Living Car Free - Carfree Cuisine

We're an interesting bunch of people. We're basically simple, a little spicy, a little sweet sometimes, and mmm, so good for you.

Can you post a favorite recipe that fits in with a carfree life?

Ya here's an adhoc recipe from lastnight, I kinda just threw what I had into a pot and cooked it for awhile, came out way better than I thought it would. I will be doing it again.

3 potatoes
1 stalk celery
handful baby carrots
1 onion
1 green pepper
1 tsp oil
1 chicken breast cut into 4 pieces
salt
pepper

cut everything into pieces your comfortable with size wise and throw it in, do so in the order listed, touch of oil to keep taters from sticking

cover and heat enough for it to make a sizzling sound until taters are done, about an hour

serve with a little bit of ranch dressing drizzled on top

probably a fairly common recipe I would think, not sure what you call it though

since transporting bread sucks by bike, and 2 people have PM'd me for this recipe, here it is

basic wheat bread
1 packet yeast
1.5 cups warm water
5-6 cups wheat flour(more or less,it varies a bit)
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp honey
dollop of margarine or butter(optional)
1 tsp oil or shortening
1 5x9" bread pan

mix honey, yeast, water, let sit for about 5 minutes
add salt, butter, and rest of honey, mix
add 1 cup of flour at a time, and mix/kneed till its slightly tacky,you can add all the flour at once, but its wise to save the last cup or two so you can get the texture/moisture right
coat with oil and let sit in a bowl until it doubles in size
kneed it again, grease a bread pan, and put it in and spread it out so its flat, let rest until it rises anout an inch over the pan
put in 350 degree oven for about 27-30 minutes

you can also make buns or anything else really, just shape into the way you want and let it rise before baking

mixing time about 15mins if that, rest is just waiting

When I get home I'm hungry and don't have hours to cook so here is a quick one

Tuna Tetrazzini
makes 3 servings

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 cup milk
1 tbsp. butter
4 oz wide noodles (no-yolk)
1 cup frozen peas
1 10 3/4 oz can 98% fat-free condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 12 oz canned tuna (drained)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. In a large skillet, over high heat stir together water, milk, and butter. Bring to boiling.

2. Stir in uncooked noodles and peas. Return to boiling, cover, and reduce heat to simmer (low) for 8 minutes. Stir occasionally.

3. Stir in soup, tuna, and cheese. Heat throughly.

Here's a pretty regular dinner for me:

1 15oz can diced tomatoes (or not)
1 15 oz can Red Kidney Beans (Usualy)
1 piece skinless/boneless chkn breast or 1/3 pkg of Tofu
1 head fresh broccolli
1 good shake from the bag of either frozen chopped spinach, Kale or Mustard greens, basicaly a dark leafy thing
1 summer squash/zuchinni or any other veggies
1 potato if you want to
LOTS of Thyme, Minced Garlic, Hot Paprika, Wasabi power, black pepper, dried or fresh onion, some sea salt, a bit of Cumin power (the quantity depends on your mood).

You just put it all in a big deep pan, cover and let simmer for 20-30 minutes on low until the broccolli is crisp and chicken is done, if using squash and zuchini, add then near the end so they don't get to squishy
Serve with good bread or fresh salad, and usualy makes two dinners, but only one if you road a whole lot that day.
It never gets boring because you can rally add whatever you want and it's still the same type of concoction, mmmmmmmmmmmm

I don't have my scone recipe with me, but it is pretty teriff. I do a really cool veggie burrito. I cook up rice, throw in a can of corn, and a can of beans, dice up some onions, a jalepeno, some chilli powder. The tortillas get heated while cooking the rice. When the rice is done I like to grate a little sharp cheedar roll the burrito up with a little guacamole or salsa. Usually make eight of them at a time, and you can add whatever meat you want if you want. I'll occassionally add some old fish sticks, I had fixh tacos and a lobster burrito in San Deigo, and make them ever since. Anything you don't eat gets wrapped in celophane and are not as good as cold pizza for breakfast but still pretty good, even cold.

