52 Week Food Storage - Week #36

Week # 36: 15 lbs Kidney Beans

Kidney Beans:
Kidney beans come in various colors (mainly red) but are kidney-shaped beans. Their firm, creamy, white flesh and full-bodied flavor make these beans a popular choice for chili, soups, and salads because they absorb the flavors of seasonings and the other foods with which they are cooked with. Both dried and canned kidney beans are available throughout the year. Dried beans are generally available in prepackaged containers as well as in bulk bins.

Health Benefits:
Kidney beans are a very good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber, as are most other beans. In addition to lowering cholesterol, kidney beans’ high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly after a meal, making these beans an especially good choice for individuals with diabetes, insulin resistance or hypoglycemia. When combined with whole grains such as rice, kidney beans provide virtually fat-free high quality protein. But this is far from all kidney beans have to offer. Kidney beans are an excellent source of the trace mineral, molybdenum, an integral component of the enzyme sulfite oxidase, which is responsible for detoxifying sulfites. Just one cup of cooked kidney beans supplies 177.0% of the daily value for molybdenum. Sulfites are a type of preservative commonly added to prepared foods like delicatessen salads and salad bars. Persons who are sensitive to sulfites in these foods may experience rapid heartbeat, headache or disorientation if sulfites are unwittingly consumed. If you have ever reacted to sulfites, it may be because your molybdenum stores are insufficient to detoxify them.

Great Fiber!
A cup of cooked kidney beans provides 45.3% of the recommended daily intake for fiber. Soluble fiber forms a gel-like substance in the digestive tract that binds with bile (which contains cholesterol)and ferries it out of the body. Research studies have shown that insoluble fiber not only helps to increase stool bulk and prevent constipation, but also helps prevent digestive disorders like irritable bowel syndrome and diverticulosis.

Lower Your Heart Attack Risk
In a study that examined food intake patterns and risk of death from coronary heart disease, researchers followed more than 16,000 middle-aged men in the U.S., Finland, The Netherlands, Italy, former Yugoslavia, Greece and Japan for 25 years. Typical food patterns were: higher consumption of dairy products in Northern Europe; higher consumption of meat in the U.S.; higher consumption of vegetables, legumes, fish, and wine in Southern Europe; and higher consumption of cereals, soy products, and fish in Japan. When researchers analyzed this data in relation to the risk of death from heart disease, they found that higher legume consumption was associated with a whopping 82% reduction in risk!
A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine confirms that eating high fiber foods, such as kidney beans, helps prevent heart disease. Almost 10,000 American adults participated in this study and were followed for 19 years.
Kidney beans’ contribution to heart health lies not just in their fiber, but in the significant amounts of folate and magnesium these beans supply. Folate helps lower levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that is an intermediate product in an important metabolic process called the methylation cycle.
Kidney beans’ good supply of magnesium puts yet another plus in the column of its beneficial cardiovascular effects. Magnesium is Nature’s own calcium channel blocker. Studies show that a deficiency of magnesium is not only associated with heart attack but that immediately following a heart attack, lack of sufficient magnesium promotes free radical injury to the heart. Want to literally keep your heart happy? Eat kidney beans–a one cup serving provides 19.9% of your daily needs for magnesium.

Calories:
There are 218 calories in 1 cup of Red Kidney Beans (Canned).
Calorie break-down: 3% fat, 75% carbs, 22% protein.

Choosing dry beans:
Choose dried beans that look plump, unwrinkled and evenly colored. Pick over dried beans before using to remove any small pebbles. Whether purchasing kidney beans in bulk or in a packaged container, make sure there is no evidence of moisture or insect damage and that the beans are whole and not cracked.

Choosing canned beans:
Canned kidney beans can be found in most markets. Unlike canned vegetables, which have lost much of their nutritional value, there is little difference in the nutritional value of canned kidney beans and those you cook yourself. If enjoying canned beans is more convenient for you, by all means go ahead and enjoy them. We would suggest looking for those that do not contain extra salt or additives. (One concern about canned foods is the potential for the can to include a liner made from bisphenol A/BPA.

Storage:
Canned beans have a shelf life of 2 to 3 years. Store dried beans in a covered container for up to 1 year. You can precook kidney beans and store them, refrigerated, in their cooking liquid in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Preparation:
1 cup of dried beans makes approximately 3 cups of cooked beans.
Canned kidney beans should be thoroughly rinsed before using. Dried kidney beans should be soaked before cooking, both to speed cooking time and to reduce any gas-causing tendencies. There are two ways to soak dried beans:

Overnight soak: Rinse the beans, then cover with an inch of cold water and let soak at room temperature for at least four hours or overnight. Drain and rinse the beans before cooking them.
Quick-soak method: Rinse the beans, then put in a saucepan, cover with an inch of water, and bring to a boil. Boil for a few minutes and then let them soak for an hour off the heat, drain, and then add fresh water and continue cooking.

