Let's Do The Can Can

Vegetable Chili

We watched the weather news this week as the path of Hurricane Laura aimed towards the Texas/Lousiana coast. I have been thinking about those who will be impacted. One of the widespread problems likely will be power outages. When it covers a huge area, it can last for days.

Which brings me to today's recipe. It's a vegetable chili made from canned ingredients. Now I am totally in favor of fresh foods. And most of us use frozen vegetables to some extent. But canned vegetables have lowly status for many of us. But take a minute and think about it. If you are buying fresh produce, out of season, it may have been shipped thousands of miles to get to your grocery shelf. (Grapes from Chile? Peppers from Mexico? Blueberries from Canada? These foods have traveled more than I have.) So it may not be as fresh as you think. Frozen fruits and vegetables are a good choice as these items are prepped and frozen soon after picking. They will keep in your freezer for months. But our lowly canned vegetables can last for years in your pantry.

Canned foods are good for an emergency stash even if you are not a fan in general. Most canned vegetables will last beyond the date on the can. Google for specific information. The big exception is canned tomatoes. Because of their high acidity. you need to be mindful of the date and use them up accordingly. In fact, good management is good for all groceries. Unpack your groceries and put them away like the stock boy at the market. Put the new items toward the back of the shelf, pulling the older items forward. That's a good habit to acquire. 

If this truly is for your emergency stash, make sure you have a manual can opener. That electric can opener is not going to help you if the power is out. 

Are canned vegetables healthy? Canned vegetable count toward your daily servings of vegetables. They go from field to can while the vegetables are still fresh and full of nutrients. Do they have as many nutrients as you'd get from grocery store fresh vegetables? It depends. The "fresh" tomatoes may have been picked a long time before you buy and use them, losing nutrients as they travel across the country. One big concern is that canned foods are high in sodium. Look for salt free or low sodium items. READ YOUR LABELS. Some cans of beans contain nothing but beans and water and maybe salt. Others have additives to maintain color, etc. But canned vegetables/fruits still can be a better choice than those highly processed "food like substances" or bought fast food. But let's not get crazy from thinking about this. 

We are all suffering from decision fatigue right now. All I'm saying is it's not a bad idea to have a recipe or two or three that can be prepared with ingredients from your pantry shelf. This can be your backup plan if something happens to keep you from going to the store. (Like a pandemic quarantine?) And there are some tasty options. I like to keep an assortment of beans, peas, tomatoes and tomato sauce on hand. And there is almost always 100% juice packed pineapple—chunks, tidbits, and crushed—in the pantry. Canned pumpkin puree is another staple. 

I have been following one of the new WW (formerly known as Weight Watchers) plans since the quarantine started. I am not new to WW. This is yet one more time for me. It's one good option to keep track of what and how much you are eating. Makes me pay attention to what I put in my mouth. This recipe started with a WW recipe I found online. A couple of adjustments made it mine. Years ago I often did a much simpler version of this—three cans (corn, kidney beans, diced tomatoes) and a teaspoon of chili powder. This one has a little more flavor to it. And it's still as easy.

VEGETABLE CHILI

2 teaspoon olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced (I used 1 teaspoon from a jar)

1 (15-oz) can diced tomatoes (mine had green peppers, celery & onions)

1 (15-oz) can light kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15-oz) can whole kernel corn, yellow or white, drained

1 (15-oz) can no-salt tomato sauce 

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (adjust to your desired level of hot)

1/4 teaspoon dried minced onion flakes

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, about 1 minute being careful not to burn. Stir in remaining ingredients. (It's helpful to measure the spices before you start.) Bring chili to a boil and let simmer 5-10 minutes to let flavors blend. 

Can serve topped with cheese, or over brown rice or a baked potato. 

I made this to have my lunches decided for the next several days. (Did I mention decision fatigue?) This was so much better the next day. So making it ahead would be a good thing. 

