster sauce” or “mushroom oyster sauce”. It is also marketed as “vegetarian stir-fry sauce”. It keeps for a long time in the refrigerator. However, it can be difficult for pople in some areas to find.
ABOUT DRIED MUSHROOMS: For the dried mushrooms, you don’t need expensive shiitakes (unless that’s all you can get)— just use the inexpensive dried Chinese mushrooms that are easily available. Snap off the stems and discard them, then grind the mushrooms to a powder in a DRY blender or coffee/spice grinder (well-cleaned).
ABOUT CHINESE BROWN BEAN SAUCE: This is a very common Chinese ingredient and should be available wherever Chinese foods are sold. It is also known as “brown bean paste”, “yellow bean paste or sauce”, “soybean condiment”, “Yuan Shai Shih” or “Mo Yuen Shih”. If, however, you can’t find it, substitute a mild brown miso, mixed with a bit of water to make a softer mixture, sort of halfway between a sauce and a paste.
1 1/2 cups boiling water
6 tablespoons ground dried Chinese mushroom (see note above)
OR wild mushroom powder
6 tablespoons Chinese brown bean sauce (see note above for alternate names and substitute)
6 tablespoons soy sauce Ellen’s note: I used reduced sodium soy sauce
scant 1/2 cup dark unbleached or brown sugar, or Sucanat
1 tablespoon cornstarch, dissolved in
1 tablespoon cold water
Blend all the ingredients EXCEPT the dissolved cornstarch in a blender (leave the plastic thing out of the center hole in the blender lid and cover with a folded towel, so that the hot liquid doesn’t explode) until as smooth as possible. Pour into in a medium saucepan and heat to boiling over high heat. Add the dissolved cornstarch and stir until thickened. Cool and store in a covered jar or bottle in the refrigerator. Since it is quite salty and sweet, it should keep for several months.
Microwave: You can microwave the mixture, with the cornstarch, in a medium bowl and cook on HIGH for 1 minute, then whisk. Repeat until thickened.
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05/13/08 03:40:14
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Here are other gluten and seitan recipes on Ellen’s Kitchen:
New Unbeef and Unchicken gluten seitan steaks A great starter recipe, with tips about improving the texture of homemade wheat meat or gluten
Basics About Gluten Roast
History of Gluten as a Food
Quick Homemade Wheatmeat Cutlets
Favorite Gluten Roast
Crockpot Gluten Roast
Gluten Lunchmeats and sausages Pastrami for your sandwiches or pizzas!
I was trying to get a mild, eat-it-every-day lower sodium loaf resembling the Worthington/ Loma Linda canned peanut loaf, which costs $5 a pound where we live. Good cold or reheated, this has a simple flavor and a bologna-like texture that is great thin-sliced for sandwiches or chopped into a ham salad type spread, and rather chicken meatloaf-ish served hot. Even though there are several textured ingredients, the roast ends up with a smooth uniform texture, and you cannot taste the mild chilis, they just quietly enhance the flavor and texture. This uses the same ABM/ crockpot technique as the Best Unchuck Roast.
Worthington-Style Peanut/Soy/ Wheat Lunch Loaf, Seitan/ Gluten technique
makes about a 4 pound piece- 12-16 big sandwiches
Make dough on dough cycle of automatic bread machine: two heavy kneadings, around 20 minutes each with a 1/2-1 hour est in between.
You can store the raw gluten in the refrigerator. Cook covered in 6 quart crockpot on low approximately 6 hours. 8 hours if the dough is cold or it is an old crockpot, or use half at a time in a 4 quart crockpot. Doubles in size as it cooks.
Place in the bread machine in this order:
2 1/4 cups vital wheat gluten
1 cup reduced fat peanut butter
1/2 cup minute tapioca
1/2 cup Kal nutritional yeast flakes
1/3 cup dried onion flakes
1/2 cup soy flakes (rolled/flaked soy TSP/TVP)
2 tablespoons Italian herb blend
1/2 can (2-3 ounces)diced mild green chilis, drained
Mix together the wet ingredients:
2 cups water
1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce
Mix simmering soup for crockpot:
1 quart creamy butternut or corn soup (Imagine(TM))
1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes
rest of the can of diced chilis (2-3 ounces)
May “rub” the raw roast with a coating of turmeric or mild paprika for color.
Fill the mixing bowl of the bread machine with the dry ingredients, blend and pour on the wet mix and run the dough cycle- two kneads with a long rest in between. When complete, turn out the rather soft dough and knead by stretching and folding at least 6 times, until the piece has strong smooth edges and is the size of the bottom of the 6 quart crock pot- for best cooking and flavor, it should start about 1 inch thick or less. Mist with oil spray and let rest while you prepare the crock pot.
Mist the inside of the 6 quart crockpot with non-stick oil spray. Pour about 1 cup soup into the pot. Place the roast, pour on the rest of the soup mix. It should cover the roast, if not add some plain soy milk.
Cover and simmer on low about 6 hours, up to 8 if you started cold or it is an old crock pot. Turn once if you are up (I make mine overnight). When done, there is no stretch to the edges, almost all the soup is absorbed.
Cool in the remaining soup, store in a zippered plastic bag with the remaining broth for up to a week. Good hot or cold, can be sliced very thin for sandwiches, or cut into chunks, or diced for salad. Refrigerate up to a week, or slice and freeze, thaw in refrigerator.
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Lunch Loaf Variation
Olive or pimento loaf- use part tomato juice for the mixing water and simmer in tomato juice. Before cooking, knead in 1 cup stuffed green olives or 1 cup chopped pimento at the last shaping.
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A selection of gluten-based recipes using a variety of cooking methods is available from the Recipe Box at Ellen’s Kitchen.
Wheatmeat or Seitan
New Unbeef and Unchicken gluten seitan steaks A great starter recipe, with tips about improving the texture of homemade wheat meat or gluten
Basics About Gluten Roast
History of Gluten as a Food
Quick Homemade Wheatmeat Cutlets
A Fine Gluten Roast with troubleshooting tips.
Crockpot Gluten Roast
Gluten Lunchmeats and sausages For your sandwiches or pizzas!
Best Unchuck Roast My new favorite, the taste and texture on this pleased even my resolutely carnivorous relatives. It slices and shreds like a real potroast. It is very easy to make- uses an automatic bread machine, a crockpot, and Chinese “vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce” which you can find at many Oriental markets.
Worthington-style PeanutSoyWheat Loaf new An easy low salt seitan variation with a mild flavor, simmered in a vegan corn or butternut soup. Deliciously similar to the expensive commercial canned loaf, with a vaguely meatloafy texture, this slices without crumbling and makes great sandwiches whether sliced thin or thick.
Gluten Seitan Pastrami
Seitan Pastrami
8-10 servings
preheat oven to 325 degrees
1 1/2 cups instant gluten flour (vital wheat gluten)
1/4 cup Kal Nutritional Yeast, Red Star Vegetarian support formula, or other tasty nutritional yeast flakes
1/4 cup chickpea flour or soy flour
1/4 cup fine bulger, fully soaked, OPTIONAL for texture
2 teaspoons paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon (or more!) whole black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
3/4 cup cold water
4 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon salt
Place the gluten flour, yeast flakes, and the seasonings in a large mixing bowl, and stir them together. Mis the liquids in a measuring cup or small bowl. Pour this liquid into the dry ingredients, and mix them thoroughly. If there is still flour around the edges, add a small amount of additional water (1 or 2 tablespoons only!). You should now have a large, firm, spongy mass in the bowl.
Knead the gluten directly in the mixing bowl for about a minute, just to blend (do not add any more flour). Longer kneading will change the texture, and you may want to experiment with this later. Form the gluten into one smooth log, about 6 to 8 inches long. Wrap the log tightly in silver foil, twist the ends up so you have a tight package looking something like a big sausage. Place on a dry baking sheet. If you don’t want the foil to be in contact with your food, wrap the gluten tightly in a piece of parchment paper before you wrap it in the foil.
Bake the “pastrami” for 1 1/2 hours. When done, unwrap the seitan, transfer it to a cooling rack, and let it cool thoroughly. When completely cool, wrap the seitan tightly in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge overnight or longer before eating. Slice into paper-thin rounds.
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Making raw gluten from flour/ from scratch
Making raw gluten from flour is a simple but step-wise process:
* Select the flour
* Mix with water and rest
* Knead to develop the proteins into gluten
* Soak and rinse to remove starch and bran
* Shape the raw gluten, with or without additions
* Season and cook to flavor and firm the gluten in a cold “simmering stock”
* Use the prepared wheat meat as a base for cooked dishes
It takes a little practice and experimenting to get the perfect result, but you will learn quickly.
Flour
Use a high gluten flor such as bread flour if available for the best yield, but you can use all purpose flour is that is what you have. You will end up with an amount of gluten equal to about half the volume of flour you start with. Measure the flour. Use about half as much water to make the dough. You can do this in a food processor if you are kaing a small amount.
Add the Water and Rest
Mix flour and water to make a medium-stiff but not sticky dough. Then you knead the dough by hand on a breadboard or tabletop, until it has the consistency of an earlobe, which will take 10 to 20 minutes depending on your flour and your kneading skill. You may need to add a little water to get the right consistency. If you prod the dough with a fingertip, it bounces right back, leaving not a trace of the poking.
Once you have a nice firm ball of dough, let it rest before rinsing. If using white flour, this can be as little as an hour, several hours to overnight if whole wheat. To rest the dough, pour enough water into the bowl to cover the dough, and let it sit several hours or overnight.
Rinsing
Warm water loosens the dough and makes rinsing the starch out easier, so you usually start with warmer water. Cold water firms or tightens the gluten, so you usually finish with cooler water. The rinsing process takes about 10 to 20 minutes if the gluten ball was kneaded enough at the first mixing. If it was not kneaded enough, you will take longer and have more trouble keeping the gluten ball together, but don’t give up, it will eventually come together.
When you start rinsing, drain the sitting water from the ball. Work and squeeze the ball in a bowl under warm water with your hands to loosen the dough (less than a minute). When the water takes on a milky appearance and you see specks of bran, pour this water off, holding bulk of the dough back with your hands.
When you have kneaded and rinsed it enough, the ball oozes a clear, not milky, liquid when you take it out of the water and squeeze it.
After the gluten is rinsed for the last time in cold water, it will have tightened up. It will look rather stringy. It will be tense, tough, and resistant to taking on any other shape. Put it in a clean bowl and let it rest at least 20 minutes, up to overnight, before shaping.
As the dough is washed, it will turn a sort of yellowy-brown, and feels sort of like wet clay. Small white nodules are unwashed starch and need to be washed away or picked out. The gluten is ready to simmer once all of these bits are gone, and there is little or no starch left.
You can stop here. Keep the washed gluten in a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator. When the small holes in the gluten disappear, it means the gluten is ready to cook.
Additions and Simmerimmering
Raw Gluten can now be cooked using any of the following methods:
* Vegetable steamer - 30 minutes, or until firm
* Double boiler - 30 minutes, or until firm
* Pressure cooker - 15 minutes at 15 lb. pressure (with or without broth seasoning)
* Microwave - Work seasonings into gluten by hand; vary them to taste. Cover ring mold with plastic wrap. Cook 10 minutes in microwave on full power, then flip and cook 10 more minutes. Let stand until cool. Slice, grind or chop in recipes in place of burger. Note: Freezing firms texture even more.
*Baking or Deep Fat Frying (Gluten Puffs) Tear off walnut-sized pieces of gluten. Place on oiled baking sheet about 2 inches apart and bake at 350 degrees until balls puff up and are light. Reduce heat and bake slowly until crisp and dry. Use in vegetable stews or soups, or grind to make meatless burger for loaves. Fully dried, it will keep indefinitely in the refrigerator.
If simmering, keep the simmering water just below the boiling point by adding some cold water before the water bubbles too much. When the gluten pieces rise to the surface, you can take them out.
Cut cooked, firm gluten into slices (for steaks or chipped “beef”); strips (for stir-fry or gravies); cubes (for chicken dishes); or grind (for “hamburger” or candy recipes).
The simmering stock must be cold before it is used. The cool starting liquid causes the gluten to contract and prevents the seitan from acquiring a bread-like texture. You will be using this stock to cook the seitan later.
If you only let the water for this cooking simmer, you get a firmer texture. Letting it boil gives a spongier texture - it’s just a matter of taste which you prefer. Cook covered for 20 to 45 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of the pieces. Make sure that it is a large pan with a lot of water or stock. The gluten will nearly double in size.
When the 20 to 45 minutes is up, remove the gluten.
Storing and Using the Prepared Wheat Meat
At this point it can be used immediately, or drained on a metal rack overnight in the fridge. Pressing the freshly cooked pieces with a fork or spatula also firms the texture, making it easier to cut into interesting shapes. Gluten can be kept in the fridge for about 2-3 days, and it can be frozen as well, although this seems to lose some of its firmness.
To store seitan, keep it refrigerated, immersed in the stock. If it is brought to a boil in the tamari stock and simmered for 10 minutes twice a week, the seitan will keep indefinitely. Otherwise, use it within 8 or 9 days. If refrigerated without broth, it can be kept for about 2-3 days. It can be frozen as well, although this seems to lose some of its firmness.
Here are two interesting off site links about gluten:
Yerba Buena Wheat Flour Meat
Interactive site on gluten chemistry
Noodles and Pancakes Made By Processing the water from washing gluten
In China, the water from washing the gluten is used to make other foods. The dehydrated deposit from washing gluten is called non-glutinous flour and is sold in the markets. It is often used for making semi-transparent wrappers for Chinese food, such as crystal dumplings. You can make a similar food from the washing water for your gluten.
The first time when you wash the dough, you wash it for a longer time. Do not dump the water from this first wash. Save it in the refrigerator in a separate container to make non-glutinous noodles or pancakes.
(1) Filter the water with a fine strainer. Keep the water in a container and store in the refrigerator for over 4 hours or overnight, to let the deposit settle.
(2) Remove from the refrigerator. Slowly pour out the clearer water on the top and allow the deposit to stay at the bottom. Do not pour all the water out, save an inch or two of it in the container. Stir the deposit evenly with a spoon, the texture should be like scrambled egg mix. This is the mixture to make non-glutinous noodles.
Making Non-glutinous Noodles
(1) Brush a little oil on the surface of a oblong metal pan. Pour noodle mixture in to the pan to form a thin layer.
(2) Place the pan in a pot filled with water and steam over high heat for about 15 minutes until noodle mixture puffs up a little and becomes a transparent sheet.
(3) Remove the pan from hot water and place it in a container filled with cold water and allow pan float until cool. After it cools down, use a spatula to remove the sheet from the pan and brush oil on both sides. Cut into strips . Mix with your favorite sauce, some cucumber shreds or other ingredients, and the delicious noodle is ready to serve.
The mixture can also be used to make frying pancakes or mixed with other kinds of starch to make various foods.
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Gluten preparation
History of Wheatmeat/ Seitan
Gluten texture tips
Quick gluten cutlets
Ellen’s Best Unchuck Roast: a millenium recipe
Worthington-style Protose Peanut/ Soy/ Wheat Lunch Loaf, Seitan Style
Simple Gluten Roast (25 servings)
More Tips for Improving Gluten Texture
QUICK HOMEMADE WHEATMEAT CUTLETS- traditional oriental flavors, very chewy, not fortified to increase usable protein
6 to 8 servings
Use a 6 quart Dutch oven or larger to simmer these cutlets, they swell!
