Food Storage Carrot Cake

When my husband and I were first dating I was super busy, I was working two jobs and going to school full time.  I wanted to make him a cake for his birthday but I ran out of time.  So I ran over to the local bakery to buy him a cake and the only cake they had left (it was 4:45 p.m. and they closed at 5) was a carrot cake.  It was beautiful so I bought it.  He hated it.  I think he took one bite.  

He got over my cake failure and married me anyway.   

So while I was testing my recipe for this post I asked him to try quite a few versions of this carrot cake, and I was shocked when he said “This is pretty good, I think I like carrot cake.”    My carrot cake hating husband has turned into a carrot cake eater.   That is as long as it doesn't have raisins. 

Food Storage Carrot Cake Recipe Notes:

• This cake uses cooked white beans in place of oil.  For this recipe measure the beans first and then mash them slightly.  You don’t want them pureed but you don’t want whole beans either.  I use my potato masher and smash the a few times before I add them.
•  Carrot cake is a dense cake that does not raise much, consequently this recipe calls for you to bake it in three 9 inch pans.  When you add the cake batter to the pans you are going to think “maybe I should just use 2 pans” don’t do it.  Using 3 pans really does work much better with cakes like this.
•  This cake has a lot of optional ingredients, raisins, walnuts, and coconut.  You can add all or none, or any combo you choose.  Be careful with the measurements of the optional ingredients; you can add up to 3 cups total of optional ingredients.   
• The frosting on this carrot cake contains cream cheese.  I don't have a good way to store cream cheese in my food storage.  I'm hoping for someone to come out with an amazing powdered cream cheese.  But until then I use fresh because I don't want to live in a world with out cream cheese.   
• The frosting on this cake includes butter powder.  I do store butter powder in my food storage because sometime I just want butter.  For example when I’m making frosting, the bean substitution just will not work.  I have been using butter power a lot over the past 2 years and I have found that the directions on the can are somewhat lacking.

How To Use Butter Powder

•  In baking it is okay to add dry butter powder with dry ingredients and the appropriate amount of water with the wet ingredients.  
•  If the recipe calls for butter to be “creamed” with sugar as it does in many cookie recipes, add the butter powder sugar and water (just the water to rehydrate the butter) and cream that, this takes longer than you think it should.  Don't worry keep mixing and it will turn out.
•  If the recipe calls for butter to be “cut in” as it does in many biscuit recipes. Just stir the butter powder into the dry ingredients with a whisk then add the water to rehydrate with the wet ingredients.
•   Adding butter powder for ½ the fat in a recipe and adding cooked white beans for the other half is a nice compromise, you get the taste of butter and the nutrition of beans.
•   Adding butter powder to baked goods makes them rise a little higher than normal.
• Using butter powder creates baked goods that do not brown as much in the oven.  Be sure to watch cookies or cakes and remove them promptly from the oven, by the time they turn golden brown they will be over cooked.
• Butter powder does not fry or sauté well.  

Amount of butter needed	Amount of Butter powder	Amount of water
½ c.	3/4 c.	3 T.
1 cup	1 1/2 cup	6 Tablespoons
2 cups	3  cups	¾   cup

Food Storage Carrot Cake

printable recipe

1 cup dehydrated carrots

3 cups water

4 eggs (1/4 cup powder eggs plus ½ cup water)

1 cup cooked white beans, measure first and then mash slightly

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 cup raisins (optional)

1 cup walnuts (optional)

1 cup coconut (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Prepare three 9 inch pans by spraying  by greasing and flouring (or use bakers spray with flour)
2. Rehydrate carrots by simmering 1 cup of dehydrated carrots in 3 cups of water for 15 minutes.  Almost all the water should be absorbed and the carrots should be tender.  Rinse in cool water and drain well.
3.  Combine eggs, mashed beans, and sugars.
4.  In a separate bowl combine all dry ingredients.  Once well mixed add dry ingredients to the egg mixture.
5.  Mix in carrots and optional ingredients.  Divide into prepared pans.
6. Bake at 325 for 40 minutes.  When a knife or cake tester is inserted in the middle it will come out clean.   Remove from pans promptly and allow cakes to cool completely on a wire rack.  Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

½ cup butter (¾ cup butter powder plus 3 tablespoons water)

8 ounces cream cheese softened

1 pound powdered sugar

3 tablespoons vanilla

1 tablespoon corn syrup

      Blend all ingredients together until the desired consistency is reached.  

10 Minutes till Dinner: Minestrone Soup

One of the things that I love about THRIVE freeze dried foods is how easy it makes my life. The veggies, are all washed pealed and chopped for me. It really helps me get dinner on the table fast. Over the next few days I am going to post some of my favorite recipes that can be made in part a head of time I am calling this series 10 minutes till dinner.  These are dishes that on a busy night you can get on the table fast.

For this recipe I usually make place all of the ingredients in a glass canning jar or zip lock bag. I make up a few at a time and then attach cooking instructions. Then when I need a super quick meal. I make it up. Fast easy and nutritious. One thing that I have found to be very helpful is to use a canning funnel to fill the jars.  If you are a canner you probably already have one if not you can find them of the canning section of any store.  The funnel fits perfectly inside the jar so you don't spill anything.

Minestrone Soup:
1/4 cup all veggies - corn, celery, onions, green beans, peas, carrots and green peppers.
4 T. tomato powder
1/2 t. Italian spices
1 teaspoon parsley
1 can beef broth
1 T. beef bouillon
6 cups water
1/2 cup pasta

Place everything in a soup pot. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to simmer. Cook 10 minutes, or until pasta is cooked.

