Choosing the Best Apple

I came across this GREAT site that tells you all about apples. I was shocked to see how many different kinds of apples there are in the world. I had no idea! This site breaks it down to what apple is best for snacking, baking, making apple sauce...etc.
Go check out this really neat site. The link is: http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t--1299/all-about-apples.asp.
Let me know what you think. Did you know there were so many types of apples? Crazy!

Adding Variety to Your Bulk Food Storage

 I found this insightful Question on the internet yesterday ...Pause to think of what you HAVE and what you might Add for variety to your bulk food storage.

STEP 1:
IF I HAVE: Wheat, Powdered Milk, Coconut Oil, Salt, Honey or Sugar, Water   (Cool - we've done all those in the last 6 months)
I CAN MAKE: Popped Wheat ,Steamed Wheat, Sprouted Wheat, Cooked Cracked Wheat, Tortillas

STEP 2
IF I ADD: Yeast, (or Sourdough Start), Baking Powder, Powdered Eggs, Baking Soda
I CAN MAKE THESE ADDITIONS: Custards, Puddings, Pancakes, Cookies, Waffles, Muffins, English Muffins, German Pancakes, Crepes, Egg Noodles, Pasta, Breads, Biscuits, Crackers, Mayonnaise. A lot more options huh? Keep reading.

STEP 3:
IF I ADD: Butter Buds, Tomatoes, Powdered Cheese
I CAN MAKE THESE ADDITIONS: Meatless Dinners, Meatless Casseroles, Cream Sauces These really add flavor.

STEP 4:
IF I ADD: Unflavored Gelatin, Canned Milk, Canned Fruits
I CAN MAKE THESE ADDITIONS: Jello Salads, Whipped Cream Desserts, Baby Formula, fruit dishes Mmm, now we have desserts.

STEP 5:
IF I ADD: Soup Base, Rice, Legumes (Beans), Beef Broth, Chicken Broth, Alfalfa Seeds, Sesame Seeds
I CAN MAKE THESE ADDITIONS: Hearty Dinner Soups, Chili, Rice Puddings, Refried Beans, Rice Dishes, Fresh Sprouts, Gluten This would really expand your dinner menu in an emergency.

STEP 6:
IF I ADD: Canned Meats, Dried Potatoes
I CAN MAKE THESE ADDITIONS: Dinners, Casseroles, Sandwiches. This may not sound like a lot but a meaty flavor can make all the difference.

STEP 7:
EXTRAS: Oats, Raisin, Nuts, Peanut Butter, Granola, Juices, Corn Starch, Soup Mixes, Spices & Flavorings, Lemon Powder or Juice, White Flour, Cream of Tartar, Junket Rennet Tablet - to make cheeses, Molasses, Karo Syrup, etc. These are small things that you could do without but really add variety to your diet.

What do you cook with? Add it to your food storage.  Share with me what YOUR Can't do without LIST looks like - it will help others.   

Secret Brownie Recipe

I have been craving brownies lately (mostly because I'm trying to stay away from refined sugars) so I decided to try and find a good recipe using coconut oil.
I found one! It is by Thriving Mom, you can visit her blog HERE.
This is what she says about her Secret Brownie Recipe

• "Everyone who tries my homemade brownies says I have the bestchocolate brownie recipe around. Friends and family always ask me to make my famous brownies. People can't get enough chocolate of my moist brownies. I can't go to a social function without being asked to bring a batch. I'm known around town and my daughter's school as the brownie lady.
  
  Brownie recipes call for either oil, shortening, or butter. I tried many different brownie recipes of each kind. Personally, I am rather fond of the butter recipes, but my husband and all our family and friends think I've found a real winner with an oil based brownie recipe.
  
  Why is it so yummy? Because I use coconut oil instead of the usual vegetable oil.
  
