Food Storage Cooking Made Easy

The following article was taken from the LDS Living Magazine and can by viewed by clicking here.

LDS cooks around the world have often looked at their freeze dried food and thought, “Can I actually make anything good out of this?” The answer is a resounding yes! Try out some of these delectable recipes and be surprised at how good food storage can actually taste.

Shepherd's Pie

• 3 cups dried potato slices
• 1 quart mixed vegetables
• Salt and pepper
• Paprika

Boil potatoes until tender and drain. Drain vegetables and pour into a greased 9 × 13 casserole dish. Spread potatoes over vegetables. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

Beef Stroganoff

• 2 pounds ground beef
• Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 3 tablespoons sour cream powder
• 1/4 cup water
• Egg noodles

Brown ground beef with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Drain fat. Stir remaining ingredients into browned meat. Simmer until heated through. Serve over hot cooked egg noodles.

Brown and Wild Rice Pilaf

• 1 (4-ounce) can mushrooms, chopped 
• 1/2 cup green onions, chopped 
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 
• 3 1/2 cups water 
• 3 teaspoons chicken bouillon 
• 1 cup brown rice 
• 1/2 cup wild rice 
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil 
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper 
• 1/2 cup frozen peas 
• 1 carrot, shredded

In a large saucepan, saute mushrooms and green onions in hot oil until tender. Add water and bouillon and bring to a boil. Add brown and wild rice, basil, and pepper. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer 40 minutes or until rice is tender and most of the broth is absorbed. Stir in peas and carrots and simmer 5 minutes or until heated through.

Split Pea Soup

• 1 pound dry green split peas
• 1 ham hock
• 1/2 cup minced onions
• 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon
• 2 1/2 quarts water
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup dehydrated diced carrots
• 1/2 cup dehydrated diced celery
• 1 10 ounce can evaporated milk
• 2 tablespoon butter (dried or fresh)

Combine split peas, ham hock, minced onions, bouillon, water, salt, and pepper into a large soup pot. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring frequently. Add carrots and celery and simmer additional hour or until tender. Remove ham hock; de-bone and chop ham. Return chopped ham to soup. Stir evaporated milk and butter into soup and heat through.

Applesauce Muffins

• 2 cups applesauce 
• 1/2 cup butter, softened 
• 1 cup sugar 
• 2 eggs, well-beaten
• 2 cups whole-wheat flour 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger 
• 1 teaspoon allspice 

Mix first four ingredients until well blended. Sift dry ingredients together. Stir into applesauce mixture until just moist. Pour into greased or paper-lined muffin cups. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Yield: 2 dozen muffins.

Lemonade Cream Pie
Pie crust

• 1 1/3 cups whole-wheat flour 
• 1 1/3 cups unbleached flour 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 3/4 cup shortening 
• 6 tablespoons cold water 

Sift flours and salt together. Cut in shortening until coarse and crumbly. Sprinkle in water a few tablespoons at a time. Blend together with fork until dough forms into a ball. Roll out on lightly floured surface. Gently roll dough around rolling pin and lift over pie pan. Unroll dough and gently press down into sides and bottom of pan. Trim crust 1/2-inch wider than pan. Fold edge under and pinch to flute. Bake according to pie directions. Makes 2 9-inch single crusts.

Filling

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1/3 cup powdered milk
• 1 pkg. lemonade punch powder
• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Pinch of salt

Blend first 4 ingredients in a medium saucepan. Add water, lemon juice, and salt, and stir until dry ingredients are dissolved. Bring mixture to a boil. Continue cooking over medium-high heat, stirring continuously until thickened (7-10 minutes). Pour into baked pie crust; chill.

Excerpted from Cooking with Food Storage Made Easy by Debbie G. Harman, Covenant Communications 2009

Click here to download the recipes.