Hiding vegetables: How to freeze for easy use

My last post was about hiding vegetables in baked goods. In this one, I'll give some hints about prepping those vegetables so you don't have to get out the food processor every time you cook.

What you'll need: Food processor, knife, whatever vegetables you want (a few that work well: zucchini, carrots, cauliflower and spinach), mini muffin tins.

Wash and peel the vegetables that need it and then chop them into pieces the food processor can handle. I use the S blade for all of them though you could use the shredding blade for the zucchini and carrots- the pieces just won't blend as well into some dishes.

How you mix the vegetables is up to you. I did a batch with zucchini, cauliflower, spinach and carrots and froze it all mixed together. I just did another batch of vegetables but froze them separately because the amounts of the vegetables I had wouldn't have made an even mix. 

Once the vegetables are processed, spoon them into mini muffin tins and press down the freeze. Once frozen, pop them out of the muffin tins and put them in a ziploc bag.

To use the vegetables, I put them in any tomato sauce I'm making for spaghetti, lasagne, pizza or meatball subs; alfredo pastas (this will obvisously change the look but I don't really care about that); turkey gravy over rice; casseroles; macaroni and cheese... really anything! I've added frozen shredded carrot to smoothies before. And, of course, you can add them to baked goods (you'll want to thaw them out first though!)

The simplest recipes I have! (And they are good too!)

I cook a lot. I enjoy cooking and I enjoy eating! I do a lot of intuitive cooking, so recipes of things I've created are hard to come by. But, these recipes are SO EASY that the recipes are easy to remember! If your ingredients are prepped in advance, dinner takes 15 minutes to get on the table!

Baked chicken taquitoes

1 cooked, shredded chicken breast (in advance)
1 can refried beans
1/2 cup salsa
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (in advance)
Flour or corn tortillas (I prefer flour)
Cooking spray

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Mix the shredded chicken, beans, salsa and cheese. Put a spoonful onto one side of the tortilla and roll up. Place seam side down on the tray. Spray with cooking spray. Bake at 400 (the oven doesn't even need to be preheated!) for about 15 minutes or until nicely browned. We eat them with salsa and sour cream. You could easily replace the shredded chicken with shredded beef or pork or leave it out for meatless ones!

Baked potato soup

3 baked potatoes, shredded (let them cool and then use a grater or food processor in advance)
1 cup shredded cheddar (in advance)
Cooked bacon pieces (in advance, grease saved)
4 green onions, chopped
2 or 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Spices
1 Tbs flour
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth, hot
2 cups milk

Cook green onions and garlic in about a tablespoon of the bacon grease. Add salt and pepper and any other spices you want (I added garlic and cumin) Cook about 2 minutes, stirring so the garlic doesn't burn. Sprinkle in the flour. Stir and let cook for 1 minute. Pour in broth and stir. Microwave milk until warm. Add to pot and bring to boil. Dump in potatoes, cheese and bacon pieces. Stir and serve! This makes about 8-10 cups of soup depending on how big your potatoes were.

I wish I had beautifully yummy pictures of these dishes, but, alas, I'm not a great photographer so I'm sure they wouldn't look as yummy as these dishes really are!

My version of fried rice

Okay, so this blog isn't all about baby... Thought I'd post a recipe that I came up with to use up all sorts of leftovers and things about to go bad in the fridge. Now, I've never loved fried rice- it's too dry I think. So, I blended risotto and fried rice recipes and came up with something yummy!



The recipe isn't exact because I tend to just throw things in the pot. Use up the leftovers you have- you don't have to add the same things that I did.

I started out crisping about three pieces of bacon in my wok. Remove the bacon to a paper towel when crisp and then add in half a chopped onion (the other half from an earlier meal), a few chopped up stalks of celery and diced carrot (both were in the bottom of the fridge and on the floppy side) and cook for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper and whatever else you want.

Add a couple cups of cooked rice (I mixed leftover brown and white rice that I had) and about half a cup of chicken broth or water. Stir and when the rice has absorbed the liquid, add more. Continue doing this until the consistency is what you like. Then, add in chopped meat (I used leftover chopped turkey) and any quick cooking vegetables like corn or peas. Add the bacon back in and scrambled egg if you want.

I topped mine with crunchy chow mein noodles. I much prefer this to dry fried rice and by adding all the veggies and meat, this is a meal in itself.

Enjoy!