Soaked kidney beans will cook in about 60 minutes. Use 3 cups of water for each cup of uncooked beans, and you may wish to season the beans by adding bay leaves, herb sprigs, or garlic cloves to the cooking water. There’s a persistent myth that adding salt to beans while they cook will toughen their skins. This is not true, however, and salting the cooking water gives the beans better flavor.

There are hundreds of recipes on the internet that use kidney beans.  Do a search and start adding them to your daily diet.

52 Week Food Storage - Week #35

Week # 35: 50 lbs of Wheat (white or red)

Click here to read the 1st post on why you need wheat, how to store it and what to do with it.
10 Reasons to love Whole Wheat:

1. It’s more nutritious, providing several more minerals, vitamins (18 more to be exact!), and natural photochemicals than white flour.
2. Relax! It has More B Vitamins which are known to help with nerves & stress.
3. Get cleaned out. Whole wheat provides more fiber, preventing constipation & diverticulosis. The American Dietetic Association recommends 20-35 grams daily, the average American consumes only 12 grams.
4. Lose weight and keep it off! Whole wheat has a lot of fiber which has almost no calories, keeps you fuller for longer, absorbs 3x it’s weight in water, cuts absorption of calories, cleans out impurities, requires more chewing, and takes 1/2 as much to fill you up and takes longer to digest.
5. Reduces your risk of colon cancer & other diseases.
6. Lowers blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and risk of adult on set Diabetes.
7. Cheaper! It will lower your food costs by at least 30% to 50%!
8. Lowers doctor visits, bills, & medications.
9. Lowers Dentist Bills by cutting down on tooth decay.
10. Eating Whole Wheat keeps your body both emotionally and physically used to wheat.

52 Week Food Storage - Week #34 (Part 2)

Week # 34: 1 (#10) can Powdered Butter

Powdered Butter:
Butter powder was originally developed for the processed foods industry. As it is mostly butter, the flavor really comes through in your baked goods. Butter powder is extremely handy in mixes. Being in a powdered form, it blends easily with the other dry ingredients in a mix. Add butter powder to your cooked vegetables, macaroni and cheese, instant rice or in any cooked dish calling for butter.


Storage:
Requires no refrigeration and is ideal for camping, travel, and long-term food storage. This product may be stored for up to 12 months opened, and 3 to 5 years in airtight sealed cans. Once the powdered butter is re-hydrated it should be refrigerated and used within 4 days.

Uses:
Powdered Butter can be used in a variety of applications including: baked goods, breads, cookies, cakes, muffins, sauces, toppings and more.

How can you Dehydrate fat?
You can’t dehydrate fat as dehydrate literally means to ‘remove the water’ and fat has none. The small amount of water in butter is removed, however. Then, the powder is made by cleverly processing milk solids with the butter. Reconstituted butter powder looks much like whipped butter and tastes like butter with an added milky flavor to it. Because it does have a milky taste, some people find it takes just a bit of getting used to as a spread on bread. However, the mouth ‘feel’ is the same as butter and it looks and spreads much like butter after it has been reconstituted. It will even melt into hot toast and pancakes almost as fast as regular butter. Butter powder’s big advantage over regular butter is it’s non-perishable qualities. Butter powder also has an antioxidant added to help keep it fresh. The antioxidants coupled with USA Emergency Supplies’ packaging technology gives you a product that remains fresh and wholesome for years after purchasing it.

I also have canned butter in my food storage to use on rolls and toast.  

Purchase:
You can purchase Powdered Butter and Powdered Eggs in your local grocery stores or even online. Just do a simple search for the name of the ingredient you’re looking for and you’ll get a lot of results.

52 Week Food Storage - Week #34 (Part 1)

Week # 34: 1 (#10) can Powdered Eggs & 1 (#10) can Powdered Butter

Powdered Eggs:
Eggs are extremely perishable. Eggs must be kept refrigerated and have a relatively short shelf life. Powdered, dried eggs provide a convenient alternative to fresh eggs and add quality and consistent performance to the list of attributes.
Powdered eggs are fully dehydrated eggs. The major advantages of them over fresh eggs are the price, reduced weight per volume of whole egg equivalent, and the shelf life. The risk of bacterial contamination due to improper handling is significantly reduced and the clean up time is reduced as well. For camping and hiking excursions there is no better way to carry eggs than in powdered form. Just add water and cook up scrambled eggs in no time. The ease and benefits of Powdered, Dried Egg Products are tough to beat.

Appearance:
pale or yellowish powder, without strange particles.

Smell:
pleasant, typical mild, free of strange smells.

Taste:
typical to egg.

Storage:
Environmental temperature, keep in dry and dark place.

Shelf life:
Dry egg products can be stored up to a year or longer under proper storage conditions.

