Pasta Sauce

This is a sauce I adapted from Rachel Ray's Tomato-Basil Sauce recipe and the Spaghetti Sauce recipe from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook.  To save time and money, I've started making this using the large cans of tomatoes from the local warehouse club (105 oz, I believe).  I just multiply the following recipe by 7.  This results in 20+ 3-cup containers in my freezer.  It's a basic tomato sauce that I add to depending on what is available, what's on sale, or whatever I feel like adding.

Pasta Sauce
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can crushed tomatoes (28 oz)
1 can diced tomatoes (15 oz)
1 cup broth
1 can tomato paste (6 oz)
2 teaspoons dried basil (or to taste)
2 teaspoons dried oregano (or to taste)
1 teaspoon dried thyme (or to taste)
2 bay leaves

Saute onion and garlic.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer at least 20 minutes. Serve over pasta.

Beef Stroganoff/Pork Roast

This is a recipe that friends of ours introduced us to and we adapted.  They use it to make Beef Stroganoff, we use it to make Pork Roast.  It's great either way.
Beef (or Bison) Stroganoff/Pork Roast
1 lb beef/bison stew meat or 2 pound pork loin
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can French onion soup (or 1 envelope onion soup mix and 1 cup broth)
Place all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for at least 8 hours.  If making beef stroganoff, shred meat.  Serve with rice.  Peas make an excellent vegetable side for this.
For power cooking, place all ingredients in a freezer container and freeze.  When ready to use, thaw overnight and place in crockpot the next morning.  Continue as directed above.

Adaptable Red Chili Sauce with Tomatoes

This is a very basic, versatile recipe from The Feast of Sante Fe.  We use this to cook chicken and pork.  We also dilute with 3/4-1 cup water and use it as an enchilada sauce.  It's a favorite at our house and I hope it is for you too.

Adaptable Red Chili Sauce with Tomatoes
2 pounds canned whole tomatoes, drained, or 2 cups canned crushed tomatoes packed in tomato sauce
1 clove garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
4 Tbsp powdered red chili
1/2 small onion, peeled and cut into rough chunks
1/2-1 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp oregano
salt and black pepper to taste

Place all the ingredients into a blender or food processor and process until smooth.  Transfer to a saucepan, bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring once or twice to prevent scorching, and cover the pan.  Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.  Use as a marinade, to moisten fillings, or dilute to use for enchiladas.

Personal note:  we didn't add the cayenne when we prepared this in our group.  Even the 1/2 tsp cayenne can make it quite spicy.  Use to taste.

BBQ Pork Sandwiches

This can be made with either pork or 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  It would probably work with beef or bison as well, but I have not tried it.
BBQ Pork Sandwiches
1/4 cup packed brown sugar, divided
1 cup chopped onion (about 1 large)
1-1/2 Tbsp Mexican seasoning
3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbsp cider vinegar
3 Tbsp molasses
1 tsp dry mustard
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
3/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 (2-pound) boneless pork loin roast
8 (2-1/4 oz) whole wheat hamburger buns
Combine 3 tablespoons brown sugar, onion, and next 6 ingredients in a 3-1/2 quart electric slow cooker; stir well.  Combine remaining tablespoon brown sugar, pepper, and salt; rub pork roast with sugar mixture.  Cut pork roast into 4 large pieces; add to slow cooker, turning to coat with sace.  Cover with lid; cook on high-heat setting 1 hour.
Reduce heat setting to low; cook 7 hours or until pork roast is tender.  Remove pork roast from slow cooker, reserving sauce in cooker.
Shred pork roast with 2 forks.  Return shredded pork to slow cooker, and stir well to coat with sauce.  Spoon 2/3 cup pork mixture on bottom half of each bun, using a slotted spoon.  Cover with tops of buns.  Yield:  8 servings (serving size:  1 bun and about 2/3 cup pork mixture).
For power cooking, we just put all the ingredients (except buns, of course) into a freezer container and put it in the freezer.  The night before you want to cook it for dinner, pull it out of the freezer and put it in the refrigerator to thaw overnight.  The next morning empty the contents into the crockpot (even if it's still partially frozen) and cook as directed.
If you'd like, you can top your BBQ with the following coleslaw recipe:
Tangy Apple Coleslaw
1 (12 oz) package broccoli coleslaw
1-2/3 cup chopped apple (about 1 large)
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
3 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp cider vinegar
3/4 tsp salt
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, and toss well.  Cover and chill.  Yield:  8 servings (serving size: 1/3 cup).
Both recipes from:  Cooking Light Superfast Suppers

