The Everything Freezer Meals Cookbook (19 page)

Reheating Instructions

Defrost potatoes in the refrigerator 24 hours and put in a greased casserole dish. Stir well. Bake, covered, at 350°F for 30 minutes.

PER SERVING

Calories: 249 | Fat: 5g | Protein: 12g | Sodium: 407mg | Carbohydrates: 39g | Fiber: 4g

Green, yellow, and red peppers are all the same pepper, but they are harvested at different stages of ripening. Red peppers are sweeter and fruitier in taste and have higher nutritional value.

Freezing Day

Cut each pepper in half lengthwise. Remove stems and seeds. Place peppers skin side up on a plate and cook on high in microwave for 3 minutes. Transfer the peppers to a foil-lined cookie sheet (skin side up). Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise. Squeeze out most of the seeds. Place tomatoes on the cookie sheet. Turn oven on broil. Place cookie sheet on top shelf of oven. Watching carefully, broil approximately 8–10 minutes until the skins turn partially black and loose.

Remove from oven and place peppers and tomatoes in a bowl; cover with foil. When they are cool to the touch, peel skin off. Slice or chop peppers and tomatoes. Slice garlic clove and add to the peppers. Freeze the peppers, tomatoes, and garlic in a freezer bag or plastic container.

Reheating Instructions

Defrost vegetables in refrigerator overnight and put on baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over peppers and tomatoes and salt to taste. Heat at 425°F for 5 minutes or until vegetables are desired temperature. As an alternative heating method, you can heat in microwave for 2–3 minutes on high.

PER SERVING

Calories: 32 | Fat: 0g | Protein: 1.5g | Sodium: 6mg | Carbohydrates: 8g | Fiber: 2g

The Benefits of Red Bell Peppers

Red bell peppers are very nutrient-rich and are an excellent source of vitamins A, B6, and C. Red bell peppers also provide a good source of fiber and the antioxidant vitamin E. This diet-friendly vegetable has no fat, cholesterol, or sodium and very few carbohydrates.

Spanish chorizo comes both dry-cured and fresh. Fresh chorizo needs to be fully cooked, but dry chorizo can be eaten as is.

Freezing Day

Purée garlic, onion, and tomato and set aside. Peel chorizo, chop into very small pieces, and place in boiling water. When the red grease from chorizo has gone to the surface after about 3–4 minutes, strain and set aside. Add olive oil to the large pot, over medium heat. Cook onion, tomato, and garlic purée in the pot with cumin and Tabasco for about 5 minutes. Add red wine, potatoes, and carrots and cook for another 5 minutes. Add lentils, ham bone, lard, prosciutto, and the chorizo and mix. Cover with chicken broth and water if needed. Cook over low-medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour–1 hour, thirty minutes until lentils are tender and stew has a creamy texture. If desired, add the cup of cooking cream when nearly finished. Let cool, separate into desired portions, and freeze in a freezer bag.

Reheating Instructions

Defrost stew in refrigerator 24 hours. Heat over medium heat for 15–20 minutes or until desired temperature is reached.

PER SERVING

Calories: 806 | Fat: 41g | Protein: 41g | Sodium: 1133mg | Carbohydrates: 68g | Fiber: 29g

Fresh-cut okra releases a sticky substance that works well in thickening soups and stews. To freeze fresh okra, first blanch for 2 minutes, cool in ice water, drain, and package for the freezer.

Freezing Day

Cut off stems of okra and slice into ½″ pieces. Cut tomatoes into pieces and set aside. In skillet, melt butter. Sauté okra and onion for about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and sauté additional 2–3 minutes. Stir in salt, red pepper flakes, and tomato sauce. Remove from heat and cool. Pour into freezer bag and freeze.

Reheating Instructions

Defrost okra and tomatoes in the refrigerator overnight. Pour into lightly greased baking dish and top with parsley. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.

PER SERVING

Calories: 81 | Fat: 4.5g | Protein: 3g | Sodium: 201mg | Carbohydrates: 10g | Fiber: 4g

An Alternative to Canned Tomatoes

You can freeze fresh tomatoes with either the skin on or off. Thawed tomatoes will become mushy, and so they should be used in recipes calling for cooked tomatoes. Clean tomatoes, cut away stem scar, and place on cookie sheets in freezer. To freeze skinless, dip in boiling water for 60 seconds, peel when cool, and freeze on cookie sheet. Bag when frozen solid.

After you ladle soup in each bowl, top it with a dollop of sour cream and fresh cilantro. Soup is delicious served with Sweet Cornbread (Chapter 12).

Freezing Day

In stockpot over medium-high heat, sauté the onion in olive oil for 5–10 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1 additional minute. Add the sherry, cumin, oregano, thyme, and cayenne pepper. Mix well and remove from heat. Drain and rinse the black beans. Put half the beans in a blender and purée. Add the whole beans and puréed beans to the stockpot. Pour the broth into the stockpot. Mix well. Put soup into a freezer bag or plastic container and freeze.