Nutritional Value:
Eggs are low in saturated fat and are one of the best sources of vitamin D, a nutrient that is essential to the development of strong bones. In fact, eggs are a nutritional powerhouse. For only 75 calories you get high quality protein and varying amounts of 13 essential vitamins and minerals, including A, B12 and folate.

For Baking:
For bakers, powdered egg products provide consistency from batch to batch and are always ready. Egg solids blend well with other dry ingredients and can be used immediately without cracking or thawing. Or for those of us (me) who are clumsy, you could keep that piece of shell out of your favorite cookie dough.

How egg products are made:
Egg products are processed in sanitary facilities under rigorous inspection by the United States Department of Agriculture. The first step in making egg products is breaking the eggs and separating the yolks and whites from the unwanted shells. Eggs are processed by automated equipment that move the eggs from flats, wash and sanitize the shells, break the eggs and separate the whites and the yolks or keeps them together for whole egg products. The liquid egg products is filtered, mixed, and then chilled prior to additional processing. This liquid egg product (in a pasteurized format) is what you get when you re-hydrate your powdered egg product. Powdered Eggs provide all the natural goodness of an egg in a convenient, non-perishable package. From here the egg product is pasteurized. The law requires that all egg products distributed for consumption be pasteurized. This means they must be rapidly heated and held at a minimum required temperature for a specified time. This process destroys Salmonella and any other bacteria, but does not cook the egg or affect the color, flavor, or nutritional value. Dried egg products are powdered by spraying the liquid egg into a heated drying room. The powder is left in the drying room for a specified time to get the desired consistency.

Information has been aggregated from the following sites: Honeyvillegrain and Emergency Essentials.

52 Week Food Storage - Week 33

Week # 33: 8-10 lbs Masa Harina or other

Masa Harina:
Masa is Spanish for dough. The dried and powdered form is called masa de harina or maseca (which is actually a commercial brand); it is reconstituted with water. Made from corn that has been dried, cooked, ground up and dried again. It has a soft texture and reconstitutes very easily with water, so it is ideal for making easy-to-shape doughs. Although the masa harina can be reconstituted with many other liquids - from water to eggs to oil - water is generally the most common.

What can I make with Masa Harina?
The most widely seen use of masa is in making corn tortillas. To make them, masa is simply mixed with water and salt, then mixture is rolled out and steamed or fried. Other uses for masa harina include masatortillas, sopes and empanadas, enchiladas, pupusas, guaraches, arepas and atole.

Taste:
It has a nutty slightly minerally flavour that unsurprisingly tastes like corn.

Nutritional Value:
Gluten Free! Masa differs from Corn Meal nutritionally as well. The lime water used to treat the maize adds calcium and releases niacin from the niacytin which greatly increases the nutritional value of the corn and there is actually more available or usable protein.

Substitutions:
It is important to avoid confusing masa harina with cornmeal or corn flour. Cornmeal is made by grinding corn, either dry or wet, but the corn is not treated with lime first. As a result, cornmeals and flours behave different than masa harina in baking and cooking. Do not substitute corn meal or regular corn flour, however; they’re produced from different types of corn and are processed differently. They will not produce the same results. Regular wheat flour also cannot be substituted.
Purchase:
Grocery stores in North America that have a Latin American food section should carry it. Otherwise go to a Latin American specialty food store. It typically comes in bags that look like a bag of flour. Or even get it online. Just do a simple search for Masa Harina and you’ll get several results of where to buy it. Even Amazon.com has some!

Recipes:

Corn Tortillas   Rated: Submitted By: jenn Photo By: Allrecipes Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 15 Minutes Ready In: 1 Hour 5 Minutes Servings: 5 "This is the real thing! A simple mixture of masa harina and water results in the most wonderful corn tortillas you ever tasted. The secret is to use a cast iron pan! You can buy masa harina at Mexican grocery stores or in the ethnic food aisle of large supermarkets." Ingredients: 1 3/4 cups masa harina 1 1/8 cups water Directions: 1. In a medium bowl, mix together masa harina and hot water until thoroughly combined. Turn dough onto a clean surface and knead until pliable and smooth. If dough is too sticky, add more masa harina; if it begins to dry out, sprinkle with water. Cover dough tightly with plastic wrap and allow to stand for 30 minutes. 2. Preheat a cast iron skillet or griddle to medium-high. 3. Divide dough into 15 equal-size balls. Using a tortilla press, a rolling pin, or your hands, press each ball of dough flat between two sheets of plastic wrap. 4. Immediately place tortilla in preheated pan and allow to cook for approximately 30 seconds, or until browned and slightly puffy. Turn tortilla over to brown on second side for approximately 30 seconds more, then transfer to a plate. Repeat process with each ball of dough. Keep tortillas covered with a towel to stay warm and moist until ready to serve. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2011 Allrecipes.com

