Green Juice or Smoothie: Kale, Spinach, Celery, Cucumber and Apple

I have been reading so many health benefits regarding juicing and smoothies.  Why drink my calories when I can enjoy eating food and I have a good diet?   Then I read more about how juicing and smoothies can help supplement a well rounded diet and it is considered a beauty ritual for better skin.  

I used my 10-year old KitchenAid blender.  I do not own a juicer nor do I have a fancy $500 high speed blender.  When I found this tutorial on how to make juice with a blender and then strain it, I had to try it!   

Since I have a regular blender, I diced all my fruits and veggies.  I snipped the kale and spinach with kitchen scissors as small as I could. I wasn't sure if my blender was powerful enough to pulverize and liquify the kale and spinach.  A high speed blender would not require the extra step of chopping the fruits and veggies this small.  

I wanted to pack as much "green", nutrient dense fruits and veggies as possible.  Most recipes call for a handful of this and that, which mean that they are forgiving recipes.  As this is my first juice/smoothie recipe, I decided to write down exact measurements so I can repeat the same drink if my results were fabulous.  I am so glad I am writing it down now!

I made this as a juice.  I blended everything to a smoothie and passed the contents through a jelly bag and squeezed the pulp dry (I had about 2 Tbsp of dry pulp).  If you do have a regular blender, put the coconut water first, then the leafy greens and diced fruit/vegetables afterwards.  The leafy greens get blended better.  After the first sip, I was amazed how delicious, fresh and sweet a combination of kale, spinach, celery, cucumber and apple turned out.  Almost too sweet. 

Green Juice or Smoothie:  Kale Spinach, Celery, Cucumber and Apple
Make 1 serving, about 3/4 cup juice

1/4 cup (2 oz) coconut water, unflavoured/unsweetened
1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach
1/2 cup chopped kale
1/2 cup diced apple
1/4 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced cucumber
1/4 cup crushed ice (optional) 

Blend until smooth.  For a smoothie, pour into a glass.  For juice, strain in a jelly or nut milk bag.  Discard or re-use the leftover pulp in baking or cooking. 

- Adapted from GetFitEatRight: Green Smoothie: Kale, Spinach, Celery, Cucumber, Apple

 I had to serve this in a martini glass.  The juice was so delicious and pretty.  Each sip was savoured.   

Enjoy!

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Meyer Lemon, Roasted Garlic and Sundried Tomato Hummus

Hummus is a tasty Middle-Eastern chickpea dip that has become very popular here in North America.  I have been playing around with this healthy high protein dish lately and surprisingly, my 8 year old son has fallen in love with it.  

Most basic hummus recipes are comprised of chickpeas, garlic, olive oil, tahini (sesame seed paste), lemon juice and salt.  

I was inspired by the different flavours of hummus at the supermarket:  sundried tomato, roasted red peppers, roasted garlic and traditional.  Out of curiosity, I added 2 heads of roasted garlic, the juice and zest of 1 Meyer lemon and 2 cut up sun-dried tomatoes to the chickpea mixture.  Wow.  It was very tasty and my three-year old wanted to dip her carrot sticks in it.  Even my two older children ended up eating this by the spoonfuls!  I think this will be the way I make hummus from now on.  As long as I have Meyer lemons, roasted garlic and sun-dried tomatoes, I am very happy!   Meyer lemons are known to be sweeter and less acidic (less "pucker") than regular lemons.  

I bought a huge bag of garlic bulbs on sale and made a big batch of roasted garlic.  Once roasted, I froze the individual cloves of roasted garlic and stored them in a zipped sandwich baggie.  To use, thaw the frozen cloves of roasted garlic for 20-30 seconds in the microwave before adding to the food processor.   

Sesame oil is always in my Asian pantry, so I didn't have to go buy tahini.  I love the intense flavour of sesame oil, so you only need a little. 

