Cooking on the Go
By Janet Groene, F47166
June 2003
Here are some sunny, delicious recipes that are galley tested for ease, appealing looks, and great taste.
Sunrise French Toast
This recipe from Sunkist Growers turns everyday French toast into a fruity banquet. Make your favorite French toast recipe, adding a tablespoon of freshly grated grapefruit zest to the milk-egg mixture. Then sauce it with this topping, which is enough for six slices of toast.
8-3/4-ounce can unpeeled apricot halves
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4-teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2-cup light corn syrup or maple syrup
1 grapefruit, peeled and sectioned
Drain the apricot juice into a pan, add the cornstarch and cinnamon, and stir in the syrup. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes clear and thick. Fold in the fruit and heat through. Spoon over French toast.
Sunspot Spreads
Make a different spread each time, depending on the ingredients you have on hand, and turn a simple breakfast of toast and coffee into a feast. Use regular, low-fat, or non-fat cream cheese.
8-ounce brick cream cheese
2 tablespoons dried cranberries, cherries, currants, or raisins
2 tablespoons chopped almonds, pecans, or walnuts
Honey or pancake syrup as desired
Let the cream cheese warm to room temperature and mix in the fruit and nuts with a fork. Thin with approximately 2 teaspoons of honey or syrup so the mix will be spreadable when cold. Store in the refrigerator.
Citrus Sippin’ Cider
This is my version of another Sunkist recipe. Serve it in mugs on cold mornings or chilly evenings around the campfire.
1 orange
1 lemon
1/2-gallon apple juice or cider
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Trim off the ends of the orange and lemon, slice thinly, and cut the slices in half. Combine everything in a stockpot and simmer up to one hour. Ladle the cider into mugs and place a piece of fruit in each. This recipe makes eight to 10 servings.
Orange Vinaigrette
Use orange juice concentrate in your salad dressing and get a thick, satisfying sauce with fewer fat calories.
6-ounce can orange juice concentrate, thawed
6 ounces vegetable oil
6 ounces balsamic vinegar
Several drops garlic juice (optional)
Salt, freshly ground pepper
Sugar or sweetener to taste
Pour the orange juice concentrate in a bowl, then refill the can with the oil and again with the vinegar, and add each to the concentrate. Whisk together with the garlic juice, salt, pepper, and sweetener. Spoon the dressing over mixed greens or torn spinach leaves. This recipe makes approximately 2-1/2 cups. Store any leftover dressing in the refrigerator.
Summer Sausage Surprise
Summer sausage, which can be found in the deli or cold meat department, typically has a use-by date several months into the future, making it a great emergency ration to keep on hand for snacks, sandwiches, and hot dishes like this one. It’s fully cooked and can be served cold or hot.
6 biscuits from a tube
6 thin slices summer sausage
6 eggs
6 cubes cheese (Monterey Jack, cheddar, Muenster, Swiss)
Place cupcake papers in a six-hole muffin pan and press a biscuit into each, bringing the dough up the sides. Press a slice of summer sausage into each. Bake for 5 minutes at 375 degrees; remove from the oven; and break an egg in each. Return to the oven and bake until the eggs are cooked the way you like and the biscuits are golden around the edges. Top each with a cube of cheese and let stand a few minutes before removing from the pan. Serve with big glasses of orange juice.
Thai-Tied Turkey
Boneless turkey rolls are a boon to the galley cook, because there is no waste. Slice the roast hot for dinner and chill leftovers for sandwiches the next day.
4-pound boneless turkey roll
8-ounce can mandarin oranges, well drained
1 tablespoon candied ginger, finely chopped
Soy sauce
Salt, pepper
Unroll the turkey as flat as possible and arrange the orange pieces on top of it. Sprinkle with tiny bits of candied ginger and soy sauce. Roll up the turkey and tie with string. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and a little more soy sauce. Roast in a pan sprayed with non-stick coating at 325 degrees for 90 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Let the roast stand for 10 minutes and then slice. Serve with steamed rice and a medley of stir-fried vegetables.
Turkey Calypso
Juice of one lime
2 cloves garlic, mashed
2 pounds thin turkey cutlets
Salt, pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
Place all the ingredients in a resealable bag and refrigerate for approximately one hour. Remove the turkey with tongs and discard the bag and its contents. Grill the turkey over hot coals (or on high for a gas grill) for about 2 minutes per side. Spoon the fruit sauce below over the grilled turkey cutlets. Complete the meal with fluffy baked potatoes, steamed peas with baby onions, and an icebox pie for dessert.
Fruit Sauce:
The fruit sauce can be made a day or two ahead. Keep it cold.
2 cans mixed tropical fruit, with juice
1 small red onion, diced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
3 tablespoons lime juice
1/2-teaspoon grated lime zest
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and chill to let the flavors blend.
Sunny-Side Up Pancakes
Look for Harvest Bay TenderFruit, a very moist, dried fruit that is partially rehydrated, to use in this recipe. It’s available in supermarkets in tropical and orchard mixes, as well as in 8-ounce bags of apricots, peaches, mangoes, or pineapple. This recipe serves four. Leftover pancakes heat up nicely in the microwave.