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe-Tools/Print/Recipe.aspx?RecipeID=17500&origin=detail&&Servings=5

52 Week Food Storage - Week #32 (Part 2)

Week # 32: 5 cans Evaporated Milk

Once again I did a previous post on Evaporated Milk so you can click on the link below for more information:

http://wyfoodstorage.blogspot.com/2011/05/52-week-food-storage-week-18.html

52 Wee Food Storage - Week #32 (Part 1)

Week 32 - Part 1:   12 lbs of Powdered Milk

I have made two previous posts about powdered milk (Week 13 & 28) so I won't repeat it again.  If you would like to re-read them, you can click on the following link.   


http://wyfoodstorage.blogspot.com/2011/04/52-week-food-storage-week-13.html

52 Week Food Storage - Week #31 (Part 3)

Week # 31: 5 lbs Dry Split Peas

I will have to admit these are not my favorite at all so they probably won't be in my food storage plan.  I will just add more of something else to make up for split peas.  

Split Peas are the dried peeled and split seeds of a pod. They come in yellow and green varieties. They have been mechanically split so that they will cook faster. Did you know that dried peas have been a staple of the human diet since prehistoric times? Peas have been found in archeological digs in Egypt, Asia, and Rome. 

Growing:
They do grow well in cooler high altitude tropical areas. Many cultivars reach maturity about 60 days after planting. Generally, peas are to be grown outdoors during the winter, not in greenhouses. Peas grow best in slightly acidic, well-drained soils. So for all of us in Utah, we’ll for sure need to just buy them. Instead of grow them.

Nutrition:
Split Peas are Chock Full of Fiber and Goodness. Full of soluble fiber, peas help to bind up cholesterol-containing bile and move it out of your body. This can help with conditions like irritable bowel syndrome and diverticulosis. A single cup of cooked dried peas in your daily diet provides 65.1% of the recommended daily fiber. They also provide a good amount of protein, two B-vitamins, and several important minerals. Peas also include isoflavones, which are helpful in reducing the risk of breast and prostate cancer.
Peas can also reduce the amount of plaque in your blood vessels and help your heart remain healthy. If you are sensitive to sulfites, which are added to most deli foods and salad bars, the mineral molybdenum will help you detoxify them. Peas can provide you with almost twice the recommended daily allowance of this mineral from a single 1-cup serving. Signs of sulfite sensitivity may include rapid heartbeat, headache, or disorientation.

Recipes:
Split peas come in two varieties: green and yellow. Both can be used for most recipes interchangeably. The most common way is split pea soup. This can be made with left over ham or pork, or kept vegetarian. Oh yeah, Soup again? What else can you do with them?
Split pea dip can be made with herbs, a little olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, a few chopped olives, and some cilantro. It can be enjoyed with pita bread, just like hummus. A pilaf can be made combining split peas with brown rice and seasonings that could be a wonderful change of pace as a side dish. Indian cuisine uses a lot of yellow split peas, which they call daal. They are added to their soups, or used to make fava, which is a puree served with fish, salty foods, or dark leafy greens. They also add split peas to buckwheat or quinoa dishes. With added spices, these dishes can be mild or spicy, whichever you prefer. What about in your scrambled eggs?

52 Weeks Food Storage - Week #31 (Part 2)

Week # 31: 10 lbs Lentils:

The lentil considered a type of legume, is a bushy annual plant of the legume family, grown for its lens-shaped seeds. It is about 15 inches tall and the seeds grow in pods, usually with two seeds in each.

Types:
A variety of lentils exists with colors that range from yellow to red-orange to green, brown and black. Red, white and yellow lentils are decorticated, i.e., they have their skins removed. There are large and small varieties of many lentils (e.g., Masoor Lentils). Lentils are sold in many forms, with or without the skins, whole or split.

Nutritional Value:
Lentils contain high levels of proteins, including the essential amino acids isoleucine and lysine, and are an essential source of inexpensive protein in many parts of the world for those who adhere to a vegetarian diet or cannot afford meat.
Apart from a high level of proteins, lentils also contain dietary fiber, Folate, vitamin B1, and minerals. Red (or pink) lentils contain a lower concentration of fiber than green lentils (11% rather than 31%).[4] Health magazine has selected lentils as one of the five healthiest foods.
Lots of Iron! Lentils are one of the best vegetable sources of iron. This makes them an important part of a vegetarian diet, and useful for preventing iron deficiency. Iron is particularly important for adolescents and pregnant women, whose requirements for it are increased.
Like other legumes, lentils are low in fat and high in protein and fiber, but they have the added advantage of cooking quickly.

Taste
Lentils have a mild, often earthy flavor, and they’re best if cooked with assertive flavorings.

Tip: Before cooking, always rinse lentils and pick out stones and other debris.