Reheating Instructions

Defrost soup in the refrigerator for 12–24 hours. Put into pan and heat on medium for 15–20 minutes or until soup reaches desired temperature.

PER SERVING

Calories: 710 | Fat: 9g | Protein: 43g | Sodium: 495mg | Carbohydrates: 116g | Fiber: 28g

Try this trick for letting your dough rise. Heat a large mug filled with water in the microwave for 3 minutes on high. When finished heating, place the bowl of dough in the microwave. Close the door for 1 hour until the dough has risen.

Freezing Day

In large saucepan, stir cereal into water and salt. Mix well and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add butter and brown sugar to cereal mixture, mix well, and cool in refrigerator about 30 minutes. Dissolve yeast in ¾ cup warm water and sugar. Let sit for 10 minutes until the mixture has a foam on top. Add yeast to the cereal mixture. In a separate bowl, mix flour and wheat gluten. Gradually add flour to the cereal mixture to form the dough. Knead dough for 10–15 minutes on a lightly floured surface. Place the kneaded dough in a greased bowl. Roll dough around in the bowl to cover dough with oil. Cover bowl with a towel and let rise for about 1 hour until it is double in size. Knead dough a second time for 10–15 minutes, then divide in two and put in two loaf pans. Cover loaves, set in warm place, and let them rise about 40 minutes until double in size. Use a knife to cut 3 diagonal stripes across the top of each dough. Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes. Lower temperature to 350°F and bake 35–40 minutes until bread is golden brown. Cool. Wrap well with plastic wrap and freeze.

Reheating Instructions

Defrost bread wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for 2–3 hours. To heat, wrap in aluminum foil and warm in a 350°F oven for 20–30 minutes, or serve at room temperature or cut into slices and toast.

PER LOAF

Calories: 1610 | Fat: 13g | Protein: 67g | Sodium: 1331mg | Carbohydrates: 309g | Fiber: 24g

Bread Machine Recipe

Bread machines are wonderful for baking bread. They automatically let the dough rise, and do the kneading for you. To make the Cereal Bread in a bread maker, cut the ingredient amounts in half. Do steps 1 and 2, then finish with bread maker. Follow your instruction manual for the order of ingredients.

Heat up a slice of bread and spread on a little butter for a delicious treat. Try substituting the chocolate chips with chopped strawberries or apples.

Freezing Day

In a small mixing bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In large mixing bowl, mix the butter, sugar, and eggs. Alternate adding the flour mixture and bananas to the large mixing bowl, a little at a time. Mix just enough to combine — do not over mix. Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts. Pour into greased loaf pan and bake at 350°F for 1 hour–1 hour 10 minutes. A knife inserted into the center should come out clean.

Reheating Instructions

To defrost bread, wrap the loaf in plastic wrap and defrost at room temperature for 2–3 hours and serve.

PER LOAF

Calories: 3456 | Fat: 57g | Protein: 46g | Sodium: 3198mg | Carbohydrates: 483g | Fiber: 20g

Focaccia is an Italian flatbread that is similar to a pizza without all the toppings. You may experiment and try different herbs and vegetables on top of your Focaccia.

Freezing Day

Mix yeast with water and sugar. Let sit for 10 minutes until foam forms on top. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil. In large bowl, mix flour and salt. Add the yeast mixture and form into dough. Knead the dough for 10 minutes until it is smooth. Form into a ball. Oil the inside of a bowl, and roll the dough to coat it. Cover with a damp cloth and set in warm place for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

Punch down the dough and spread on a large baking sheet. With your fingers or the end of a wooden spoon, make slight indentations along the top of the bread. Cover and let rise 30 minutes or until it has doubled in size. Brush with olive oil and top with garlic, sliced tomatoes, basil, and cheese. Bake at 400°F for 20–25 minutes, or until focaccia has turned golden brown. Remove from baking sheet and cool on a wire rack. Cut into slices, wrap with plastic wrap, and freeze.

Reheating Instructions

To defrost bread, wrap it in plastic wrap and defrost at room temperature for about an hour. Heat in the oven and serve, or serve at room temperature.

PER LOAF

Calories: 3270 | Fat: 109g | Protein: 77g | Sodium: 5054mg | Carbohydrates: 485g | Fiber: 21g

Freeze Dough Before Baking

To freeze the dough before baking, let the dough rise once in the bowl (step 4), and then freeze it. Defrost it fully at room temperature for several hours, and continue with step 5. When the dough rises after being frozen, it will not rise and be puffy, but will still taste delicious.

NO DEFROSTING NEEDED!

Freezing Day

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg and whisk together. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs slightly, add sugar, and beat at medium speed until mixture is lemon colored and well blended (about 2 minutes). Add milk, oil, and dry ingredients alternately to egg mixture. Beat well after each addition.