Directions:

Make the plum filling. Slice the plums and mix with 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 Tbsp. butter or oil.
Make the topping. Stir together oatmeal, remaining sugar and butter, salt, sunflower seeds, and cinnamon.
Butter a small, deep baking dish. Put in the plums. Spread the topping over the plums.
Bake in 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes, until plums are gooey and the topping is browned.
Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.


Ingredients:

8 to 10 ripe plums
3/4 cup brown sugar, divided
3 Tbsp. melted butter or canola oil, divided
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup sunflower seeds, shelled
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Well I gotta preface this by saying that i have never really liked or used recipes(except when doing some baking), i like to cook my way, and after working as a cook for a coupla years where our motto was "We don' need no steenkin' recipes!", well that has just reinforced my habits, so this might be a little vague.

So, about the recipe, i dont really know if its a car-free recipe, but i am, and ive been playing with it a lot recently. it tastes good, its good fuel and is easy to carry. oh and if you make a crapload at a time, there is usually some in the fridge when you get home late and are hungry.

2 cups couscous(i like the large pearl kind)
cook in 2 cups chicken broth. (or you can buy a package of some seasond variety)

3 cups black beans, canned or cook your own
coupla cups corn
couple peppers chopped as small or large as you like
green onions see above
a bunch of cilantro minced...
a few jalapenos diced if you like


olive oil (maybe 1/4 cup?)
equal amount lime juice
few teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 T+ cumin(to taste, i like a lot maybe 3T)
1t garlic powder, or a bunch of minced garlic( do this one to taste too, more is better)
salt & pepper

So, you cook the couscous. While thats on the stove, mix your veggies together and mix the oil, vinegar, and spices together. mix the liquid schtuff with the veggies and when the couscous is ready mix it all together. I eat it cold, throw it in a skillet and heat it up, you can throw an egg in the skillet, whatever works...

1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced from end to end
1 medium shallot, chopped
1/2 cup (or so; I don't measure) olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb. bowtie pasta (preferably whole wheat)
2 cups arugula leaves, washed and halved
chevre (goat cheese) to taste

Arrange tomato halves evenly in baking dish. Mix shallot and olive oil well in bowl, add salt and pepper to taste. Pour mixture evenly over tomatoes. Put in oven at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes. (Perform bike maintenance while waiting.)

Cook pasta as per instructions on container and strain. Transfer to bowl, and pour olive oil/tomato contents over pasta. Add arugula and toss well.

Top sparingly with goat cheese as a flavourful condiment.

Household fav here -- bike friendly because I pick up the tofu and sauces at the grocery on my way home from work. :) The rest comes out of the summer garden. (Looking forward to trying your pedal-power food)

Spicy Basil Foo

1 lb extra-firm tofu, drained (or 1lb chicken if you're so inclined)
1 onion
~ 1T garlic
2-4 green or red chilis
1 red, yellow, or orange bell pepper
1 T oyster sauce
1 T fish sauce
1 garden ripened tomato
1 big 'ol bunch of thai basil leaves (or plain sweet if that's what ya grew)

Slice tofu into strips and saute in a bit of oil until golden brown
Add onion, garlic, chilis for a minute or two, then
Add bell pepper, fry till hot
Add sauces. If not salty enough, add more fish sauce.
Add basil leaves and tomatoes. Stir up and serve with rice. (I really like a long grain brown basmati, but a more traditional jasmine white is excellent too.)

Oh dear, recipes. What will Secret Satellite think of us now?

OK, Steak with Garlic and Basil

Steak, cut into small pieces a little bit fatter than fajitas
Garlic cloves, peeled and cut up into 1/2's or 1/3's if large. Pre-peeled garlic is worth it, or you can peel a bunch in advance and refrigerate.
Basil, pick the good leaves off and make a pile
Olive Oil
Salt, Pepper

Put steak in frying pan with a little olive oil in the bottom add salt and pepper, with garlic and let it sear, and turn over so other side cooks. Let cook a little, when it looks almost done dump the basil on top and stir that around until the basil is nice and wilted. Then dump in a bowl. Get out chopsticks and eat! Drink the bit of juice in the bottom. Best with an Anchor Steam.