Cutlets:
2 cups vital wheat gluten
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/4 cups water or vegetable stock
3 tablespoons tamari, Bragg’s liquid aminos or soy sauce
1-3 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
Simmering broth- This is not good by itself. I overseason the simmering broth to flavor up the bland cutlets, and discard it or dilute it for future use. It can be refrigerated (1 week)or frozen (3 months) for reuse.
4 cups water
1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
2 tablespoons molasses (optional)
3-in piece of kombu or 2 T other sea vegetable
2 tablespoons fresh ginger (optional)
Add garlic (optional) and ginger to gluten and stir. Mix liquids together and add to flour mixture all at once. Mix vigorously with a fork. When it forms a stiff dough, knead it 10 to 15 times. Let the dough rest 2-5 min., then knead it a few more times. Let it rest another 15 min. before proceeding.
Cut gluten into 6-8 pieces and stretch into 1 inch or thinner cutlets, or the desired shapes (cutlets, drumsticks, ribs, etc). Bring the broth to a boil. Add cutlets one at a time or they stick together. Simmer in broth for about 45 minutes with the pan covered and the heat very low. Once cooked and flavored the wheatmeat or “Seitan” may be used, refrigerated under water or in an airtight plastic bag, or frozen.
Favorite Gluten Roast
adapted from: phn@hint.no
24 servings, about 4 1 1/2 pound roasts. Better protein, a more interesting flavor and texture than the above. Refrigerate the prepared roast up to 5 days, or freeze. If frozen, thaw in the refrigerator.
In a large bowl mix together;
4 cups vital gluten
1 cup high protein flour or whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups high fat soya flour
1/2 cup Kal or Red Star VSF yeast flakes
3/4 cup ground walnuts, OR pecan meal OR almond meal OR unhulled sesame seed meal
1 cup finely chopped sauteed onion OR minced, sauteed celery
2 cloves of garlic, pressed (optional)
1 teaspoon paprika, ground ginger or cayenne pepper, ground
Make a well in the center and add all at once:
3 1/4 cups water (part pureed asparagus for a more chicken-y flavor)
1/4 cup soya sauce
1/2 cup oil
Stir, then knead well- at least 15 minutes. To let the gluten develop, cover and set aside 15-20 minutes (or overnight in the refrigerator, covered or in a large plastic baggie.) Then knead again.
To proceed, heat;
1/3 cup oil
Brown on top and bottom in oil in a Dutch oven. Watch it! If you burn the outside, the burnt flavor will be absorbed by the roasts. It’s easiest to brown if you divide it up into meal-size chunks before browning. A thinner roast, 1 inch thick like a chuck roast, absorbs more seasoning than a thicker one when it simmers, this is desirable. As soon as all are browned, immerse in a heated, but never boiling, broth of:
4 cups water or enough to cover
1 large onion chopped (may substitute 1 cup grated carrot)
1 cup chopped celery
2 teaspoons marmite, vegex, savorex or any such yeast-based broth concentrate or 1 tablespoon dark miso
chopped mushrooms or mushroom powder (optional)
1/2 tablespoon sage, OR ginger, OR curry, OR five spice, OR any other seasoning (optional)
Cover, bring to boil. Cook at a rolling boil for 30 minutes, then and then let simmer for 3-4 hours, depending on the thickness of the roasts.
Let cool overnight or for several hours in the refrigerator, in the cooking broth. Taste the broth, it may be a good base for gravy. As the above, it can also be stored to cook the next batch.
WHEATMEAT:
BASICS ABOUT GLUTEN/ SEITAN UNMEAT ROASTSWheat meat? Why? Used in ancient vegetarian cuisines, seitan, wheatmeat or gluten roast is something to chew, something juicy and salty and sliceable. Wheat protein or GLUTEN is bland and not the best quality protein. Still, in the meatless diet, its taste and texture certainly makes the omission or transition away from meat-eating easier.
Wheatmeat usually involves a two step process. First you make and cook the basic gluten roast, then you use the prepared roast as a base for a cooking process. You may slice, dice, grind, or cube the gluten roast for any recipe.
I learned to make basic raw gluten from scratch from the original Farm vegetarian cookbook. It started with pounds of flour and involved a lot of kneading, then washing a doughy mass under running water for 20 or 30 minutes while fighting the certainty that it was never going to work and the whole mess would end up blocking the drain. Of course, it did work, and my faith muscles got stronger along with my fingers. If you want to try it from scratch, you can go to my Raw gluten from scratch faqs for instructions.
This struggle is no longer necessary! Now you can mix up really tasty gluten roasts from “100% vital wheat gluten” a protein extract of wheat flour available in handy 1 pound boxes or in bulk at your favorite natural foods store. These steaks, chops, roasts, and nuggets have better flavor, better-balanced proteins, and a much wider variety of textyres and flavors. You can learn more about vital wheat gluten in my Vital Wheat Gluten faqs.
“High gluten flour” is bread making flour, only 12-14% gluten, NOT the same as vital wheat gluten, be careful shopping. One tablespoon of dry vital wheat gluten contains 3 grams of carbohydrate and 5-7 grams of protein.
The best wheatmeat/ gluten/ seitan cookbook I’ve reviewed lately is, “Simply Heavenly” by Abbot George Burke. Skip right past the little monk with the halo and boil up a plate of unshrimp, or try tasty unbacon and tomato sandwiches. A great article for troubleshooting your gluten making is Nussinow’s 1996 article on wheatmeat in Vegetarian Journal (Vol. XV, No. 2).
But just in case you don’t have them handy, here is a bit of info about “rolling your own.” All simmered gluten approximately triples in size. I had quite a mess the first time I tried oven-simmering in a not-large-enough Dutch oven!
Kneading well while mixing, resting, then kneading again and allowing to rest for at least 20 minutes (up to overnight) before cooking, gives a denser, more cohesive product.
If you want:
* puffy or spongy texture = more water, less kneading, starting on cold broth, longer or hotter boiling
* light texture = baking (nice for chopping or grating)
* soft, tender = pressure cooking
* soft, slightly slippery, extra absorbent = fried
* chewy = lower temp simmering or oven braising
* tender = cut pieces
* chewy = stretched or pulled pieces
More cooking and texture hints in my Gluten Steaks new recipe.
From Temple Food to Tasty Alternative
In 7th century China, vegetarian Buddhist monks, unwilling to give up the flavors and textures of Chinese cuisine, searched for ways to make a substantial vegetarian protein. After developing tofu, they continued trying to develop something with a firmer texture and a more satisfying chew. Many parts of China grew wheat, so they began by making a simple dough from wheat flour and water. While kneading the dough in a tub full of cold water, they noticed the starch extracted into the water; as they kneaded, more and more starch clouded the water. What finally remained was a chewy substance that was 70%-80% pure protein or “gluten”.
After simmering this protein-rich wheat dough in a flavored broth for a number of hours, they had a grain meat that had a firm texture. It could be ground and flavored like traditional Chinese sausage. It could also shaped and flavored like chicken, beef, ham, or shrimp, or sliced and stir-fried or grilled. Today, the Chinese call this grain meat “Mien Ching,” or “Buddha’s Food,” after the vegetarian Buddhist monks that created the recipe. Chinese cuisine has always used gluten to create vegetarian editions of traditional meat-based Chinese dishes, including sausages, shrimps, ham, beef, etc.
The Japanese Connection
By way of the spread of Buddhism, Mien Ching traveled across the sea to Japan, where it was taken in a different direction by Japanese cooks. They took what the Chinese had developed and added their own culinary twist to it. The Japanese simmered the Mien Ching in a broth made from shoyu (soy sauce), kombu (sea vegetable), and ginger. The traditional Japanese name for wheat gluten is “fu”. In the 1960’s in Japan George Ohsawa, the founder of macrobiotics called it “Seitan,” which means “wheat simmered in shoyu”. This special broth added flavor and a savory base to this new and different grain meat. In the Japanese tradition, wheat meat is used more as a unique ingredient, rather than a replacement in meat recipes.
Mien Ching and Seitan Travel To The United States
As Chinese and Japanese people traveled across the Pacific Ocean to the America, they brought their great knowledge of foods. Mien Ching and Seitan were within the Chinese and Japanese cultures in the Americas. Today, in Chinese or Japanese food markets, you can find Mien Ching or Seitan, either frozen or in cans.
The Seventh Day Adventist community developed commercial vegetarian alternatives in the 1900’s, and began canning and then freezing gluten products in a variety of textures and flavors as meat substitutes aimed for the Western market. Later, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) made wheat a basic food in their storage food program and members learned to make gluten-based meat substitutes as a protein source. During the Depression, recipes for gluten-based “meat” loaves were found in general cookbooks with names like “End of the Month Loaf”.
New Age Vegetarians Go for Wheat Meat Recipes
During the 60’s, knowledge of Seitan spread through an expanding movement of vegetarians. Japanese cuisine was a primary influence in the new vegetarian movement, partially through the influence of Misho Kushi’s Macrobiotic diet program, which vigorously promoted Ohsawa’s “seitan”. Young Americans began to explore many different types of cuisine and food, and Seitan was one of them. Today, visiting any well-stocked natural food grocery, you can find wheat meat, gluten or Seitan on the shelves, either packaged fresh or frozen.
Improving Gluten Protein
Wheat gluten protein alone is not especially effective in supporting human bodies. Inspired by Lappe’s “Diet For a Small Planet”, cooks began adding soy products, legume flours and nut butters or pastes, dairy products, or small amounts of meat-based products to supplement and balance the wheat proteins. Both the texture and flavor of these new recipes improved, and usable protein increased. There was a culinary benefit as well: modern texture is fuller, more interesting, and less rubbery than the Eastern grain meats.
Gourmet Gluten; Chefs Begin to Experiment
By adding European flavors such as wine, mustard, garlic and herbs, as well as fresh vegetables, grains and legumes, chefs developed new variations. Grocery store refrigerator cases and freezers began filling with meat analogs ranging from mediocre to mighty good.
For example, while attempting to create a vegetarian teriyaki wrap, Seattle chef, David Lee searched for a vegetarian protein food that would have a firm resistance to the tooth, would “char” well, and take on the flavor of the flame. The family of grain meats from Asia known as Mien Ching and Seitan had the firmness he was looking for and they charred well under the flame, but they were plain in flavor and very rubbery. David began to experiment with different recipes and finally developed the prototype for “Field Roast”, now commercially available.
In the 21st century, recipes have evolved and now home cooks can easily produce meaty seitan roasts that are better than many commercial products, such as Ellen’s Best Unchuck Roast: a millenium recipe. With balanced proteins and carbohydrates and easily controlled top-quality fats, they fit easily into the modern diet.
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Unbeef or Unchicken gluten/ seitan steaks
You can buy pre-made seitan in flavors at some natural foods stores; however, for convenience and economy just make your own. It’s relatively simple (don’t let the spices and herbs fool you) and the finished steaks freeze very well for future use, so make lots!
Unbeefy steaks
Brown boiling broth
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 T vinegar
1/3 cup maple syrup, unrefined brown sugar or molasses
1/4 tsp asfoetida (the Hindi substitute for 2 c onion and 2 cloves garlic)
2 cups chopped celery leaves, or mixed celery, parsley, cabbage and beet
8 cups water
1 tbsp dried sage
1 tsp cayenne pepper or dried ginger
2 inch piece of kombu
Basic gluten mixture
1 cup water or a drop more (non-vegans can use milk for better protein combining)
1 tsp tamari or soy sauce
2-3 tbsp lentil, chickpea or other bean flour or flaxseed or sesame seed meal (No bean flour? You can soak the water and a few tablespoons dried beans, let it sit overnight and whiz it in the blender)
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tbsp dried mushroom powder, or to taste
1 cup vital gluten flour
Preparation
Combine broth ingredients in a very large soup pot. The seitan is going to expand - x2 or 3- when cooking so you’ll want lots of room for it. Bring the broth to a rolling boil, cover and simmer at an easy boil.
While broth is heating, make the gluten mixture. Place the water in a bowl and sprinkle the vital gluten flour over it. With a fork or with your hands, quickly mix the two together until it forms a very rubbery mass. Knead it for 1 or 2 minutes, then break it into 3 or 4 chunks. Squeeze each chunk over the sink to get out excess water, then set aside. When most of the excess water has been squeezed out, knead and press the chunks back together.
Form it into a log-shape, about five or six inches long and two or three inches across. Slice this into 10-12 pieces, and press and flatten each piece to about 1/4 inch thick. May be cooked right away, but for best texture, let rest about 35 minutes.
Drop these “steaks” into the boiling broth one at a time, stir, cover and reduce the heat to medium-low.
Simmer small pieces covered for about 35 minutes, stirring at the beginning to prevent sticking to the bottom, then stirring occasionally. A large single piece might make 2- 3 hours. If you take the lid off and all these huge things pop up at you...it’s supposed to do that.
When they are finished cooking, drain. Reserve broth to cook additional cutlets. Save and refrigerate (10 days)or freeze (3 months)the broth for future gravies or the next batch of steaks.
You can now use the seitan “steaks” in any recipe you like, or you can let them cool and freeze them for future use. To freeze them, wrap each steak first in waxed paper, then in plastic freezer bags.
Unchicken seitan
Follow the procedure as above, but omit mushroom powder and tamari and substitute these ingredients for the broth instead:
Golden unchicken simmering broth
8 cups water
4 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
1 tsp sea salt or vegetarian chicken broth cubes
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp sage
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp tarragon
1/4 tsp rosemary
1 tsp tumeric
2 tbsp sesame or vegetable oil
Improving Gluten Texture
Hints for a firmer texture more like chicken breast
* if you make the gluten from scratch, do the last mixing wash in cold water
* you have to really knead it/ stretch it (once you have reformed the logs) into layers and fold, knead, stretch and fold, until it is dryer and firm. If it gets resistant, you just let it rest till the gluten relaxes, about 10-30 minutes, then continue. Have you ever made filo dough or puff pastry? It is the same sort of process.
* start the cutlets cooking in cold, not hot/warm broth (preboil and cool the broth). Time from when it begins to simmer.
* cook at a low simmer, not a boil to avoid puffing it so much.
* sauteing the cutlets in vegetable oil BEFORE you simmer them gives a tighter, firmer texture.
* baking the cutlets in a breading AFTER they are simmered, also gives a drier texture, but it doesn’t tighten the grain as much as the sauteing before.
* try using half soymilk, half water for the liquid.
* add a little oil as part of the mixing liquid
* include up to a couple of tablespoons whole wheat, millet, or teff flour, or glutinous/sticky rice flour in each cup of the vital wheat gluten.
Alternative cooking methods
Cooking gluten steaks covered in the broth in a crockpot on high for about six hours, covered in broth in the oven at 325 for about 4 hours, or steaming for about an hour for very thin pieces is good too.
If you boil the fury out of the cooking gluten, it will go toward a tougher, rubbery texture. This is undesirable in your unchicken or cutlets, but can be desirable for a chunk you are going to turn into future ground unbeef.
