Dehydrated Red Lentil Curry Soup for Backpacking

I've been making Red Lentil Curry Soup for several years now.  It is a recipe I've adapted from several recipes and now is a family favorite. 

I've spent the last week dehydrating food for our upcoming backpacking trip this July.  I definitely want good tasting and nutritious food on this trip.  Dehydrating it myself is the best way to make this happen, and save a lot of money. 

I've changed the recipe a little bit for dehydrating, switching the diced tomatoes for tomato paste.  You can cook the soup on the stove, or in an Instant Pot.  Then work hard to keep yourself from eating it right then, and spread it on dehydrator trays with fruit leather liners.

Red Lentil Curry Soup

By Barbara Spencer Frohne

Ingredients:

1 Large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 TBSP fresh ginger, minced or pressed through a garlic press

2 - 6 oz cans tomato paste

1 - 2 tsp curry powder or garam masala, depending on spice level preference

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

4 cups low sodium vegetable broth

2 cups water

1 can of coconut milk

1.5 cups of dry red lentils

2 grated carrots (optional)

2 - 3 hand fulls or more of chopped kale or spinach (Optional)

chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Salt to taste

Stove top directions:

Place all the ingredients, except the kale or spinach and cilantro, into a soup pot. On the stove, bring to a boil and then cover and simmer on low heat for 20-30 minutes, until the lentils are very tender. Stir in the chopped kale or spinach, and cilantro and salt. Continue to simmer with the lid on until the greens are wilted. Remove from heat, and salt to taste.

Instant Pot directions:

Place all the ingredients, except the kale or spinach and cilantro, into the liner of your instant pot. Put on the lid. Press manual and high pressure for 8 minutes. When finished, allow it to natural release for 20 minutes, then release then carefully release the rest of the pressure. Open the lid and stir in the chopped kale or spinach, and cilantro and salt. Put the lid back on, and let it set for a few minutes. Come back and stir in a couple minutes. When they are wilted, the soup is ready. Salt to taste.

Dehydrator directions:

If you want to make your own dried soup, place scoops of the soup on your fruit letter trays, and spread.  

Then dehydrate at 135 degrees until completely dry 10 - 12 hours.

  

3/4 way through the drying time, use a thin pancake turner to flip the soup over, so that the underside can dry also.  

When the soup feels completely dry, crumble it into a large bowl.  (Realize this will stain your fruit leather trays, because of the tomato products in the soup.)

Place the dehydrated soup into small zipper bags.  Keep in the freezer to keep it fresh until you are ready to take it out on the trail.  One batch of soup makes 4 - 1 cup baggies of dehydrated soup.  I like the Great Value Square Snack Bags from Walmart.  They are light and a very convenient size. 

To re-hydrate your soup in your kitchen, or out on the trail.  Add 1/2 cup of the dry soup mix and 1 cup of boiling water to a cup.  In 2 - 4 minutes, it will be ready to eat.

 The longer it sits, the creamier it will become. 

Summer Days Blackberry Banana Cobbler

Summer Days Blackberry Banana Cobbler

Gluten-free, Vegan

Barbara Frohne

2 TBSP oil

1 – 1.5 cups sugar, Sucanant, or Florida Crystals, (If your berries are sweet you can use less)

2 cups gluten-free flour mix, or Sorghum flour*

2 tsp baking powder

1.5 cups non-dairy milk

2 - 3 medium, ripe mashed bananas

Around 3 - 4 cups of blackberries**

1 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350*

1. Spread the oil in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine the sugar, flour and baking powder. Mix well. Add mashed bananas, and non-dairy milk, then mix until smooth. Pour this batter over the oil in the baking dish, but do not stir.

3. Arrange the blackberries over the batter. They can be lined up side by side, but don't put on a double layer. Then sprinkle the top with the walnuts.

4. Bake in pre-heated oven, for 30 minutes.

* I don't like the texture of straight brown rice flour. You may substitute whole wheat pastry flour if you don't have gluten-free concerns.

**You may substitute other berries, blueberries or raspberries.

Barbara's Pumpkin Muffins - Gluten-free, Vegan, Delicious, with an oil-free variation

I've  been working on my Pumpkin Muffin Recipe this fall, and have come up with an improved recipe, with an oil-free alternative.  I think you will really like it.  I will post it here, and put a link to it on the original Pumpkin Muffin Recipe page.