This recipe is very flexible. You can use tahini instead of sesame oil, add more or less of any ingredient to your taste.  You may try a few cloves of roasted garlic first and taste as you go.  That's how I ended up adding up to 2 heads of roasted garlic!  Once made, the cumin and sesame flavours are pretty strong, but after a few hours, everything mellows nicely. 

Meyer Lemon, Roasted Garlic and Sun-dried Tomato Hummus

1- 19oz can chickpeas or 2 1/4 cups cooked chickpeas

2 heads of roasted garlic*, or 14 roasted garlic cloves

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 to 1 1/2 tsp cumin powder

1/4 tsp sesame oil 

juice and zest of 1 Meyer lemon (about 2-3 Tbsp juice)

2 diced sundried tomatoes, packed in olive oil

2-4 Tbsp water, only add until thickness is desired

1/4 tsp kosher salt, or to taste

Place all ingredients except water into a food processor or blender.  Blend until desired texture.  Add water in small increments until desired thickness.  

Serve with your favourite veggies, pita bread, chips, crackers, as a spread, in a wrap or in a sandwich.  

*To roast garlic, cut 1/4"-1/2" off the tops of the garlic bulbs and place them together on a large piece of aluminum foil.  Drizzle a couple of teaspoons over all the heads and wrap them up tightly in a nice neat package.  Roast them for 35-40 min at 400F.  

Enjoy!

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Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowls and Asian Stir Fry Basics

Growing up in a Chinese household, stir fry dishes are a part of our normal rotation for dinner.  Because it is made so often, it becomes second nature for an Asian person to throw slices of meat or tofu, cut veggies and some seasonings together to make a luscious topping over rice.

Everyone and every family has a different way of making stir fry dishes.  It is mainly a method or guideline that I should archive for my kiddies.  I purposely make my Asian dishes on the bland side.  My children like mild flavours.   If I can get them to eat broccoli, carrots, zucchini, sugar snap peas, meat, tofu and other veggies for dinner, I have won the mommy lottery!  The other day, Nessa begged me to buy asparagus!  You can always add more salt, pepper, hot sauce or other seasonings to your own plate. Besides, it is easier to correct bland dishes than salty ones.

This is a basic guideline. The ingredients are approximate.  You decide if you like more/less of your favourite veggies and meat.  It can be fun to try one new vegetable at a time.  Asparagus, Chinese greens (bok choy), zucchini, sliced mushrooms, bean sprouts can also be added too.  It really is a forgiving recipe.  If you need more sauce, add more liquid.  Sauce too thin?  Add more thickener.  

This is what I (usually) do.  The post looks really long and wordy, but this dish really cooks up fast with whatever ingredients you have on hand.  I'm just writing everything down now so my kiddies can use this as a reference in the future.  Feel free to make changes and taste as you go!  

Heat a large pot or wok on medium high (Sorry about the dirty wok! I was cooking veggies earlier). Add about 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil or canola oil to thinly cover the bottom of the pot. I use extra virgin olive oil.  It smokes up when it gets too hot, so I don't heat my pan to that point.  Throw in a crushed clove of garlic to infuse the oil. I'm lazy and just smash it with my palm against the counter top or cutting board.  Feel free to chop it up if you like.  Add 1 or 2 slices of ginger to the oil.  

Tip#1:  I slice all my ginger and freeze them on a lined cookie sheet.  Once frozen, transfer them to a zipped sandwich baggie and store it in the freezer for future use.  It drove me nuts to see my ginger root go moldy in the fridge.  Frozen sliced ginger is perfect for stir fries!  

Add your sliced meat to the hot pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes on high heat, covered.  Do not disturb the meat.  Uncover and flip the meat over and cook for another 2-3 minutes.  The meat will release from the pan if it is cooked. Transfer the cooked meat to a clean bowl and save for later.

If I have time, I marinate my meat with a bit of salt, pepper, a drizzle of soy sauce, 1/2 tsp cornstarch, mix it up and then drizzle 1/2-1 tsp oil to seal the marinade.  Most of the time, I skip this step and thinly slice up my chicken breast into slivers and dump it in the pan.  Again, it is completely up to you!