For oven simmering, place the cutlets or steaks in a single layer in a roasting pan with a cover large enough to allow the cutlets to rise double in size. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Prepare enough cooking broth to completely cover the cutlets, , and pour the hot broth over the gluten cutlets, and bake uncovered for 1/2 hour. Prick them all over with a fork, and turn over. Lower the heat to 300 F, cover, and bake for 1 more hour, turning once or twice after the first half hour.
05/13/08
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Freeze for a Future Meal
* Prepare two casseroles any time you make one. Put one in the oven to bake for dinner and put the second in the freezer for another night.
* Most freshly made casseroles freeze successfully two to three months. DON’T freeze casseroles made with leftovers.
* Before freezing a large batch of a new recipe, freeze a single batch for two to three weeks to test how well it holds and reheats.
* Freeze in thin layers, preferably no more than 2 inches deep. Fast freezing reduces ice crystal formation and protects the quality of the food. Thin layers reheat more evenly without overcooking the edges of the casserole.
* The best containers for freezing provide a barrier to both moisture and evaporation. These include glass and hard plastic containers as well as new plastic bags meant for freezer use.
* Plastic “freezer” bags are thicker and stop evaporation better than the less expensive “storage” bags, insuring a wholesome, tasty food. Using only new bags prevents contamination with undesirable bacteria.
* Make sure any container or wrap you use is completely sealed and will not leak. Press out as moch air as possible; this helps avoid freezer burn.
* Label every container with the recipe name, reheating or serving instructions, and the date on which you prepared and froze the casserole.
To Thaw or Not to Thaw?
There are some tricks to reheating your frozen casserole successfully.
* To cook a frozen family size casserole, add about 40 minutes to 1 hour to the unfrozen cooking time. Deep dishes and very large size pans cooked from frozen may take up to 3 hours extra.
* The safest and best way to thaw frozen foods is to put them in the refrigerator the night before. Microwave thawing at 40-50% power is a safe option. Thawing on the counter is NOT.
* Most frozen foods do not need to be thawed before reheating.
* Foods which get mushy (pasta, rice, etc) get MORE mushy if thawed first. Cook from frozen if you have time.
* Preheat your oven following the instructions on the label you made when you froze it. Then cook it for the calculated reheating time. If the dish is large and frozen keep it covered and keep the oven temperature between 325 and 375 to avoid both drying out the edges and unsafe time for low temps in the middle of the dish.
* Foods with pasta, rice, or other moisture-sucking ingredients should be reheated covered for most of their cooking period and may need a little extra liquid added as they reheat. Stir in milk, water, tomato sauce, or broth- what to use depends on the recipe- a little bit at a time until you like the consistency.
* Soups, stews and even some pasta dishes can be reheated on top of the stove by bring broth or water to a boil, adding the frozen food, covering and turning the heat to simmer. Stir occasionally and add more liquid as needed to prevent sticking.
Pan Swapping
Pan Size Equivalent Pans and Casseroles*
8” round pan 9” pie pan 11”x4-1/2” loaf pan
9” round pan 8” square pan OR 10” pie pan 9”x5”x3” loaf pan
9”x3” springform pan 10”x3” bundt pan
9”x13” pan two 9” round pans or two 8” square pans
15”x10” jelly roll pan 9” square pan two 8” round pans
1 Quart casserole 8 x 6 x 1½-inch baking dish
1-1/2-quart casserole 9”x5”x3” loaf pan 8 x 8 x 1½-inch baking dish
2 quart casserole 8” square pan 9 x 9 x 1½-inch baking dish OR 12 x 7 1/2 x 2 inch
2-1/2 quart casserole 9” square pan 10 x 10 x 1½-inch baking dish
3 quart casserole 9”x13” pan
4 quart casserole 10”x14” pan
*adjust baking time if needed. Observe whether the new pan has the same DEPTH of ingredients as the original- if it makes a deeper layer, it will cook more slowly, shallower will cook more quickly.
05/13/08 03:57:44
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Top
Basic Beefy Tomato Vegetable Soup with variations
about 3 1/2 gallons
20 quart stockpot or roasting pan
8 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons dried thyme
6 quarts water
4 cans (15 ounces each) diced tomatoes in juice or tomato sauce
PLUS 1 can (46 ounces) tomato juice
OR 1 #10 can stewed or diced tomatoes in juice for both tomatoes and juice
12 beef bouillon cubes
OR equivalent homemade beef soup mix (see Ellen’s Kitchen “Pantry”)
2 cups medium pearl barley (may substitute brown rice or converted rice)
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 1/2 pounds carrots, sliced
1 pound chopped cabbage
1 pound onions, chopped
1 package (16 ounces) frozen short cut green beans
1 package (16 ounces) frozen peas
salt and pepper to taste after cooking
Minestrone variation:
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
2 to 4 cups mixed cooked beans- red, lima, navy, garbanzo- added with cabbage
1 package (16 ounces) frozen chopped spinach
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 pound pasta of choice
OPTIONAL 2 cups red wine
Campbellish variation:
dice carrots and potatoes in 1/2” dice
1 to 2 full heads of celery, washed, sliced with leaves, added with onions
2 cups carrot juice added with tomatoes
1 pound alphabet noodles
Southern variation:
1 package (16 ounces) frozen corn
1 package (16 ounces) frozen sliced okra
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 pound elbow macaroni
Toss beef with flour, salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, brown the meat in batches in oil; drain. This takes about 40 minutes. Saute the onions and optional celery until golden in the same pot, add garlic and cook 5 minutes longer. Pour over some of the water to cover the onions, bring to a boil and stir to loosen any brown bits on the bottom of the pan.
Transfer meat, onions and water to a 20 quart stockpot or soup kettle; add garlic if not sauteed, bay leaves, thyme, optional Italian seasoning, additional water, tomato sauce and juice, bouillon and barley. Bring to a boil, this will take about an HOUR. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 1 hour. Add vegetables; bring to a boil again. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until vegetables and meat are tender. Add water or broth as needed to get the desired consistency. Correct salt and pepper. Remove bay leaves before serving.
Top 05/13/08 03:59:35
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TEXAS STYLE CHILI POWDER
If you are making a lot of chili, you may need to make your own chili powder. Heat depends on the type of chilis used. With chipotle, this is medium hot.
Makes 6 pounds.
76 ounces ground dried chili peppers
13 ounces ground cumin
4 ounces garlic powder
2 ounces onion powder
3 ounces ground oregano
1/2 ounces cayenne pepper
1-1/2 ounces black pepper
1/2 ounces ground coriander
Put all the ingredients in a big zipper plastic bag. Blend well by shaking until completely smooth. Makes 6 pounds.
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Hot Horseradish Pickles for Chili
Too easy and so good. Also great with fried fish or barbecue. You might use 2 gallons for 100 serevings.
2 gallons kosher dill pickle halves, 30-40 pickles, with brine
2 cups prepared horseradish
1 pint sliced jalapenos, drained Prearation:
Pour the brine from the pickle jar into a large bowl. Mix the horseradish and jalapenos into the brine.
Cut the pickles into large bite-sized pieces and reimmerse them in the spiced brine.
Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Blanched mini carrots or blanched cauliflower bits are great soaked in the same brine. Yes, you must blanch them first.
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CHILI EVENT SAFETY
You need to use care to serve gallons of chili safely. Here are the steps to ensure the event is fun and safe for all.
COOKING
Prepare cook and store chili in a health approved food premise (commercial kitchen).
Use only ingredients purchased at grocery stores or other approved sources.
Make sure chili is well cooked to 170°F / 4° C - especially if it contains meat products.
COOLING
Cool chili to 40° F / 4°C or less at 40°F / 4°C.
Chili must be frozen if storage will be longer than 3 days - chili depth for freezing is 4 inches maximum.
Containers must be labeled, dated and lids secured.
THAWING
Thaw out frozen chili overnight or 24 hours in a commercial fridge or walk-in cooler, or in a refrigerator that is NOT being opened and closed. The temperature must remain below 40°F / 4° C at all times.
REHEATING AND SERVING
Only thaw out frozen chili in a fridge.
If outside, store unheated chili in coolers packed in ice.
Heat thawed chili on the stove or BBQ to 170 degrees Fahrenheit before serving.
Keep chili for serving at 140 degrees throughout the event
DO NOT ADD FRESH CHILI TO OLD CHILI IN THE SAME POT, NEVER NEVER!
HANDWASHING
Wash your hands frequently under warm running water during preparation and cooking.
Use liquid soap.
Dry your hand with paper towels.
During the event a coffee urn is an acceptable method of obtaining hot running water if outside away from plumbing.
A minimum of 20L (5 gallons) of water exclusively for handwashing purposes must be available if outside away from plumbing. Collect waste water in a plastic bucket and dispose of it down a toilet.
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Chopped Chili Veggies
A great, mildly spicy side dish with roast chicken, or a vegetarian entree. Quick and tasty. Better the second day, the beans absorb more flavor.
Ingredients:
1 cup onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup zucchini or yellow squash, coarsely chopped
1 cup celery, chopped, including tender leaves
1 cup carrots, chopped fairly small
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
2 16 oz. cans whole tomatoes in juice, chopped
1/2 of a 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 16 oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
OR 3 1/2 cups cooked beans
OR 1 1/3 cups dried beans or lentils, cooked
Cook onion, garlic and spiuces in oil until onion is tender, Add chopped vegetables, cook and stir about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, and cover. Simmer until all the veggies are tender (10-30 minutes depending on amounts). Add beans and heat through.
http://www.ellenskitchen.com/pantry/wwpancake.html
Homemade Deluxe Multigrain Buttermilk Batch Pancake and Waffle Mix Recipe
Makes approximately 6 pounds,
about 20 batches of 6 4” pancakes (72 4”) or 5 batches of 12 5” pancakes (60 5”), or 16-20 waffles.
In other words, feeds about 25 people well.
Mix may be stored without refrigeration unless you add butter- see note.
First bag together and shake until very well blended:
2 cups Saco dry buttermilk powder
5 tablespoons baking powder
2 tablespoons baking soda
1/4 cups vanilla powder (commercial baking product) already mixed into
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons salt
1/4 cup barley malt powder OR 1/4 cup malted milk powder
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup oatmeal flour or ground oatmeal
OPTIONAL 1 cup ground almonds, adds fiber and flavor
OPTIONAL 2 tablespoons cinnamon, cardamon, mixed sweet spices or pumpkin pie spice
Then add, shake and mix well:
2 cups White Whole Wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour, 1/2 pound
1 1/2 cups buckwheat flour
1 cup corn flour (This helps tenderness- is hard to find-very very fine cornmeal)
Finally, add and mix/shake well:
8 cups unbleached all purpose flour, 2 pounds
Procedure
Use a 2 1/2 gallon zippered plastic bag to make one batch of mix. After adding each group of ingredients, shake and mix until completely mixed. This is especially important with the first group of ingredients, in order to distribute the baking powder and baking soda evenly. Alternatively, you can mix in a very large bowl, using a strong wire whisk, but this is messier and more difficult than the baggie method.
Package in required amounts. Label each bag with the needed extra ingredients and mixing directions.
For a more convenient all-in-one mix, when it is fully mixed, you can grate in or cut in 1 1/2 cups shortening (12 oz.) OR 1 3/4 C frozen solid butter. With butter added, you need to refrigerate the mix. Then you can omit oil when mixing up each individual recipe.
Directions for using the mix
Pancakes
Pancake batter is always better if refrigerated the night before or at least 2 hours ahead of use. This is especially important with whole grain mixes! 2 1/2 cups (that’s about one eighth of the total mix recipe) of mix makes 12 5” pancakes or 3 waffles. 1 cup makes 6 smallish 4” pancakes.
To make about 6 4” pancakes:
1 cup Homemade Multigrain Buttermilk Pancake Mix
1/2 - 2/3 cups water
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or unsalted melted butter (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Stir pancake mix with water, egg and vegetable oil or butter. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients, and stir just until moistened. Add just enough water to make a soft pourable batter.
Heat a greased griddle over medium heat- just a bit under 350 degrees if using an electric griddle. Water drops will dance on the surface, not be turned to steam at once. For each pancake, pour about 1/4 cup batter onto griddle and cook until top of pancake is full of bubbles, loses its shine, and underside is a light, golden brown (2-3 minutes). Turn with a spatula ONLY ONCE and cook until remaining side is golden brown.
Note: cast iron makes great pancakes - they cook up more evenly and very tender.
If using the mix as waffle batter, you can get very crisp waffles by doing 2 things: use the full amount of oil with the lesser amount of water to get a thick batter. Then separate the egg(s), mix the egg yolk into the batter, but beat the eggwhite(s) stiff and fold in. A thick batter with enough oil or shortening is the secret of really crisp waffles. Start with 2 1/2 cups mix to make about three 4-square regular size waffles.
To make the whole batch of mix at once:
(1 whole batch) Homemade Multigrain Buttermilk Pancake Mix
8-11 cups water
16 eggs
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil or unsalted melted butter (optional)
1 1/2-2 tablespoons vanilla
http://www.ellenskitchen.com/recipebox/veggies01.html
Family Rices Potatoes and Veggies
Fried Yam Fritters
1 pound yams makes enough for 4-5 people
1 pound fresh yams, peeled and finely grated
1 teaspoon finely grated onion
1 teaspoon butter, melted
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
pinch ground nutmeg
pinch black pepper
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup vegetable oil for frying
Line a large shallow baking pan with paper towels and set in a warm oven.
In a deep bowl, combine all the ingredients except the oil and beat hard until it becomes fairly smooth and thickened- it becomes almost a solid mass.
Heat oil in a 12’ skillet over moderate heat until it is almost smoking. Drop a tablespoon of batter into the oil, it will spread to around 2 inches. Fry about 5 at a time, 4 minutes on each side until golden brown and crisp on each side. Transfer finished patties to the oven in a single layer.
Haitian Mahogany Rice with Black Mushrooms
This beautifully colored rice serves 4.
1 cup dried black mushrooms or Haitian djon djon mushroooms
2 cups boiling water
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup (1 ounce) diced salt pork
1/4 cup finely chopped green pepper
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 stalks green onion, chopped with green tops
1 clove crushed garlic
1 cup long grain rice
1/4 teaspoon crumbled dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
pinch ground cloves
Soak dried mushrooms in boiling water in a stainless steel pan for 30 minutes, then bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook 15 minutes. Drain, reserving cooking liquid, add enough water to make 2 cups. If mushrooms are large, cut into small pieces.
Fry the pork in the oil in a 4 quart or larger covered pot, until the cubes are very brown and crisp, and remove the cubes to paper towels to drain. Add green pepper, parsley, scallions and garlic, cook until tender but not brown. Add rice, stir until the rice is just milky and opaque, but not brown.
Stir in liquid, mushrooms, pork, thyme cloves and salt, bring to a boil. Turn to low simmer, cover tightly and simmer about 20 minutes until dry. Fluff and serve.
Grandma’s Fried Okra and Potato Patties
10-12 patties
Crunchy like deep-fried okra but not greasy. Quick and easy, too.
