Investment Cooking Newsletter Volume 2 Issue 4
This newsletter is for cooks who are interested in learning how to do investment cooking. Creating healthy home cooked meals in less time using whole foods. The newsletter is filled with articles, delicious recipes, product specials, and more.
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In the Kitchen
Summertime Cooking
Whats in Season?
Recommended Resources
Recipe: Chicken Marinade & Frozen Fruit Salad
In the Kitchen:
Here in the desert it is summer! This past week has seen temperatures in the low 100s. Those temperatures mean that it is time to redo my menu plans and change my cooking to shorter and cooler items. This time of year investment cooking can really make a difference! Instead of spending an hour heating up your kitchen, you can spend 15-20 minutes pulling dinner together.
Just think of the meals you could come up with in a hurry with grilled chicken ready to go. We like vegetable salads with chicken thrown in for some protein or a cold chicken salad. For a warmer meal I throw the chicken in with stir fry veggies and teriyaki sauce and serve it over steamed brown rice. Or toss it with some spaghetti and a lemon sauce.
This time of year is great for getting in your fresh fruits and veggies! It is time to switch gears from root vegetables and squash to fresh green salads filled with tomatoes, zucchini, sliced carrots, celery and whatever else you like in your salad. My girls are so happy that plums are back! They long for them all winter and cant wait for their first bite! What are your favorites? Eating seasonally helps your body to function properly plus every thing tastes better and is cheaper when it is in season!
Another thing we learned a few years ago was to make a big salad at the beginning of the week. We take a head of romaine, a head of red leaf lettuce and a head of baby spinach. Wash them and then spin them dry. (I actually put my lettuce in a mesh bag and spin it dry in my wash machine on the spin cycle.) Then we all work together to tear up the lettuce into bite sized pieces. Then we add chopped celery, sliced carrots, and whatever other veggies we have that week. We do add onions or peppers just before serving. I keep it in a large Pyrex glass bowl that has a plastic lid. This makes it so much easier to have salads! No more high priced bags of pre-made salad!
Heres a reference guide for when different foods are in season:
| January | February | March | April | May | June |
| Vegetables: avocado broccoli bok choy brussels sprouts cabbages carrots cauliflower celery chard collards greens: stir-fry mix kale leeks green onions potatoes, white spinach butternut squash turnips | Vegetables: artichoke asparagus avocado broccoli Brussels sprouts carrots cauliflower celery chard collards greens including mustard, stir-fry mix, turnip, watercress kale leeks potatoes radish spinach
| Vegetables: asparagus avocado broccoli cabbages carrots cauliflower celery chard collards greens kale leeks radish spinach salad mix | Vegetables: artichokes asparagus avocado beets broccoli cabbages carrots chard greens: collards, dandelion, lettuces kale leeks mushrooms onions, spring onions, sweet: Texas peas spinach spring salad mix | Vegetables: artichokes asparagus avocado green beans beets broccoli cabbages carrots cauliflower celery chard corn garlic greens: arugula, lettuces, mustard Vidalia onions peas new potatoes radish salad mix spinach zucchini | Vegetables: green beans beets carrots corn cucumber garlic eggplant kale lettuces red onions Vidalia onions Walla Walla onions peas potatoes summer squash tomatoes |
| Fruits: grapefruit kiwi lemons oranges pears | Fruits: raspberries strawberries grapefruit kiwi lemon tangerines oranges rhubarb | Fruits: strawberries kiwi lemon oranges rhubarb tangerine | Fruits: grapefruit oranges rhubarb | Fruits: apricots blackberries raspberries strawberries cherries grapefruit cantaloupe honeydew watermelon peaches rhubarb | Fruits: apricots blackberries blueberries boysenberries raspberries strawberries cherries figs grapes limes cantaloupe honeydew watermelon nectarines peaches pineapple |
| July | August | September | October | November | December |
