Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Beans, Rice & Corn (SRS Meeting - November 6th 2008)

Black Beans

Complete Protiens

In general, animal proteins (meat, fish, poultry, milk, cheese, and eggs) are considered good sources of complete proteins. A complete protein or whole protein is a protein that contains all of the essential amino acids.

Vegetable proteins (grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and other vegetables) are incomplete proteins because they are missing, or do not have enough of, one or more of the essential amino acids. By combining foods you can create a self-made complete protein.

When combining foods like beans with rice or corn at the same meal (or separately throughout the day), your body receives all nine essential amino acids.

There are other combinations as well. Beans and seeds, beans and nuts, and beans and grains You can combine the following vegetable proteins to make complete proteins.

Beans and Rice is a great way to get a complete protein when meat is scarce. Other examples are Peanut butter on whole-wheat bread, Whole-wheat bun with Humus, Rice and Bean soup and a roll, Rice cakes with peanut butter, Tofu-vegetable stir-fry over rice or pasta.

Information from: www.fitsugar.com & www.bodyforlife2.com

Rice

The good news is that rice is a healthy food. The USDA recommended allowance of rice and other grain-based foods is 6 to 11 servings daily.

Interesting Nutrition Facts about rice: White Rice contains 103 calories per half-cup and 108 calories per half-cup serving of brown rice It is cholesterol, sodium, and gluten-free. It has only a trace of fat and is a complex carbohydrate.

Brown Rice
Rice from which only the hull has been removed is called brown rice. When cooked, it has a slightly chewy texture and a nut-like flavor. Brown rice is a natural source of bran. It cooks in approximately 40-45 minutes. Brown rice can only be stored for 6 months, the higher fat content can make it go rancid if stored for too long.

White Rice
White rice has been completely milled and polished, removing the bran layer. Vitamins and minerals are added for enrichment. It cooks in about 15 minutes

Information from: www.usarice.com

Polenta

Polenta is made with ground yellow or white cornmeal, (ground maize). It can be ground coarsely or finely depending on the region and the texture desired. As it is known today, polenta derives from earlier forms of grain mush commonly eaten in Roman times and after. Early forms of polenta were made with such starches as the grain farro and chestnut flour, both of which are still used in small quantity today. When boiled, polenta has a smooth creamy texture due to the gelatinization of starch in the grain, though it may not be completely homogenous if a coarse grind or a particularly hard grain such as flint corn is used.

Polenta was originally a peasant food. However, since the late 20th century, polenta has become a premium product. Polenta dishes are on the menu in many high-end restaurants. Many current polenta recipes have given new life to an essentially bland and common food, invigorating it with various cheeses or tomato sauces.

Black Beans

Research published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry indicates that black beans are as rich in antioxidant compounds called anthocyanins as grapes and cranberries, fruits long considered antioxidant superstars.

When researchers analyzed different types of beans, they found that, the darker the bean's seed coat, the higher its level of antioxidant activity. Gram for gram, black beans were found to have the most antioxidant activity, followed in descending order by red, brown, yellow, and white beans. most antioxidant activity, followed in descending order by red, brown, yellow, and white beans.

Overall, the level of antioxidants found in black beans in this study is approximately 10 times that found in an equivalent amount of oranges, and comparable to that found in an equivalent amount of grapes or cranberries. So eat up!

Information from www.whfoods.com


Beans Tidbits:
  • A pound of beans measures about 2 cups.
  • Beans triple in volume when soaked and cooked.
  • A cup of dry beans yields 3 cups cooked.
  • A pound of dry beans yields 6 cups cooked.
  • Use 3 cups of water per cup of dry beans for soaking.
  • Simmer each pound of beans 2 hours after soaking.
  • A pound of dry beans makes about 9 servings of baked beans.
  • A pound of dry beans makes about 12 servings of bean soup.
  • A one-pound can of cooked beans measures about 2 cups.

Tortillas Yesterday & Today

According to Mayan legend, tortillas were invented by a peasant for his hungry king in ancient times. The first tortillas, which date approximately 10,000 years before Christ, were made of native corn with dried kernel. Today, corn tortillas are made from either corn cooked in a lime-based solution or by using corn flour, producing a dough, forming it like a pancake and finally baking it in an oven. Among native Mexicans, tortillas are also commonly used as eating utensils. In the Old West, "cowpokes" realized the versatility of tortillas and used tortillas filled with meat or other foods as a convenient way to eat around the campfire. Thanks in part to the widespread popularity of Mexican and Southwestern cuisines, Americans love tortillas. In fact, tortillas are more popular today in the U.S. than all other ethnic breads, such as bagels, English muffins and pita bread.As testament to their popularity, the Tortilla Industry Association (TIA) estimates that Americans consumed approximately 85 billion tortillas in 2000 (not including tortilla chips).