BARBARA'S PUMPKIN MUFFINS

Gluten-free, Vegan, Delicious, with an oil-free variation
By Barbara Frohne

www.wildflowermorningrecipes.blogspot.com

WET INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup water or dairy free milk
one 15 oz can pumpkin
1/3 cup oil OR 6 dried prunes soaked in the water until they are softened
1/3 cup honey

DRY INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup garbanzo flour

1/4 cup tapioca starch

3/4 cup white or brown rice flour

3/4 cup sorghum flour or oat flour
1/3 cup flaxseed meal (grind whole flax seeds in a blender or coffee grinder)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare your muffin pan by spraying pan spray into each cup, or using muffin papers.

Puree the wet ingredients in a blender until smooth and creamy. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients and mix together completely. Add the wet ingredients from the blender to the flour mixture in the large bowl and blend with a large spoon until everything is just mixed together, no longer. Spoon into a greased muffin pan or muffin paper. Mound the dough up to the top of the muffin cup.

Oil Free alternative: Soak 6 dried prunes in the 3/4 cup water until they are softened. Blend until smooth. Puree with the other wet ingredients. Substitute the prune puree in place of the oil in the wet ingredents.

Bake at 350 F (175 C) for 30 minutes.

Makes 12 muffins.

The link to the old recipe is here.

Barbara's Bountiful Blessings Bread

 I have been needing to put this recipe on the web for quite a long while, but I have been holding off, because I didn't have photographs to share too.  I decided that because my friend needs the recipe today, that I will put it up without the photos, hoping that someday I will manage to not be in such a hurry to eat the bread and remember to get out the camera.

I am pretty sure that if you like a hearty, healthy bread, that you will like this satisfying loaf.

Barbara's Bountiful Blessings Bread
http://wildflowermorningrecipes.blogspot.com/
Gluten-free and Vegan
Makes 2 loaves

By Barbara Frohne

(With directions suitable for living in a dry climate.  If you live in a warm humid place the steam will likely not be needed.)

Step 1:  Mix the following into a small bowl and set aside for at least 15 minutes.
1/2 cup flax seeds
1/4 cup chia seeds
1 1/3 cup warm water

Step 2:  Measure and mix the following ingredients into a large bowl.
1/3 cup ground flax seed
1/3 cup ground chia seed
1/4 cup psylium seed husks,
1/4 teaspoon vitamin C powder
2 cups tapioca flour
2 cups millet flour
2 cups sorghum flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup sugar
8 teaspoons active dry yeast

Step 3:  Put a teakettle on the burner and bring it to a boil.  Set it so it won't whistle, but steam will pour out of the spout instead. 

Step 4:  Add the following to the very large bowl, and mix very well for a minute or two with a wooden spoon.  If it is too stiff for the spoon, knead with your hand in the bowl or on the counter, but it doesn't need much more flour.  You want to keep it light.
1/2 cup light cooking oil (I use grapeseed oil)
3 cups warm water
The pre-soaked seed mixture from step 1

Step 5:    Place a dish of water on the bottom shelf of the oven to provide humididy in the oven.  Preheat the oven to 390 degrees.  

Step 6:  You should have a sticky dough now.  Spray two loaf pans.   Sprinkle some rice flour or sorghum flour on the counter.   Divide your dough in two pieces.  Place one piece at a time on the counter and shape into a loaf shape.  Place into the loaf pans.  The dough is sticky and will stick to your hands, but do the best you can to manage it, keeping it as light and tender as possible. 

Step 7:  Set the loaf pans on top of the stove with the steam from the teapot aimed at them.  Let them rise for 15 – 20 minutes.  Make sure the oven is pre-heating. 

Step 8: Bake at 390 degrees for 45 - 50 minutes, or until the loaves are browned and loaves sound hollow.  (You might need longer. I think I did last time, but can't remember how many minutes I added.  It might have been more then 1 hour all together.)

Step 9:  Remove from oven and loaf pans and cool.  And try to resist the temptation to eat it all right now.

Stuffed Yams with White Beans and Kale - The New Breakfast

We are making some changes in what we eat.  We attended a seminar by Dr. Linda Carney this weekend.  We learned some important things that seemed timely in our health journey.  My husband is searching for ways to reverse atherosclerosis.  We learned that leafy greens dilate blood vessels, and heal endothelial cells.  Endothelial cells are the lining for the blood vessels.  That is where the plaque builds up.  Oil and most other fats damage endothelial cells, yes, even olive oil.  But walnuts and flax seed don't harm the lining of the blood vessels.  They contain the essential fatty acids, Omega 3's that are important all through the body. 

