Thursday, November 29, 2007

Recipes - Tangy Stewed Fruit

2 to 3 cups dried fruit such as apples, apricots, cherries, figs,
nectarines, peaches, pears, pineapple, cranberries, or prunes
21/2 cups boiling water

1 tablespoon lemon juice1/2 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons sugar1/2 teaspoon cinnamon1/4 cup honey

1. Pour boiling water over dried fruit in a medium saucepan. Let stand to soften 5 to 15 minutes.
2. Add orange and lemon juices. Bring to a boil.
3. Simmer 20 minutes.
4. Stir in sugar, cinnamon, and honey. Mix well.
5. Serve hot or cold.

Recipes -Dried Fruit Rice Pudding

1/4 cup uncooked rice1/2 cup sugar
4 cups milk1/4 teaspoon ground ginger1/4 teaspoon salt3/4 cup dried fruit, cut into small pieces (not dried bananas)

1. Combine all ingredients in a large casserole.

2. Bake, uncovered, in a 300°F oven for 21/2 hours, or until rice is tender, stirring occasionally. Occasional stirring is especially important during the first hour of baking.

3. Cool. Serve cold.

Recipes - Dried Berry Cobbler

2 cups dried blueberries, cranberries, gooseberries, or other berry
2 cups boiling water
2 tablespoons tapioca
1 to 11/2 cups sugar, depending on tartness of berries

1. Pour boiling water over the berries and let them soak for 3 to 4 hours.

2. Place soaked berries and liquid in a shallow baking dish.

3. Combine sugar and tapioca; sprinkle over the berries.

4. Cover the berries with batter (see below), and bake 30 minutes at 400°F.

Batter
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg, well beaten
11/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1. Cream together butter and sugar. Add beaten egg.
2. Thoroughly mix flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture one-half cup at a time, alternately with the milk.

Recipes - Tangy Golden Fruit Snack

Makes about 36 balls
1/2cup dried apricots1/2cup dried apples1/2cup dried peaches1/2cup finely grated dried coconut1/4cup finely chopped nuts
1 teaspoon finely grated citrus fruit peel (orange, lemon, lime)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon1/4 cup honey (you may want to add 1 more tablespoon of
honey if you are using a tart juice such as lemon juice)
1/4 cup citrus juice
Powdered sugar, if desired

1. With a food processor or grinder, grind apricots, apples, and peaches into bits about half the size of a raisin or about 1/8 inchin diameter. Place in a medium bowl.

2. Stir in coconut, nuts, citrus peel, and cinnamon.

3. Slightly warm honey and citrus juices. Stir to mix well.

4. Slowly pour the honey mixture over the fruit mixture, stirring until the mixture sticks together evenly.

5. Form into balls 3/4 to 1 inch in diameter (about 1 rounded tea spoon) and place on drying racks.

6. Dry in food dryer until no longer sticky to the touch (2-3 hours).

7. If desired, roll balls in powdered sugar.

Recipes - Dried Vegetable Quick Bread

3 cups flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup honey
3 beaten eggs
1 cup oil
2 teaspoons vanilla or other flavor extract
2 cups finely chopped, rehydrated vegetables (about 11/2 cups dried)
(optional) 1/2 cup raisins or other chopped dried fruit

1. Using equal amounts of dried vegetables and water, cover the vegetables with cool water. Soak for 15 to 60 minutes, until soft. Drain and set aside.

2. Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder in a large bowl. Set aside.

3. In another bowl, mix the honey, eggs, oil, vanilla flavoring, and 2 cups of the rehydrated vegetables.

4. Pour the honey mixture into the flour mixture. Mix well until the flour is completely moistened.

5. Add raisins or dried fruit, if desired.

6. Pour into two greased and floured 7- by 3-inch loaf pans.

7. Bake at 350°F for about 50 minutes. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean, the loaves are done.

Recipes - Vegetable Soup

Serves 6
4 cups water
3/4to 1 cup dried vegetables
(green beans, corn, peas, tomatoes, onions, etc.)
2 packages bouillon granules or cubes
Seasonings to taste (herbs, soy sauce, or curry)
Variation: Add 1/2 cup rice, noodles, lentils,or barley with the other ingredients.

1. Bring water to a boil. Add dried vegetables, bouillon,and seasonings.

2. Simmer about 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender, though chewy. (Freshly dried vegetables will not take as long to reconstitute as those that have been stored for a long time.)

3. Remember to refrigerate leftovers.

Enjoying Dried Foods

You can eat dried fruits plain or mix them with nuts and seeds for a healthy mixed snack. Use chopped dried fruit or whole dried berries or cranberries instead of raisins or nuts in cakes, quick breads, and cookies. Dried vegetables make excellent additions to homemade soups and stews. Generally you should soak root crops such as beets, carrots, and potatoes before adding them to a soup, stew, or casserole. Most other dried vegetables can be added directly. (You may need to increase cooking time and add extra liquid to be sure the vegetables are tender.) Dried leafy vegetables can be powdered in a blender or food processor then stirred into soups or purées.

To prepare a dried soup mixture, cut fresh vegetables into small pieces then dry them according to the directions for each vegetable. After drying, combine and store them. Cabbage, carrots, celery, corn, onions, and peas make tasty combinations. Rice, dry beans, split peas, and meat stock are usually added at the time of cooking

Plumping and Rehydrating Fruits and Vegetables Fruits.

To plump or soften dried fruit to make it more chewable, cover it with boiling water, let it stand for 5 minutes, and drain. Vegetables. When you soak or rehydrate dried vegetables, they should plump to nearly the same size they were when fresh. Start with 11/2 to 2 cups cold water for each cup of dried vegetable. Keep the vegetables covered with water during soaking by adding more water, if necessary. Rehydrating root vegetables takes about 1/2 to 2 hours, depending on the size of the pieces. If you are adding dried vegetables to a soup or stew, don’t worry about rehydrating them; just toss them in.