Tip#2:  Organize your veggies in the order of the longest cooking time to the shortest.  For example, carrots and celery take longer to cook than red peppers, bean sprouts and sugar snap peas.  Consider the veggies that can be cooked soft and cannot be easily overcooked, like carrots and celery.  Broccoli is tricky to cook.  My kiddies like cooked broccoli but they look horrible when overcooked (yellow) and not bright green.  The veggies that can be cooked in shorter times can be added last.

Now that the meat is cooked, it is time for the vegetables.

Add about 1 Tbsp oil (more or less) to thinly coat the bottom of a hot pan.  Add 1 smashed garlic clove and 1-2 slices of ginger.  I re-use the smashed garlic clove and slices of ginger from the sauteed meat.

Saute about 1 cup of sliced carrots for 2 minutes on medium-high heat.  Toss around from time to time for even cooking.   Add about 1 cup of sliced celery and cook for 2 minutes covered.

Next, I use about 4 cups, or 2 heads of chopped broccoli. You don't have to put that much broccoli in. Half the amount or another veggie is good too.  My children adore broccoli, so I go with it.  Toss it around in the oil and pour about 3/4 cups of chicken broth.  
If I don't have chicken broth on hand, I use water and add a 1/2 tsp chicken bouillon cube for flavour.  Water, vegetable broth or beef broth would be OK too.

Cover and simmer for 7-8 minutes.  The children like broccoli on the softer side.  Use less time if you like crunchier vegetables.  Add the rest of the quick cooking veggies, like snow peas and peppers and cook for another 2 minutes.

Transfer the meat back to the veggies and heat it all up til the sauce on the bottom boils.  Make a cornstarch slurry of 1-2 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup cold water.  Make sure there are no lumps and add it to the sauce to thicken it.  Mix well. If it is too thick or you would like more sauce, add a bit of broth or water to thin it out.  Make more cornstarch slurry if you need it thicker. 

Now is the fun time to season your stir-fry!  This is the part where you can change the flavours of this dish.  You can make it teriyaki, Chinese-style, black bean & garlic, spicy or sweet and sour.  It is really up to you.

Basic seasoning guideline:  

• salt, in 1/4 tsp increments
• 2-4 Tbsp bottled sauce
• drizzle of light soy sauce (gasp!  I never measure... approximately 1 tsp?)
• drizzle of dark soy sauce for colour if needed
• pepper, if desired
• hot chili sauce, if desired

There are so many Asian sauces in the grocery stores these days.  It can be overwhelming.  Each sauce has its own purpose.  Here is a quick run-down of the ones that are in my pantry.   I cook pretty bland and my local grocery store is quite limited.  There are so many different brands you can try and go from there.

Oyster Sauce:  I use Lee Kum Kee's Premium Oyster Sauce.  It is a family favourite.  You can also get a vegetarian version, called "Stir-fry sauce".  This stuff is very strong, so add 1 Tbsp at a time.  Up to 2 Tbsp max, since there is a strong oyster flavour.  

Regular or Light soy sauce. "Light" does not mean "reduced sodium" or reduced calorie.  It refers to its lighter colour.  When recipes call for "soy sauce", this is the one you use.  It is also saltier than the dark soy sauce. 

Dark Soy Sauce. It is darker in colour, not as salty, thicker and is aged longer. I use dark soy sauce to make sauces look dark brown.  I have also used dark soy sauce to enhance/darken the colour of beef or turkey gravy.

Black Bean and Garlic Sauce:  A pungent blend of fermented salted black beans and pureed garlic.  I add about 1-2 heaping tablespoons to my stir-fries to get a Garlic and Black Bean Chicken Stir-fry.  It is strong stuff, so add to taste.  

Teriyaki Sauce:  You can buy it bottled but I prefer to make it myself.  Traditional teriyaki sauce is a combination of soy sauce, mirin (sweetened rice wine) and sake.  Mirin is hard to come by in my little town, so I improvised with dry white wine and extra sugar. I use my own sauce that I cook and blend.  I will share my recipe in another blog post.  There are some great teriyaki sauce recipes online.  

Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowls and the Basic Asian Stir-fry

Ingredients:
1-2 cloves garlic, smashed or minced
1-2 slices ginger
2 Tbsp vegetable oil, canola oil or extra virgin olive oil, approximately enough to cover bottom of pan

1 lb thinly sliced meat (chicken, beef, pork), tofu, prawns, scallops
3/4 cup chicken broth, water or vegetable broth, plus up to 1/2 cup more if more sauce is desired
*optional meat marinade:   Add a pinch of salt, pepper, a drizzle of soy sauce and approx. 1/2 tsp cornstarch to the meat.  Mix well and then drizzle 1/2-1 tsp oil to seal the marinade 

Vegetables: 
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup sliced celery
2-4 cups broccoli, cut in bite sized pieces (1-2 heads of broccoli)
1 red pepper, sliced
1/2 cup sugar snap or snow peas

Seasoning:
1/4 tsp kosher salt, add more in 1/4 tsp increments
2-4 Tbsp homemade or bottled Teriyaki sauce* (I will post my homemade teriyaki sauce recipe in a later post)
1-2 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup cold water; mix well, no lumps
1 tsp light soy sauce, optional
1 tsp dark soy sauce, if darker brown sauce is desired
hot chili sauce, optional

Heat approximately 1 Tbsp vegetable oil (canola, extra virgin olive oil, etc) in a large pot or wok to medium-high.  Do not let pan overheat. Add 1-2 cloves crushed/minced garlic and 1-2 slices fresh/frozen ginger.  

Add sliced chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes on high heat, covered.  Uncover and flip the meat over and cook for another 2-3 minutes.  The chicken will release from the pan if it is cooked. Transfer to a clean bowl. 

Heat another 1 Tbsp oil to the wok and add garlic and ginger (from the meat) to the hot oil.  Add sliced carrots and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often.  Add sliced celery and cook for 2 minutes, covered.  Add cut broccoli and mix it with the carrots and celery.  Pour 3/4 cup chicken broth (water or vegetable broth) to the vegetables.  Cover and simmer for 7-8 minutes for tender crisp vegetables.  Add remaining vegetables and cook another 2 minutes.  

Return the cooked chicken back to the cooked vegetables and bring the liquid to boil.  Thicken the sauce with cornstarch slurry and mix well to ensure the sauce thickens nicely.  If the sauce is too thick, add up to 1/2 cup broth.  Season with salt, pepper, light and dark soy sauce (optional) and teriyaki* sauce to taste.  Serve over rice or noodles.

*Other sauce variations:

• Basic Chinese-style:  1-2 Tbsp Oyster sauce
• Black Bean & Garlic: 1-2 Tbsp Black Bean & Garlic Sauce

[Edited to add - April 12, 2013 ] I am so pleased to announce that this recipe is featured in SayItCanada's "Food & Drink" Section.  SayItCanada.ca is a rich lifestyle resource for communities across Canada.  

Enjoy!

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BBQ Pork and Tofu Chow Mein

Chow mein is another great family favourite.  It is a very versatile party side dish and is always a part of our family gatherings.  This recipe is my father's and I am glad he taught me how to make this. 

My dad's recipe is an awesome base chow mein.  Please note that this is a rough estimate of how I make chow mein at home.  Like most stir-fry dishes, the amounts are approximate and depend on what ingredients are in the refrigerator and what the kiddies like. In essence, this is a stir-fry with noodles tossed in like a salad!  

Feel free to use leftover roast chicken, pork or beef, so the meat is already cooked and easy to throw in.  Even the amount of liquid is approximate too.  If you find the noodles a little dry, don't be afraid to add an extra splash of chicken or vegetable stock.  When I don't have chicken stock, I have used water and added about 1/2 tsp amount of Knorr chicken stock cube too.  Again, very flexible.  

