MRE RECIPE: Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff is one of my all-time favorite dishes.  My hubby liked it too but hadn't had it since he became lactose intolerant. Now that I wrote this recipe, and substituted powdered goat milk or powdered plain rice milk, he is back on the beef stroganoff wagon!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup tiny or dehydrated pasta (egg noodles make it yummy!)
¼ cup hamburger rocks or roast beef chunks
¼ cup mushroom slices
1tbsp sour cream or rice milk powder
1 beef bouillon cube
¼ tsp onion powder
1 tsp potato flakes or arrowroot powder (to thicken it)
s & p to taste

Directions:
Combine and seal. When ready to eat, add 1 cup of boiling water, stir and cover. Let sit until beef and pasta are reconstituted, about 20-30 minutes.

Notes:

• Gluten-free: use your pre-cooked and dehydrated gluten-free pasta
• Dairy-free: substitute rice milk powder instead of sour cream powder
• Nightshade-Free: If you use arrowroot powder or corn starch (instead of potato flakes) to thicken the dish, this will be nightshade-free.
• Low-Sugar: naturally

MRE RECIPE: Asian Chicken Cashew

This is one of my favorite recipes. Cashews make almost everything taste better!  Give this a try.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup chicken chunks or bits
1/2 cup instant rice
1 tbsp garlic powder or flakes
1 tbsp green onions / scallions
1 tbsp cashew pieces (toasted or raw)
1 tbsp bell pepper dices
1 tbsp carrot bits
1 tbsp water chestnuts
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp brown sugar
1 beef bouillon cube
pinch red pepper flakes

Directions:
Combine and seal. Reconstitute with 1 1/2 cups (or more) of boiling water. Should be delightfully thick!

Notes:

• Nightshade-Free: If you can't handle nightshades, eliminate the bell and hot peppers.
• Dairy-Free: naturally
• Gluten-Free: naturally but make sure the rice is gluten-free
• Low-Carb: naturally, except for brown sugar. Leave it out if you need to.
• Low-Sugar: naturally, except for the brown sugar that you can leave out if you'd like.
• Dehydrates the water chestnuts yourself (make sure sliced thin).
• Instead of using a bouillon cube, make your own beef stock, simmer until reduced and thick, then spread out thin and dehydrate.
• If planning to store this for a long time, leave out the cashews and seeds. Add them in when preparing to eat.

MRE RECIPE: Asian Beef with Snow Peas

I couldn't find any dehydrated or freeze-dried snow peas so I bought some and dehydrated them myself. They reconstitute quiet well in boiling water. Note: this can also be made with chicken or turkey.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup instant white or brown rice
1/2 cup beef chunks or rocks/crumbles
1/4 cup snow peas
1 beef bouillon cube
1/2 tsp brown sugar

Directions:
Combine and seal. To eat, rehydrate with 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups boiling water. Stir and cover. Great to cook in a saucepan over a fire (or stove burner!) until reconstituted.

Notes:

• Gluten-free: If you have any doubts about instant rice, make your own! Cook your favorite rice until done, then spread on a thin layer on your dehydrator's fruit roll-up sheet, then dehydrate until all moisture is gone.  Same with bouillon: if you have any doubts about it, make your own by simmering homemade broth until quite thick, spread on the roll-up sheet and dehydrate until crispy enough to powder.
• Dairy-free: no dairy in here!
• Low-sugar: 1/2 tsp of sugar isn't too bad, and it adds to the taste.

MRE RECIPE: Brazilian Black Bean Stew

Here is a recipe from Brazil! Serve over rice, noodles, quinoa, or just eat it by itself!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup cooked mashed dehydrated black beans
1/4 cup sausage crumbles
1 tbsp bacon pieces (the real kind - Hormel)
1 tbsp onion dices
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
s & p to taste

Separate baggie: 1 tsp scallions/green onion, 1 tsp cilantro (I leave it out for mine!) and 1 tsp parsley.

Directions:
Combine all - you should have two baggies. When ready to eat, add 1 1/2 cups boiling water to stew part, stir, cover, and let sit until reconstituted Add more or less water to get stew consistency. At the last minute before eating, add in the second baggie with the scallions.