Here are some other "mostly made from cans" recipes that my friends and I have made over the years. Carol's Taco Soup even adds canned chicken. And it's yummy! And Missy's Santa Fe Soup has ground beef and onion, but then it's canned vegetables. You will notice the flavor profile of all of these are similar. It's a good things these are flavors I like. This marinated vegetable salad call for celery, onion and green pepper, but it's still mostly canned vegetables. And the recipe for Spiced Fruit Compote has been in our family for so long that I've forgotten where it started. These canned fruits are spiced up and make a tasty side dish. It's good for the novice cook who needs to take a dish to add to the table.  

It's Greek To Me

Greek chicken salad
(see recipe below)

Our lake weekend included both torrential rain and glorious sunshine. We have enjoyed having a nearby spot to get away when "getting away" as we used to know it isn't happening. We did make a short road trip, though, to a place as socially distant as it's possible to be. We left early and drove an hour to visit a historic cemetery where some of the graves pre-date the Revolutionary War. It's where my great-grandparents were laid to rest nearly 100 years ago. The cemetery is located down a dirt road, in a patch of woods, near a town that faded away a long time ago. There are a few buildings left to remind us that it was a strong community way back when. Thank goodness for GPS. I thought I could remember how to get there, but it had been too long.

And then we were back at the lake house before lunch. I pulled out the leftovers from the night before and made Greek chicken salads. (See photo at the top.) I have craved different flavors as we continue our only-eat-at-home lifestyle. Flavors that we would normally have in restaurants. And I'm always on the lookout for easy recipes. This weekend meal is a keeper. Sadly, when I ordered my groceries this week for pickup, they were out of pita bread. That would have made this perfect. We made do with sandwich thins which tasted fine—but the tomatoes kept falling out!

GREEK CHICKEN

1 lb. chicken tenders, cut into chunks

1 tablespoon Greek seasoning, such as Cavender's

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (I used a good squeeze)

another tablespoon of olive oil for frying

15-30 minutes before cooking, mix chicken, Greek seasoning, 1 tablespoon olive oil and lemon juice and let marinade in the refrigerator while you prep the rest of the meal.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large skillet. Add chicken in a single layer. Let it cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Don't stir, so that it will brown. Turn chicken pieces over and brown the other side. (It's done when internal temp is 165º.) Serve hot.

And Greek chicken requires tzatziki sauce to go with it. I wish I had known how easy this is to make at home years ago. I will say that I started with a simple recipe and tweaked it a couple of times after we starting eating supper—added more garlic, tasted, then stirred in a little vinegar and a splash of olive oil.  The original, of course, used regular yogurt. I had fat-free Greek yogurt on had and I think that's why I needed to make adjustments. Trust your own tastebuds. Here is what I ended up with:

EASY TZATZIKI SAUCE

1 cup fat-free Greek yogurt

1 medium to large cucumber, peeled and grated

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried dill weed

1/2  teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon white wine vinega/r

1/2 - 1 teaspoon olive oil (I just used a "drizzle")

Grate cucumber into colander and press to remove liquid. Press with paper towel to remove the remaining liquid. This will keep the sauce from being watery. In a bowl, stir together with remaining ingredients. Taste and adjust seasonings. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Will keep 2-4 days in refrigerator. 

It was also good as a dip with crackers the next day.

 

More No-Recipe "Recipes"

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

I've been cooking forever. It has been over a half century. Isn't that crazy? But with all those years in the kitchen, including food labs in college, there are still things to learn. That's what makes it fun. We have had a crazy abundance of grape tomatoes this summer. The regular ones didn't do as well. But I have been overwhelmed with these little ones.

Then last week I saw somewhere that you could roast them. (You can roast anything, can't you?) I had done every vegetable imaginable but not this. I couldn't remember where I saw the "recipe" but I did remember the main part...200º for 4 hours. I had so many tomatoes that I could try this even though I didn't know what the rest of the directions were. If it was a disaster, so be it. 