I agree with the sumo wrestler a few years ago who was asked by a reporter, "What do you eat?"

He replied: "Whatever gets in the way."

easy marbled fudge brownies

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_26021,00.html

uses a whole block of cream cheese, not the healthiest - but great.

i also add some nuts, and a layer of chocolate on top if you like

Like I thought, we have some great cooks here. I'm going to try Little Eno's Steak & Basil tonight, since I picked up some basil on my ride in the country today. I stopped at one of those self-serve, honor-system produce stands in front of a farmhouse, where I also got some great tomatoes (and yes, I did leave money in the cashbox for everything. :)) So I will probably make my linguine with fresh tomato sauce to go with Eno's steak:



Linguine With Fresh Tomatoes


Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add 2 cloves garlic and 1/2 small hot pepper. Saute for 2 minutes, then add 2 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped. Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add a spoonful of the pasta cooking water to get the right consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over hot cooked linguine, preferably whole-wheat. Good with a little piece of goat cheese.

I would put some basil in it, but that's all going in eno's steak dish. :)

oops, my bad I thought that was "Caffiene Cuisine"...

mmmm, sweet potatoes with an espresso roast glaze, a fine huehuetenango basted cassava, a bite of brownies with mocha java mixed in....

mmmm, coffee

Here's the way I make pozole:

Saute 1 white onion (chopped) and 1/2 bulb of garlic (mashed) in a couple tablespoons of oil until onion is translucent.

Cut 2lbs of pork shoulder (I like to leave the fat on, it makes the dish taste better) into 1 1/2 inch chunks, add to onion / garlic mix.

Add one tsp thyme and one tsp marjoram and enough chicken broth to cover. Cover and simmer for an hour or two until the pork is tender.

In the meantime, soak 4 cascabel chiles, 4 guajillo chiles, and 4 ancho chiles in boiling water until they soften. This can take quite a while. When they soften, remove the stems, seeds, and pulp. Strain the liquid, and dump the whole mess into a blender and puree it.

When the pork is tender, reserve the liquid from and add two 32oz cans of hominy (or the maiz para pozole if you can find it) and dump the pureed chiles in.

Simmer uncovered for as many hours as you can stand not to eat it. The longer it cooks, the better it tastes. Like gumbo, refrigerating it and then reheating it improves it too. If it needs more liquid, add more chicken stock or the liquid reserved from the canned hominy.

Garnish with your choice of chopped cilantro, fresh squeezed lime juice, dried Mexican oregano and / or a dollop of sour cream.

Sometimes I like it over white rice too.

Sorry, just drooled all over my keyboard.

Oh dear, recipes. What will Secret Satellite think of us now?

OK, Steak with Garlic and Basil

Steak, cut into small pieces a little bit fatter than fajitas
Garlic cloves, peeled and cut up into 1/2's or 1/3's if large. Pre-peeled garlic is worth it, or you can peel a bunch in advance and refrigerate.
Basil, pick the good leaves off and make a pile
Olive Oil
Salt, Pepper

Put steak in frying pan with a little olive oil in the bottom add salt and pepper, with garlic and let it sear, and turn over so other side cooks. Let cook a little, when it looks almost done dump the basil on top and stir that around until the basil is nice and wilted. Then dump in a bowl. Get out chopsticks and eat! Drink the bit of juice in the bottom. Best with an Anchor Steam.
I tried the "Biftec Hinault" and it was lovely, accompanied by my linguine with fresh tomatoes. I'm grateful that I can go out on my bike, under my own power, and bring home good food that nourishes my soul and fuels my next bike ride.

I want to try Michael's Pozole as soon as I can afford the calories. It sounds great, and very authentic.

I don't remember the name of it, but here is a lower fat version of a Mexican dish similar to the Pozole:


In a large skillet, simmer "Country Ribs" (which are actually from the pork loin, and boneless) in lightly salted water to cover. The water should have whole garlic cloves, a cinnamon stick, and whole cumin seed (cominos) to taste. When the water evaporates, cover again with water and simmer again. When that water evaporates, the meat should be very tender and falling apart. If it is not, repeat the simmering with fresh water. Then shred the meat and saute it in the unwashed skillet with the accumulated fat. Add a little more oil if it is too dry. Make sure that you scrape the flavorful brown stuff on the bottom of the pan into the meat. Add a Tablespoon of water if needed. Also, add a sliced onion, chopped garlic, and a chopped hot pepper. When the meat is lightly browned, serve it with hot corn tortillas and a good salsa or mole. Mucho gusto!

