A Well Stocked Pantry

This photo was taken during the 2009 Swine Flu outbreak in Mexico City. Grocery stores empty out during an emergency. People rush to stock up when something like this happens. Sometimes food deliveries can't be made if the roads are closed or if the truck drivers are sick. Many times prices are higher during disasters and emergencies. Hopefully you will already have your pantry stocked when disaster strikes.

Snow Storm at Night

Grocery stores can empty quickly in an emergency situation. When we lived in Tahoe I worked swing shift and would get off work at about 3AM. I would often stop by the 24 hour Safeway store and pick up necessities like bread, milk and eggs. One winter we had a series of bad snow storms. During these storms I stopped at the grocery store one night as usual and there was no milk, bread, or toilet paper. It was the first time I had ever seen that happen. Living in the mountains I learned that when a storm is coming people flock to the grocery store to stock up on supplies. All of the roads into the Tahoe Basin were closed and trucks could not make deliveries to replenish the grocery store shelves. This is when I realized it would be good to have some pantry storage.

I'll be giving you three recipes for a simple but complete pantry meal including salad, main dish and dessert. All of these are made from ingredients you can store in your pantry. All of them are very easy to put together and will satisfy your family.

These kinds of recipes are not only for disaster situations. Maybe you forgot to take something out of the freezer for dinner. Maybe you forgot to start something in the crockpot. If you have one of these cookbooks on hand and have stocked your pantry with the proper ingredients, you can save yourself a costly and unhealthy trip through the fast food drive-through. It just takes a little prior planning.

This is one of my favorite recipes. There is absolutely no cooking involved. All you have to do is open cans and mix up the dressing. Healthy, delicious and great for a summer BBQ or picnic. Especially good when you have no power. I recommend Laura Karr's book, the Can Opener Gourmet for this and other great recipes that can be put together from your pantry. I keep a variety of canned beans on hand and I substitute whatever beans I have.

RED, WHITE, AND BLACK BEAN SALAD

One 15 oz can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
One 15 oz can black beans rinsed and drained
One 15 oz can white beans rinsed and drained
One 15 oz can sweet corn, drained

Combine beans and corn in a medium to large sized mixing bowl.

Dressing
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1/2 cup olive oil (or oil of your choice)
1/4 cup rice vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
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To make the dressing, combine all the ingredients and either whisk in a bowl or shake in a covered jar. Pour the entire contents over the bean mixture, then toss to coat and to blend the colors.
This can be served immediately or made ahead and left to marinate in the refrigerator up to 8 hours.

Source: The Can Opener Gourmet by Laura Karr

This simple Curried Chicken recipe requires no cooking. All you have to do is stir the ingredients together. This is a great recipe for when you need to throw together a quick meal. If you have no power then Curried Chicken can be easily made and is a nice meal rather than eating a granola bar or something equally unimaginative.
The author of The Storm Gourmet lives in hurricane country so she has good advice for cooking with things that grow in that area such as citrus and avocados.

CURRIED CHICKEN

Ingredients

14 ounces premium chicken breast, (canned or from a pouch) drained
1/2 cup canned sliced water chestnuts, drained
2/3 cup canned pineapple tidbits, drained
2 tablespoons raisins
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons table cream*
pepper

Place chicken, pineapple, water chestnuts, raisins and almonds in a medium-size bowl and toss together. Season with pepper. In a screw-top jar, combine cream, lemon juice, soy sauce, and curry powder and shake vigorously.** Pour over chicken mixture and toss to coat.
Serves 2.

*Table Cream-Also known as "media cream." It is thick textured, unsweetened and can be found with the canned milk in supermarkets or in the Latin section. It may sometimes be found in Latin markets or online.

**You may double the dressing if you prefer a creamier dish.

From The Storm Gourmet by Daphne Nikolopoulos

The subtitle of Apocalypse Chow is "How to Eat Well When the Power Goes Out." The book is full of really great recipes as well as plenty of advice on how to be sparing with water and fuel which may be in short supply during a disaster scenario. When you are under a lot of stress it is good to have some treats available and this Fire-Roasted Blueberry Cobbler is a real treat.



FIRE-ROASTED BLUEBERRY COBBLER

Ingredients

One 16 ounce can blueberry pie filling
1 pinch cinnamon
1 teaspoon lemon juice or lemon zest
1 3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 pinch salt
1 cup milk or soymilk
2 tablespoons canola oil. (I prefer olive oil)

1. Combine the pie filling, cinnamon and lemon juice in a 10-inch skillet and place over a medium flame.
2. In a bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the milk and oil, mixing until just combined.
3. Spread the batter evenly over the blueberry mixture. Cover and cook until the batter becomes firm and cakelike, about 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand covered for another 5 or 10 minutes.

Source: Apocalypse Chow byJon Robertson with Robin Robertson

Go online to the Pillsbury Website and become a member. Here you can create a grocery list of your pantry basics and just print it out when you need it. If you learn to keep your pantry well stocked it will cost less in the long run because you can buy your items when they are on sale instead of paying full price when you need them. At pillsbury.com you can also sign up to receive printable coupons for their products and get new recipes to try.