I usually toss my roasted vegetable with olive oil and season them for roasting. But this time I spritzed the tomatoes with olive oil spray  because I wanted them all to stay cut side up. I seasoned them with *house seasoning. Then you pop them into the oven and leave them alone for 4 hours. (I did actually pull mine out after 3 hours and 45 minutes because I needed the oven for something else.) Let them cool completely. Then store them, covered, in the refrigerator. I'm sure you could use other seasonings, but this was the most basic way to do them. 

Jessica did some from our garden over the weekend. These are her before & after tomato photos above. She used herbs de provence, along with salt and pepper. Our tomatoes are sturdy little guys. Keep an eye on yours as they slow roast. I would imagine that different tomatoes—yours could be softer and juicier—might require a little different time. At the end they have shrunk by about 1/3. They will be soft, pliable and a little juicy. 

Penne Alfredo w/Roasted Tomatoes, Chicken & Broccoli

I had hoped they might make a healthy snack but we thought the flavor was too intense to eat as is. The roasting process concentrates the flavor. So the next night as I rambled through the pantry in search of supper, I had an idea. Pulled out a jar of Rao's Alfredo sauce, heated it in a large skillet while the whole wheat penne cooked, stirred in my roasted tomatoes, some sliced grilled chicken from the night before and broccoli florets. I had dunked the head of broccoli into the boiling water for a couple of minutes before I cooked the pasta. No extra pan needed.

When the pasta was done, I scooped it out and mixed it into the sauce. (Always save a little pasta water in case the sauce needs to be thinned.) Winner, winner, chicken (and tomato/broccoli/penne/alfredo) dinner! This was delicious. 

I wish I had known about roasting the tomatoes back earlier in the summer when we were drowning in the little guys. Then end result reminded me of sun-dried tomatoes...but fresher. But the directions are safely here so that I can find them next summer.

Pasta Cooked Brown Rice

My other new cooking discovery was finding out a better way to cook brown rice. After seeing the hash tag #pastacookedbrownrice several times on Instagram, I looked it up. The directions (yes, directions...not recipe) were so simple. 

• Bring a big pot of water to a boil.
• Rinse uncooked brown rice. 
• Stir rice into boiling water. 
• Let boil 30-35 minutes. 
• Drain into colander. (Make sure the holes are small enough to not lose the rice.) 
• Put the rice back into the empty hot pot. Put a lid on it, pull off the heat, and let it stand for 10 minutes to steam. 

That's it! It was perfect. The amount of rice is not critical. But I used 1 cup of uncooked rice. That makes about 3 cups cooked. You just need enough water to let it boil, just like you would cook pasta. THAT'S why they call it "pasta cooked brown rice."

As this was cooking I remembered something from my growing up years. This is nearly how my mother cooked white rice. I remember she rinse it, boiled it, drained it. But then she put the colander over a pot of boiling water and let it steam. It was the best rice ever. I wished I had paid better attention...better attention to a lot of things. 