Dr. Carney recommends that everyone eat greens, beans and squash or yams for breakfast.  Yes, I know that is a big switch in ideas about what makes a healthy breakfast, but for us, it was worth a try.  "Breakfast like a king," you know.  We are setting out on a month long journey to see what happens to our health if we eat this way.

For lunch eat more beans, and greens, and other veggies.  You can end with fruit if you would like a little sweetness to make the pleasure center of your brain happy.

For supper eat whole grains and fruit.  Oatmeal or oat groats are a good choice.  Brown rice is also a good choice for those who can't eat oats. 

Yesterday we started by eating yams, salad greens and freshly cooked garbonzo beans.  I found out that the garbonzo beans balanced out the super sweet taste of the yams.  I haven't like yams that much before, because they are so sweet, but it may be that I haven't eaten them with beans before.  I was surprised that I liked them plain, and they didn't even need salt. 

Yesterday I searched out some new recipes and found a couple that we are going to try this week.  I think that all the recipes will need tweaked, to get rid of oil or vinegar or other unnecessary, or even harmful ingredients.  As I adapt recipes I will be posting them here.  I hope they will be helpful in your search for good health also.

I cooked some Great Northern Beans in the crock pot overnight, so they were ready when I got up this morning around 6:30.   I rinsed the yams I bought yesterday, placed then a baking sheet, at 400 degrees.  While they were baking I had some quite time for Bible study and prayer.  About 7:40 my daughter got the asparagus ready, and I fixed the kale.  Breakfast was on the table at 8 am.  It wasn't as hard as thought it would be to do this.  It just takes a little thought and advance preparation.

After breakfast I heard these comments.

"This tasted much better then I thought it would."

"I didn't think I would like yams this way, but I now like it better then any other way I've eaten yams."

"This was really filling."

"I feel satisfied." 

"We are going to have to make this again."

And so we will. 

Stuffed Yams with White Beans and Kale
www.awildflowermorning.blogspot.com

4 medium sized yams
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 bunches of kale, washed and chopped
1/4 - 1/2 tsp dried Italian herbs
1/4 tsp dried mild pepper flakes
3 cups of cooked Great Northern Beans, or other white beans
1/2 tsp salt

Wash the yams, and place on a baking sheet in a 400 degree oven.  Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour.

When the yams are about finished, placed the onions and garlic in a dry skillet on medium heat.  Stir often so they do not stick.  If they start to stick, you can sprinkle water on them.  When they are beginning to soften add the damp kale.  If it is dry, sprinkle some more water on them.  Stir.  Then put on a lid to help them steam.  When they start to change the color of green add the Italian herbs, pepper flakes and salt.  Stir.  Add the beans, and gently stir, just enough to mix them in the green.  Heat until they are warm.  Be careful not to mash the beans. 

Place a yam on a plate.  Cut it almost in half, lengthwise, like it was a baked potato.  Squish it open just a little, and spoon in some of the kale and bean mixture.  Place some spears of asparagus on the side.  Do the same to the remaining 3 yams.  Serve with a happy heart. 

Garbonzo Rice Stew

I'm trying to use the food that I have on hand, and not run to the store to buy something new all the time.  I am trying not to let anything spoil in the fridge before it is used.

I cooked a crock pot full of garbonzo beans on Friday, and there were still quite a few left over today, sitting in the refrigerator waiting to be  eaten.  I decided that we needed some kind of soup, and that garbonzos were going to be the main ingredient.  I looked around on the internet to get a few ideas, and then came up with my own recipe, based on the ingredients I had on hand, and suggestions from my kids.

We did the photo shoot before we ate.  While eating, the kids and I agreed that this soup needed something else.  We added some brown rice, left-over in the refrigerator, and now we think the soup is perfect.  But you will have to guess what it looks like with rice added.

Garbonzo Rice Stew

1 onion, diced
3 carrots, diced,
3 garlic, minced
1Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp cumin, ground
1/2 tsp Italian herbs
1/8 tsp tumeric
2 Tbsp LaChicky vegan/gluten-free/soy free Chicken style seasoning (or other chicken style seasoning)
1 bunch of kale, chopped
8 cups water
1 tsp salt (or less, depeding on the saltiness of  your beans and your chicken-style seasoning)
6 cups pre-cooked garbonzo beans, also known as chickpeas.  (If you use canned beans, you will need to decrease the salt in the recipe.)
4 cups cooked brown rice

Saute the onions, carrots and garlic in the olive oil until soft.  Add the red pepper flakes, cumin, Italian herbs, tumeric, LaChicky seasoning, chopped kale, water and salt.  Stir.  Add the garbonzos.  Scoop out 2 - 4 cups of the soup, and blend until smooth in a blender.  Place back into the soup pot.  Add the brown rice.  Bring to a boil.  Serve with bread, or crackers and mashed avocado on the side for a delicious lunch.