2 cups pancake mix or self-rising flour
2 tablespoons wheat germ or oat bran
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 egg
8-ounce bag ready-to-eat, dried tropical fruit mix
Whisk together the pancake mix, wheat germ or oat bran, milk, oil, and egg to make a smooth batter, and pour on a hot griddle. Immediately sprinkle with pieces of the tropical fruit mix. Flip the cakes when bubbles form and bake until both sides are golden brown. Stack the pancakes fruit side up and serve with maple syrup or one of the fruit syrups found in the pancake section at the grocery store.
Sunshine Soup
This sunny yellow soup, which serves six, is from the book Cook for a Day, Eat for a Month: Frozen Assets Reader Favorites, which is mentioned later in this column. It is easily doubled or tripled to make ahead of time and freeze in batches.
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 can vegetable broth
1 can creamed corn
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 can whole corn or 1 cup frozen corn
2 carrots, chopped
In a soup pot, saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil. Add the broth, creamed corn, cumin, and coriander. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add the remaining vegetables and simmer for another 10 minutes. Serve at once or cool and freeze.
Caribbean Breeze Cake
You can reduce calories by using non-fat milk and whipped topping, and sugar-free pudding.
1 box graham crackers
1 can lemon frosting
4 cups milk*
4-serving package instant vanilla pudding
4-serving package instant banana pudding
8-ounce tub whipped topping
8-ounce can crushed pineapple, well drained
Set out a 9-inch-by-13-inch cake pan. Place a single layer of graham crackers in the pan, spreading them with lemon frosting as you go. In a mixing bowl, whisk the milk into the pudding mixes and fold in the whipped topping and pineapple. Spread half the mixture over the crackers; add another layer of frosted crackers; top with the rest of the pudding; and finish with a final layer of frosted crackers. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate several hours or overnight. Cut into squares and serve cold.
*The drained pineapple juice can be used as part of the milk measurement.
Tropical Freeze
3 cups well-drained citrus sections in bite-size pieces
12-ounce can sweetened, condensed milk
1/4-cup lemon juice
8-ounce tub whipped topping
Mix the fruit, condensed milk, and lemon juice and fold in the whipped topping. Spread in a 9-inch-by-13-inch cake pan, cover with foil, and freeze until firm. Remove from the freezer 20 minutes before serving. Cut the dessert into squares and serve alone, or place each square atop a graham cracker.
More smart ways with citrus
· Peel and slice seedless oranges and arrange on salad plates with a bed of lettuce. Garnish with slices of sweet red onion, and drizzle with French dressing.
· Put extra fire in your beans and rice with hot pepper sauce, then garnish the plate with alternating slices of oranges, grapefruit, and avocado to quench the heat.
· Squeeze 2 medium lemons or limes and mix the juice with a can of sweetened, condensed milk, which will “set” the juice. Spread it in a graham cracker crust and chill. Serve alone or top with whipped cream.
Books for cooks
Margaret Howard’s The 250 Best 4-Ingredient Recipes ($18.95, Robert Rose Inc.) will fill you with ideas and inspirations for tasty meals that don’t require hours in the galley. All of the main dishes, desserts, salads, vegetables, meats, and breakfast foods call for no more than four ingredients. One simple recipe is to cook and drain 8 ounces of pasta; return it to the pan and toss it with a can of tuna, 2 cups of your own or purchased tomato sauce, and a cup of peas; and heat through. Freshly ground pepper, if you want to add it, isn’t counted as one of the ingredients.
Cook for a Day, Eat for a Month: Frozen Assets Reader Favorites by Deborah Taylor-Hough ($25, Champion Press Ltd.) is out in a new loose-leaf binder that allows you to add your own favorite freeze-ahead recipes from the past and new ones you’ll discover in the future. Leave for a trip with your freezer and refrigerator filled with ready-to-bake casseroles and desserts for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner. Everyone will wonder how you eat so well but spend so little time at the stove. The book provides shopping lists and a game plan that guides you through preparing large amounts of each dish, then freezing it in batches according to your family size.
Freebies
A free catalog from Nitro-Pak is filled with freeze-dried foods and other supplies for emergency preparedness. Call (800) 866-4876, or visit www.nitro-pak.com. Freeze-dried foods are expensive, but they’re delicious, convenient, and weigh almost nothing.
Feedback question of the month
What special ways do you have of using citrus fruits to add sunshine to a camping meal? E-mail your recipes or suggestions to janetgroene@yahoo.com or write Janet Groene, Family Motor Coaching, 8291 Clough Pike, Cincinnati, OH 45244.
Feedback recipe
Our submission this month is from Sheri White, F281804, who says this recipe serves two. She heats a can of chili and beans with a can of stewed tomatoes and a teaspoon of chili powder. As the chili heats, she sprinkles grated cheddar cheese into the bottom of two bowls. When the chili is hot she pours it into the bowls and tops it with sour cream and a few corn chips. Sheri also says that whenever she cooks a batch of ground beef, she always puts a little aside and freezes it to have on hand for quick meals. Another time-saving meal enjoyed by the Whites is creamed tuna and peas. Sheri thins a can of cream of chicken or mushroom soup with 1/4-cup milk, adds tuna and peas, and spoons it over chow mein noodles.