I've only tasted something similar once since then, in a Chinese restaurant. But I was never sure about times and then college classes taught me the "proper" way to cook rice. It did not include rinsing. Now that I've thrown caution to the wind and I'm just cooking, maybe I'll try the white rice version and see if I can recreate my mother's rice. Of course, one reason hers tasted so good was because it usually was under the gravy that she made to go with the fried chicken or fried cubed steak. Ahhh, memories.

~~~~~~~~

I always keep a jar of house seasoning on the shelf. Sometimes I make a big batch. Most times I make it in this smaller proportion.
 *House Seasoning:  
1/4 cup salt 
1 tbsp. black pepper
1 tbsp. garlic powder
Mix well. Store in an air-tight container, such as an empty spice bottle or small jar. 

Peaceful Easy Feeling

We certainly haven't starved lately

but my cooking has been mostly "no recipe recipes."

So there is nothing in particular from the kitchen to share. 

Just trying to use up the last of the garden vegetables.

And we didn't make it to the lake this weekend.

So I'm posting a few photos from last weekend 

because it makes me happy to look at them again. 

We mostly stay in the little cottage now. It's just the right size for the two of us.

I love the constantly changing light and colors on the water.  

A full moon was a bonus.

Have you felt peaceful—or easy—lately?

Peace is not a place although it's nice to have a spot that lets you relax.

This is the spot that does it for me.

Just Cook It

2020. We are halfway through this very strange year. I've kind of forgotten what "normal" was like. (Is there actually such a thing as "normal"?) The last weeks and months we've all made adjustments. We've given up things. Some have had devastating losses. We have not. But still, it's been hard...not seeing grandchildren, not having dinner with friends, not planning trips and on and on and on. Other things have almost been a relief to jettison. I pretty much have given up makeup except for an occasional swipe of mascara. Schedules are (mostly) a thing of the past. 

While I have not counted consecutive meals I've cooked (like some of you do,) you know it's a lot. Months and months of meals. I've given up measuring ingredients much of the time. (If you are baking, do not do this.) Doing things differently keeps me from going bonkers. I've been "just cooking." Since I tend to stick to uncomplicated meals, that isn't the hardest thing to do. 

So last week on the same day that Daddy-O plunked down bucket #3 of grape tomatoes, a good friend posted Instagram photos of her supper. Pasta with grape tomatoes. I took that as a sign. I needed to make what she did. Except she told me the recipe came from a brand new magazine that I didn't have. Too new to find the recipe online. 

By 5:30 I realized if I didn't do something quick, there would be no dinner on the table. So I decided to make a wild stab at copying Missy's supper based on the photo. And it was delicious.

There was no actual recipe but in the interest of making this again, I'm writing down what I did (as best I can remember.) I'm making good guesses at amounts because like I said, I didn't measure anything. Feel free to do your own guesswork. 

GRAPE TOMATOES & PASTA (serves 2 to 3)

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups grape tomatoes

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, cut in thin strips

salt & pepper to taste

pinch of sugar (optional)

3 tablespoon fresh grated parmesan 

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

fresh mozzarella pearls

8 oz whole wheat thin spaghetti

Heat oil in a large skillet to low. Add garlic, stir and cook about 2 minutes, being careful not to burn it. Add whole grape tomatoes. Cook over medium heat about 5 minutes until tomatoes begin to soften. Break up some of the tomatoes. (I used a potato masher to mash up some of the tomatoes—maybe half of them. This releases juices that will help make a sauce.) Season with salt and pepper, add a pinch of sugar if tomatoes are very acidic. Stir in basil.

Cover and let simmer 10-15 minutes until the tomatoes are soft. Grate fresh parmesan over the sauce. Add balsamic vinegar. Stir to combine.

While sauce is simmering, cook spaghetti to al dente. Using tongs lift cooked spaghetti straight into the sauce. (Save a little pasta cooking water and add a spoonful or two to thin sauce if you need to.) Remove skillet from heat. Toss cooked spaghetti with tomato sauce. Poke mozzarella pearls down into the pasta. Cover and let sit a few minutes to let mozzarella melt.

Top with more Parmesan and garnish with basil. Serve.

Cattle farmer Daddy-O really liked this supper. Even though it had no meat, he kept saying, "This is really good!" Since the tomatoes are still coming in fast and furious and there is plenty of basil in the garden, I need to make this again soon. Might as well use up the other half of that box of spaghetti!

For the record, Missy sent me the recipe she used a couple of days later. My version was remarkably like hers. I mean—look at the photo. You can see what's in the dish. You know that olive oil, garlic, salt & pepper are basics. And parmesan is in most pasta dishes. I had mozzarella pearls that needed to be used, so in they went. All ingredients except the pasta could be eaten without cooking at all, so you could cook it more or cook it less. Any way you do it, it's not going to hurt you. There is no required doneness level for safety. That's pretty much all you need to know. Go for it.

Now for a question...is there one silly thing you've missed during this stay-at-home time? For me, it's been people watching. We live out in the country between a small town and a smaller town. In a normal time we don't see lots of folks, but now I find myself craving people. I seriously have found myself a few times driving around after I've picked up my grocery order looking for people. Any people. People walking to their cars in a parking lot. People going into the drug store. People walking their dog. And it makes me feel a little better. What about you?