Preheat griddle to medium-low. Ladle batter on hot griddle, spreading slightly with back of ladle as batter is thick. Turn only once, after approximately 1–5 minutes, when edges look done. Use your spatula to lift the edge of the donut and peek underneath. They should be light brown in color when ready. Flash freeze, and wrap in bundles of 3 or use sandwich-sized freezer bags.

Reheating Instructions

Pancake Donuts can be warmed in the microwave for 30 seconds–1 minute or heated in the toaster.

PER SERVING

Calories: 499 | Fat: 22g | Protein: 7.5g | Sodium: 460mg | Carbohydrates: 68g | Fiber: 1.5g

Sweet Treat

Try pancake donuts with butter and confectioners' sugar for a sweet treat. These also make a great way to grab a quick breakfast in the mornings when you are short on time.

Make several batches of muffins to freeze, and you have a ready supply of healthy after-school snacks!

Freezing Day

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except apples. Mix well. Fold in apples. Pour into paper-lined muffin tins. Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes. Cool, flash freeze, and transfer to freezer bag.

Reheating Instructions

Defrost muffins at room temperature for about 1 hour. Serve at room temperature.

PER SERVING

Calories: 290 | Fat: 1.5g | Protein: 4.5g | Sodium: 215mg | Carbohydrates: 70g | Fiber: 4g

To make fresh pumpkin purée, cut your pumpkin into large chunks, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Cook the pumpkin until tender. Once it has cooled, use a food processor to purée it.

Freezing Day

In large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Spray a 9″ × 5″ baking pan with cooking oil and pour batter into pan. Bake at 350°F for 1 hour or until a knife inserted comes out clean.

Reheating Instructions

To defrost bread, wrap the loaf in plastic wrap and defrost at room temperature for 2–3 hours and serve.

PER LOAF

Calories: 3526 | Fat: 164g | Protein: 44g | Sodium: 3120mg | Carbohydrates: 484g | Fiber: 11g

Zucchini bread is a wonderful way to get your kids to eat zucchini! It tastes delicious heated and served with butter and cream cheese.

Freezing Day

In large mixing bowl, mix eggs, vegetable oil, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract. In second bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Alternate adding zucchini and dry ingredients to the large bowl containing eggs and sugar. Mix just enough to combine — do not over mix. Grease 2 loaf pans and pour in batter. Bake at 350°F for 40 minutes–1 hour until a knife inserted into center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack, wrap well, and freeze.

Reheating Instructions

To defrost the bread, wrap the loaf in plastic wrap and defrost at room temperature for 2–3 hours and serve.

PER LOAF

Calories: 2891 | Fat: 121g | Protein: 11g | Sodium: 4304mg | Carbohydrates: 460g | Fiber: 2g

Growing Zucchini

Zucchini is one of the easiest vegetables to grow in your garden. The plants need lots of sunlight and steady watering. If you are limited on space, try growing your zucchini upward on a fence or lattice. Zucchini can grow quite fast, and you may not be able to eat it fast enough. If that's the case, slice and flash freeze it for later use.

The red pepper flakes give these Pita Crackers a bit of heat, and you can add more or less pepper flakes according to your taste. Try these crackers with the Hummus (Chapter 13).

Freezing Day

Separate the two sides of pita bread from each other, and tear each side into 4 crackers. With the rough side up, brush each piece with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and garlic salt. Bake on a baking sheet at 350°F for about 8 minutes, or until browned. Cool completely. Flash freeze and transfer to freezer bag.

Reheating Instructions

Defrost pita crackers at room temperature for about an hour. Eat at room temperature, or bake at 350°F for 5–10 minutes to heat through.

PER SERVING

Calories: 24 | Fat: 0.5g | Protein: 1g | Sodium: 61mg | Carbohydrates: 4g | Fiber: 0g

NO DEFROSTING NEEDED!

Freezing Day

Cut bread into 1-inch slices. Mix butter, garlic powder, Parmesan cheese, and parsley in a medium mixing bowl. Spread garlic butter on each slice of bread and flash freeze. Transfer to a freezer bag once frozen.

Reheating Instructions

Place frozen slices of garlic bread on a baking sheet. Bake on middle rack at 425°F for 5–7 minutes.

PER SERVING

Calories: 321 | Fat: 20g | Protein: 3g | Sodium: 539mg | Carbohydrates: 36g | Fiber: 1g

Garlic Equivalents

Would you rather use fresh garlic instead of garlic powder? 1 clove of garlic yields approximately 1 teaspoon chopped garlic, which equals approximately ½ teaspoon minced garlic, which equals approximately 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder. If you'd like to use garlic salt instead of garlic powder, ½ teaspoon garlic salt is equal to 1 clove of garlic.