1 pound fresh okra, small pods (larger are tough)
2 large baking potatoes, 1 to 1 1/2 pounds
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil for frying
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
Wash okra and cut off stem ends. Cut in 1/2-inch pieces. Peel potatoes and chop into 1/2-inch dice. Mix okra and potatoes in large bowl, add chopped onion to mixture, sprinkle in cornmeal, salt and pepper. Stir until cornmeal is evenly distributed throughout mixture.
Heat cooking oil in large skillet over medium heat. Oil will be hot, but not smoking hot. Carefully spoon okra/potato mixture into hot oil. Fry, turning once or twice, until potatoes and okra are done and mixture is nicely browned, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain on paper towels, keep warm in the oven if you are making a second batch.
Green Chile Rice
Serves 4. Mild chiles, cilantro and lime give this a delicate green taste and color.
3 poblano chiles
1/4 cup water
1 cup raw long grain rice
hot water to soak rice
2 tablespoons oil or lard
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup cilantro leaves; chopped
juice of 1/2 lime
salt to taste
Devein poblano chiles, puree with 1/4 cup water, and strain.
Soak the rice in very hot water for 15 minutes. Drain it; rinse it in cold water; then drain very well.
Saute’ the rice in hot oil or fat for a minute or so. Add the onion. When the rice just begins to change color and sounds like sand as it is stirred, add the pureed chiles and continue to cook until thickened.
Add the broth, cilantro, lime juice, and salt to taste.
As soon as the liquid comes to a boil, stir, cover, lower heat, and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.
Veggie Black Bean Green Enchilada Casserole
8 servings- 3-quart round souffle dish or 4-6 quart crock
Crock pot 2 1/2 hours on high or oven 45 minutes at 350 degrees
5 (8-inch) flour tortillas
1-1/4 cups green taco sauce
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Bean layer:
1/4 cup water
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained
May substitute 3 1/2 cups refried black beans
Veggie layer:
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
3 cups sliced onion (about 2 large)
2-1/2 cups thinly sliced zucchini (about 2 medium)
1-3/4 cups (1/4-inch) julienne-cut red bell pepper (about 2 medium)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 ears of corn, cut off the cob
OR 1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
OPTIONAL Garnish:
1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1/2 cup salsa OR 8 sprigs of cilantro or Italian parsley OR small can sliced black olives
Place water and beans in a food processor; process until smooth. Set aside.
Place a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot. Add cumin, oregano and ground red pepper, stirring constantly until aroma releases. Add onion, zucchini, bell pepper, and garlic; saute 10 minutes. Add corn, cook 2 minutes. Set aside.
Coat a 3-quart round souffle dish or 4-6 quart crock with cooking spray. To assemble casserole, place 1 tortilla in bottom of the pre-greased dish. Spread 1/2 cup bean mixture over tortilla. Spread 1 cup veggie mixture over the beans. Then pour on 1/4 cup sauce and sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese. Repeat 4 more times, ending with 1/2 cup cheese. Cover and cook by selected method.
Oven- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until thoroughly heated, uncovering the last 15 minutes if too moist. If dish has been refrigerated, add about 20 minutes.
For crock pot, use 6 quart crock and set to high. Cook on high without lifting lid for 2- 2 1/2 hours until thoroughly heated. If dish has been refrigerated before heating, add about 1 hour.
CALORIES per serving without garnish 290 (28% from fat); PROTEIN 14.6g; FAT 9g; CARB 39.7g; CHOL 17mg; SODIUM 538mg
Scalloped Tomatoes
12 servings, 9x13 pan
2 1/2 pounds (one and one-half large cans) chopped tomatoes or stewed tomatoes
1/2 cup brown or white sugar
2 cups tomato juice or milk
1 ounce (about 1/2 cup) cracker crumbs
salt, pepper to taste
OPTIONAL 1/2 cup finely shredded bell pepper or celery
OPTIONAL 1-2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) grated cheese or cracker crumbs for topping
Mix all the ingredients except the topping, pour into the buttered dish. Sprinkle on the topping and dot top with butter. Bake at 375 degrees 25 to 30 minutes, until bubbling hot and light brown.
Simple Corn Pudding
12 Servings, 9x13 pan
2 1/2 pounds (two and one-half cans) creamed corn
2 eggs, well beaten
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste
butter to taste
OPTIONAL 1/4 cup shredded green or red bell pepper
OPTIONAL grated cheese and cracker crumbs to top
Mix the corn, eggs,sugar, milk, salt and pepper, and bell pepper if used. Pour into the buttered pan. Dot top with butter, add crumbs and cheese if used. Bake at 375 (350 glass) degrees 25 to 30 minutes. Bake light brown.
http://www.ellenskitchen.com/pantry/ricemix.html
Ellen’s Kitchen Flavored Rice Mixes
Curry, Onion, Chicken or Beef
Full recipe serves 20 (24 servings)
1/4 recipe= 1 cup mix plus 2 1/4 cups water, serves 4-5
1/3 recipe= 1 1/3 cups mix plus 3 cups water, serves 6
A very economical and tasty alternative to those expensive rice mixes. Some people add additional salt to the cooking water...
4 cups uncooked long grain white rice (see note below for brown rice**)
One batch flavoring mix
Curry flavor (spicy yellow):
2 tablespoons curry powder (final “hotness” depends on what you use)
4 tablespoons instant minced onion
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon chicken or vegetable bouillon
1 teaspoon instant minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
Onion flavor:
2 (1.25 ounce) packages onion soup mix
OR 6 tablespoons instant minced onion PLUS 4 tablespoons beef or vegetable bouillon
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1 teaspoon salt
Chicken flavor:
4 tablespoons instant chicken bouillon
1/2 teaspoon instant minced onion
2 teaspoons dried thyme
4 tablespoons dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
Beef flavor:
4 tablespoons instant beef bouillon
1 teaspoon instant minced onion
1 teaspoon instant minced garlic
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
Combine RAW rice and ONE flavoring mix (I use an oversize zippered plastic bag) and mix until evenly distributed. Curry rice will be yellow, beefy rice vaguely pink.
Divide into your prefered serving size packages. Label with cooking directions, or insert an index card.
Store in a cool dry place and use within 6 months.
Cooking directions:
For 8 (1/2 cup) servings, boil 3 cups water in a covered pan. Add 1 1/3 cups (1/3 recipe) of flavored rice. Turn heat to a simmer. Stir thoroughly to mix. Cover. Simmer for 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
For 6 (1/2 cup) servings, boil 2 1/4 cups water in a covered pan. Add 1 cup (1/4 recipe) of flavored rice. Turn heat to a simmer. Stir thoroughly to mix. Cover. Simmer for 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
For 24 (1/2 cup) servings, use the entire recipe plus 8 1/2 cups water. Prepare in a 5 to 6 quart pan or Dutch oven.
**Brown rice may be used, but to get tender tasty rice you must add 2 tablespoons of water to the partial recipe or 1/2 cup to the full recipe and BOIL the rice before steaming. Mix the cold water and rice mix in the pan, cover and bring to a boil and boil just 8 minutes. Turn all the way down to simmer and cook another 20 minutes, checking the last 5 minutes for tenderness and doneness. If the liquid is completely absorbed before the brown rice is tender, add 1-2 tablespoons hot water and cover the pan to finish cooking.
http://www.ellenskitchen.com/bigpots/oamc/calzones.html
OAMC Freezable Calzones or Hot Pockets
OAMC Homemade Hot Pockets or Calzones
Three fillings
Serve these hot. Because they have fillings that may spoil, once baked, refrigerate them as you would any other meat or cheese sandwich. If you are making them to freeze, remove from the oven when light brown instead of golden brown, and reheat preferably in the oven.
Notice that all the fillings are fully cooked before being wrapped in the hot pocket dough.
Favorite bread dough recipe using 6-7 cups flour (2 large loaves)
cornmeal for baking pan
4 eggs, beaten, for egg wash
Filling for 16 pockets
Filling #1 Veggie Supreme Pizza/Calzone
1 1/4 quarts tomato sauce
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon garlic powder
3 pounds grated mozzarella cheese
1 pound sliced medium mushrooms, sauteed
4 cups chopped artichoke hearts
3 red onions, diced
3 cups sliced olives
Filling #2 Meat and cheese
2 1/2 pounds diced cooked ham, sausage, roast, or tiny meatballs
OR 3 pounds ground beef, turkey or pork, cooked and drained
2 pounds diced or shredded cheese
1 pound (2 cups) diced cream cheese mixed with
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano
OPTIONAL 3-4 cups sauteed seasoning veggies, onion, bell pepper, diced tomato, etc.
Filling #3 Oriental Tofu and spinach
Freeze tofu overnight, then thaw, before mixing this filling
2-3 pounds firm tofu, frozen, thawed, crumbled and drained, mixed with
1 tablespoon low salt soy sauce or hoisin sauce and
2 tablespoons mild white miso
2 pounds fresh spinach, steamed, shredded, drained
1 pound fresh bean sprouts, shredded cabbage, or mixed Chinese
veggies, sauteed and drained
2 tablespoons roasted sesame oil
1 6 ounce can slivered water chestnuts
OPTIONAL 3 tablespoons roasted sesame seeds to garnish bread
Make a yeast bread dough from your favorite recipe. If you are using your bread machine, set the machine for “dough” so that it will rise but not bake. By hand, let rise once until double, knock down and let rise again.
After the dough is ready to handle, divide it into bun-sized pieces, eight pieces for a 1 pound loaf from 3 cups flour or 16 for a 2 pound loaf from 6-7 cups flour. Let rest 10 minutes. Roll each piece flat with a rolling pin into about a 7 inch circle.
Mix the filling and divide the filling evenly among the 16 pockets. Place the filling, meat, cheese, and condiments in the center of the bread pieces. Wet the edges of the dough with a little water or beaten egg, pull the dough around the filling like a turnover, pinching the seams closed. The dough tends to pull apart on the seams as it rises the last time, so pinch the seams tightly together making sure that they are bound and sealed well.
Place the buns seam side down on a greased baking sheet which was sprinkled with cornmeal on the bottom of the sheet pan to help prevent the pockets/calzone from sticking. Brush with the beaten egg. Let the dough rise until puffy and doubled. It will take longer to rise than regular dough alone because of the cool filling in the dough.
Bake in a 400øF oven for 13 - 18 minutes (varies because of the bread dough), until the dough is golden and the filling is hot and melted. You may brush the dough with olive oil when it comes out of the oven, giving it added flavor. The olive oil will also soften the crust a bit after it has cooled. To recrisp the crust, bake at 500øF for 2 - 4 minutes.
Serve these hot. Because they have fillings that may spoil, refrigerate them as you would any other meat or cheese sandwich. Great for picnics and box lunches.
http://www.ellenskitchen.com/bigpots/granbars2.html
More Granola Breakfast Bars
General hints for Bar Cookies and Protein/Breakfast Bars
* Soak any dried fruit, raisins, dried cranberries, etc. for just 10 minutes in hot water, juice or liquor before mixing into the dough to avoid rock-like bits. Drain well or the excess moisture will affect your final product.
* To increase protein,add vital wheat gluten, roasted soy flour, nutritional yeast flakes, instant or non-instant dry milk powder, or proprietary protein powders. Each affects texture differently, so start with small amounts (1/4 cup).
* To reduce fat, substitute unsweetened applesauce or prune sauce for 1/2 the shortening.
* Use some type of nonstick prep on the pan, or line with waxed paper or parchment.
* The unbaked dough is usually stiff and must be spread or patted into the pan.
* Preheating the oven helps prevent burned bottoms on the bars. Position rack above the middle of the oven.
* Use a slower temp for bars than drop cookies- 300- 325 degrees.
* Bake bars just till the cookies appear dull and a slight imprint remails after touching the surface with a fingertip. Test cake-like bars for doneness with a wooden toothpick. Take out as soon as done; bars do get firmer as they cool.
* After baking, the bars should have a thin, delicate crust and a moist crumb. Over-mixing produces a hard and crusty top; over-baking results in a dry and crumbly cookie.
* To prevent the ragged edges that often occur whe cutting cooled cookie bars, use a sharp knife to score the tops of the bars as soon as the pan comes out of the oven. Then cool and cut the cooled bars along the scored lines.
* Allow cookies or bars to cool slightly before removing them from the baking sheet or pan. As soon as they are firm enough to move without breaking, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Do not leave cookies on the hot baking sheet, they will continue to cook.
Over the Clif Cranberry Snack Bars
wheat free
Preheat oven to 300 F.
2 cups crisp rice cereal
1 cup rolled oats
OR 3/4 cup rolled oats and 1/3 cup oat bran
3/4 cup oat flour (rolled oats ground to flour can be used)
1/4 cup rice bran
OPTIONAL 1/4 cup tasty nutritional yeast flakes, such as KAL VSF
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup natural sugar
OR 2 tablespoons fructose
1/4 cup dried cranberries, soaked 10 minutes in hot water, drained
2 tablespoons apple juice concentrate (not diluted)
1/2 cup rice syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a bowl, mix together dry ingredients. In another bowl, mix cranberries, juice concentrate, rice syrup, and vanilla.
Blend the dry ingredients with the other ingredients. Mix gently and just until mixed.
Spread mixture thinly onto greased nonstick cookie sheet, and press down well. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes. Remove when just done- they tend to burn.
Immediately score tops. Bars will firm up as they cool. When cool enough to handle, cut into bars.
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Variation, Cranberry Crunch Snack Bars
wheat free Preheat oven to 300 F.
2 cups crispy rice cereal
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup soy flour
OPTIONAL 1/4 cup tasty nutritional yeast flakes, such as KAL VSF
1/4 cup rice flour
1/2 cup peanut flour
1/4 cup natural sugar
OR 2 tablespoons fructose
1/2 cup chopped mixed nuts and seeds (cashews, almonds, pumpkin seeds)
2 tablespoons chopped roasted soy nuts
1/4 cup dried cranberries, soaked 10 minutes in hot water, drained
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup rice syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
If nuts are not roasted, stir-cook chopped nut mixture (not soy nuts) in dry pan over medium heat until lightly toasted. Take off heat.
Mix together the cereal, oats, flours, sugar, mixed nuts, soy nuts, and cranberries. In a separate bowl, mix oil, rice syrup, and vanilla. Blend the dry ingredients with the other ingredients.
Spread mixture thinly onto greased nonstick cookie sheet, and press down well. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes. Watch carefully that they do not burn.
Remove from oven, score tops. Bars will firm up as they cool. When cool enough to handle, cut into bars.
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Breakfast Fruit-Nut Bars
More tender and cakey than the previous recipe, higher protein due to eggs and peanut butter.
Servings: 8- 11x7 pan: double recipe (16 bars) fits an 11x15 jelly roll pan
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt, optional
1 1/2 cups chopped mixed dried fruit
2/3 cup oatmeal
1/3 cup chopped sunflower seeds or chopped peanuts, cashews or sliced almonds
6 eggs
1/2 cup firmly-packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chunk-style peanut butter, OR almond, cashew or sunflower butter or sesame butter (reduced fat, reduced sodium nut butter is fine)
1 teaspoon vanilla
In medium bowl, stir together flour, nutritional yeast, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Stir in fruit, oatmeal and peanuts. Set aside. In large bowl, beat together eggs, sugar, peanut butter and vanilla until smooth. Stir in reserved flour mixture.