Minestrone Soup in a Jar
Place the following ingredients in a canning jar
1/4 cup of the following dry vegetables: corn, celery, onions, green beans, peas, carrots and green peppers.
4 T. tomato powder
1/2 t. Italian spices
1 teaspoon parsley
1 T. beef bouillon
1/2 cup pasta

Add label to jar:

To cook add contents of jar and 6 cups water. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to simmer. Cook 10 minutes, or until pasta is cooked.

Labels and Instructions can be found here 

The labels I use are ones I found at http://itsacraftylife.blogspot.com/2010/12/ready-to-go.html
 They can be customized on your computer to say what ever you want.  I use them for everything.

A Green Dinner for Saint Patricks Day

Vegetable Risotto Serves 4
1 Tbsp Olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons FD onions 
1 cup rice
4 cup water
1 Tablespoon instant chicken bouillon
1 cup Freeze Dried broccoli
1 cup Freeze Dried Peas
1/2 cup Freeze Dried Spinach
2 Tablespoons Dehydrated Carrots

1 c. chopped tomato (Roma is best)
¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp basil or parsley

In large saucepan cook the garlic in oil until tender.  Add water and bouillon and stir to dissolve.  Add rice, and freeze dried vegetables and cook covered for 15 minutes, untill rice is tender.  Stir in tomato cheese, and basil or parsley.  Serve immediately.

Variation:  I love to use Feta cheese in this instead of the shredded cheddar.

Carribean Spice Thai Noodle Soup

Thanks to Rachel Shaffer for sharing this recipe at the recent Shelf Reliance Convention.  I love this Thai soup, it is a great easy, and fast addition to our regular dinner menu.  I think that next time I make it I will leave out the Siracha (a red garlicky spicy chili paste)  and just add it to adult portions at the table. I think my kids will eat it better if it is not so spicy. If you have never used Siracha, it is found in most grocery stores (my grocer store carries it and I live in the country so your grocery store probably has it. Find it on the Asian isle by the soy sauce)

Caribbean Spice Thai Noodle Soup

8 cups Thrive Chicken Broth prepared

1 Tablespoon Siracha

4 Tablespoons THRIVE Dehydrated Carrots

1cup THRIVE Freeze Dried Mushrooms

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 cups Thrive Chopped Chicken

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Cloves

1/4 tsp Coriander

1/4 tsp Allspice

1/4 tsp Cardamom

1/2 Tablespoon Sea Salt

1 Tablespoon White Pepper

1Can Coconut milk

For Serving

1/4 cup fresh Cilantro, chopped (optional)

2 limes cut into wedges

2 shallots, thickly sliced

1/2 cup green onions, chopped

2 cups bean sprouts

1 package, rice noodles

Fish sauce and Sriacha to taste

In a large pot, add the first 7 ingredients. heat on Medium High until meat and vegetables are tender and well hydrated. Add in spices (next 7 items) Simmer 10 min. Prepare the rice noodles. Add coconut milk to the soup, continue heating. Divide noodles into 6 to 8 large soup bowls.  top the noodles with bean sprouts, shallots, green onions, and cilantro. Ladle soup mix over bowls. Serve with lie wedges, fish sauce and siracha to taste.

Fast and Easy Breadsticks and Vegetable Risotto

Years ago my friend Ann told me she had a recipe to make homemade bread sticks in about 1/2 an hour. So when you were making something fast you can still make bread sticks. Well I thought "this I have got to try" and I have been making them ever since.

Ann's Fabulous Breadsticks
from Ann Frederickson (with my comments)

Printable Recipe

1 ½ c water
1 TBS yeast

2 Tbsp sugar
½ t salt
3-4 cups flour
2 TBSP Garlic powder with parsley
½ cup Parmesan cheese shredded (or cheddar, or both)
Melted butter

Dissolve yeast in water. Mix in the rest of the ingredients using the dough hook attachment to your mixer. Let raise in the bowl of your mixer for 10 min. Roll out on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. (When I say roll out what I really mean it place the dough in the middle of the cookie sheet and with clean floured hands spread it out. These are free form bread sticks so go for even thickness, filling up most of the pan) on the pan. Let sit 10 min. Spread softened (or melted) butter over the top of the bread stick and sprinkle with garlic powder. Bake 350 for 20 min. Remove from oven and top with cheese. Return to oven until cheese is melted. Slice into bread sticks. Enjoy!

My family really loves to eat this risotto (creamy rice). Tonight when I made it my husband said "This is really good we should put it on the menu every month"  You can substitute any vegetables that you want, but we really like the freeze dried broccoli in it.

Freeze Dried Vegetable Risotto

1 Tbsp Olive oil

1 Tbsp. FD onion re-hydrated in 1 1/2 T hot water

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup rice

3 cup water(use this water to rehydrate the vegetables and to cook the rice)

1tsp instant chicken bouillon

2 cup Freeze Dried broccoli flowerets

1/4 cup dry carrots
1/2 cup Freeze Dried Spinach

¾ cup shredded cheese (I use cheddar)

3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

1 tbsp basil or parsley

Rehydrate broccoli, carrots, and spinach in 3 cups hot water.  This should take about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in large saucepan cook the onion and garlic in oil until tender.  Drain the water from re-hydrating the vegetables and add to the pan. Add bouillon and stir to dissolve.  Add rice and cook covered for 15 minutes (depending on your rice).  Stir in cheese and basil/parsley.  Serve immediately.  Makes 4 main dish servings.