  Now, I know what you're thinking...and no, it doesn't make the brownies taste like coconut any more than using vegetable oil would make them taste like vegetables. There is just something supremely rich about the coconut oil that adds a ton of flavor.
  
  This coconut oil brownie recipe makes a super moist brownie that's almost fudge like, but the chocolate taste is rather mild. This combination makes a divinely moist brownie that can be devoured since it is not overly rich."

You will find the Secret Brownie recipe HERE. 

I'm going to try it out today, if you do too let me know what you think.

Will cooking with Coconut Oil cause it to become hydrogenated and toxic like hydrogenated oils? (Recipe Included)

No. Hydrogenation is an industrial process where hydrogen molecules are introduced to the oil to make it solid at room temperatures. It chemically alters the oil and creates harmful trans fatty acids. 
Cooking with coconut oil does NOT introduce hydrogen into the oil or hydrogenate it. 
Coconut oil is a very stable oil even at higher temperatures.  However, it is best not to cook beyond the smoke point of coconut oil, as this will begin to deteriorate the oil and turn it yellow. Unrefined coconut oil smokes in the range of 350° F. That's about the same as butter or lard. A more refined coconut oil would have a higher smoke point (just above 400° F). Once it has turned dark yellow, the oil should be discarded and no longer used.

Here is a great recipe that uses cooking with Coconut Oil 

(The kids will LOVE these)

Chicken Nuggets Fried in Coconut Oil

Servings: 8
Preparation Time: 10 minutes

• 2 lbs ground chicken
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• fresh ground pepper
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup breadcrumbs or ground up brown rice cereal
• coconut oil, as needed

Mix all ingredients except coconut oil together until well blended. Add more breadcrumbs if mixture looks too sticky.

Heat coconut oil in a pan over medium heat and drop chicken mixture into pan, shaping into nuggets. Cook until golden brown on both sides and serve.

You can find this recipe HERE

To find more information on Coconut Oil and answers to most frequently asked questions about Coconut Oil, go to THIS fantastic site.

If you live in the Southern Utah area and would like to purchase some Coconut Oil through a group order. Please contact us at chillylizard@gmail.com

What is Chickpea Flour?

In the United States, most people automatically think of wheat when a recipe calls for flour, but ground wheat is only one type of flour among dozens. Chickpea flour adds a nutty taste to baking, soups and sauces, and can substitute for wheat flour in most recipes. Both wheat-free and gluten-free, chickpea flour is also easier to digest than other wheat-flour substitutes, such as soy flour.

Identification

Chickpea flour is nothing more than dried chickpeas, ground to a flour-like consistency. Other names for chickpea flour include gram flour, cici flour and garbanzo bean flour. Besan is chickpea flour made with unroasted chickpeas. Chana is flour made from roasted chickpeas.

Nutritional Facts

One cup--92g--of chickpea flour provides 356 calories, including 52 calories from fat. A 1-cup serving of chickpea flour also contains 6g of total fat, 1g of saturated fat and no trans fat. With 53.2g of total carbohydrate, a cup of chickpea flour provides 18 percent of your recommended daily value--DV--of carbohydrate and 40 percent of the recommended DV of dietary fiber, as well as 41 percent of the recommended DV of protein. When you eat a 1-cup serving of chickpea flour, you'll also be getting vitamin A, vitamin K and several B-complex vitamins, including thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid and a full day's supply of folate. Chickpea flour provides 25 percent of the DV for iron, 74 percent of the recommended DV for manganese, and various amounts of other trace elements and minerals, including calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc, copper and selenium.

Availability

If your grocery store has an extensive international foods section, you may find chickpea flour in the Indian foods section under the names gram flour, besan or chana flour. Most groceries that sell Indian foods and ingredients carry chickpea flour, since it's a main ingredient in many Indian foods. Health food stores also carry a variety of non-wheat and gluten-free flours, often including chickpea flour. If you can't find chickpea flour locally, look for it through a health food supplier or co-op online.