Pour into greased 11 x 7 x 1 1/2-inch baking pan. Bake in preheated 350°F oven until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove when just done- they tend to burn.
Immediately score tops into 8 or 16 bars. Bars will firm up as they cool. When cool enough to handle, cut into bars. Remove from pan. Cool on wire rack.
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Over the Clif Lemon Snack Bars
wheat free
Preheat oven to 300 F.
2 cups crispy rice cereal
1 cup rolled oats
OR 3/4 cup rolled oats and 1/3 cup oat bran
1/2 cup oat flour (rolled oats ground to flour can be used)
1/4 cup rice flour
1/4 cup soy flour
OPTIONAL 1/4 cup tasty nutritional yeast flakes, such as KAL VSF
1/4 cup natural sugar
OR 2 tablespoons fructose
1 teaspoon powdered soy lecithin (granules ground to powder)
1/3 cup ground soynuts (soynuts ground to powder in processor) or other ground nut flour such as almond or pecan
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup rice syrup
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice with zest
1 teaspoon lemon extract
Mix together the cereal, oats, flours, sugar, soynuts, and lecithin. In a separate large bowl, mix oil and rice syrup. In a cup, mix lemon juice and extract.
Alternately blend the dry ingredients and the juice mixture into the oil/syrup mixture.
Spread mixture thinly onto greased nonstick cookie sheet, and press down well. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes. Remove when just done- they tend to burn.
Immediately score tops into 8 bars. Bars will firm up as they cool. When cool enough to handle, cut into bars. Remove from pan. Cool on wire rack.
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Chocolate Pecan Pie Snack Bars
wheat free
Preheat oven to 300 F.
2 cups crispy rice cereal
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup soy flour
OPTIONAL 1/4 cup tasty nutritional yeast flakes, such as KAL VSF
1/2 cup rice flour
1/2 cup Dutch or natural cocoa, NOT chocolate drink mix
1/4 cup natural sugar
OR 2 tablespoons fructose
1 teaspoon powdered soy lecithin (granules ground to powder)
1/2 cup pecans, ground coarsely in food processor or blender
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup rice syrup
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix together the cereal, oats, flours, cocoa, sugar, pecans, cinnamon, and lecithin. In a large bowl, mix oil, rice syrup, and vanilla. Blend the dry ingredients with the other ingredients.
Spread mixture thinly onto greased nonstick cookie sheet, and press down well. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes. Remove when just done- they tend to burn.
Immediately score tops into 8 bars. Bars will firm up as they cool. When cool enough to handle, cut into bars. Remove from pan. Cool on wire rack.
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Vegan White Chocolate Frosting or candy bar
Apply to cooled snack bars or breakfast bars
1/2 cup food-grade cocoa butter
1/3 cup natural sugar
1/3 cup soymilk powder (NOT SOY FLOUR)
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon powdered lecithin (granules ground to powder OK)
1 teaspoon flavoring powder or extract (powdered flavors work better)
Mix water, soymilk powder, and sugar in the top pan of a double boiler. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is melted.
Turn off heat.
Mix in cocoa butter, stirring until blended. Then mix in lecithin, stirring until blended. Mix in vanilla powder, stirring until thoroughly blended.
For frosting, spread immediately onto cooled bars. To make candy bars, pour warm mixture onto a greased plate. Let cool completely, break into pieces. Store in zippered plastic bags in the refrigerator.
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Fastest Vegan Chocolate Frosting
1 cup vegan chocolate chips
Melt chips over hot water. Spread over (or under) cooled bars. Cool or chill until firm.
http://www.ellenskitchen.com/bigpots/oamc/biscuitmix.html
Ellen’s Better Buttermilk Baking Mix Name
HOMEMADE BAKING MIX— BISQUICK SUBSTITUTE
If you make a baking mix yourself, it can be fresher and much more nutritious than Bisquick at about 1/3 or less the cost. The buttermilk makes baked goods more tender and improves their texture. Read the Flour Facts before you make a big batch of homemade baking mix. If you want a wheat-free blend, go here for a pretty handy gluten-free baking mix.
You will be using this for a while, so use fresh ingredients, take the time to measure carefully, sift and mix thoroughly, especially when cutting in the fats. Make only about as much as you’ll use in a month, and store the all-butter mix in the refrigerator.
Ellen’s Better Buttermilk Baking Mix
Even with the added flours, this makes a golden white biscuit unless whole wheat flour is added.
10 cups unbleached flour (may use up to 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour)
1 1/2 cups cake flour (may substitute 1 cup 2 tablespoons flour PLUS 6 tablespoons cornstarch)
1/2 cup Kal nutritional yeast, or other good tasting nutritional yeast
1 cup oat flour (whiz regular oatmeal) OR part packed oat bran**
1 2/3 cups dried buttermilk powder (”Saco”)
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons baking soda
6 tablespoons baking powder
2 cups (16 ounces) shortening
OR 2 1/2 cups (1 pound, 4 ounces) unsalted butter or margarine
PLUS 3/4 cup (6 ounces) unsalted butter or margarine
**Oat bran fact: 1/3 cup oat bran = 4.6 grams fiber, about 3x oatmeal
This can be made in 3 batches in a large food processor.
Whiz regular oatmeal, measure 1 cup, whiz in the nutritional yeast. Mix thoroughly with cake flour or substitute, then carefully mix in salt, baking soda, baking powder, and sugar. Blend this with the buttermilk powder until it is uniform- a sifter is handy here if you aren’t using a food processor.
In the food processor or a large bowl, cut together 1/3 of the flour mix, 1/3 each of the shortening and butter until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Set aside and repeat until all is used, then mix the three batches together before you divide it for storage or use. Store in tightly closed covered container or zippered plastic bags with the air pressed out.
To use, spoon into cup, don’t sift and don’t pack. Store remainder in refrigerator or freezer.
Reduced fat variation: you can reduce the shortening in this mix by 1/4, results will be a bit less tender, but still tasty. With reduced fat baking recipes, smaller sizes muffins, biscuits and pancakes will give better results. Fat may be reduced in most baking recipes by one-third. Fat makes baked goods tender and crisp, so lowering the amount of fat will change the texture as well as the flavor. With pie crusts, the fat may be decreased to one part fat to four parts flour. Some have had success also with replacing some of the fat in quick bread recipes with the same amount of applesauce. I have found it does work but the texture is tougher than the original recipe.
Basic Baking Mix Recipes
Biscuits- 475 o, 10-12 minutes. 3/4 cup water for each 3 cups Ellen’s Baking Mix
Impossible Pies
Impossible Dinner Pies
Impossible Vegetable Pies and Quiches
Impossible Dessert Pies- Baking mix classics! Sweet or savory, these quick and easy “crustless quiches” are good for breakfast, lunch or dinner, store in the refrigerator and can be grabbed for a homemade “takeout”. There are so many choices they have three pages! Ellen’s impossible pie recipes have added ingredients for better flavor and nutrition, and some new variations.
Cobblers- per 4 servings. 400o for 30 minutes. Butter a 1 quart casserole, pour in 2 cups of pie fruit OR partially precook sliced fruit 2 apples, for example) with liquid, for about 6 minutes. Mix crust and spread over the fruit. For crust, mix 3/4 cup Ellen’s Baking Mix, 1 tablespoon sugar, baking spices to taste and 3 tablespoons water. With apples, mixing 3 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese into the crust is tasty.
Muffins- 12 regular size, plain- Preheat to 425o. For 2 cups Ellen’s Baking Mix, beat together 2 eggs, 2/3 cup milk, 2 tablespoons honey or molasses, mixed with 1 teaspoon vanilla. Stir together till barely moist, batter should be lumpy. Use paper muffin cups or grease cups, fill half full, bake 18-20 minutes, till golden brown.
Pancakes- 8 medium- beat 1 egg foamy, add 2 tablespoons oil (optional), 3/4 cup cold water, 1 1/3 cup Ellen’s Baking Mix. Preheat griddle till a drop of water dances. Bake until bubbled and dry looking on the top side, turn once, cook until done.
Wheat Waffles- 3 large (12 small) squares or about 5 8” round waffles- 1 egg, separated, white whipped; 2 cups baking mix PLUS 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, 2 tablespoons sugar (for golden color), 1 1/2 cups milk, mixed with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (for tenderness) and the egg yolk. Barely mix milk blend and flour, fold in the egg white. Use 1/2 to 3/4 cup batter, bake on a Pam’d or greased preheated waffle griddle until steam stops rising.
Here is the link for original Bisquick brand recipes. Try any with your Ellen’s Better Baking Mix.
Once you start collecting baking mix recipes, sometimes you will run out and need a quick substitute, such as in an Impossible Pie recipe. To make 1 cup biscuit mix quickly, mix 1 cup flour, 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons shortening.
Baking Mix Orange Breakfast Biscuits
3 cups biscuit mix
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons grated orange peel (finely grated)
3/4 cup orange juice
1 cup ricotta cheese or 1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup orange marmalade
coarse granulated sugar, optional
Combine biscuit mix with sugar and orange peel. Stir in orange juice. Mix thoroughly.
Place on a lightly floured surface (may use additional biscuit mix to dust board) and knead gently 10 times. Roll or pat dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut biscuits. Place half the biscuits on ungreased cookie sheet. Using the center of a doughnut cutter or similar smaller circle, cut centers out of half the biscuits and stack them on the other half, making a bowl in the top of each biscuit.
Mix together ricotta or cream cheese and marmalade. Divide the cheese among the biscuits, placing mixture in bowl of each biscuit. Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired. Bake in a preheated oven at 450o for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.
http://www.ellenskitchen.com/recipebox/baked/imppsweet.html
Generic Sweet Impossible Pie: Streusel topping for Impossible Dessert Pies
Streusel topping:
1/2 cups baking mix
1/4 cup chopped nuts, OPTIONAL
1/4 cup packed brown
2 tablespoon firm butter or margarine (may use oil)
Baking spice to suit recipe: cinnamon, cardamon, lemon peel, nutmeg, etc
Stir together baking mix, nuts and brown sugar. Cut in margarine with fork or pastry blender until mixture is crumbly.
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THE ORIGINAL IMPOSSIBLE COCONUT OR MACAROON PIE With variations
2 cups milk OR 1 2/3 cup plus 1/3 cup lemon juice
4 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cups baking mix/ flour
1 cup flaked or shredded coconut
1/4 cup margarine or butter, softened
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter or heavily PAM a 9- or 10-inch pie plate. For macaroon pie with a pronounced coconut layer, sprinkle the coconut in the dish, place all other ingredients in blender container. Cover and blend on high speed 15 seconds. Pour into pie plate. For coconut pie, just whiz everything in the blender.
Bake until golden brown and knife inserted in center comes out clean, 50-55 minutes. At 400 degrees it takes 20-30 min in 10” pan.
Refrigerate any leftover pie.
Impossible Chocolate-Coconut Pie: Add 2 tablespoons cocoa.
Impossible Macaroon Fruit Pie: Use 10-inch pie plate. Cool pie, spread 1 (21 ounce) can or 2 cups fruit pie filling over top. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
Impossible Lemon Coconut Pie: Use 10-inch pie plate. Add 1/4 cup lemon juice.
Impossible Lemon Macaroon Pie: Use 10-inch pie plate. Make macaroon style with a layer of coconut. Use lemon juice and add 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel.
Impossible Almond Macaroon Pie: Use 10-inch pie plate. Make macaroon style with a layer of coconut. Sprinkle on 1/4 cup sliced, toasted almonds. Add 1/2 tablespoon almond extract and do not use lemon juice. Garnish with additional sliced almonds.
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IMPOSSIBLE FRENCH APPLE PIE
Streusel topping (recipe above)
3 cup sliced, pared tart apples (3-4 medium) or other fresh sliced fruit
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cups baking mix
1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon margarine or butter, softened
2 large eggs
Heat oven to 350 degrees (375 degrees for high altitudes). Grease 9-inch pie plate. Prepare streusel topping, reserve. Stir together apples and spices, turn into pie plate. Stir remaining ingredients except streusel topping with fork until blended. Pour into pie plate. Sprinkle with streusel topping. Bake 40-45 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Makes 6-8 servings.
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SOUR CREAM-APPLE IMPOSSIBLE PIE
4 cups thinly sliced pared apples
3/4 cup half-and-half
3/4 cup raisins
1/2 cups baking mix
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup margarine or butter, melted
1 cup dairy sour cream
ground cinnamon to taste
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease pie plate, 10 by 1 1/2 inches. Mix apples, raisins, sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon, turn into plate. Beat remaining ingredients except cinnamon until smooth, 15 seconds in blender on high or 1 minute with hand beater. Pour over apple mixture, sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake until apples are tender and knife inserted in center comes out clean, 55-65 minutes. Serve warm.
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IMPOSSIBLE RICH BROWNIE PIE
4 large eggs
1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/4 cup margarine or butter, melted
1/2 cups baking mix
1 (4 oz.) bar sweet cooking chocolate, melted and cooled OR
1/2 cup cocoa PLUS 1/4 cup additional butter or shortening PLUS 1/4 cup additional sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar (omit at altitudes of 3,500-6,500 feet)
3/4 cup chopped nuts
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease pie plate, 9 by 1 1/4 inches. Beat large eggs, margarine and chocolate until smooth, 10 seconds in blender on high or 30 seconds with hand beater. Add brown sugar, baking mix and granulated sugar. Beat until smooth, 1 minute in blender on high, stopping blender occasionally to scrape sides, or 2 minutes with hand beater. Pour into plate, stir in the nuts. Bake until knife inserted in center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Serve with ice cream or sweetened whipped cream if desired.
Other suggested toppings: Whipped cream sprinkled with crushed peppermint candies or brown sugar, flavored whipped cream, whipped cream cheese, candied fruit.
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IMPOSSIBLE BUTTERMILK PIE
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup firm cottage cheese
1/2 cup baking mix
1/3 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 large eggs
Heat oven to 350.
Grease pie plate. Beat all ingredients until smooth, 30 seconds in the blender on high, or 1 minute with hand beater. Pour into pie plate. Bake until knife inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. High altitude: (3500 to 6500 feet): Bake 30 to 35 minutes.
Cool 5 minutes. Serve with fresh fruit, if desired.
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IMPOSSIBLE CARAMEL- CUSTARD PIE (Dulce de Leche)
2 cups milk
1/4 cup melted butter
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup baking mix
1/2 cup flaked coconut (optional)
caramel sundae sauce for garnish
Spray a 10” pie plate with nonstick cooking spray.
Combine all ingredients except coconut in a blender, blend at high speed for 15 seconds or until smooth. Pour into a greased 10-inch pie plate.
Sprinkle coconut on top, if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely before cutting. Drizzle caramel sauce onto each portion.
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IMPOSSIBLE PECAN PIE
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1/2 cups baking mix
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup margarine or butter, softened
3/4 cup milk
4 large eggs
3/4 cup light or dark corn syrup
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease pie plate, 9 by 1 1/4 inches. Sprinkle pecans in pie plate. Beat remaining ingredients until smooth, 15 seconds in blender on high speed or 1 minute with hand beater. Pour into pie plate. Bake until golden brown and knife inserted in center comes out clean, 50-55 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting. Top with vanilla ice cream or serve with sweetened whipped cream, if desired. Refrigerate any remaining pie.
