Make Any Recipe a FOOD STORAGE RECIPE

This information was taken from the All About Food Storage Site 
(http://allaboutfoodstorage.com/2009/08/food-storage-recipes/)

Using food storage on a daily basis is simple, convenient, and economical.  (And, every meal doesn’t have to include wheat or beans!)  Here are some easy ways to incorporate food storage into your family’s diet and convert any recipe to a food storage recipe.
1. Use whole grains. Use wheat flour, oats, or other grains in your cooking.   They add much more flavor and nutrition to your recipes.  If this is new for your family, start slow.  Begin by swapping out part of the white flour in recipes for whole wheat flour and work up to using more.  Flour made from hard white wheat works great this way and the change is rarely noticed. Oats add nutrition and work just as well as bread crumbs in meatloaf. Cooked wheat can be added to ground beef to stretch a recipe for tacos.  The wheat takes on the taco flavoring, and generally goes without detection, while making the meal healthier.
2. Use powdered milk.  The pricey smoothie shops do it all the time!  Powdered milk has fewer calories and less cholesterol than whole milk products and adds protein.  Try it in soups, casseroles, bread recipes…and smoothies. I also love to have powdered buttermilk on hand.
3. Convert eggs.  I love having powdered eggs on hand.  They are convenient and easy to use.  They are even great for camping…no more cracked eggs in the cooler. Just add the egg powder with your dry ingredients and the required water with your liquid ingredients.  Click here for my post on using powdered eggs. It includes a handy conversion chart.
4. Use dry beans instead of canned. The savings is significant.  To make them more convenient to use in your cooking, soak and cook a big batch of beans and freeze them in can-size portions. Place 1 2/3 cup portions of cooked beans in zippered sandwich bags and freeze. Then when your recipe calls for a 15.5 oz. can of beans, you just have to pull a bag from the freezer.
5. Throw in dehydrated vegetables or fruits.  Dehydrated or freeze-dried fruits and vegetables retain much more nutrients than do canned vegetables. Once you start using them, the convenience will win you over.  No washing, peeling, or chopping.  Dehydrated potatoes, onions, carrots, corn, bell peppers and celery are ready to go in soups and casseroles. Dehydrated apples are fantastic in oatmeal, or reconstituted and chopped for baked goods.  They’re also wonderful straight from the can as a snack.
There are several benefits from incorporating your long-term food storage ingredients into your everyday cooking.

• You’ll rotate your products and retain freshness.
• No waste. With dehydrated foods, you just reconstitiute what you need. 
• You learn how to use these food staples in a way that your family will enjoy them before there is a crisis. 
• You have a healthier family.  Whole grains, fruits and vegetables make for satisfying meals that boost nutrition.

Using Canned Pork and Beef

Many of us have purchased canned meat in the last year.  Two recipes I love use the Pork Chunks and Beef Chunks.

R. LeBaron shared this recipe with me and I love to use it when I am in a hurry:  We like this pulled pork better than any of the pre-prepared BBQ pork from the supermarket.

Quick Pulled Pork Sandwiches

1.  Open a can (or 2) of pork chunks.  (I like to rinse off the fat)  

2.  Pull apart with a fork.  

3.  Add your favorite BBQ sauce.  

4.  Heat or serve cold, alone or on bread. 

I adapted this recipe from one I found on the internet.  I love how quick cooks in the pressure cooker, but you could easily adapt it to the stove top.

Beef Stew 

1 TBS vegetable oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cans beef chunks
4-5 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
5 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 cubes beef bouillon
3 cups water
salt to taste

1.  Heat oil in pressure cooker over medium-high heat.  Add onion and cook until browned on the outside.
2.  Stir in water, bouillon cubes, carrots and potatoes.  Close the lid and bring to 10 lbs of pressure (standard if you don't have a regulator).
3.  Cook for 4 minutes.
4. COOL AT ONCE.
5.  Add beef chunks and salt and pepper to taste. 

Balsamic Black Beans

Just ate this for lunch and we all loved it!  You could definitely use your dried beans from storage and just prepare them in advance.

Balsamic Black Beans

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves, garlic
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can black beans, undrained
2 tsp oregano
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

In a deep skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic.  Cook until onion is soft.  Add both cans of beans.  Add the oregano and balsamic vinegar.  Stir to mix well.  Raise the heat to medium-high.  Cook until the mixture begins to thicken (about 3-5) minutes.  Serve alone or with corn tortilla chips, sour cream, salsa, cheese, etc.