Using Chickpea Flour in Recipes

Substitute 7/8 cup of chickpea flour for 1 cup of wheat flour for most baked goods. For yeast-raised breads, use 1 part chickpea flour to 4 parts wheat or spelt flour, says Margaret Wittenberg in "Good Food: The Complete Guide to Eating Well." In recipes that use flour for thickening, substitute chickpea flour for wheat flour or cornstarch on a one-to-one ratio. Use toasted chickpea flour for baking, Wittenberg advises, and untoasted for soups, fritters and dips such as hummus.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/160151-chickpea-flour-facts/#ixzz2PzLrWY6O

Crispy Roasted Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans) - Recipe

Don't these look so yummy. These are Crispy Roasted Chickpeas and they are super easy to make. You only need 4 ingredients. Please go HERE to get the recipe and step-by-step instructions (with pictures).
You won't be sorry!

How To Take The Gas Out Of Lentils

Lentils are inexpensive legumes that are full of high-quality protein, fiber, iron, phosphorous, manganese and vitamin B1. These versatile vegetables also are free of cholesterol and slim on fat content. The outer coatings of lentils contain a substance called oligosaccharides, which is a complex sugar that can cause flatulence. Certain steps can help take the gas out of lentils, however.

To find out the steps go HERE to the original article. 

Ten Things You Probably Didn't Know About Lentils

Lentils have been a part of the human diet since the Neolithic times. These protein packed members of the legume family are just as easily served in a side dish as they are as a main course. Here's a list of ten things you didn't know about lentils.

1. Lentils are the only beans that don't need to be presoaked. Most types of beans in the legume family need to be soaked for hours prior to cooking to soften their tough outer shell. Lentils need only be pre-rinsed briefly before cooking.

2. There are ten different types of lentil beans. Brown lentils are by far the most common type of lentils beans, finding their way into lentil soups and casseroles most frequently. There are ten different types of lentils however, ranging in color from red to pink to yellow. Lentils also come in different sizes.

3. Lentils originated in central Asia. Lentils were one of the first crops to be cultivated by humans and date back to Neolithic times. Lentil seeds were recently discovered in Asia that date back more than 8,000 years. Lentils were later introduced to Egypt and Greece pre Biblical times. In the United States, lentils didn't make an appearance until the early 1900s.

4. Canned lentils do not lose nutritional value. Most vegetables and beans which are processed and then canned lose much of their nutritional value. Lentils retain their nutrition whether dry packed or canned.

5. Lentils provide more folic acid than any other unfortified food. One cup of lentils provides 90% of the recommended daily intake of folic acid, a crucial nutrient. Lentils are also an excellent source of protein, molybdenum, manganese, iron and fiber.

6. Lentils are considered the food for mourners. In Judaism, the round shape of the lentil bean is said to signify the circle of life.

7. There's a National Lentil Festival in the United States. Since 1989, the National Lentil Festival has been held in Pullman, Washington, where over one-third of the US lentil crop is grown. Festival goers enjoy an annual parade, lentil cook off, beauty pageant and golf tournament.

8. Lentils are a good legume for diabetics. Most legumes in the bean family are high in carbohydrates and must be eaten sparingly by those with diabetes. Unlike their cousins, lentils are high in soluble fiber and low in carbohydrates, and have been proven to decrease serum glucose levels and cholesterol.

9. Small lentils are more flavorful. The smaller lentils, mostly grown in the Middle East, are packed with flavor and considered to be the more favorable lentil for cooking. Larger lentils, more common in North America, lack the intensity of their smaller cousins.

10. Lentils were once used as packing material. The packing peanut industry grew out of lentils, which were used in earlier times in the middle to secure packages for safekeeping during shipping.