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IMPOSSIBLE CHERRY PIE
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons softened butter
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cups baking mix
1/4 cup sugar
1 (21 oz.) can cherry pie filling
STREUSEL recipe above, made with sliced almonds.
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease pie plate, 10 x 1 1/2 inches. Beat all ingredients except pie filling and Streusel until smooth, 15 seconds in blender on high or 1 minute with hand beater. Pour into plate. Spoon pie filling evenly over top. Top with Streusel. Bake until Streusel is brown, about 10 minutes longer. Cool refrigerate any remaining pie.
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IMPOSSIBLE RHUBARB PIE
3 cup chopped rhubarb
4 large eggs
1/2 cups baking mix
3 tbsp. melted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar (The rhubarb takes a lot of sugar!)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup milk
strawberry preserves, melted, for garnish
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 10” pan, put rhubarb in pan. Blend all remaining ingredients for 3 minutes. Pour over rhubarb. Let set for a few minutes. Bake 40 to 45 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before cutting, drizzle each slice with melted strawberry preserves.
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IMPOSSIBLE BANANA CREAM PIE
1 cup milk
1/3 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cup sugar — granulated
1/2 cup baking mix
2 bananas — medium, sliced
1 cup whipping cream — chilled
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Preheat to 350F. Grease pie plate, 9x 1 1/4”.
Beat milk, butter, vanilla, large eggs, granulated sugar and baking mix till smooth, 30 seconds in blender on High or 1 minute with hand beater. Pour into plate. Bake till knife inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool completely. Arrange bananas slices on pie. Beat whipping cream and powdered sugar in chilled bowl till stiff, spread over top.
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IMPOSSIBLE PEACHES & CREAM PIE
3 16 oz. cans peaches, drained* OR
3 1/2 cups sliced fresh peaches
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup Whipping cream
2 large eggs
3/4 cup Sugar
2/3 cup baking mix
Almond Streusel:
1 tablespoon Butter, firm
1/4 cup baking mix
2 tablespoon Sugar
1/3 cup Slivered almonds
1 cup whipped cream for garnish
Make almond streusel. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 10” pie plate. Pat peach slices dry, sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg, toss. Spread evenly in plate.
Beat cream, large eggs, sugar and baking mix until smooth, 15 sec. in blender on high. Pour into plate. Sprinkle with Streusel. Bake until knife inserted in center comes out clean, 40-45 min. Top each serving with whipped cream.
High Alt: Decrease baking mix to 1/3 c., add 1/4 cup flour. Bake about 50 minutes.
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PEANUT BUTTER AND CHOCOLATE IMPOSSIBLE PIE
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cups baking mix
2 large eggs
1 cup whipping cream
2/3 cup chunky peanut butter
1 (6 oz.) pkg. chocolate chips (1 cup) for topping
chopped peanuts if desired for garnish
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat all ingredients, except chocolate chips, in a large bowl on high speed, scraping bowl occasionally until fluffy, one minute (do not use blender). Pour into an ungreased pie plate, 9 x 1 1/4. Bake until puffed and dry in center and knife inserted in center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool slightly. Heat chocolate chips in 1 quart saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until melted. Spread over pie. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts, if desired. Refrigerate until chocolate is firm, about 1 hour.
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IMPOSSIBLE LEMON PIE
2 cups milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cups baking mix
1/4 cup margarine
4 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup lemon juice
Place milk, sugar, baking mix, margarine, large eggs, vanilla and lemon juice in container of blender. Cover and blend on high speed for 15 seconds. Pour into a greased 10 inch pie plate. Bake in 350 degree oven until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. About 50 to 55 minutes.
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IMPOSSIBLE CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 sq. (1 oz. each) melted unsweetened chocolate (cool) OR
5 tablespoons Dutch cocoa
1 cup sugar
1/2 cups baking mix
Sweetened whipped cream (below)
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease pie plate, 9 x 1 1/4 inches. Place all ingredients except sweetened whipped cream in blender container. Cover and blend on high 1 minute. Pour into plate. Bake until no indentation remains when touched lightly in center, about 30 minutes. Cool completely. Top with sweetened whipped cream.
SWEETENED WHIPPED CREAM:
Beat 1 cup chilled whipping cream and 2 tablespoons sugar until stiff.
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IMPOSSIBLE APPLUMPKIN PIE
- not too sweet, unusual- 10” pie
6 cup pared & sliced apples (6 medium)
2 cups uncooked pumpkin or winter squash, peeled & grated
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cups baking mix
2 large eggs
1/2 cups dry milk
1/4 cup soft butter or margarine
Fill buttered 10 inch pie plate or shallow casserole with sliced apples. Put remaining ingredients together (grated uncooked pumpkin included) in food processor or blender and mix thoroughly. Pour blended ingredients over apples. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes. Serve hot or cook with whipped cream or ice cream.
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IMPOSSIBLE PINA COLADA PIE
4 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons rum extract + 2 tbsp. milk or 1/4 cup rum
2 tbsp. butter, softened
1 (15 oz.) can cream of coconut
1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple in juice, well drained
1 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cups baking mix
1 cup flaked coconut
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease pie plate, 10 x 1 1/2 inch. Beat all ingredients except last cup of coconut until well blended. Pour into plate. Sprinkle with remaining coconut. Bake until knife inserted in center comes out clean, 40-45 minutes.
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IMPOSSIBLE PUMPKIN OR SWEET POTATO PIE
1 cup canned pumpkin or mashed sweet potato
1/2 cups baking mix
1 cup evaporated milk
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon margarine or butter, softened
1/2 cup dark brownsugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/4-1/2 teaspoon mild curry powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup pecan pieces, OPTIONAL
Heat oven to 350 degrees (375 degrees for high altitudes). Grease 9-inch pie plate. Stir all ingredients with fork until thoroughly blended. Pour into pie plate. Bake 35-40 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Makes 6-8 servings.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Bake about 55 min
1 Serving: 220 calories (70 calories from fat), 8 g fat (3 g saturated), 80 mg cholesterol, 230 mg sodium, 31 g carbohydrate (1 g dietary fiber), 6 g protein.
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IMPOSSIBLE EASY CHEESECAKE
Total: 1 hr
Makes 6 servings
3/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup baking mix
16 ounces (2 packages) Neufchatel or cream cheese, cut into about 1/2-inch cubes and softened
Topping: If desired, make topping and spread over top of completely cooled cheesecake. Stir together 1 cup sour cream, 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Serve with fruit.
Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease 9-inch pie plate. Place milk, vanilla, large eggs, sugar and the baking mix in blender. Cover and blend on high speed 15 seconds. Add cream cheese. Blend 2 minutes longer. Pour into pie plate.
Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean, cool. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Cover and refrigerate any remaining cheesecake.
1 Serving: Calories 480 (Calories from Fat 270), Fat 30g (Saturated 18g), Cholesterol 155mg, Sodium 400mg, Potassium 170mg, Carbohydrate 43g (Dietary Fiber 0g), Protein 9g % Daily Value: Vitamin A 24%, Vitamin cup 0%, Vitamin D 6%, Calcium 12%, Iron 8%, Folic Acid 4% Diet Exchanges: Not Recommended
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft)- Bake 45 to 50 minutes.
http://www.ellenskitchen.com/recipebox/baked/imppveg.html
This section got so big it has been subdivided. Check out:
Impossible Dinner Pies
Impossible Dessert Pies
Here is Ellen’s Homemade Better Buttermilk Baking Mix recipe.
Here is Ellen’s Deluxe Multigrain Pancake and Waffle Mix recipe.
The Impossible Pie- Vegetable Dinner Pies
Impossible pies- the convenient baked dishes that make their own crusts- were popularized by Bisquick (TM) baking mix. In the early 1980s, the company published the recipes, widely expanding their popularity. The original “Impossible Coconut Pie” and “Impossible Bacon Pie” started as grassroots recipes that consumers shared with each other in the late 60’s, quickly increasing to over 100 versions. Below are my favorites evolved from the bacon pie and some of the more interesting dinner combinations.
Substitute healthier ingredients. Substitute a high quality homemade baking mix such as Ellen’s Better Buttermilk Baking Mix for the Bisquick. The original Impossible pies were full of eggs, cheese, butter and often meat, so pretty high in cholesterol. To reduce fat and cholesterol, they can be made substituting two egg whites for each egg, using reduced fat cheeses, ricotta or drained cottage cheese or naturally lower fat cheeses such as mozzarella, Parmesan or lower fat queso quesadilla. Precook and drain ground meat. Frozen and crumbled, seasoned to taste, tofu makes a fine ground meat substitute, or you can use ground seitan/ wheat meat, or ground chicken or turkey in place of ground beef. The pies taste great with all these variations.
Fresh is best. Impossible pies are best made just before serving. Not suitable for freezing once baked, they do allow you to prepare freezer packages of the additions/fillings (ground meat, etc) and mix in the liquids and baking mix when you are ready to bake. Baked Impossible pie keeps several days in the refrigerator, so they are handy for totable breakfasts and lunches.
Pan size: a single recipe will fill a 9” or 10” pie plate, or an 11”x7” biscuit pan. A double recipe will fill a 9”x13” pan. A half recipe will fill a 1 quart round or square casserole. If a pan size is specified, it probably works better in that size. Always spray or grease the pan.
The darkest secret, or what Bisquick never told us: If you are making a single recipe and use a blender, you can use self-rising flour in place of the baking mix! In a pinch, even plain flour with a 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder will do.
High altitude hints: Substitute 1/2 flour for the baking mix, to reduce the amount of baking powder. Some recipes increase the amount of baking mix/flour by 1/4 to 1/2 cup. Use a 10” pie plate to get a thinner layer. Preheat oven to 375 degrees instead of 400. If using granulated sugar, reduce sugar by 1/4 to 1/2 cups at altitudes of 3,500-6,500 feet. Baking time is usually increased. Some pies have specific high altitude adjustments, see recipes.
Vegetarian protein additions can be seitan or wheat meat, tofu which has been frozen and baked or grilled in small dice or very thin slices, or any of the commerciall soy burgers. Vegetables can be anything your family likes and you have in the freezer or garden: frenched green beans, corn, carrots, peas, onions. If you use a watery vegetable such as onions or zucchini, be sure to precook, drain well. Cheese can be whatever will go well with the selected veggies. Drained cottage cheese can replace regular cheese or proteins.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Thaw and drain vegetables. Spray one 9” pie plate per 4 servings with nonstick spray, remember that 1 10” pie takes 1 1/4 times the filling of a 9” pie. Mix vegetables, and cheese in pie plate. (If desired, reserve 1/8 cup cheese per pie plate to sprinkle on top for last 5 minutes of baking.) Beat filling ingredients until smooth; 15 seconds on high in blender, or 1 minute on high with an electric beater. Pour into plate(s). Bake 20-55** minutes. Cool 5 minutes on flat surface, not wire rack, to maintain temperature at bottom of pie, then cut. Refrigerate leftovers.
** shortest time for half recipe or very thin pie, longest for thick deep pie.
Microwave directions: You have to test this for the recipe you are trying. Microwaving works great with some and not nearly so well with others. Prepare as directed - except decrease milk to 1 3/4 cups (increase baking mix to 3/4 cup to microwave at high altitudes). Pour into greased microwavable pie plate, 10 by 1 1/2 inches, sprinkle top with paprika before microwaving.
Microwave on medium-high (70 percent) 24-28 minutes (20-24 minutes in high altitudes), rotating plate 1/4 turn every 8 minutes, until knife inserted in center comes out clean (center will be slightly soft). Garnish with tomato and green pepper.
Cover with waxed paper, let stand on flat, heatproof surface 10 minutes (do not use wire rack- too much heat loss). Sprinkle with additional paprika, if desired.
Ellen’s Better Buttermilk Baking Mix
veggie
yogurt veggie
spinach
asparagus
Greek spinach feta
ratatouille (eggplant)
green bean
southwestern vegetarian black bean
quesadilla vegetarian
zucchini
Here are the meat-added ones: A generic main dish pie recipe
bacon breakfast pie - BLT and ham variations
sausage mockmuffin breakfast pie
beef and tomato
cheeseburger
Mexican
Beef Enchilada or Megas
pizza
lasagna
salmon or tuna
seafood
crab, asparagus, and hazelnuts
ham and Swiss
ham salad
chicken
chicken broccoli
chicken pot pie
chicken parmesan
turkey
turkey & stuffing
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IMPOSSIBLE VEGETABLE PIE
2 cups (1 pound) chopped fresh broccoli or sliced fresh cauliflower OR
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped broccoli or cauliflower, thawed and drained or other interesting mixed veggies (do not cook frozen ones)
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup baking mix
1/2 cups chopped onion
3 large eggs
1/2 cups chopped green pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar or Swiss plus Parmesan)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon fresh minced parsley
Trim off large leaves of broccoli. Remove tough ends of lower stalks, and wash broccoli thoroughly, cut flowerets and stems into thin slices.
Combine broccoli, onion, and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan, cover and cook over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes. Drain thoroughly, pressing out moisture with paper towels.
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease pie plate, 10 by 1 1/2 inches. Heat 1 inch salted water (1/2 teaspoon salt to 1 cup water) to boiling. Add broccoli. Cover and heat to boiling. Cook about 5 minutes (7 minutes in high altitudes) or until almost tender, drain thoroughly. Mix broccoli, onion, green pepper and cheese in pie plate.
Beat remaining ingredients 15 seconds in blender on high, 1 minute with hand beater or until smooth. Pour into pie plate. Bake 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and knife inserted halfway between center and edge comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Garnish as desired. Refrigerate any remaining pie. Makes 6 servings.
YOGURT VEGGIE PIE: Omit cheese and milk and use only 2 large eggs. Blend 1 cup sour cream or thick yogurt PLUS 1 cup cottage cheese into the baking mix blend.
IMPOSSIBLE SPINACH PIE: Substitute 1 package (10 ounces) frozen spinach, thawed and drained, or 1 pound fresh spinach lightly cooked and chopped for the broccoli. Do not cook frozen spinach first. Omit green pepper. Substitute Swiss cheese for the Cheddar cheese. Add 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg. Continue as directed - except bake about 30 minutes (35 minutes in high altitudes).
IMPOSSIBLE ASPARAGUS PIE: Substitute 2 cups lightly cooked asparagus pieces for the broccoli.
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IMPOSSIBLE GREEK SPINACH-FETA PIE
1/2 cups green onions, sliced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp. butter or margarine
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, drained and thawed
1/2 cup creamed cottage cheese or crumbled feta cheese
1 cup milk
1/2 cups baking mix
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons feta cheese
ripe olive slices for garnish
Grease a 9 x 1 1/4 inch pie plate. Cook and stir onions and garlic in butter in a 10 inch skillet until onions are transparent (2-3 minutes). Stir in spinach. Layer spinach mixture and cottage cheese in pie plate, draining well. Beat milk, large eggs, baking mix and lemon juice and pepper until smooth (15 seconds in a blender or 1 minute with hand beater). Pour over spinach/cottage cheese mixture. Sprinkle on feta cheese, Parmesan cheese and nutmeg. Bake 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees or until knife inserted comes out clean. Garnish with ripe olives, if desired.