To season, I use oyster sauce or soy sauce.  I prefer oyster sauce and I have seen it at our local supermarket.  With the right amount, it gives the dish umami, or that "je ne sais quoi" pleasant savory flavour that one can't exactly pinpoint.  Because the ingredients are all an estimate, you have to taste the noodles to see if it is salty enough.  I usually add salt in 1/4 tsp increments.  Some people are watching their salt intake, so seasoning is very subjective.  Some may need more or less. *Disclaimer - so that people won't say this dish is too salty or too bland!

I usually make two batches of this recipe for my family.  It heats up great for the next day (or breakfast!) For potlucks and parties, I make 3 batches for a 9x13 glass or casserole dish.
  

I tried this brand from Superstore for about $0.98.  The noodles were slightly thicker but still good. 

There are different kinds of noodles out there.  I usually buy the dried egg noodles for about CAN$ 1.50 per package at the local supermarket (SaveOnFoods). Each package has about 8 dried noodle square pieces.  I cook 4 squares, or half a package at a time. 

You can also use the fresh egg chow mein noodles in the fresh produce section of the store. 

BBQ Pork Chow Mein 

from Michelle’s Dad 

1-2 Tbsp canola or extra virgin olive oil

1-2 medium carrots - julienned

1 large celery stalk- julienned

½ cup julienned cooked meat (chicken, pork, beef) or firm tofu

½ cup chicken or vegetable stock

1 Tbsp oyster sauce (or soy sauce - I prefer oyster sauce)

salt to taste (I use kosher salt)

1/2 package of 400g dried egg noodles,

Cook egg noodles in boiling water for 3 minutes max or until barely al-dente.  They should be chewy and not soft.  Take the noodles out of the water and spread onto a dinner plate, so the noodles can dry out. This will prevent the noodles from becoming mushy when they added to the vegetables and meat.  

Heat oil in a wok or large pot on medium-high heat. Saute carrots for 2 minutes, add sliced celery to the carrots and saute for 1 min.  Add ½ cup stock.  Cover with a lid and simmer for about 2 minutes until the vegetables are tender crisp (or softer to your liking).

Add cooked meat and/or tofu. Season with oyster or soy sauce and 1/4 tsp salt.

Turn off the heat and take the pot completely off the heat.  This step is important so your noodles will not get mushy.  Very important!  

Dump the cooked noodles to the vegetable, meat and stock mixture.  Use chopsticks or a fork to swish the noodles around the liquid.  As it absorbs the liquid, the noodles will loosen up and you can toss it around like "Italian pasta & sauce".

Taste the noodles and season again with salt & oyster sauce and serve.

Optional add-ins:  your favourite veggies, sliced cooked shitake mushrooms, bok choy, zucchini, etc.  Add this after the celery.  Snow peas and sugar snap peas do not need to be cooked very long.  I usually throw a handful with the cooked meat.   

Meat:  Char siu/chinese bbq roast pork, sliced chicken breast, leftover roast beef strips, cooked prawns (don’t overcook, or add it last!), sliced firm tofu

Enjoy!

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Oven Roasted Corn on the Cob

It feels like summer is finally approaching when I see the corn on the cob and watermelon in the supermarkets.  However, in our rural Canadian southern interior town, it feels like spring is starting to emerge.  Our winters are long and sometimes very cold (as cold as -38C or -36F without the windchill!).  For a nice change, I bought some fresh corn and roasted them in the oven.  So tasty and so easy!

The corn steams and cooks in the husk.  The flavours are intense with this method.  This is Tyler Florence's recipe and yes, he knows how to eat!  

It was pretty easy to prepare the corn.  Rinse and trim some of the husks.  Make sure you don't cut too close to the corn or the tips might burn.

While rinsing, I even ran some extra water down the middle of the corn.  I like my corn juicy!

Place the ears of corn directly on the oven.  You can place as many as your oven fits!  Bake for 30 minutes in oven preheated at 350F.  I turn it halfway through.  

After 30 minutes, simply peel the husk and silk back.  It is really easy to remove.