| Vegetables: basil green beans corn cucumber garlic eggplant okra greens: kale lettuces red onions Vidalia onions Walla Walla onions bell peppers potatoes summer squash tomatoes | Vegetables: avocado basil green beans corn cucumber eggplant garlic okra onion bell peppers potatoes summer squash tomatoes | Vegetables: artichokes basil cucumber eggplant garlic kale okra onion bell peppers chile peppers potatoes summer squash winter squash tomatoes | Vegetables: artichokes avocado basil green beans beets broccoli Brussels sprouts cabbages chard eggplant garlic greens lettuces kale parsnip peppers hot peppers potatoes sweet potatoes pumpkin radish rutabaga spinach squash tomatoes turnips yams | Vegetables: artichokes avocado green beans beets broccoli bok choy brussels sprouts cabbages carrots celery chard dill garlic greens kale leek parsnip peppers potato sweet potatoes radish winter squash turnips yams | Vegetables: avocado broccoli bok choy brussels sprouts cabbages cauliflower celery dill garlic greens kale parsley parsnip potatoes, white potatoes, sweet rutabaga salad mix spinach winter squash turnips |
| Fruits: blueberries currants gooseberries cherries figs grapes limes watermelon nectarines oranges peaches pears pineapple plums | Fruits: apple blackberries blueberries raspberries figs grapes limes melons nectarines oranges peaches pears plums | Fruits: apples figs grapes melons oranges pears persimmons pistachios plums pomegranate | Fruits: almonds apples cranberries raspberries chestnuts kumquat lemons oranges pears persimmons pistachios pomegranate quince walnut | Fruits: almonds apples cranberries chestnuts guava kiwi kumquat lemons tangerines pears pecans pistachios persimmons pomegranate | Fruits: cranberries currants, red dates grapefruit kiwi kumquat lemons tangerines walnuts chestnuts oranges pears pistachios |
Recipes:
Mama Kay's Famous Chicken Marinade
4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast halves
Marinade
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons dry mustard
2 cups olive oil
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup soy sauce
2 cloves garlic -- minced
Variation: Add 2 tsp freshly grated ginger
Combine all marinade ingredients.
Option 1: Immediate use. Marinade chicken overnight for best results (an hour or two is okay it's just gets better with time). Grill 8 minutes per side medium-high heat. Let them rest for a couple minutes before eating. Juicy!! We plan for leftovers with this. We just slice up the leftover meat and freeze it in quart size bags.
Option 2: Use Later. Divide chicken pieces into 1-gallon freezer bags and pour marinade over meat. To use: Thaw and follow previous instructions.
Serving Ideas: Use the meat for fajitas, sandwiches, stir-fry or in salads.
Frozen Fruit Salsa
32 ounces fruit cocktail in juice
16 ounces strawberries, frozen -- sliced, sweetened
12 ounces orange juice, frozen concentrate
20 ounces pineapple -- crushed in juice
3 bananas diced
3 kiwis peeled and sliced
Partially thaw strawberries, so they can be separated. Mix all the ingredients together including all the juices from the canned and frozen fruits. Then freeze in containers suitable for your family to consume without leftovers.
To Eat: Thaw for 30 minutes prior to eating. This is a great side dish for the grilled chicken. The juices are wonderful with the chicken. Its great for a crowd too. Ive served it at showers and family get togethers. Everyone loves this cool treat!
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:
The Freezer Manual from 30 Day Gourmet
This cooking manual is a must if you want to do investment cooking. It has a step-by-step guide to help you plan and follow through with your cooking day. It also contains great recipes in a special format that helps you multiply how many dishes you would like to make. Also included in this book are great forms to help you organize your cooking day such as, Recipe Worksheet, Tally Sheet, Shopping List, What to Do and Bring and much more.
Thank you for reading another issue of the Investment Cooking Newsletter. I hope it has provided you with some great food for thought.
Visit my blog atwww.mamakay.com/myblog.html
Copyright 2006Binary Kingdom Enterprises