Sounds a lot like Carnitas... but I have a somewhat different version.

Sounds a lot like Carnitas... but I have a somewhat different version.
Si! Carnitas! That's what they're called. Can you tell us your version? I saw that fantastic Mexican cook on PBS make them -- the guy with the funny little beard?--my memory is shot! Anyway, he made Carnitas, but I'm always on a damn diet so I made a lower fat version, and that is it. My stepson Jerry, who is Mexican, taught me lots of dishes too. He showed me how to heat the Tortillas directly on the stove's gas flame. That's my favorite Mexican food trick. Here's another recipe I made up last night:


Shrimp Tacos


Heat a large (super-size it) skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 Tbsp. olive oil; 2 cloves garlic, sliced, 1 small onion, thinly sliced; 1 hot pepper, diced. Saute for 2 minutes. Add 1 pound shrimp, shelled. Saute just until the shrimp turn pink. Season to taste eith salt and black pepper. Toast tortillas, one at a time, in the gas flame on your range. Put 2 or 3 shrimp on each tortilla with a Tbsp. of fresh guacamole. Serve 'em while you make 'em.

Muy bueno!

DROOL.... Carnitas! There's a place that was called Savor near here, now it's Little Michoaican (sp?) and they make some decent carnitas, love that place. No cooking involved, just hand 'em 6 bucks for 2 large soft carnitas tacos with everything and a sangria soda and you're good.

The lower-fat pozole and shrimp tacos sound GOOD!

Traditional carnitas is VERY fatty.

Cut 4lbs of pork into 2" cubes
Slice one orange
Melt 4lbs of manteca (lard)
Put the pork chunks and orange slices into the melted boiling lard
Cook until crispy on the outside and falling apart
Remove the pork and drain

Muy fattening, muy good!

My favorite bike fuel.

Take one package of sliced portabella mushrooms and saute them in just enough olive oil to keep them from sticking. Add 2 dashes of balsamic vinegar, a can of salt-free diced tomatos, garlic salt and diced fresh garlic to taste. Let simmer until it thickens, usually about 10 minutes. Have some angel hair pasta going at the same time. Combine. Delish.

I'm an avid cook, but I'm stumped by what you mean by "carfree cuisine."
I've never been limited to the ingredients I can use by cycling to the store. Everything fits just fine in a pannier or three. Could you please explain what you mean? Thanks.

I'm an avid cook, but I'm stumped by what you mean by "carfree cuisine."
I've never been limited to the ingredients I can use by cycling to the store. Everything fits just fine in a pannier or three. Could you please explain what you mean? Thanks.
I don't really know either. I just wanted to read some recipes. I thought carfree cuisine might be simple but tasty food that is good fuel for physical exercize. So far I'm right. :)

My favorite bike fuel.

Take one package of sliced portabella mushrooms and saute them in just enough olive oil to keep them from sticking. Add 2 dashes of balsamic vinegar, a can of salt-free diced tomatos, garlic salt and diced fresh garlic to taste. Let simmer until it thickens, usually about 10 minutes. Have some angel hair pasta going at the same time. Combine. Delish.


this sounds great - i'll try it thanks!

I'm an avid cook, but I'm stumped by what you mean by "carfree cuisine."
I've never been limited to the ingredients I can use by cycling to the store. Everything fits just fine in a pannier or three. Could you please explain what you mean? Thanks.
Thinking some more....Food is a big part of bike culture. Certain foods are associated in my mind with bicycles. First and foremost would be pasta. Partly it's the Italian influence in cycling, also I think it was during the heyday of "carb loading" that pasta became so ubiquitous. Other foods I associate with bikes are bananas and fignewtons, in the jersey to be eaten on the bike on a long ride. Oatmeal is popular with cyclists I know too. PB & J!