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IMPOSSIBLE RATATOUILLE PIE
1 cup chopped zucchini
1 cup chopped pared eggplant
1/2 cups chopped tomato
1/2 cups chopped green pepper
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 med. clove garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons good quality olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup baking mix
3 large eggs
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease pie plate, 10 x 1 1/2 inches. Cook zucchini, eggplant, tomato, green pepper, onion and garlic in olive oil until crisp-tender. Stir in seasonings. Drain if very moist. Spread in pie plate, sprinkle with cheese. Beat remaining ingredients until smooth, 15 seconds in blender on high speed or 1 minute with hand beater. Pour into pie plate. Bake until knife inserted halfway between center and edge comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. Let stand 5-10 minutes before cutting.
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IMPOSSIBLE GREEN BEAN PIE
8 oz. green beans, cooked & drained, French cut preferred
1 cup (4 oz. can, drained) mushrooms, sliced, sautéed
1/2 cups chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed OPTIONAL
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup baking mix
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 10 x 1 1/2 inch pie dish. Mix beans, mushrooms, onions, garlic and cheese in pie dish. Beat remaining ingredients until smooth, 15 seconds in blender on high or 1 minute by hand. Pour into pie dish. Bake until knife inserted in center and edge comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Serves 6.
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IMPOSSIBLE SOUTHWESTERN BLACK BEAN PIE
1 1/2 cups frozen whole kernel corn
8 medium green onions, chopped
1 1/2 cups (15 ounce can) black beans, rinsed and drained
2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup shredded Cheddar
1/2 cup baking mix
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup thick-and-chunky salsa
2 large eggs
Additional thick-and-chunky salsa
Heat oven to 400°. Grease 9-inch pie plate. Layer corn, cilantro, onions and beans in pie plate. Sprinkle with cheese. Stir baking mix, milk, 1/2 cup salsa and the large eggs until blended. Pour into pie plate. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. Serve with salsa.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Increase baking mix to 2/3 cup. Bake 40-45 min.
1/6th pie: 230 calories (55 calories from fat), 6 g fat (2.5 g saturated), 80 mg cholesterol, 590 mg sodium, 37 mg carbohydrate (6 g dietary fiber), 13 g protein.
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IMPOSSIBLE QUESADILLA PIE
2 cans (4 oz. each) diced green chilies, drained
4 cups (1 pound) shredded Cheddar cheese
2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 cups milk
1 cup baking mix
1/4 teaspoon oregano
4 large eggs
sour cream OPTIONAL for garnish
avocado or guacamole OPTIONAL for garnish
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Grease pie plate, 10 x 1 1/2 inches. Sprinkle chilies, cheese and cilantro in plate. Beat remaining ingredients until smooth, 15 seconds in blender on high or 1 minute with hand beater. Pour into plate. Bake until knife inserted between center and edge comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Serve with sour cream and guacamole if desired. 6 servings.
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IMPOSSIBLE ZUCCHINI-TOMATO PIE
2 cups chopped zucchini
1 cup chopped tomato, fresh, drained
1/2 cups chopped onion
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup baking mix
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 tbsp. pepper
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 10 inch quiche dish or pie plate 10 x 1 1/2 inches. Sprinkle zucchini, tomato, onion, and cheese in plate. Beat remaining ingredients until smooth, 15 seconds in blender on high, or 1 minute with hand beater. Pour into plate. Bake until knife inserted in center comes out clean - about 30 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before cutting and serving. 6 servings.
http://www.ellenskitchen.com/recipebox/baked/imppdinner.html
The Impossible Pie- Dinner Pies
Impossible pies- the convenient baked dishes that make their own crusts- were popularized by Bisquick (TM) baking mix. In the early 1980s, the company published the recipes, widely expanding their popularity. The original “Impossible Coconut Pie” and “Impossible Bacon Pie” started as grassroots recipes that consumers shared with each other in the late 60’s, quickly increasing to over 100 versions. Below are my favorites evolved from the bacon pie and some of the more interesting dinner combinations.
Substitute healthier ingredients to get a better food. Substitute a high quality homemade baking mix such as Ellen’s Better Buttermilk Baking Mix for the Bisquick. The original Impossible pies were full of eggs, cheese, butter and often meat, so pretty high in cholesterol. To lower fat and cholesterol, they can be made substituting two egg whites for each egg, using reduced fat cheeses, ricotta or drained cottage cheese or naturally lower fat cheeses such as mozzarella, Parmesan or lower fat queso quesadilla. Precook and drain ground meat. Frozen and crumbled, seasoned to taste, tofu makes a fine ground meat substitute, or you can use ground seitan/ wheat meat, or ground chicken or turkey in place of ground beef. The pies taste great with all these variations.
Fresh is best. Impossible pies are best made just before serving. Not suitable for freezing once baked, they do allow you to prepare freezer packages of the additions/fillings (ground meat, etc) and add the liquids at the moment of preparation. Baked Impossible pie keeps several days in the refrigerator, so they are handy for totable breakfasts and lunches.
Pan size: a single recipe will fill a 9” or 10” pie plate, or an 11”x7” biscuit pan. A double recipe will fill a 9”x13” pan. A half recipe will fill a 1 quart round or square casserole. If a pan size is specified, it probably works better in that size. Always spray or grease the pan.
The darkest secret, or what Bisquick didn’t want us to know: If you are making a single recipe and use a blender, you can use self-rising flour in place of the baking mix! In a pinch, even plain flour with a 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder will do.
High altitude hints: Substitute 1/2 flour for the baking mix, to reduce the amount of baking powder. Some recipes do better at high altitudes if you increase the amount of baking mix/flour by 1/4 to 1/2 cup. Use a 10” pie plate to get a thinner layer. Preheat oven to 375 degrees instead of 400. If granulated sugar is called for, reduce sugar by 1/4 to 1/2 cups at altitudes of 3,500-6,500 feet). Baking time is usually increased. Some pies have specific high altitude adjustments, see recipes.
Ellen’s Impossible Dinner Pie General Recipe
Filling/ crust portion
1 1/3 cups milk (evaporated skimmed gives great result): may use part milk and part mayonnaise
4 large eggs
5/8 cup baking mix
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon Pepper, black
1-3 teaspoons herbs to complement selected flavors
Additions
1-2 cups (1 pound) proteins or meat, cooked and chopped or very thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups vegetables, bite-sized, partially pre-cooked
1 cup mushrooms, pieces or slices, precooked
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup onions, chopped or rings, sautéed first
2 bell peppers, rings/chopped
1-2 cups cheese, shredded or cottage cheese, drained
Vegetarian protein additions can be seitan or wheat meat, tofu which has been frozen and baked or grilled in small dice or very thin slices, in addition to chicken, turkey, beef, ham, or even bacon. Vegetables can be anything your family likes and you have in the freezer or garden: frenched green beans, corn, carrots, peas, onions. If you use a chewy or watery vegetable such as onions or zucchini, be sure to precook, drain well. Cheese can be whatever will go well with the meat: ham and Swiss, beef and cheddar, chicken and Monterey jack, garden vegetables and parmesan, shrimp or crabmeat and almost anything. For a vegetable quiche, just use vegetables and more cheese. Drained cottage cheese can replace regular cheese or proteins.
Procedure is to preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Thaw and drain vegetables. Spray one 9” pie plate per 4 servings with nonstick spray. Mix meat, vegetables, and cheese in pie plate. (If desired, reserve 1/8 cup cheese per pie plate to sprinkle on top for last 5 minutes of baking.) Beat filling ingredients until smooth; 15 seconds on high in blender, or 1 minute on high with an electric beater. Pour into plate(s). Bake 20-55** minutes. Cool 5 minutes on flat surface, not wire rack, to maintain temperature at bottom of pie, then cut. Refrigerate leftovers promptly.
** shortest time for half recipe or very thin pie, longest for thick deep pie.
Microwave directions: You have to test this for the recipe you are trying. Microwaving works great with some and not nearly so well with others. Prepare as directed - except decrease milk to 1 3/4 cups (increase baking mix to 3/4 cup to microwave at high altitudes). Pour into greased microwavable pie plate, 10 by 1 1/2 inches, sprinkle top with paprika before microwaving.
Microwave on medium-high (70 percent) 24-28 minutes (20-24 minutes in high altitudes), rotating plate 1/4 turn every 8 minutes, until knife inserted in center comes out clean (center will be slightly soft). Garnish with tomato and green pepper.
Cover with waxed paper, let stand on flat, heatproof surface 10 minutes (do not use wire rack- too much heat loss). Sprinkle with additional paprika, if desired.
Ellen’s Better Buttermilk Baking Mix
Generic main dish pie recipe
bacon breakfast pie - BLT and ham variations
sausage mockmuffin breakfast pie
beef and tomato
cheeseburger
pizza
lasagna
Mexican
Beef Enchilada or Megas
Vegetable or Vegetarian
salmon or tuna
seafood
crab, asparagus, and hazelnuts or almonds
ham and Swiss
ham salad
chicken
chicken broccoli
chicken pot pie
chicken parmesan
turkey
turkey & stuffing
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IMPOSSIBLE BACON BREAKFAST PIE (Quiche-STYLE)
1 cup bacon pieces (1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled)
1 small onion, chopped or in thin rings
1 (4-6 ounce)can diced green chilies
1 cup grated cheese (Jack or Swiss)
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup baking mix
3/4 cup (6 oz) sour cream
3 large eggs
salt & pepper to taste
Cook, drain and crumble bacon. Put in bottom of 11”X7” greased dish. Top with onions, chilies and cheese. Put remaining ingredients in blender for 40 seconds. Pour into pan. Bake at 350 until it tests done with a knife tip (35-45 min). Cool 5 minutes before cutting.
VARIATION, BLT: omit chilies, substitute mayonnaise for sour cream, serve with lettuce and tomato slices for garnish
VARIATION, Ham: Substitute 2 cups fully cooked smoked ham for the bacon, cut-up.
1/2 RECIPE: Use 1 qt. square or round casserole. Decrease onion to 2 tablespoons. Divide remaining ingredients amounts in half. Decrease beat time to 10 sec.
HIGH ALT: Bake about 45 min.
For 1/2 recipe: use 1 1/2 qt round or 1 qt square casserole. Bake 30-40 min.
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IMPOSSIBLE SAUSAGE MOCKMUFFIN PIE
Breakfast good, drive-ins bad...
12 ounces to 1 pound fresh sausage, cooked, drained, crumbled
1 cup grated cheese (cheddar, Jack or Swiss)
3 eggs, hardboiled and sliced or scrambled firm and shredded
1 tomato sliced very thin, OPTIONAL
1 cup milk
1/2 cup baking mix
3 large eggs
salt & pepper to taste
Cook, drain and crumble sausage. Seed, slice and drain the tomato slices. Put sausage in bottom of 11”X7” greased dish. Top with tomato and egg slices and cheese. Put rest in blender for 30 seconds. Pour into pan. Bake at 350 until it tests done with a knife tip (35-45 min).
1/2 RECIPE: Use 1 qt. square or round casserole. Decrease beat time to 10 sec.
HIGH ALT: Bake about 45 min.
For 1/2 recipe: use 1 1/2 qt round or 1 qt square casserole. Bake 30-40 min.
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IMPOSSIBLE BEEF AND TOMATO PIE
13”x9”- 10 servings
3 cups cooked beef, cut up in bite size pieces
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup thinly sliced celery
3 coarsely chopped tomatoes
1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
2 1/4 cups milk
1/4 cup melted butter
5 large eggs
1 1/4 cups baking mix
1/2 teaspoons garlic salt OPTIONAL
Heat oven to 350. Grease a 13x9x2” baking dish. Layer beef, onion, celery, tomatoes and cheese in dish. Beat remaining ingredients until smooth, 15 sec. in blender on high or 1 min. with electric mixer on high. Pour into dish. Bake until knife inserted in center comes out clean, 40-50 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Garnish with parsley sprigs if desired.
High Alt.- Bake 70-75 minutes.
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IMPOSSIBLE CHEESEBURGER PIE
2 cups (1 lb.) cooked ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup milk
1/2 cups baking mix
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 9-inch pie plate. Cook ground beef and onion until beef is brown, drain. Stir in salt. Spread in pie plate, sprinkle with cheese. Stir remaining ingredients with fork until blended. Pour into pie plate. Bake 25 minutes(30-35 at high altitudes) or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Makes 6 servings.
Variation: IMPOSSIBLE MEXICAN PIE: Season cooked drained hamburger with taco seasoning mix. Add 1 small can (4-6 ounces) drained diced green chilies. Garnish finished pie with chunky salsa and sour cream.
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IMPOSSIBLE BEEF ENCHILADA PIE- FRITOS
This is actually more like what we call Megas, crispy strips of corn tortilla scrambled into eggs and topped with a little sharp cheddar.
2 cups (1 lb.) cooked, drained ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped, OPTIONAL
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
8 oz. taco sauce
2/3 cup finely crushed tortilla chips
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (8 oz.)
1 1/4 cup milk
3 large eggs
3/4 cup baking mix
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease pie plate 10 x 1 1/2 inch. Cook and stir ground beef, onion and garlic until brown, drain. Stir in chili powder, oregano, salt, pepper and 1/2 cup taco sauce. Sprinkle tortilla chips evenly in plate. Top with 1 1/2 cups cheese, spread with beef mixture. Beat milk, large eggs and baking mix until smooth, 15 seconds in blender on high or 1 minute with hand beater. Pour into plate. Bake until knife inserted in center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Spread remaining taco sauce over top, sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake until cheese is melted, 3-5 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Serve with chopped tomato, shredded lettuce and sour cream if desired. 6-8 servings.
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IMPOSSIBLE PIZZA PIE
2/3 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese PLUS
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 (3 1/2 oz.) pkg. sliced pepperoni, or 1 cup (1/2 lb.) ground beef or bulk Italian sausage, cooked and drained
1 1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup chopped onion
3 large eggs
1/2 cups chopped green bell pepper
3/4 cup baking mix
1-1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Fast Pizza Sauce (recipe follows)
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Grease glass pie plate, 10 by 1 1/2 inches. Sprinkle 2/3 cup onion and 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese in pie plate. Beat milk, large eggs and baking mix 15 seconds in blender on high or 1 minute with wire whisk or hand beater, or until smooth. Pour into pie plate. Bake 20 minutes. Spread sauce over top. Top with remaining ingredients. Bake 15-20 minutes or until cheese is light brown. Cool 5 minutes. Makes 6-8 servings.
Fast Pizza Sauce: Mix 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste, 1/4 cup water, 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, 1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves, 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
1/2 Recipe: Use 1-quart square or round casserole. Decrease the 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese to 2 tablespoons, large eggs to 2 and baking mix to 1/2 cup. Divide remaining ingredient amounts in half. Decrease beat time to 10 seconds in blender or 30 seconds with wire whisk or hand beater. Decrease second bake time to 10-15 minutes.
