MOLASSES: Sloppy Joes

FEATURED ITEM:

MOLASSES

WHY STORE THIS ITEM:

• According to still tasty, Molasses is good stored in a cool dark place for 2 years
• It can be used in a variety of recipes - from gingerbread cookies to sloppy joes!
• It adds a nice depth of flavor

DINNER RECIPE:

Sloppy Joes 

Who doesn't love a good sloppy joe? How about one that uses a lot of store-able items that are probably already in your pantry and is healthy to boot? This recipe is just that! The original recipe can be found here.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef or turkey

1 onion, diced

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 jalapeno, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed (or 1 1/2 cups cooked beans)

14 oz tomato sauce

3 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp molasses

1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

1 tsp mustard powder

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

8 hamburger buns

Brown the ground beef and onion until beef is cooked through and then drain. Add the garlic, jalapeno, and red pepper and cook for a few minutes until peppers begin to soften. Add in the rest of the ingredients and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes until warmed through. Spoon onto buns and enjoy!

Tell us what you made!

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CANNED BEANS: Slow cooker Chili

Featured Item

CANNED BEANS

My family does not eat beans. Period. It's a done deal for them. So when I started getting into food storage I was so worried. What are we going to eat!? Everyone tells you to store beans. Well . . As time went on I just learned to trick my family into eating beans. :)

Dried beans are great to store because they keep for so long and are jam packed with nutrition. Tiffany posted an awesome post about how to prepare dried beans, you can find it HERE.

I trick my family into eating beans by making a puree and then hiding it in foods.

Start with the can of beans. I found this awesome Tri Bean blend at the grocery store, a little bit of each bean. Pour it in to your food processor or blender.

Then blend, blend, blend, and Whala! Beautiful Bean Puree!

I added by by bean paste into this chili recipe. It was delicious and everyone loved it. Little did they know, it had beans in it. SHH don't tell them, or your picky eaters.

Slow Cooker Chili

Makes 6 servings

Cook time: 5-6 hours

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 pound ground beef

½ medium onion, diced

2 teaspoons minced garlic

3 celery stalks diced

3 large carrots diced

1 can beans, whatever your favorite flavor is

1 can diced tomatoes, slightly drained

½ teaspoon hot sauce

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon thyme

½ teaspoon pepper

12 ounces beer, if you buy a 24 ounce can you can use the second half to make this recipe!

Shredded cheese and sour cream for topping

Directions:

Heat the veggie oil in a large skillet to medium high. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the ground beef and stir until mostly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until all the beef is brown 2 to 3 more minutes.

In the bowl of a slow cooker, add the celery, carrots, beans, tomatoes, and hot sauce and then mix to combine.

In a small bowl combine the chili powder, parsley, salt, cumin, thyme, and pepper. Mix thoroughly and then add to the bowl of the slow cooker.

Pour the ground beef mixture in the bowl and then add the beer. Stir the mixture so that everything is well mixed.

Cook the chili on low for 5 to 6 hours.

Top with shredded cheese and sour cream.

How do you get your family to eat your food storage items?

Please share with us by email or a comment!

Homemade Item: SPAGHETTI SAUCE

Why buy something when you can make it yourself? I understand when things get super difficult that it's just easier to buy premade. This is not one of those things, however. It is easy and just as tasty - or more so - than what you could get from the store. Plus you made it yourself which automatically makes you cool.

Empty your cans of tomatoes and tomato paste into a crock pot.

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan.

Dice your onion and add the onion and garlic to the heated oil and saute for 1-2 minutes.

While the onions are garlic are sauteing, add the water to the tomatoes and mix well. I used my immersion blender so that my sauce would be nice and smooth. You can leave it chunky, or make it smooth however works best for you.

Add in the onions, garlic, all the seasonings except for the bay leaves, and the remaining 3 tbsp olive oil. 

Mix it all together

...and put the bay leaves on top.

Cook in the crockpot on high for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. 

When your 3 hours are almost up, brown 1lb of Italian sausage (I use hot Italian sausage) or ground beef.

Remove the bay leaves - be warned, you might have to dig for them.

Give it one last stir.

Add about 1 1/2 cups to the pan with your browned meat and allow to heat and mesh flavors together for about 5 minutes. Serve over noodles and enjoy!

Since it makes much more than 1 1/2 cups, I froze the rest for later use. 3 times of spaghetti in one go? Yes, please!

Ingredients:

1 onion

2 tbsp minced garlic

4 tbsp olive oil, divided

3 14.5 oz cans tomatoes - any kind works, I used diced

3 6 oz cans tomato paste

2 cups water

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tbsp dried parsley

2 bay leaves

 

Directions:

 

Empty your cans of tomatoes and tomato paste into a crock pot.

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan. Dice your onion and add the onion and garlic to the heated oil and saute for 1-2 minutes.

While the onions are garlic are sauteing, add the water to the tomatoes and mix well. Add in the onions, garlic, all the seasonings except for the bay leaves, and the remaining 3 tbsp olive oil and mix well. Put the bay leaves on top.

Cook in the crockpot on high for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. 

When your 3 hours are almost up, brown 1lb of Italian sausage (I use hot Italian sausage) or ground beef.

Remove the bay leaves and give it one last stir. Add about 1 1/2 cups to the pan with your browned meat and allow to heat and mesh flavors together for about 5 minutes. Serve over noodles and enjoy!

Since it makes much more than 1 1/2 cups, freeze the rest for later use - good for 4-6 months frozen according to StillTasty.

QUINOA: Mexican Quinoa

FEATURED ITEM:

QUINOA

WHY STORE THIS ITEM:

• According to Stilltasty.com, it is good for one year in a cool, dry place.
• Quinoa is unusually nutrient dense, a good source of fiber and provides a good source of complete protein. 
• It is easy to cook and can easily be substituted for rice in most recipes. 

DINNER RECIPE:

Mexican Quinoa

In order for me to be excited about and love a meal, it needs the following characteristics: colorful, tasty, and easy. It doesn't have to be healthy, although this meal has that going for it too. This entire meal literally takes less than 30 minutes. This recipe is adapted from one I found on Annie's Eats. 

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves minced garlic

3-4 jalapenos, seeded depending on your love of heat, and diced

1 cup quinoa, well rinsed

1 1/4 cups vegetable broth (chicken broth works well too)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can diced tomatoes

2 cups corn

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Juice of one lime

Cheese and sour cream for topping (optional)

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add the garlic and jalapenos and saute until fragrant and jalapenos are beginning to soften. Add quinoa, broth, black beans, diced tomatoes (including their juices), corn, and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed. Stir in the cilantro and lime juice and enjoy! Top with cheese and sour cream if desired. 

Tell us what you made!

Please leave a recipe of what you made with this week's featured item in the comments field or email it to us. 

DICED TOMATOES: Tomato Soup

FEATURED ITEM:

DICED TOMATOES WITH BASIL, GARLIC, AND OREGANO

WHY STORE THIS ITEM:

• With the built in seasoning you will always have perfectly flavored soups and sauces.
• Good unopened for 12 to 18 months!
• Tomatoes are a conglomerate of nutrition wrapped in a pretty red package. They contain multiple vitamins and minerals, fiber, and antioxidants.