5 (Spiritual) Ways to Beat the Heat
3 min read
3 min read
4 min read
6 min read
3 min read
7 min read
Great entrees to take with you on your journeys, and practical tips for traveling with food.
I love to travel to a variety of destinations and most often need to travel with food for my family. First, it makes the trip more affordable and nutritious, and second gives me options to travel to locations that do not have kosher restaurants. Don’t get me wrong, I love going to Israel, Florida and the wonderful other communities that have kosher options, but with a little planning, other exciting destinations can still be a relaxing vacation.
I prepare meals ahead of time, freeze them properly and take something out to defrost and enjoy the day without worrying about what’s for dinner. Additionally, I bring two kitchen items that help. First, a Panini maker for sandwich making, pizza warming, bagel toasting, and even scrambling eggs. Grilled sandwiches are filling and delicious.
Second, I recommend an electric pot. This is a large pan/pot that plugs into the wall. It warms anything in about 5 minutes. I use it to warm chickens with a little sauce, meatballs, Chinese food and all the recipes below. It also boils water for pasta and rice making. I bought one from Costco made by WestBend for about $30. It’s a great item to have especially if you are in a hotel without an oven.
A few other tips for traveling with food include:
Happy travels!
photo: bittersweetcatering.com
Serves 6-8
Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and keep warm. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil to medium-high and briefly sauté garlic. Add chicken strips, basil and crushed red pepper. Cook, stirring, until chicken is browned, about 5-8 minutes. Add broth, sun-dried tomatoes with oil and wine. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes. Stir in nondairy creamer/soymilk, simmer briefly, and mix with pasta. Serve immediately.
Photo: www.saveur.com
Serves 8
Season flour with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off the excess flour.
Heat the olive oil and the margarine in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown the chicken on both sides and then take out chicken (you may have to do this in batches, so save a little oil and margarine for the second batch). Set chicken aside.
To the same skillet, add the onions and mushrooms to the skillet. Cook over medium-high heat for about 6 minutes or until all accumulated cooking liquid has evaporated. Add Marsala wine and sauté until most of the liquid evaporates, about 4 minutes.
Add the chicken stock and tomato paste and stir. Return the chicken to the pan and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Transfer to a serving platter and top with all the onions, mushrooms and reduced sauce.
Photo: www.toriavey.com
Serves 8-10
In a large Dutch oven or 8-quart pot, bring ketchup, ginger ale, honey and brown sugar to a gentle boil. In a bowl combine onions, salt, pepper, meat, rice and raisins. Mix gently with your handles, do not over mix. Make into 1-inch meatballs. Drop the meatballs into the boiling liquid. Add the bag of cabbage. Bring it back to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 90 minutes. Serve meatballs with sauce and cabbage.
Photo by: Good Life Eats
Makes 15 patties
Most veggie burgers in supermarkets either contain gluten, are solely made of vegetables and don’t have enough protein, or are soy based. As I like to minimize the soy in my diet, I wanted to create a high protein veggie burger that is also gluten free, hearty and delicious! This recipe is packed with multiple sources of protein, fiber, fresh vegetables, spices and herbs. So delicious that you can enjoy without a bun!
Place quinoa and 2 cups water or stock in small saucepan, and sprinkle with salt a little salt, if desired. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 15 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed.
Mix together the black beans and chickpeas in a bowl and set aside. In a medium skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic and sun-dried tomatoes (with a little oil is okay) and cook over medium heat. Cook 5 minutes, or until onion has softened. Stir in 1 ½ cups of the black beans/chickpea mixture, 1 ¼ cups cooked quinoa, cilantro, cumin and salt. Stir all ingredients together for 2 minutes. Add 1 ½ cups water and simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until most of liquid has evaporated.
Transfer mixture to food processor or with an immersion blender, process until smooth. Transfer to bowl, and stir in remaining ¾ cup quinoa and remaining 1.5 cups black bean/chickpea mixture. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and set in the fridge to cool.
Preheat oven to 350°F, and coat baking sheet with cooking spray. Using an ice cream scoop with lever, shape bean mixture into 15 patties and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake 35 minutes, or until patties are crisp on top. Flip patties with spatula, and bake 10 minutes more, or until both sides are crisp and brown.