Barley-Black Bean Burritos

My friends and I have been power cooking again and I promised that I would post the recipes for our recent meals.  I have not made the Barley-Black Bean Burritos before so this is a new one for all of us.  We assembled everything except the vegetable broth, cilantro, tortillas, and cheese and put it in the freezer for future use.  The only reason we didn't add the vegetable broth is because I made my own at home last night, we were using it in several  recipes, and didn't quite have enough to go around.  This was the one recipe where we thought it would be okay to add later.  I'll include my vegetable broth recipe later in the entry.
Barley-Black Bean Burritos
1 cup uncooked fine barley
1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn
1/3 cup water
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice (1/2 lime)
2 tsp Mexican seasoning (we used taco seasoning)
2 tsp bottled minced garlic (we used two cloves minced garlic)
1 (15 oz) can no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14 oz) can vegetable broth
1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
12 (6 to 7-inch) flour tortillas
3/4 cup (3 oz) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers
Shredded iceberg lettuce (optional)
Salsa (optional)
Place first 9 ingredients in a 3- to 4-quart electric slow cooker; stir well.  Cover with lid; cook on low-heat setting 6-1/2 hours or on high-heat setting 3 hours 15 minutes or until barley is tender and liquid is absorbed.  Stir in cilantro.
Heat tortillas according to package directions.  Spoon 1/2 cup barley mixture down center of each tortilla; sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon cheese.  Serve on shredded lettuce and top with salsa, if desired.  Yield:  6 servings (serving size:  2 burritos).
From:  Cooking Light Superfast Suppers
Vegetable Broth
As I use onions, celery, and carrots, I take the scraps and store them in a container in the freezer (right now it's a gallon-sized freezer bag).  I place half the bag of frozen scraps in the crockpot, add about 3 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 3 peppercorns, and a bay leaf.  Then I fill the crockpot with water and cook it on low all night.  The next day I strain out the scraps and bay leaf.  Viola!  I have broth.  Sometimes I add chicken or bison bones to get a meaty broth.  Then I use the broth in various recipes or to make rice, barley, etc.

Spring Garden

“For a while every season, I do try to keep the whole thing under some semblance of control, pulling the weeds, clipping back the squash so that the chard might breathe, untangling the bean vines before they choke their frailer neighbors. But by the end of August I usually give it up, let the garden go its own way while I simply try to keep up with the abundance of the late-summer harvest. By this point what’s going on in the garden is no longer my doing, even if it was I who got the whole thing rolling back in May. As much as I love the firm grasp and cerebral order of spring, there’s a ripe, almost sensual pleasure in its August abandonment, too.”
Excerpt from The Botany of Desire, by Michael Pollan
I love this passage for many reasons, but mainly because it amazingly describes my garden. It’s nice to know that my garden isn’t alone in its spring order and autumn chaos. We finally had the opportunity to work on our garden this spring. My wonderful husband tilled, while I worked ahead to pull some of the bigger weeds and then behind to even out the soil. I love working with the freshly tilled soil. Our land is mostly (if not all) clay, so every time we decide to add a section of garden, plant or tree, we basically have to mix our own soil: sand, top soil, peat, compost, etc. I also appreciate my husband’s willingness and sense of urgency in getting it done in time to have a productive garden. Of course, he also loves to quote the book of Genesis ("cursed is the ground for thy sake") while he recovers from the hard work involved.

Since the garden was ready and the weather cooperative, I made a trek to a local farmer’s market to purchase seedlings and I spent the afternoon planting. I look forward to tending to our garden, watching it grow, and (at least partially) living off the summer and fall harvests: cherry tomato snack bowls (we have 3 varieties), fresh salsa, green beans, cucumbers, peppers (4 varieties)… I’m also anticipating the annual challenge of finding something new to do with the ever abundant zucchini and squash. I look forward to sharing any recipes I find with those of you who are facing the same challenge.

For now I’ll admire the order and simplicity of our garden while I can for this, like all things, will soon pass.

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