Donuts . . . Another story. Some clubs or groups of cycling friends go on "donut rides" on Saturday morning. But on BF, people always associate donuts with cagers. Like, " this guy in a SUV almost hit me. He was so busy eating a donut he never even saw me."

I wonder if others associate different foods with cycling? What do you like in your oatmeal? I'm partial to peanut butter and raisins.

I put crystallized Ginger in my morning oatmeal. I'm eating some now. Hmmm.... ginger....

i don't know, i've got a thing about soup (make some broth, throw in whatever meat and veggies are around) and grilled cheese. i have several grilled cheese recipes, but here's one i like. <br> to start, i use olive oil and sautee a diced tomato, some onion and a couple cloves of garlic with basil, oregano, and parsley. i'll also wilt some spinach while i'm at it, then i set that whole mess aside. <br> for bread, there are a lot of options. one i like is jalapeno focaccia. but for this recipe, i'll say challah bread. i'll put havarti on each slice, add some grated asiago and parmesan. i've also found cubes of grilled chicken at the store before, and sometimes chop those up further, add the tomato/garlic/spinach mix, put mayonaise on each side of the sandwich (it turns out more golden-brown that way), fry in butter. <br> change anything you like...it's about a similr formula: bread plus cheese plus filling plus frying equals delicious. likewise, pizza is great to experiment with. bread base plus sauce plus toppings equals yum. reuben pizza...it can be done. rye, sauerkraut, swiss cheese, corned beef...not too shabby.

I'm rather a fan of stews, and this is one of my favorite recipes. Vegan, as would be all my recipes. This is a sweet, spicey, thick stew great for any time of the year (best in early Autumn). It is fun, and best made in gigantic batches for you and your friends to enjoy for a few days.

Vegan Chunkwagon Stew (this serves me about 3 meals. Probably could serve 4 people, maybe more. I usually double or triple it).

*Essentials*
.5 to 1kg of tempeh (or seitan, or tofu, but tempeh is best)
2-4 ripe tomatoes
Potatos of any sort, yams also good. I prefer a lot of potatos, 4-6 small ones
2 carrots
1 or 2 onions, yellow are good
1 or 2 cloves of garlic
some ginger
1 squash of some sort
Half a head of broccoli/cauliflower
*any other vegetables you are fond of
some whole-wheat flour

*Spices*
cumin
cardamon
cinnamon
fresh ground black pepper
either hotsauce, a jalapeño, or something hotter if you wish
If you want you can add...
oregano
rosemary
thyme
basil
celery seeds
generic salt alternative spice blend

*Misc*
Agave nectar, or maple syrup, or some natural sweetener
Some nutritional yeast. Not essential but gives a good flavor.

*alternatives*
Instead of the natural sweetener and tomatoes, you can just use ketchup. I prefer to make my own sauces and condiments since I know what goes into them.

*Preparation*

1. Boil a large pot of water. Meanwhile cube the tempeh, and cut the vegetables/tubers into managable pieces. Crush the tomatoes, or blend for a few seconds.
2. When water is boiling, add the spices to create a nice broth. Throw in tempeh and turn down heat so to inudce a simmer. Let the tempeh cook for about 5 minutes, then throw in the potatoes. After another 5 minutes throw in the carrots, onions and the other vegetables that don't take that long to cook.
3. Put in the squash last, as this gets soft very quickly.

4. When the vegetables have cooked sufficiently, it is time to thicken up the brew. Put in the tomato sauce you made and a healthy dose of agave nectar/maple sugar/maple syrup. (Or if opting for ketchup, input a good amount until the stew is rather red in color. I can use up to half a bottle in large batches.) Stir. Put in a few teaspoons of nutritional yeast if you so desire. Now add the whole wheat flower until the stew thickens considerably. Make it as thick as you like. I prefer it to be very thick.

Serve, take your shoes off, relax and enjoy with some good bluegrass music, preferably something with lot's of mandolin and banjo.

what about tequila instead of agave? tequila does come from agave, and has its own, um...pleasant properties...

Anybody know anything about cooking with miso?