Chapter 5 RecipesRecipes Chapter 5 Recipes 51 Introduction Skill Levels Some cooks consider a recipe to be a suggestion; others look at it as the final word. We think of recipes as a starting point. All recipes can be modified to personal taste, seasonality of ingredients, and/or cost and availability of food. LunchBox Envy points you in the right direction and you can fill in the gaps. Keep it simple and easy or make it more challenging. The choice is yours. Recipes are split into The Main Dish, Vegetables, Fruits, Drinks, Treats and Snacks, and Dips and Spreads. All sections after the Basics start with a helpful list of lunch components that need little or no preparation. These are quick, healthy items; great for packing in the lunch box when you are in a rush. Basics (pages 54 to 66) are foods, such as rice or pasta, that form the base of many of our recipes. Save time by making a double or triple batch of all these ingredients, then freeze them or have them available in the refrigerator for the week. Plan meals around the basics you have already prepared. Most foods are good for a week in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer. Formulas and Recipes Most sections start with a Formula, which allows a recipe to be adaptable. They are ideas and starting points. Don’t limit yourself to the few ingredients we’ve decided to include. Formulas are guidelines, while recipes are specific instructions. Skill Level Icons Recipes have three skill levels, as indicated by the icons below the Zucchini or Carrot Muffins recipe title. Regardless of age, anyone Yield: 12-15 Muffins can be at any level. Just because the recipe has a chef's hat, doesn’t mean Grated vegetables add a punch of nutrition and color Preheat oven to 350° a beginner can’t participate. See page 53. to make these muffins a favorite with kids of all ages. 1. Oil muffin tins or use paper muffin-cup liners. Reminder: Prepare the ingredients that are to be 2. Whisk eggs, sugar and oil in a medium bowl. chopped in advance. Stir in zucchini or carrots. 2-3 teaspoons oil, as needed 3. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, Freezing Icon 2 large eggs cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. ¾ cup brown sugar, packed 4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and The Freezing icon is to the right of the ½ cup vegetable oil stir until combined. 2 cups grated zucchini or carrots (about 5. Fill muffin tins 2/3 full. Skill Level icons. It shows that finished 2 small zucchini or 4 medium carrots) 2 cups whole wheat flour 6. Bake until muffins are golden brown and food can be frozen for later use. a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 1 teaspoon baking powder about 20-30 minutes. 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 7. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove muffins from ½ teaspoon salt tin and cool. MyPlate Icons Options: • At Step 3, add ½ cup chopped walnuts or MyPlate icons are to the right of the ½ cup raisins. Freezing icon. These show the MyPlate • At Step 3, add additional spices such as ½ teaspoon of ground ginger, nutmeg or food groups. (See page 4.) cloves. Treat and Snack Recipes 1 52 Introduction to Recipes Introduction Skill Levels Levels are based on the following skills: Mixing Levels - Working Together Beginning • Pour Two cooks of different levels working together make cooking • Measure easier, faster, and way more fun. • Spread Steps that are for advanced cooks • Mix can be done ahead of time, then beginners can attempt the easier • Tear leafy vegetables steps by themselves. Supervised • Open cans (be careful of sharp edges) beginners can complete many • Rinse intermediate-level recipes. Basic ingredients (see pages 54-66) • Crumble can be precooked and saved in the • Peel with a vegetable peeler refrigerator or freezer. • Easy slicing and chopping such as bananas, cucumbers, Chopped items needing more summer squash, celery and potatoes advanced knife skills (see page 43) can be prepped and stored in the refrigerator. Intermediate And of course, the best way to move a beginning cook up a level • Pre-cook basic ingredients such as grains, rice, potatoes, is to have a more advanced cook beans supervise while the beginner tries • Perform more difficult slicing and chopping tasks, such as things never before attempted. onions, cabbage, tomatoes, grapes and citrus • Peel with a knife • Grate Measurements • Roll dough Dry • Use heat—ovens, microwave, toaster oven, stove top Dash = ⅛ teaspoon or less 3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon • Handle hot dishes with potholders 2 tablespoons = ⅛ cup • Use blender or food processor 4 tablespoons = ¼ cup 8 