Microwave directions: Prepare as directed above - except pour into greased microwavable pie plate, 10 by 1 1/2 inches. Place pie plate on inverted microwavable dinner plate. Microwave on medium-high (70 percent) 12-16 minutes, rotating pie plate 1/4 turn every 6 minutes, until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Spread sauce over top. Layer remaining ingredients on sauce. Microwave 5-9 minutes, rotating pie plate 1/4 turn every 3 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly. Let stand on flat, heatproof surface 5 minutes (do not let stand on wire rack).
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IMPOSSIBLE LASAGNA PIE
1/3 cup ricotta or creamed cottage cheese
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups (1 pound) cooked drained ground beef
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 ounces)
1/2 cup spaghetti sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup baking mix
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
Additional spaghetti sauce, heated, if desired
Heat oven to 400°. Grease 9-inch pie plate. Spread ricotta cheese in pie plate, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Stir together beef, 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce and the salt, spoon evenly over cheeses. Stir baking mix, milk and large eggs until blended. Pour into pie plate. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 1 to 2 minutes longer or until melted. Cool 5 minutes. Serve with additional spaghetti sauce.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Heat oven to 425°. Decrease milk to 3/4 cup. Increase first bake time to 35-40 min.
1/6th pie: 260 calories (135 calories from fat), 15 g fat (7g saturated), 100 mg cholesterol, 510 mg sodium, 10 g carbohydrate (0 g dietary fiber), 20 g protein.
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IMPOSSIBLE SALMON OR TUNA PIE
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
1-1 1/2 cups (15 ounce can) salmon or 2 cans tuna, drained and flaked
1 cup sharp (grated) cheddar cheese
1 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, in sm. pieces
1 (2 oz.) jar pimiento
2 cups milk
4 large eggs
1 cup baking mix
1 teaspoon dill weed
salt & pepper to taste
Dash of nutmeg (for salmon)
2 tomatoes, sliced thin, OPTIONAL for topping
1/4 cup additional shredded cheese, OPTIONAL for topping
Drain fish, mashing any bones and including them-they are an excellent source of easily absorbed calcium. I do take out the skin, but that is my taste. Put salmon or tuna and grated cheese in a greased 10” pie pan. You may add some thinly sliced sautéed celery, thawed frozen peas, or thinly sliced drained tomatoes. In blender blend the rest of the ingredients for 15 seconds, pour over ingredients in pie pan. Bake 400 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until knife comes out clean when tested. Top with extra cheese and the tomatoes. Bake 3-5 minutes longer until cheese is melted.
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IMPOSSIBLE SEAFOOD PIE
6 oz. pkg. frozen crabmeat, thawed and drained OR
flaked imitation crab or cooked fish
1 cup shredded sharp cheese
3 oz. pkg. cream cheese, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup baking mix
4 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt OR
1/2 teaspoon Japanese dashi powder
Dash of nutmeg
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease large pie plate (10 inch). Mix crabmeat, cheeses and onion in pie plate. Mix remaining ingredients in blender until smooth (15 seconds on high). Slowly pour liquid mixture into pie plate. Bake until golden brown for 35 to 40 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting.
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IMPOSSIBLE Crab Hazelnut quiche with spring veggies
Serves 8
1 1/2 cups (approximately 8 oz.) crabmeat
3/4 cup roasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped**
5 ounces Gruyere cheese, sliced thin, or 1-1/2 cups grated (if unavailable, Swiss may be substituted)
1 1/2 cups thin fresh asparagus, sliced diagonally (if unavailable, substitute 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed & squeezed dry)
2 tablespoons sweet white onion, diced
4 eggs
2 2/3 cups milk
1 1/2 cups baking mix (Ellen’s Better Baking Mix, Jiffy, Bisquick)
3 to 5 whole asparagus spears for top garnish
Heat oven to 400°. Coat an 11-3/4” X 7-1/2” baking dish with cooking spray. **Reserve 1/4 cup of hazelnuts for garnish. Set aside. Layer crab, 1/2 cup hazelnuts, cheese and vegetables in greased baking dish. In separate mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and baking mix until dry ingredients are incorporated. (Batter will be somewhat lumpy.) Pour over layered ingredients in baking dish. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and knife inserted in center comes out clean. Allow to stand 5 minutes before serving.
While quiche is baking, blanch reserved asparagus for 5-8 minutes in uncovered pot. Drain on paper towels. When quiche is removed from oven, garnish with asparagus and sprinkle hazelnuts over all. To give asparagus a shiny appearance, brush very lightly with vegetable oil.
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IMPOSSIBLE HAM ‘N SWISS PIE
2 cups cut-up fully cooked smoked ham
1 cup shredded natural Swiss cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt, if desired
1/3 cup chopped green onions or chopped onion
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 cups milk
1 cup baking mix
4 large eggs
1 tomato, sliced garnish
1 green bell pepper, cut into rings , garnish
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease glass pie plate, 10 by 1 1/2 inches. Sprinkle ham, cheese and onions in pie plate. Beat remaining ingredients except tomato and green pepper 15 seconds in blender on high, 1 minute with hand beater or until smooth.
Pour into pie plate. Bake 35-40 minutes (45 minutes for high altitudes) or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes, garnish with tomato and green pepper. Makes 6 servings.
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IMPOSSIBLE HAM SALAD PIE
1 cup finely chopped, fully cooked ham
1/2 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen peas
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz.)
1 cup milk
1/2 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
1 1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard
3/4 cup baking mix
3 large eggs
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease 10x1 1/2 inch pie plate. Rinse peas under cold water to separate and then drain. Sprinkle peas, ham and cheese into pie plate. Beat remaining ingredients in blender on high for 15 seconds, or by hand 1 minute or until smooth. Pour into pie plate. Bake until golden brown and until knife inserted into middle of pie comes our clean. This is about 30 to 35 minutes. Let pie stand 5 minutes before cutting.
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IMPOSSIBLE CHICKEN PIE
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups cut-up or shredded or ground cooked chicken
1 1/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (5 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
1/2 cup baking mix
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 large eggs
Heat oven to 400°. Grease 9-inch pie plate. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese in pie plate. Mix chicken, 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese, the oregano, basil, garlic powder and tomato paste, spoon over Parmesan cheese. Stir baking mix, milk, pepper and large eggs until blended. Pour over chicken mixture. Bake 35 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake 5 to 8 minutes longer or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes.
Makes 6 servings
1/6th pie: 260 calories (110 calories from fat), 12 g fat (5 g saturated), 120 mg cholesterol, 690 mg sodium, 15 g carbohydrate (1 g dietary fiber), 23 g protein.
IMPOSSIBLE CHICKEN AND BROCCOLI PIE: Add 10 ounce package thawed frozen broccoli (1 1/2 cups cooked), increase cheese to 2 1/2 cups.
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IMPOSSIBLE CHICKEN POT PIE
Ok, I really like this one, but I ate chicken pot pies in Nebraska when I was too young to defend myself... I think it is those teeny square carrots.
2 cups cut up cooked chicken
1 1/2 cups frozen peas and carrots, thawed and drained
1/4 cup chopped mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped onion
4 large eggs
1 1/3 cup milk
3/4 cup baking mix
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 10 inch pie plate. Mix chicken, peas and carrots, mushrooms and onion in plate. Beat remaining ingredients until smooth, 15 seconds in blender on high speed or 1 minute with hand beater. Pour into plate. Bake until knife inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. 6 servings.
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IMPOSSIBLE CHICKEN PARMIGIANA PIE
3/4 cup creamed cottage cheese (sm. curd)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups cut-up cooked chicken
1 1/4 cup (5 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
2/3 cup baking mix
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease pie plate, 10 x 1 1/2 inches. Layer cottage cheese and Parmesan cheese in pie plate. Mix chicken, 1/2 cup of the Mozzarella cheese, garlic powder, oregano, basil and tomato paste, spoon over Parmesan cheese. Beat remaining ingredients in blender on high speed 15 seconds with hand beater 1 minute or until smooth. Pour into pie plate. Bake 30 minutes. Top with remaining Mozzarella cheese. Bake 5 to 8 minutes longer or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. 6 servings.
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IMPOSSIBLE TURKEY PIE
2 cups cut up cooked turkey or chicken
1 (4 1/2 oz.) jar sliced mushrooms, drained
1/2 cups sliced green onions
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (about 4 oz.) shredded natural Swiss cheese
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup baking mix
3 large eggs
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease 10 inch pie plate. Sprinkle turkey, mushrooms, onions, salt and cheese in pie plate. Beat remaining ingredients until smooth, 15 seconds in blender on high speed or 1 minute with hand beater. Pour into pie plate. Bake until golden brown and knife inserted halfway between center and edge comes clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting. Garnish with parsley if desired, refrigerate any remaining pie. Makes 6 servings.
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IMPOSSIBLE TURKEY & STUFFING PIE
Thanksgiving in a pie plate-
2 cups turkey, cooked, diced
1/2 teaspoon Seasoned salt
1 cup cooked turkey stuffing
1/4 cup green onions, w/tops, sliced
1/2 cups green peas, cooked
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
1/2 cups baking mix
cranberry jelly or conserve, OPTIONAL, for garnish
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9” pie plate. Arrange turkey in plate, sprinkle with seasoned salt. Separate stuffing into small pieces, arrange on turkey. Top with onions and peas. Beat large eggs, milk and baking mix until smooth, 15 seconds in blender on high. Pour baking mix mixture into plate. Bake until knife inserted in center comes out clean, 30-35 min. Cool 5 min. Serve with hot turkey gravy. Garnish with cranberry jelly.
Granny note:
These I have made, and I also make them using cornbread mix, or make cornbread and add a thin layer of it, freezes and is good....
http://www.ellenskitchen.com/pantry/mixes1.html
Dry Soup Mixes
Dry mixes are expensive and come in tiny packages. You can make your own at a fraction of the cost.
Read About dried veggie blends and About bean flours before you try you first home recipes.
Dry Onion Soup Mix with variations
Instant Veggie-Noodle Soup
Generic Cuppa Soup with variations
Instant Noodle Soup
Instant Potato Soup
Dry Onion Soup Mix
I wonder how much money Lipton’s has made since they introduced this 50 years ago? Yours costs less than 1/3 of the brandname mix. This also makes a great rub for roasts or crockpot meats, and of course that traditional California onion dip.
7 oz beef bouillon granules
1/4 c instant unsweetened tea powder
adds color and tang without more salt
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
1 1/2 cups dry minced onion
1/4 cup onion powder
1/4 cup parsley flakes
1/8 cup onion salt
2-4 tablespoons Kal or Red Star nutritional yeast
1-2 teaspoons ground celery seed
1-2 tablespoons sugar
Combine in order listed, mix very well but do not use blender. Keep the mixture in an airtight container such as a zippered plastic baggie with the air pressed out. Makes 2 cups (equivalent of 8 envelopes). 1/4 cup mix equals 1 envelope commercial soup mix.
TO USE: Soup-1/4 cup mix to 4 cups boiling water. Stir well until powder is dissolved. Onion dip- 4-5 tablespoon to 1 pint of sour cream or plain yogurt.
Variations These ingredients are optional but tasty:
1-2 tablespoons dried mushroom powder or 1/4 cup chopped dried mushrooms
Chicken: Use chicken bouillon
Vegetable: Use vegetable bouillon
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Cup of Vegetable Noodle Soup
1/3 cup vegetable flakes** (dried tomatoes, celery, onion, zucchini, onion, peas, broccoli and carrots)
1 tablespoon cracked wheat (bulger
1 tablespoon thin spaghetti, broken up
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried sweet basil
pinch garlic powder
pinch onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
Make vegetable flakes by putting dried vegetable mix in a blender and pulsing until smaller than pea-sized).
Combine in order listed, mix very well but do not use blender. Divide the mixture into 2 airtight containers such as zippered plastic baggies with the air pressed out. Makes about 1/2 cup (equivalent of 2 cup a’ soups). 1/4 cup mix equals 1 serving of commercial soup mix.
Place dried ingredients in a preheated thermos or other covered container. Pour 1 cup boiling water over dry ingredients.
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Generic Dried Instant Soup Mix (Cuppa Soup Powder)- Bulk Recipe with Variations
3 tablespoons split peas,small lentils, or bean flour
OR 6-8 tablespoons any bulk instant bean/pea flakes
2 tablespoons fine bulger OR cracked wheat or instant rice
1/4 cups dry vegetable flakes**
1 tablespoon unhulled sesame seeds
1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon Salt
Crush seeds and peas to a fine powder in blender, add rest of inngredients and pulse till mixed. Store airtight. Shake to redistribute ingredients each time you remove a serving.
Soup:
1 1/2 tablespoons soup powder
1 cup boiling water
Combine soup powder and boiling water in a covered container. Let stand several minutes before eating.
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Instant Noodle Soup Mix
2 tablespoons chicken-flavored instant bouillon
1 tablespoon dried mixed vegetable flakes (salad sprinkle is good in this)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 tablespoon dried onion flakes
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 package ramen noodles, broken into 1” pieces If you have time to cook it, for the ramen noodles you can substitute:
4 oz. (one cup)broken vermicelli or tiny soup noodles
In small bowl, combine all seasoning ingredients; mix well. Spoon into small plastic bag or container; add pasta. Shake and seal.
You can turn this into a kitchen gift-in-jar! Make it with the regular noodles, package in a sealed Mason jar, tie on a gift card” “To make Holiday Soup- in four-quart saucepan combine seasoning, pasta, and 6 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook over medium heat 5-7 minutes, or until pasta is of desired doneness, stirring frequently. Yield: 5, one-cup servings. May add one cup cooked cubed chicken, turkey or vegetables to the soup.
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Instant Potato Soup Powder
12 servings
1/4 cup (about 2 ounces) chicken bouillon granules
3 cups instant mashed potato flakes, packed
2 tablespoons instant minced onions
3 tablespoons dried green onions
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 cup bacon bits, real or soy; crumbled well (Optional)
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1/2 tablespoon dill weed
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 cup instant milk powder
1 teaspoon turmeric (OPTIONAL)
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**Bulk dry vegetable blends:
Selection: prices for dried vegetable blends range from $10 to $20 per pound in the bulk or herb department of your natural foods grocery or at camping supply stores. Avoid those with corn or potato chunks, they don’t rehydrate instantly. Dried “Salad sprinkle” with greens and sesame seeds is a nice addition or variation. Some stores also carry dried tomato broth or cream soup powder.
Storing dry soup mixes: shelf life is reduced when veggies are powdered. (More surface area exposed to the air.) Vacuum sealing should prolong storage, as will freezing or refigerating. However, you may not want to make up a lot of powdered mixes at one time for the best results. Once you have all of your ingredients on hand to make mixes, then make small batches. Try making enough to last for about a month or so, until you get a good idea of how long they will stay ‘fresh’.
Use 2 tablespoons white bean flour per cup of liquid for thin soups or just to add flavor and color, 3 tablespoons for medium-thick and 4-5 tablespoons for thick soups, stews or gravies. Whisk into soup stock, or use hot water flavored with 1 teaspoon meat-based or vegetable soup base per cup of water. Cook and stir 3 minutes. Blend after cooking, if desired, for a creamier soup. For pea and lentil soups, use only 1 tablespoon flour per cup of liquid for thin soups, 2 tablespoons for medium and 3 tablespoons for thick soups.
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