Oven Roasted Corn on the Cob

Preheat oven to 350°F    

Rinse ears.

Place corn cobs in middle rack in oven. 

Bake for 30 minutes.  (I turn them halfway through)

Remove corn cobs. Pull back husks and enjoy!

- Adapted from: Food.com: Oven Roasted Corn on the Cob

Enjoy!

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Easy Hamburger Soup

After the kids' piano lessons this morning, they were happy to be home. It was almost noon and I needed something hot, quick and easy to feed the kids on a snowy, dreary, winter's day.

Sounds like a day for soup.  Scrambling around all morning, I didn't really feel like chopping a whole bunch of vegetables.  Just wanted to open a can of soup and be done with a meal. 

But then I'm not satisfied with the cans of soup we have in the stores these days.  I find that they are pretty skimpy, especially if I am used to making my meals from scratch as much as I can.   

With a bit of compromise, I was able to use the frozen vegetables and meat in my freezer and pantry to come up with a pretty tasty soup that the kids like! 

I didn't have a chance to defrost a pound of ground beef, so I just fried the frozen chunk of meat and scraped the cooked bits off.  Eventually, it was cooked.  The meat looked pretty greasy, so I drained the meat, scooped it into a metal sieve and rinsed it off with hot water.  Yes, it is an extra step, but it's personal preference.  I don't like greasy soup. I wiped the pot of excess grease and then dumped it back with chopped onion. 

Luckily, I have some frozen onion in the freezer.  (I bought a 10lb bag of onions for $2.99, chopped some of it up, placed chopped onions on a parchment lined baking sheet, froze them for a few hours and placed them into ziplock baggies.)  I dumped about 1/2 cup frozen onion into the beef.  This trick saved me more time!   

Then I dumped everything in the pot, except the pasta.

I recently discovered the beauty of tomato paste in a tube.  A lot of recipes ask for 1-2 tablespoons of tomato paste.  I find it a pain to open up a can for that small amount and the rest of it is unused in the fridge.  Surprisingly, I stumbled across this product at my local supermarket chain and German deli!  I squeezed some into the soup for extra body.  I never expected that a tube of tomato paste would be so convenient!  This is optional, but I thought it would be a nice addition, as traditional hamburger soup recipes call for a can of tomatoes. 

I covered the soup, brought it to a boil and added the small pasta or whatever cooks fast to thicken the soup.  I found some organic alphabet pasta at the store the other day but next time, I will try barley. 

I simmered it covered for 10-15 minutes and stirred it around several times to keep from sticking to the bottom.  The soup is done when the pasta is done to your liking. 


Easy Hamburger Soup with Lots of Veggies

1lb lean ground beef (thawed or frozen)
1 small onion (I used 1/2 cup frozen onion)
1 1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
2 cans  vegetable soup (I used Campbell's) plus 3 cans water
2 Tbsp. tomato paste (optional)
1 can mushrooms (optional)
2 handfuls small shaped pasta (alphabet pasta, baby shells, orzo) or barley

In a soup pot, brown hamburger over medium heat. Rinse meat or drain off fat and return to pot.  Add onions and sautee for a few minutes.                 
Continue to add vegetable soup, water, mixed frozen vegetables, mushrooms and tomato paste and bring to boil.  Reduce heat, add pasta and simmer covered for 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally, until pasta is cooked and soup has thickened nicely.  

If serving hot soup to (very) anxious, hungry kiddies, add 1-2 ice cubes.  The children love seeing the ice shrink and disappear into the soup as they mix it.  By the time it has disappeared, it would be cool enough for them to eat.  This is great tip for eating out at restaurants! 

The kids would rather eat than pose for the camera! 

[Edited to add - April 12, 2013 ] I am so pleased to announce that this recipe is being featured on SayItCanada's series of recipes for "Parents Who Hate to Cook".  SayItCanada.ca is a rich lifestyle resource for communities across Canada.  

Enjoy!