tablespoons = ½ cup • Use meat thermometer 5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon = ⅛ cup 16 tablespoons = 1 cup 16 ounces = 1 pound Challenge Yourself Liquids • Requires sustained attention 1 fluid ounce = 2 tablespoons liquid • Stir while adding new ingredients 8 fluid ounces = 1 cup • Bread-making skills—kneading, tucking, folding 2 cups = 1 pint 2 pints = 1 quart • Making more complicated recipes 4 quarts = 1 gallon Introduction to Recipes 53 Cooking Beans Yield: 2-2½ cups Beans are the cheapest source of healthy, environmentally responsible protein in the world. Cooking dry beans rather than Reducing Bean Farts using canned requires planning, but it saves money, reduces sodium intake and reduces waste. All beans except lentils, split Beans are infamous for their ability peas and mung beans need soaking first. to cause our bodies to make gross sounds and smells. Many people aren't affected, but this information is 1 cup dry beans for those who are. 3-4 cups water for cooking Yogurt or kefir, which contain active probiotics (beneficial bacteria), aid in digestion when eaten along with the 1. Remove shriveled beans and small stones. Rinse in beans. cold water in a strainer. When using canned beans, rinse 2. To soak beans: them multiple times. • For overnight soak, put rinsed beans in a large pot, cover Although pouring off the soaking liquid with two inches of water, and let sit 8 hours or more. may help reduce gas, it also gets rid • For a shorter soak, cover beans with 1-2 inches of water of many nutrients. Longer cooking times may also reduce gas but there are and boil for one minute. Turn off the heat, cover, and let differences of opinion on both of these sit for at least one hour. ideas. 3. Drain off the soaking liquid. This liquid contains the When cooking dry beans: starches that give you gas. • Depending on the recipe, add 4. Add fresh water to about 1 inch above the beans. Do any of the following spices or not add salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium- herbs to the cooking water, as low, cover pot, and simmer until the beans are as soft as they help reduce gas: cumin, you want them (up to 3 hours). Check pot occasionally coriander, caraway, turmeric, to make sure water has not evaporated. Drain off water. epazote (found at most Latino Beware: Undercooked beans are harder for the body to supermarkets) and kombu digest and cause flatulence (farts). Beans are fully cooked (found at many Asian markets). when you can mash them easily with a fork. • Cook beans slowly over low Options: heat until done. Can take up to 5 hours. Slow cookers are great • Use beans immediately or let cool before storing. tools for this. Store cooled beans in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 5 days. • Make a double or triple batch. Scoop beans into freezer-safe containers in 1-2 cup portions with enough liquid to cover beans. Store in freezer up to 3 months, after which they will lose flavor and get mushy. 54 Basic Recipes Scrambled and Hard-cooked Eggs For Scrambled Eggs: 1. Crack eggs on side of a bowl, then carefully pull the shell apart over the bowl. Whisk eggs. Tip: Eggshell sticks to itself. Use a larger shell piece to remove unwanted shell. 2. Heat butter at medium heat to coat a skillet. When butter is melted, pour in the eggs. 3. Lower the heat and stir the eggs with a wooden spoon until they're firm but still moist. Options: • Make eggs fluffier by adding a tablespoon of milk or water per egg. For Hard-cooked Eggs: Eggs are a versatile, inexpensive and healthy protein. Scrambled eggs are common to many Asian-inspired 1. Choose eggs that are several days old; they are lunches, such as Fried Rice. (See page 95.) Whole easier to peel. hard-cooked eggs are great in lunches. 2. Place eggs in cold water and bring water to a full boil. Cover pot with lid and cook for 10 Egg safety: Cook eggs thoroughly, which kills bacteria minutes. such as salmonella. Keep eggs refrigerated after cooking. 3. Pour off boiling water. Cover with cold water to cool. 4. Store eggs up to a week with the shell on. Mark "H" on the shell to indicate hard-cooked. Basic Recipes 55 Rice and Quinoa Yield: 2 cups cooked rice or quinoa White rice has been milled; brown rice is the whole 1. Rinse and drain rice or quinoa, to eliminate rice grain with nothing milled out. Check the bulk bin starch from rice or to remove bitter saponin label or package for specific cooking directions. (outer layer) from quinoa. Quinoa (pronounced “KEEN-wah”) is a seed from 2. Add rice or quinoa to a pot with the water. the Andes Mountains. It has a higher protein content Bring to a rolling boil, reduce heat to low and than any grain.