Lentils Part 2 with Tasty Recipes

Lentils can help keep your digestive system working “regularly”, help you keep blood sugar levels healthy, and help you keep healthy cholesterol levels. How? The fiber they contain is both soluble and insoluble. Fiber also helps keep you fuller longer, which helps you eat less. While you can buy canned lentils, they are so easy to cook from dried that I really encourage you to give it a try. Here’s a basic recipe:

• 1 cup washed and drained lentils
• 3 cups water
• Sea salt and pepper

Bring lentils and water to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until tender, about an hour. Drain excess liquid if needed. Add seasonings to taste. While lentils are for more than just soup, it can be a great place to start. Here are a couple to get you started: Hearty Lentil Soup and Lentil Soup with Smokey Ham. And here are some “more than soup” ideas:

• Turn lentils into a salad with chopped veggies and a favorite vinaigrette dressing. Try this over a bed of baby spinach leaves with a slice of hot crusty whole grain bread. Get started with this Lentil and Couscous Salad with Arugula.
• Stew or simmer lentils and serve over whole grains, like in this Red Lentils with Garlic and Onions.

• Cook up this delicious Slow Cooker Chickpea and Lentil Stew while at work one day.
• Stuff cooked and seasoned lentils into pita bread with sprouts and veggies for a great sandwich.
• Roll them up in whole grain tortillas with avocado slices and fresh tomatoes.

• Make Lentil Walnut Burgers on whole grain buns.
• Mix them with hot cooked grains.
• Serve them over hot cooked pasta.
• Turn them into a non-meat loaf.
• Make them into a bean dip or spread, like this Red Lentil and Sweet Potato Hummus.
• Serve them as a bed for steamed or sautéed veggies.
• Try them as Lentil Tapenade.
• Try them curry style. Here’s a recipe for Lentil Curry with Cashews and Yogurt

Facts on Lentils

Lentils are the world’s oldest cultivated legume, appearing on the scene somewhere in the neighborhood of 7000 BCE! The name comes from the fact that the shape of a “len”til looks like the “len”s of an eye. And, like eyes, lentils vary in color ranging from black to brown to reddish orange, coral, gold and slate green. They’re easy to prepare and cook more quickly than many other legumes. Different varieties have different textures and are generally used in different types of recipes. For example, brown and green lentils hold their shape well and are great for casseroles, salad, or to ladle over grains or potatoes, whereas split red or yellow lentils disintegrate easily when cooking and are perfect for soups and stews. Adding lentils to your diet is a tasty way to improve your health. Consider that they are high in fiber, packed with plant protein, low in fat and low on the glycemic index, which means they don’t cause a spike in blood sugar after eating. The USDA Nutritional database shows that one cup of cooked lentils contains:

• 220 calories
• 17 grams of protein
• Less than 1 gram of fat
• 15 grams of fiber
• 0 cholesterol
• Iron, phosphorus, folate and plenty of other good stuff

Grandma's Country Cream 100% Real Powdered Milk

My family has recently acquired a 25 lb bucket of Grandma's Country Foods Country Cream 100% Real Milk Powder. I had heard that it is much better than most powdered milks in the fact that it tastes creamy and completely dissolves in the water as to not leave a grainy taste. 

My family drinks a lot of milk, especially my 2 year old, he goes through a gallon in about 3 days. A few days ago we had finished all of our store bought milk, which meant it was a perfect time to try out our new powdered milk. I mixed 2 2/3 cups of powder with 1 Gallon of Water as it directs on the bucket. I put it into the fridge to get cold and then I gave some to my 2 year old to try it out. He guzzled it down and couldn't tell the difference. My husband tried it out and he liked it but said it tasted a lot like skim milk, so I added a bit more powder to the mixture and it gave it a richer flavor. I tried it after everyone else tried it out ( I love milk and I'm very picky at where we purchase milk. I would drink Raw milk all day if I had access to a cow.) and I found it didn't taste like store bought milk, but it wasn't bad. It was quite good and tasted pretty close to 2% milk. AND it completely dissolved with the water, there was no grainy taste! I am totally SOLD on this product!