 
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Cooking Frozen Hashbrowns

Hashbrowns are a real treat for us, as it means the kids can have a leisurely breakfast instead of rushing around frantically for school.  It also means that I have the time to start up the frying pan and create something warm, hearty and comforting.

Yesterday, I wrote about freezing hashbrowns for future use.  Today, we try out our frozen hashbrowns to see if they are any good.

I heated up my pan with organic extra virgin olive oil (about 1-2 Tbsp) on medium-high, poured a layer of frozen potatoes, and dotted the top with a bit of butter for flavour. 

The frozen potatoes are only partially cooked, so I added some water (maybe 1/4-1/2 cup?) to the bottom of the pan and cover.  If you look closely, the potatoes are sitting in the water. 

I was able to find a stock pot lid that covered my frying pan!  Bring the water to a boil and simmer covered on medium heat for about 3-5 min to thaw and cook the potatoes completely.  (Can you see me taking this pic with my iPhone?). 

The potatoes should be cooked and the water evaporated after 3-5 min.  Then you can leave the lid off and brown and season your potatoes to your liking.   I always season my hashbrowns with kosher salt, 1/4 tsp garlic powder and 1/4 tsp onion powder. So far,
I haven't gotten any complaints from the kids. 

I think they look pretty tasty now!  Now I know that if potatoes are on sale, I can make
frozen hashbrowns for $0.29/lb!  The supermarket sells pre-made diced frozen hashbrowns for at least $2-3 for a 1kg bag.  I made a 1 kg bag for $0.65...well under a dollar.  Nowadays, it's hard to buy that volume of food for under $1, but it can be done if you have a good sized freezer and stock up when then things on sale at the supermarket.   

Enjoy!

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Freezing Your Own Hashbrowns

Our family has an obsession with carbs.  LOTS of carbs and my 3 kids are not even close to their teenage years.  One day that will happen soon enough.  When my local supermarket chain had 20lb bags of potatoes on sale, I thought that I could buy a bag and experiment how I could freeze them for future and quick meals. 

My family loves hashbrowns.  Frozen, fresh, cubed or shredded.  Then I thought that I could try make my own hashbrowns and freeze them for later for just a little under $0.30/lb.  I have heard that freezing raw potatoes and fully cooked potatoes are a disaster (either they go black or become a watery mess once thawed).  So after read I countless sites on freezing hashbrowns, I tried to parboil my batch and see how it goes.  It has something to do with disabling the enzymes from the brief cooking.  

I got a big pot of water on the stove and let that come to a boil.  While the water was heating up, I got the potatoes.  

Other sites I have seen, they have shredded it by hand or food processor.  I got a little lazy.  I didn't feel like washing a dirty food processor, so I just peeled the potatoes and chopped them up in chunks.  It was nice and mindless.  Cleanup was also a breeze:  wash knife, cutting board and clean up the peels. 

After chopping up the potatoes, I put them in a bowl of water to keep them nice and white.  I rinsed off the starches and put the potatoes for 3 minutes only in the boiling water.  They were partially cooked. 

Fished them out, rinsed them in cold water and placed them on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Blotted dry with paper and threw them in the deep freezer, just like you would freeze blueberries.  

Now that they are frozen, I simply placed them in a big ziplock freezer bag to be enjoyed at anytime!  I dont' have to worry about my potatoes going soft, green, sprouting or moldy!  Ha!  Saving money feels good.  Now I have my frozen hashbrowns for $0.29/lb! (minus the labour, but it's easy mindless work). 

Here's a recap: 

• Boil big pot of water


• Peel and cut potatoes to your liking and immerse in cold water


• Rinse potatoes and boil in water for 3 minutes


• Drain potatoes, rinse starches off in cold water


• Place on parchment lined baking sheet, blot dry with paper towels


• Freeze


• Once frozen, place in freezer bags.  They should keep for a few months, if they aren't eaten up already! 

- Adapted from http://www.tasteofhome.com/Cooking-Tips/Potatoes/Freezing-Potatoes-for-Hash-Browns

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