"We want you to be ready with your personal storehouses filled with at least a year’s supply. You don’t argue why it cannot be done; you just plan to organize and get it done" (Spencer W. Kimball, August 1976).

Stuffed Peppers  gluten free


Fill colorful peppers with meat and rice, or noodles and quinoa for a vegetarian version.

Ingredients:
8 large bell peppers
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Meat & Rice Filling:
1 cup cooked rice
1/2 lb ground beef, cooked & drained
1/2-3/4 cup cooked quinoa (see technique below)
3/4-1 cup canned diced tomatoes
1/4 cup red pepper puree, optional (see technique below)
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
Salt and pepper, to taste

Quinoa & Noodle Filling:
1 cup cooked GF macaroni (see information below)
1/2 cup cooked quinoa (see technique below)
3/4-1 cup canned diced tomatoes
1/4 cup red pepper puree, optional (see technique below)
1 tsp marjoram
1 cup gouda, grated
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
Cut tops off peppers, core out membranes and seeds from inside and discard. Rub outside of peppers with a bit of olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and place upright in a muffin tin, or packed together in a casserole dish. Bake shells at 350°F for 25 minutes (omit this step if you like firm peppers).

Prepare filling of choice - combine all ingredients together and mix gently together. Add just enough of the canned diced tomato liquid to soften the mixture. Then stuff in the pre-baked shells. Any leftover filling you have, place in the empty muffin tin wells, or around the peppers in the casserole dish. Top with extra grated cheese if you like.

Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes, or until filling is hot.

Pepita Pesto & Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta  gluten free


High in protein and minerals, pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds) are a great alternative to meat in this pasta dish.
Ingredients:
1 butternut squash, peeled & seeded
1/3 cup olive oil
1/8-1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup packed fresh mixed herbs (basil, flat-leaf parsley, cilantro)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/3 cup pepitas, toasted
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lime, juiced & zested
2 - 2 1/2 cups GF penne or rotini pasta
Directions:
Dice squash into bite sized pieces. Put on baking sheet, drizzle with some olive oil and sprinkle with nutmeg and salt and pepper. Roast at 400F for about 15 minutes, or until soft and browned.

To toast pepitas, put in a separate baking dish and put on the top rack in the oven with the squash. Should be toasted enough after 5-10 minutes (taste one-if crispy, its done). Set aside to cool.

Cook pasta in salted water until al dente. Reserve about 1 cup of the water.

To make the pesto, in a food processor combine 1/3 cup olive oil, herbs, cheese, pepitas, garlic and lime. Pulse until finely processed. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, toss together the pasta and pesto, and 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water.  Add more water if you like, until you get the sauce consistancy you want. Add in the squash and toss gently to combine.

 Tarragon Chicken Casserole

Submitted by: Vie K
From: Texas

TARRAGON CHICKEN CASSEROLE

Ingredients:
2 cans low fat cream of chicken soup
Undiluted 2 cups evaporated skim milk
4 teaspoons tarragon
Pepper to taste
1 13 oz box bowtie pasta, cooked*
2 10 oz cans chicken, drained
1 14 oz can peas, drained**
Paprika
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese*** (Optional)
Directions:
Mix soups and milk together. Add tarragon and pepper to taste. Mix pasta with chicken and peas. Pour soup mixture over pasta mixture. Mix well. Place in casserole dish. Sprinkle paprika over top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until heated through.
*Or any pasta shape you have on hand
**You can use any vegetable you have on hand that your family likes.
***If you have access to cheese, add on top of casserole before sprinkling the paprika.

TUNA NOODLE CASSEROLE

Ingredients:
16 oz. package egg noodles
10 3/4 oz can cream of mushroom soup
15 oz can peas, drained
(2) 5oz. cans of tuna, drained
4oz. can sliced mushrooms
1 cup milk (3T dry milk + 1 cup water)
1/2 cup bread crumbs
Directions:
Cook egg noodles according to directions. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a casserole dish, mix together the cream of mushroom soup, mushrooms with liquid and the milk. Add the cooked noodles, can of drained peas and 2 cans of drained tuna. Stir slowly until thoroughly mixed together. Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top. Bake for 45 minutes.





Powerless Cooking

Powerless cooking is something that can be intimidating for many people. However, with a little practice and the right tools it can actually be quite enjoyable. Learning techniques such as dutch oven cooking or cooking with a solar oven can introduce you to a whole new world of delicious foods. One thing to consider is that while there are many options for cooking outdoors, it may not always be feasible to do so (i.e. a huge snow storm). So make sure you have some back-up plans in place to cook indoors or have some meals that do not require cooking at all.

Key Points

• When it comes to cooking without power, you have to have a fuel source. That fuel source may be in the form of the sun, propane, butane, Insta-fire, charcoal or a variety of other fuels.
• We recommend working on building, and using a food storage in cases where you have power, then gradually start learning about, and implementing powerless cooking tools.
• There are a variety of make-you-own cooking tools out there. They are good for short term emergencies, or to practice and get your feet wet if you have a smaller budget. As your able to allocate more of your budget to powerless cooking tools, we recommend getting more durable tools.