You can bet that my family will be using this whole bucket up to save us on a lot of money especially with milk prices going up.A bucket of powder allows you to make up this milk at about $1.62/gallon. If you would like more information on Grandma's Country Cream Powdered milk please email us at: chillylizard@gmail.com. If you live in Southern Utah and would like to know prices for ordering some Grandma's Country Cream Powdered Milk, please email us at chillylizard@gmail.com too.

This guy sure approves!

Save $ on your Food Bill

Fruit Basket is 1/2 of your distribution

Veggie side of the basket is the other half

Baskets ready for pick up

Bountiful Baskets.org is an excellent resource for FRESH, top of the line produce in several states.  Check it out and see if it's in an area near you!  I've been involved as a volunteer site coordinator for several years here in Utah and it's always surprising to me how many people do NOT take advantage of this resource.  Food prices have gone up A LOT in the last 2 years and the price for Bountiful Baskets has stayed the same - only $15 for a distribution of Fruit AND a distribution of Vegetables (check out the pictures).  Bountiful Baskets is coordinated by Kodiak Produce out of Arizona.  

Here's how it works:

1.  Go to www.bountifulbaskets.org
2.  Sign up for a new account (this will cost you $3 to join the food co-op)
3.  If you live in Utah - Monday & Tuesday are the days that you can log in and ORDER.
4.  Make sure you pick the State - County - City and proper SITE where you will be picking up the food.  (It's a drag if you order at a site and can't get there).
5.  Ordering closes on Tuesday - so if you miss it; you're not going to be able to get anything on Saturday.
6.  Everything you ordered on either Monday or Tuesday gets delivered on Saturday.
7.  The general basket is $15; they do not publish what will arrive in the baskets. 
8.  They usually have EXTRA items (for an extra charge) that you can choose from which mean they have access to some other supplies that you can have shipped in with your basket; like breads; juice packs (these are a crazy good deal, large bag); sometimes cookies - lots of stuff.
9.  NOTE:  Be on time.  If you aren't there to pick up your things; your items are donated to a local Fire Department with no - refunds.
10.  You can't choose what is in the fruit & vegetable basket so if you're worried about what to do with it all ... be creative; look up recipes and use the internet resources to help you.  One mystery meal a week is good for the soul.

Another Great resource (IN UTAH) is JumboJoes.com.  They are a little different; usually send you emails on the weekend and their product is pre-packaged and boxed.  They also tell you exactly what will be coming so there are no "surprises" - Jumbo Joe's delivers in to two locations in St. George and one in Washington.  They are $20 and are distributed out of SLC.  Excellent produce with a FRIDAY pick up rather than Saturday.  Here are the details on this one. 

Jumbo Joe's Produce Baskets is a retail service from the distributor Joe Granato Inc. This service provides individuals and families the opportunity to cut out the time of shopping for fresh produce at the store, not to mention, giving you even fresher produce than the grocery store. Our produce is not always organic but if we do have an organic offering, it will say ORGANIC in next to the item in the description. Each week we order in our produce based off of what you order so that it's fresh from grower, meaning it lasts longer in your home.
Here is how the order process works:
Step 1 - Visit www.jumbojoes.com every Friday morning through Monday night to order your fresh produce basket(s)
Step 2 - Pick one, or both produce baskets for purchase and add to cart.
Step 3 - Enter any coupon/gift certificate codes (if applicable) at checkout
Step 4 - Create a user account so it is quick and easy to order each week
Step 5 - Enter payment information
Step 6 - Finish checkout. Look for the order confirmation that includes payment confirmation, what's in your basket(s), and where to pick it up the following Friday or Saturday (based off location).
Step 7 - Don't forget to pickup your produce at your selected location at checkout at the designated time. *We don't offer credit or refunds for missed pickups* so please set a reminder or make sure somebody reliable is there to pickup your basket.

- stay Healthy and Well!