Another step: Cut out the fake creamer!

So, I cut out our Coffee Mate creamer, effective this morning. I found the recipe by googling creamer recipes. There were lots of options but I chose one using sweetened condensed milk, regular milk and flavoring.

Here's the recipe:
One can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups regular milk
Any flavoring you want!

I added a capful of vanilla and a capful of almond (which, by the way, goes a LONG way... there was a lot of almond flavor from that small capful.)

I mixed it together in an old Ragu jar (16 ounces)- see I knew those saved jars would come in handy! We just have to remember to shake it well before pouring it into the coffee.

I have to say that it was good. I did add a little more sweetened vanilla syrup to my cup, but it was really good. And it was nice to know that my coffee actually had milk in it and not some milk derivative. Have you ever read the label on a Coffee Mate bottle? Yeah, not so much cream in there!

Next step- actually getting reusable grocery bags and remembering to use them!

Eco change numero uno!

Okay, my first post about a change I've made that reduces my impact on the environment. And probably something that will make me healthier!

I don't have time for breakfast at home in the mornings. But, it's important that I eat it otherwise I will snack all day at my desk. So, I was buying those Quaker oatmeal packs and eating them soon after I came to work in the morning.

It's about $4 for each box of 10-12 packets I think. That's not too much money. And sometimes when Grocery Outlet had them, I'd buy several boxes and save a few dollars. I never did check the nutritional value on them. I mean, oatmeal is good for you, but I can't imagine how much sugar was in each of those packets! Plus, there was the box that went in the trash and each little packet that was thrown away, so definitely not eco friendly.

So, when my most recent box ran out, I decided to try to mix my own. Here's my recipe that I've hashed out so far. It might change a little as I continue to eat it. But, this morning's oatmeal tasted great!

Emilie's instant oatmeal
1/4 cup instant oats
1 Tbs each, milled flax seed, toasted wheat germ and brown sugar
Handful of raisins or chopped dried fruit (I'm going to try mangos next!)
Spices to taste (I add a sprinkle of cinnamon)

Mix thoroughly and seal in small container until you need it (for now I'm using a ziploc baggie that I will reuse until I can find a glass container it fits well in.) To make, heat about 1/2 cup water in microwave about 1 minute. Mix in oatmeal and stir. Let sit about 2 minutes until it's thickened. Enjoy!

It does taste different from the Quaker oatmeal, obviously. But, I kind of prefer less sweetness and I really like the raisins in it. Fruit and whole grains!

I'm going to go to Goodwill and see if I can find small glass containers to keep it in Five would be good because then I could make five portions for the week each weekend and just keep them in my desk. Then take home the containers as I use them, wash and reuse!

Recipe post: Chicken adobo

I love to cook. Have I ever mentioned that? That fact is responsible for the extra 15 (OK 25) pounds on me right now.
So, I thought I'd post a recipe that I make a lot for my husband.

Chicken adobo is a Filippino dish that my husband LOVES. He says the way I make it is better than his mom (who actually agreed with him when she visited- talk about a nice mother in law!).

So, here it is. Try it with steamed rice and vegetables.

Ingredients:

2 or 3 chicken breasts, thawed and cut into strips (you can use any part of the chicken really, I use chicken breasts because that is what I have.)

Half an onion, sliced into rings

3 cloves garlic, diced

2/3 cup vinegar (any kind is fine)

1 1/3 cup soy sauce

1 Tbl black pepper

1 Tbl garlic powder

Directions:

Heat a little oil in a deep skillet and brown the chicken. Remove the chicken and put it on a plate (it will go back in to finish cooking once the sauce is ready so don't worry about pink insides!) While your chicken is browning, mix your soy sauce, vinegar, pepper and garlic powder in a bowl (I use a 2-cup glass measuring cup).

Once your chicken is removed, soften your onions in the same pan.

Add the garlic and saute until fragrant- about a minute. Make sure to stir it so it doesn't burn!

Pour in your soy sauce mixture and bring to a boil. Add the chicken back to the pan, reduce heat to low and simmer until the chicken is cooked through.

Serve with steamed rice and enjoy!

Note: With a tablespoon of pepper it is pretty spicy. If you don't like as much spice, use less pepper, if you want more, use more!

Also, this makes enough sauce to double the amount of chicken you put in without having to double the sauce! My husband likes to pour it over his rice while I prefer my rice clear of sauce to balance the spice!