Notes:

• Dairy-Free: naturally
• Gluten-Free: naturally
• Low-Sugar: naturally

MRE RECIPE: Creamy Broccoli Chicken and Rice

Hubby LOVES this dish, especially when I make it dairy-free with rice or goat milk powder. Feel free to add more veggies, if you'd like.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup white or brown rice
1/4 cup dehydrated broccoli
1/4 cup dehydrated chunk chicken
2-3 tbsp goat or rice milk powder
1/4 to 1/2 tsp garlic powder
s & p to taste

Directions:
Combine and seal. To prepare for eating, reconstitute with 1 1/2 cups of boiling water. Stir, cover, and let sit for 15-20 minutes, until everything is moist and tender.

Notes:

• Dairy-Free: naturally, unless you use powdered cow milk.
• Gluten-Free: naturally
• Low-Sugar: Naturally
• Low-Carb: Instead of using rice, you could substitute zoodles (strips of zucchini, dehydrated, used like noodles).
• Nightshade-Free: No potato, tomato or eggplant.

MRE RECIPE: Raspberry Peach Yum

Don't you just love what I named this?  Okay, so raspberries and peaches taste beautifully together, and I like sending a dessert with Hubby to work.  So... I came up with this. Super-healthy and a nice way to end a lunch in the midst of a busy day.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup peach dices
1/4 cup raspberry powder
1 tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot (thickener)
3 tsp raw sugar
pinch nutmeg

In separate baggie, 1/2 cup crumbled sugar cookies.

Directions:
Combine fruit, thickener, sugar and spice in one baggie and seal. Place crumbled cookies in a second baggie and seal. To enjoy, rehydrate the fruit, sugar and spices with very hot water for 10 minutes, and when ready, top with crumbled sugar cookies.


Notes:
-Gluten-Free: There are a lot of pre-made gluten-free cookies on the market. Choose a sugar-cookie and go to town!
-Dairy-Free: No dairy in here! One could make this creamy by adding a little rice milk powder to the fruit.
-Low-Sugar: Substitute stevia instead of sugar for a low-sugar version. Remember that stevia is VERY sweet so reduce the amount by at least half.

MRE RECIPE: Tomato Soup

One of my son's favorite soups (besides chicken noodle!) is Campbell's Tomato Soup. I devised this recipe and I think I'm pretty close. Thoughts?

Ingredients:
4 tbsp tomato powder
1 chicken bouillon cube or 1 tbsp homemade chicken bouillon powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp butter powder

Directions:
Mix and seal. When ready to eat, add 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups boiling water. More if thinner soup is preferred.

This is a single serving as a side dish/soup. To make a full meal out of this, please double the recipe.

Notes:

• Some people prefer a creamy tomato soup. Add 2 tbsp of your favorite milk powder (goat, rice, cow, etc)
• Gluten-free: the best way to make sure the bouillon cube doesn't have wheat, gluten or too much sodium in it is to make your own! Take chicken (or beef) broth and simmer until reduced to very thick. Spread on a fruit roll up sheet and dehydrate until crispy enough to powder.

MRE RECIPE: PB&J Oatmeal

We thought about how to bump up our protein in our homemade instant oatmeal, and hit upon this recipe!  Hubby LOVES strawberry jam, so we used powdered strawberries and raw sugar to get the taste.  I personally love raspberry or apricot .... use the fruit that you most love in jam form.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1 tbsp peanut butter powder
1 tbsp strawberry powder
1 tbsp raw sugar

Directions:
Combine. When ready to eat, add 1 cup of very hot water. Stir and let sit for 5-10 minutes.

-Gluten-Free if you use certified gluten-free oats.
-I buy fruit powders at www.justtomatoes.com

MRE RECIPE: Banana Bread Oatmeal

I love love love banana bread, so I came up with recipe that tastes similar.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
3 tsp banana powder OR 1/4 cup dehydrated banana slices
2 tbsp chopped walnuts
2 tsp raw sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
Rehydrate with 1 cup very hot or boiling water, stir, let sit with lid on for 10 min, remove lid, stir, and enjoy! If using banana slices, they might need more time. Ok... Let me know! We loved this!

NOTE:
I buy fruit powders from www.justtomatoes.com ... LOTS to choose from!

Gluten-Free: be sure to use certified gluten-free oats!