Wk 2 - DP - African Stew

This was the main recipe of the week to cook due to all of the different ingredients.

Yield: 16 servings

Ingredients

4 cups water
3 each chicken bouillon cubes
1/3 cup curry paste (or can be dry curry)
2 Tablespoons ground coriander, toasted
2 Tablespoons granulated garlic
4 cups coconut milk
¼ cup sugar
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 pounds beef/pork/chicken, large diced
2 cups mixed red and green peppers, diced
2 cups onions, diced
½ cup whole kernel corn, frozen
1 bay leaf
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 Tablespoons cornstarch (make slurry)

Method:

1. In kettle, heat water, chicken bouillon cubes, curry paste, ground coriander, and granulated garlic. Let boil and add in sugar and coconut milk.

2. Add in the soy sauce and the diced meat. Let simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Add vegetables, spices, and cook until tender.

4. Bring to a boil and add cornstarch slurry slowly to the mixture and whisk until thickened.

NOTE: This is the recipe as it was sent by the chefs at Animal Kingdom Lodge. However, reader Mose writes: Just wanted to let you know that there seems to be an error in this recipe for the African Stew at Mara. The recipe calls for 3 cups of soy sauce. I thought that sounded like a little much, so I dialed it back to about half of that. Still, when I tasted the stew, it didn't taste anything like the real thing. In fact, it tasted like soy sauce. Nothing but soy sauce. Soy sauce soup. I think maybe the recipe should have been 1/3 cup of soy sauce, instead of 3 cups. The next time I make this recipe, I will try 1/3 cup and see how it turns out.

1/09 Reader Laurie writes to say that 3 Tablespoons of soy sauce is the correct amount, and that the stew is fantastic!

http://allears.net/din/recipes/rec_as.htm

Instead of Chicken Bouillon cubes I used Organic Better Than Bouillon. I had never used it but from friends who cook a lot they had said once you use this you never go back and the results turned out great so I think I'll be using this brand from now on. USDA Organic and $6.29

I used Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste which was the only Curry Paste we could find at our local SaveMart (use to be Albertsons, Luckys). It happened to be the one ingredient I had forgotten and had to get last minute.

Again I went with Morton & Bassett for the Ground Coriander and Granulated Garlic. Interesting note the Coriander has no mention or Organic on it, yet the Granulated Garlic again has the 100% Organic labeling. The spices were $5.99 and $5.69 respectively. 

I used generic canned coconut milk from Whole Foods, and again continue to finish the granulated sugar I have in the pantry.

For Soy Sauce I liked Oshawa Organic Nama Shoyu Unpasteruized Soy Sauce. It is USDA Organic and was $8.99

I decided to make this a Chicken African Stew and used Organic Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast from Bauer Ranch in Snelling, CA. All of their unused unsold foods are donated to their local Food Band and they are 6th generation farmers, 2nd generation in California. At $9.99 lb I received two good sized chicken breasts for $9.89.

The Red and Green bell peppers were Organic from Mexico. I used the same Organic Onions from the last recipe from Phill Fosters Ranch. Instead of Frozen Corn I boiled fresh corn and shaved the kernels for use in the stew. The bay leaf was the other ingredient I forgot and it was to late for me to run out and get it. Next time. I continued to use my McCormick Cayenne Pepper and Kingsford's Corn Starch.

PURCHASE OF THE WEEK

While I was at Bed Bath & Beyond I saw an 8 Cup Rice Cooker & Steamer on sale. Retail Price is $145. Amazon Price is $73.92. Bed Bath & Beyond Normal Price is $79.99. Clearance Price $25.00!!!

Wk 2 - DP - Geelrys Rice

To be honest when I was first looking at this recipe I was unsure of how it would taste since I didn't try this the last time I was at Animal Kingdom. In the end the cinnamon infused rice and succulent onions with a touch of salt tasted great.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

3 cups Basmati Rice
1/2 cup white onions (small dice)
2 Tbsps. Olive Oil
4 cups water
6 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp. cinnamon powder
1 cup Golden Raisins
1 cup (full) Granulated Sugar
Salt To taste
Pepper To taste

Method

1. In a small pot, saute the onions and spices in olive oil until the onions are translucent.
2. Add water and bring to a boil. Add rice and the rest of the ingredients and cover the pot.
3. Let it cook for about ten minutes then reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook for an additional 25 minutes.

Serve hot.

http://allears.net/din/recipes/rec_geel.htm

I purchased Whole Food 365 Indian Basmati Rice.

I used Organic White Onions from Phil Foster Farms/Ranch, which is located in Hollister/San Juan Bautista. In fact a lot of the wood that is turned into wood chips in San Francisco is brought to Phil Foster Ranch as a crucial part of its composting process. $1.69 lb with an Andi Score of 47. 

The Olive Oil I used is Soler Romero organic extra virgin olive oil. It not only carries the USDA Organic seal but it is 100% Organic. The olive oil is made in Spain and was $19.99 for the bottle which was the most expensive individual purchase on this last shopping trip. The olives and processing have always taken place on the same property and have never been outsourced. Soler Romero has been operating since 1850. 

The Cinammon Sticks and Ground Cinnamon I used are from Morton & Bassett, both claim to be 100% Organic (the USDA Organic symbol is optional). The company is based out of San Francisco and has been operating since 1986. I got 9 cinnamon sticks for $5.99 and the ground cinnamon set me back another $5.69. 


I used Golden Raisins and Sugar I had left in the pantry. As I clear out my old pantry products I am trying to replace them with healthier and organic versions. 




What is an ANDI Score?
Basically the ANDI score is based on the analysis of the nutrients in any food. The scales ranges from 0-1000. This doesn't mean that you should only eat high Andi Score items, it just helps the shopper know the level of nutrients in the item, as a variety of items with different scores have different nutrients vital for healthy body functions. Something like Cola for instance is considered to have an Andi Score of 0.6 vs. Kale which would have a value of 1000. 

Wk 2 - DP - Frunch

I was only a huge fan of concentrate when I was a child, now I prefer the ingredients to be fresher with less preservatives. 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups mango juice
1/2 cup pineapple concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup lemonade concentrate, thawed
2 cups fresh orange juice
3 cups water
4 Tablespoons grenadine

Method:

Mix all ingredients together. Serve over ice in a tall glass. Serves 8.

http://allears.net/din/recipes/rec_fr.htm

For this recipe I decided to purchase the Mango Juice and Lemonade through Santa Cruz ORGANIC. Their growers all come from California with one of the prominent in near Santa Barbara. Their line of products is run from a very Green facility, that they purchase enough renewable energy each year to product all their products and 96% of their refuse is recycled which is amazing. USDA Organic.

The lemonade I got from Lakewood ORGANIC which is based out of Florida. USDA Organic.

With no current source of fresh or USDA Orange Juice I went with Simply Orange juice. All Natural.


For the grenadine I used ROSE's GRENADINE. 


Now with all of these ingredients I was able to make 3 batches of Frunch which is 24 servings. All of these juice when combined should never exceed two weeks from being mixed together. The Lemonade was $2.99, Mange Juice was $4.39, Pineapple Juice was $4.19, and the Orange Juice was $5.49. All of this was purchased at Whole Foods. When all combined it equals about 71 cents a serving and you end up with extra OJ, Lemonade, and Pineapple Juice for other recipes or drinking as well. 


USDA ORGANIC What does that mean?
USDA Organic means that the producer follows certain water and soil guidelines and conversation efforts as well as the humane treatment of its animals. What many people don't know is that USDA Organic comes in 3 grades. (1) 100% Organic (2) 95% Organic (this is where you traditional see the USDA Organic label on products), (3) Made with Organic Ingredients (70% and they cannot use the traditional USDA seal) many All-Natural foods fit into this category.