The Empty Pantry

         Lets be really honest here- some days there is seemingly nothing to eat in the house- some days it is five o'clock and you still have no idea what to make for dinner- some days a trip to the grocery store with two or three crabby kids seems like the last thing on earth anyone would want to do. Still people gotta eat. It's a conundrum for sure and one I faced just last night- so I thought I would share one of our favourite quick- from scratch- soup recipes. It's whats to make when the pantry is empty!

Easy Curry Tomato Soup

vegetable oil or rendered fat*

half a small onion diced

a clove or two of garlic

1 stalk of celery diced

1 medium carrot diced

soup stock- or bullion cubes*

one large jar of canned tomatoes

1-2 cups of water

curry powder or paste

a dash of ground pepper

half a cup of cream, sour cream or yogurt

        In a soup pot heat oil or fat- I like to use bacon fat which I save in a small jar in the freezer for such events as cooking soup. So heat up the oil or fat and saute the diced vegetables- this is a basic mixture for any soup- onion, celery and carrot.  Once all the veggies are soft and the onions have gone transparent add your soup stock and canned tomatoes- add water- 1 or 2 cups depending on how watery your canned tomatoes are- allow to simmer for a few minutes before blending with an immersion hand blender- blend until the soup is smooth- add curry and pepper- remove from heat and add cream- still until combined. Serve with a nice chunky slice of bread for dipping!

     This is the perfect soup for a cold winter night when the craving of fresh veggies is strong- I will admit that last night I used our last jar of canned tomatoes and I swear I could taste the Okanagan sunshine! I also used garlic that my dad grew and carrots that our kids planted- it is so satisfying that even when the pantry appears to be empty I just need to dig around a little to find treasures from the past summer!

* rendered fat- I like to cook with left over bacon drippings- the taste is perfect for soup's like this one

* bullion cubes- Ok so while soup stock is the best ingredient to use if your pantry is truly empty you may still have bullion cubes floating around- if this is the route you are taking please be sure to add at least one cup of water per cube!

Mommmm What's For Dinner?

      It seems that food is at the for front of all my friend's minds these days- many of my real life conversations have revolved around easy meal ideas, meal planning and just getting some food into our kid's bellies. With school and extra curricular activities now in full swing our family time is limited- as a Mom my goal is to provide healthy, hearty meals that my children will actually eat! To that end I thought I would share one of our favourite family dinners- the Littles love making this because it is super fun and I love how easy it is!

Fresh Salad Rolls

     

 The majority of this recipe is in the prep- so all the fine chopping of veggies- chose what your family loves- we like raw carrots, lettuce, bell peppers, cucumbers and of course avocado. Choose a protein- we like prawns but left over chicken is really good as well. Have everything set up for easy assembly- I usually count at least two portions per person. Soak the vermicelli noodles according to the directions on the package and have them ready near the plate of chopped veggies.

       To assemble the salad rolls you will needs a shallow dish of warm water- work with one roll at a time- soak the rice paper round in the water for a few seconds until it becomes soft and translucent- place it on a dish and start building your wrap. Start with lettuce- a pieces of leafy lettuce helps hold the salad ingredients inside the wrap so place this in first- top with some cooked vermicelli noodles and a selection of 2 or 3 toppings.

         To roll- roll wrap away from you- over the toppings- until you have rolled it as tightly as possible- to the half way point of the round. Place halves of prams or shredded chicken along the fold line. Fold in both ends or round wrap and then continue rolling across the protein until all the wrap is used up.

Peanut Dipping Sauce

3 garlic cloves minced

2 Tbsp tomato paste

2 tsp dried chillies

1/2 cup chicken or veg broth

1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

1/4 cup peanut butter

Combine all the ingredients in a small sauce pan - heat until bubbly- cool and use for dipping- sooo yummy!

Shopping List

• Rice Paper Rounds
• 1 package of Rice Stick (rice vermicelli)
• carrots
• leafy lettuce
• bell pepper
• cucumber
• a ripe avocado
• cooked prawns or cooked shredded chicken

Optional ingredients

• Green onion
• snow peas
• chopped peanuts

Dipping Sauce

• garlic
• tomato paste
• dried chillies
• chicken or veg broth
• sugar
• hoisin sauce
• peanut butter

Making: Kiselo Mleko-AKA Yogurt

        Kiselo mleko or yogurt has been on my bucket list of things to learn about for a long time- I have a friend who makes it regularly and I remember my parents making it when I was growing up. Kiselo mleko is the Serbian version of what we know as yogurt- my Great- Grandmother (Boba) used to make it regularly- and although I don't remember her I did feel a sort of connection to my Serbian heritage while making this.

       Now I don't have a fancy yogurt maker- then again I am sure my Great Grandmother also did not have a yogurt maker! You can insulate your yogurt really many different ways- blankets, crock pot, or like me a mini cooler! Fancy appliances need not apply!
 
      First of all lets talk milk- lots of discussion revolving around what type of milk works best- I used 1% because that is what I had on hand- it worked and tastes like 0 Fat yogurt from the grocery store would taste. According to my sources- Dad- the higher fat content milk the better the yogurt- I will keep this in mind for next week! You are going to need six cups of your milk of choice- place that in a sauce pan with a thermometer and slowly start heating- you do not want to boil the milk or scorch it- so whisk often. Heat the milk to between 190-200 degrees.

      Now that the milk has been heated to kill off any competing bacteria- bring the temperature back down and introduce the live cultures- to do this simply place the sauce pan of hot milk in a cold bath of water in the sink- leave the thermometer in and don't walk away- bring the temperature down to 120 degrees. Once the milk is at 120 whisk in two tablespoons of live culture- I used two tablespoons of my favorite store bought yogurt. Pour into Mason jars and put lids on.
   

       Place jars of milk into the cooler- pour in hot water- you want to keep the temperature at 120 degrees- bring the water up to about two inches below the lid- put the lid on and tuck your cooler away in a corner for the night. I left mine over night- about ten hours- it really depends on what sort of cultures you are using.

        Come this morning we opened up the cooler and were greeted by two jars of yogurt- perhaps a bit different than the kiselo mleko my Great Grandmother used to make but delicious none the less. We use a great deal of yogurt around here- at least two containers a week- which adds up to a lot of plastic containers- making our own not only cuts down on the cost and increases the quality but it also reduces our plastic consumption. I am sure my Great Grandmother never had to worry about things like food quality and plastic overuse- she just made this as part of her weekly food preparation- now so will I.

*hint- keep at least 2 tablespoons of your current batch to use as your starter for the next batch!

P.S- my instructions come from the Food In Jars website and my Dad