Information from: www.tortilla-info.com

Mexican Pinto Beans & Tortillas

Here is Tonya with her video on how to make Beans, Tortillas & Refried Beans.

Mexican Pinto Beans

A tasty way to use the dry beans in your food storage!

1 lb (2 cups) of dry pinto beans
1 can of roast beef, not drained
1 small can of tomato sauce
½ can of diced tomatoes with green chilies
¼ of a bell pepper, diced
2 TBSP dehydrated onions
1 tsp "Better Than Bullion" paste in beef flavor (beef bullion cube also works)
1 tsp ground cumin, or to taste
Mexican oregano, to taste
garlic salt, to taste

Garnish
Chopped cilantro
Diced green onion
Diced white or yellow onion
Diced tomatoes
Cotija cheese

Rinse and sort beans, discard any foreign objects or suspicious beans. Place beans in a large bowl and cover with 3-4 inches in water, soak over night (6-8 hours). Pour out soaking water and rinse beans again. Place beans in a large pot (with a lid) and cover with 2 inches of water; bring to a boil not covered, stirring occasionally. Cover with lid askew to vent, turn down heat, and let beans simmer for 1 ½ hours, occasionally stirring.

Add the rest of the ingredients and continue to simmer and stir until beans are very tender and water has boiled off to the desired consistency, about 1-2 hours. As a note, water can be added or scooped out to reach desired consistency. Spoon beans into bowls, top with garnish and sprinkle with cotija cheese.

Refried Beans


1-2T chorizo, to taste
1-2 cups of beans from Mexican pinto beans
Juice from Mexican pinto beans
milk

Brown the chorizo in a sauce pan over medium heat. With a slotted spoon scoop out some of the beans, about 1-2 cups depending on how much you want to make. Turn heat down to med-low. Use a potato masher to mash beans and incorporate chorizo. Stir in juice from beans and milk in small amounts till beans become smooth and are just beginning to simmer. You can make beans as thick or smooth as you like.


Homemade Tortillas

Put the flour in your food storage to good use by rolling out your own tortillas. Some of the flour in this recipe can be substituted with wheat flour.



2 cups white flour*
1t salt
¾ t baking powder
1/3 cup shortening
¾ cups warm water

Mix flour, salt, and baking powder. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles course crumbs. Slowly stir in water and fluff with fork until dough forms. Turn out onto floured surface. Kneed dough until it is smooth (about 10 times). Cover and let rest for 15 minutes. Pinch off a small ball of dough and roll out on floured surface. Tortillas should be thin and elastic about 10 inches in diameter. Cook on stove top, in un-greased iron skillet, nonstick pan, or electric grilled. Cook on one side until just barely brown, flip once and brown other side. Keep a tooth pick near by to poke out any large air bubbles.

* or 1 1/3 cups white flour and 2/3 cups whole wheat flour


Lets Eat!

Black Beans & Rice Recipe

Black Beans & Rice

1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 tsp chopped garlic
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 bay leaf
1 TBSP olive oil
1 cup rice
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 can (15 oz) black beans or 1 1/2 cups cooked dry-packaged black beans (rinsed & drained)
2 cups water
1 TBSP apple cider vinegar
1/2 to 1 tsp salt (optional)
1/2 tsp black pepper

Saute onion, bell pepper, garlic, cumin, thyme, crushed red pepper, and bay leaf in olive oil until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in rice, tomatoes, black beans, water, vinegar, salt and pepper. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Broth Simmered Rice Recipe

Broth Simmered Rice

Here is a super easy (and tasty) rice recipe using ingredients from your short-term food storage items. Recipe is from Campbell's Kitchen. com

1 can (1 3/4 cup) Chicken Broth
3/4 cup Long Grain White Rice (or just white rice)

Bring broth to a boil, stir in rice. Cover and simmer 20 minutes until done. Super easy and tastes great!

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Snowman Soup

Thanks to Countryheartdesigns.com for this cute tag she's made available for making Snowman soup. Since Hot Chocolate Mix is on sale this week. Here's this week's "recipe".
  • 1 package hot chocolate mix
  • 3 Hershey Kisses
  • 10 mini-marshmallows
  • 1 candy cane
Place ingredients in a ziplock bag, mug, or jar and attatch this label. You can print it onto a avery sticker sheet, or punch a hole in the corner and tie it on with some pretty ribbon. This makes a great gift for teachers, co-workers or neighbors. Who wouldn't love to get cocoa?

Here's some other links to different styles of Snowman Soup: