Cranberries & Sprouts Salad

How easy can this be? Almost too easy.

This fresh, crunchy salad is so good, and the ingredients are long term refrigerator products … or you can freeze them fresh, without blanching. 

Use your food processor to slice fresh brussels sprouts.  Chop fresh cranberries in the food processor.  Mix 2 cups of sprouts with a cup of chopped cranberries.  Add a little salt and pepper.  You can make a dressing, but I’ve found that my favorite is bottled honey mustard dressing with an extra spritz of lemon juice.

That is, it.  You get a crunch with every bite.  Sometimes I add about a fourth cup of chopped nuts … almonds, pecans, walnuts or hazelnuts.

 

How to Freeze Cranberries and Brussels Sprouts

I simply toss a bag of fresh cranberries into the freezer.  I use portions as I need them.  I know they will last a year.  Brussel sprouts require a quick blanch and dip in ice water to stop the cooking.  I also roast brussels sprouts in a sheet pan with enhanced olive oils.  I especially like lemon infused or rosemary infused.  Freeze meal size portions (which are small for my empty nest).  All you have to do is quickly reheat them from the frozen state.  I also slice and freeze fresh brussels sprouts.  Thaw them by splashing cold water over them.  Let the water drain off before you use them in a salad like this one.  That frozen first crunch isn’t exactly like the fresh crunch, but it will do!

Good Gumbo

On another really cold day, I was craving the flavors of New Orleans, so I decided to make Gumbo!  I had everything in the freezer that I needed, and I always have the right spices on hand.

This isn’t your typical recipe because I started with leftover roast beef and gravy, so I didn’t need to make a roux! 

I began by sautéing about half a cup of chopped celery, and 1 cup portions of chopped onion and bell pepper.  I used bacon grease as the oil for sautéing.  After the vegetables began to soften, I added my chopped roast beef and 2 cups of dark brown gravy.  At this point, I turned my pot to ‘slow cook’ on the low setting.

I added a big frozen tomato, a small can of tomato sauce (plus a couple cans of water to rinse the can), 1 teaspoon of minced garlic, half a teaspoon of Paul Prudhome’s blackened beef flavoring, 1 teaspoon of file powder, a pinch of hot red pepper flakes and a bay leaf.  I love carrots and had a few slices left from another meal, so I threw those into the pot!

At this point, I add my frozen okra.  I freeze whole pods, then slice them to use them.

Slow cook for 2 hours on the low setting.  Serve with cooked white or brown rice.

How to Freeze these Vegetables

Freezing fresh vegetables doesn't always require blanching.  I simply cut peppers and onions into sections and put them in containers or zipper bags and put them in the freezer.  I do the same thing with whole pods of okra.  Freezing okra actually eliminates the mucilage ... and it is the mucilage that helps thicken gumbo.   Whole tomatoes can be frozen without any additional preparation.  Pop them in a bag.  When you thaw one, the peel will slide right off.  I usually just throw them in the pot whole.  The peels have lots of nutrition and I don't mind them.  

Potato Soup with Grilled Onions

On a very cold day, I remembered that I had a package of wonderful Vidalia onions in the freezer.  I grilled 6 big onions in late summer and put them away for wintertime.  They had a fantastic smoky flavor right off the grill and I was sure they would retain that flavor!  And they did!

What a delicious foundation for a pot of creamy potato soup.

Soup making doesn’t require a detailed recipe.  Add what you like! For this batch, I used creamy Yukon Gold potatoes, fresh celery and 2 halves of my grilled onions. 

Grilled Onion Potato Soup

2 Tablespoons of garlic infused olive oil

4 cups peeled and cubed gold potatoes

2 halves grilled onions

2 stalks of celery chopped

4 cups of savory chicken broth

2 cups of half and half

½ teaspoon celery seed

½ teaspoon of dried dill

Several grinds of black peppercorns

Sauté the potatoes and celery in the olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add the seasonings, onion halves and chicken broth.  Simmer for 30 minutes or a little longer until the vegetables are done.  Pour in the half and half and continue to simmer for a few more minutes. The onion halves will separate into rings, but you can chop them even more, if you’d like.  If your soup isn’t thick enough, you can add a couple Tablespoons of instant mashed potato flakes or a slurry made with a Tablespoon of corn starch with ¼ cup of half and half, milk or cold water.  You can also slightly mash the potatoes in the soup and that will thicken the mixture. 

 

How to Grill and Freeze Onions

Vidalia Onions are the best for this!  Clean the onions and cut them in half. Brush the onion flat side with olive oil.  Place the onions, flat side down, on the bbq grill over medium heat.  Cover the grill and leave the onions for 20 - 30 minutes until they are soft, but still firmly held together.   Remove the onions.  Let them cool and place them in freezer containers.  I put waxed paper between layers.  Freeze them until you are ready to use them.  Thaw them on the countertop for a couple hours, or in the fridge overnight.