Chickpea Flatbread - Gluten-free, Vegan

Oh my!  Oh my!  I just made the most fabulous gluten-free, vegan, flat bread I've ever made.  It is a little bit like foccacia, and a little bit like pizza.  Preparation was easy, and the kids are begging me to make it again for supper, so I know it is a good one.  It is made from chickpea flour, something that is a staple in many gluten-free kitchens already.

From my reading on the web, it appears that chickpea flat breads were first made in Italy, and then spread to south France, and now are common in South America too where many Europeans immigrated.  I am certain that my version is not authentic, but it is tasty, and nutritious, fitting the needs of my American family.  Your family might like it too.

I include 1/2 an onion in each recipe.  In my opinion, that is what makes this bread fabulous.  But I know other people would disagree with me.  I am pretty certain you could leave it out, as many recipes have no onions or other veggies in them.  But since I eat a plant based diet, I add veggies to any dish possible. Who knows, maybe next time I'll add some kale.

It doesn't taste a bit like chickpeas or beans when it is baked.  If you have people in the family who might think they don't like chickpeas, call it by it's Genovese name, Farinata, instead.

By the way, you may want to consider making a double or a triple batch, because the bread disappears quickly. 

Chickpea Flatbread - Gluten-free Vegan
www.wildflowermorningrecipes.blogspot.com

1 1/4 cups chickpea flour, also called garbonzo flour or besan
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1 - 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped small
1/2 can of black olives, sliced

1.   Mix together the chickpea flour, salt and water.   Leave it to rest for 30 minutes or more.

2.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. 

3. Chop the onions finely, and slice the olives.  

4.  Pour the olive oil in the bottom of a cast iron skillet (12 inches round), or other oven proof pan, such as a pizza stone, or even a casserole dish.  Wipe a little of the oil up the sides of the pan about 1/2 inch.  Evenly distribute the onions in the pan, and then sprinkle the olives on top of the onions.  

5.  When the batter has sat long enough, evenly pour it over the onions and olives, careful to cover the bottom of the pan to equal depths of batter.

6.  Place the pan in the hot oven,and let bake for around 25 minutes, or until firm and starting to get a little crispy.  Let the flatbread cool before cutting and handling.

Dried Winter Squash

 My friend brought me a giant squash picked from her garden in the fall.  We enjoy eating squash, but it was more then we could eat before it went bad.  What do you do with extra fresh cut squash?  My friend had the perfect solution, you dry it.  You peel the squash, and then slice it thinly, hopefully with an electric food slicer, or food processor, and then you spread it on dehydrator sheets and dry it. It took around 24 hours for it to dry at 115 degrees in my dehydrator.  One have of that giant squash made 1 gallon of dried, squash chips.  I actually enjoy eating them just like that.  But I am really looking forward to to putting a handful in each pot of vegetable soup I make, without having to peel and cut a squash first. 

And then next fall I'll know what to do with winter squash from my garden.

Pineapple Pomegranate Oatmeal

I made something new for breakfast this morning.  Since my 14 year old son gave it "high compliments," (Direct quote), I thought some of you might be interested too.  I call it Pineapple Pomegranate Oatmeal

Pineapple Pomegranate Oatmeal

Cook enough oatmeal for your family or follow these instructions for a family of four.

Place the following ingredients in a saucepan and cover with a lid:

3 cups of water
1/2 cup raisins

Bring the water to a boil on high. 
Add 2 cups of old fashioned rolled oats (gluten-free if needed)

Stir.  Put the lid back on.  Then turn the heat down to low.  Let it set there for around 10 minutes. 

Take off the heat.  Put in a pretty dish.  Stir in:
- some pineapple tidbits, or fresh chopped pineapple,
- some walnut pieces
- pomegranate seeds

Serve with a gratitude, a smile and a non-dairy milk of choice.

Note:  There is an easy way to get pomegranate seeds out of that funny red ball without a huge mess.  This short video tells you how.  It's our method of choice now.

Foreign Vegetable Supper

I am writing about our time on the island of Guam on my other blog.  Usually I write about food only on this blog, but this supper seemed that it might  be of interest to my main blog readers.  If you'd like to find out what kind of foreign vegetables we ate for supper, head over to my other blog for a look.