Junque Yard - My Daily "Salads"

I call them salads. I don't know what else to call them. They don't have lettuce or spinach or any leafy greens, though, so I don't know if they count as salads.

I'm gonna officially call them my Junque Salads, because the ingredients change with whatever I have floating around in my fridge, along with whatever I harvest from my garden.

Cucumbers are a must. I will be picking my first from the garden this week. I have my eye on two very sweet looking cukes that are just starting to plump up.

Banana peppers are a usual staple. I've been harvesting them for a week or so now. I hate hot and mild ones, and both are yummy.

My purple bell pepper plant is going gang busters! I can't believe I've got colored peppers already this summer.

I bought a bag of scapes from the farmer's market two weeks ago, and I'm still using them. OMG the best of both onions and garlic, in a little green tube. NOMMINESS!

Carrots are a must, and I always try to have some in the house. The carrots I planted a couple of weekends ago haven't started making an appearance yet, but when they do, their thinnings will make for yummy greens in my salads.

Green beans, broccoli, onions, kohlrabi....whatever else is hanging around gets chopped and thrown into the mix.

Dressing is simple, a little apple cider vinegar, a little olive oil, and a lot of spices. I'm partial to a little bit of salt, pepper, oregano, and Mrs. Dash.

You might ask, "Why no leafy veggies?" To which I answer, because this is what I take to work, silly person.  And I don't want to eat wilted veggies for lunch!

And you might say, "So why don't you leave off the dressing and mix it when you go to eat it at lunch time?"

And I'll reply, "Don't bore me with petty details, you whippersnapper!

The honest answer is that I get bored of leafy veggie salads quickly. This way, I can make it a day or two ahead of time, and have a few meals out of it. The dressing acts as a marinade, and all the veggie's and spices' have blended flavors.  I just throw a couple of slices of turkey or chicken breast on the top, and I'm ready to go to work with little to no effort in the morning.

It's all good.

Junque Food - Banana Bread with a twist!

We have a TON of dehydrated bananas that are sitting on our food shelves, for the simple reason that DaHusband-Man went crazy and bought several dozen bunches of, specifically for dehydrating and storing.

Actually, that's not entirely true.  We love banana chips, and figured that they were the same as dehydrated chips. 

OH.

NO.

THEY.

WEREN'T.

come to find out, banana chips are deep fried, usually in coconut or palm oil. Not exactly healthy for you.

So we have all these jars of banana chips, that are CHEWY as all get out. We tried lots of things to make them palatable. We did the lemon wash so they wouldn't completely turn brown during dehydration.  We sprinkled cinnamon on them (He liked those, I didn't).  We were figuring it was a bust for the snacking dept, but they were something that could sit on our shelves, and we'd have them if we needed. 

So they sat.

For a year. and then another year. 

Until I couldn't stand it anymore, and decided to try to re-hydrate a few of them. I was in the mood for banana bread, but I didn't have any fresh (or over-ripe) on hand.

So I took a loose cup full of them and ran just enough water to cover them. and I let them sit for about an hour.  They soaked up the water, and were instant banana mush. Perfect for bread!

Banana Bread - this is the exact same recipe I used, but I found it already typed in Food and Garden Dailies. Thank you for saving me the time typing from out of my cookbook!

(Better Homes & Gardens, I got it in 1988)

In a large mixing bowl combine:

     1 cup all purpose flour
     2/3 cup sugar
     2 tsp baking powder
    1/2 tsp baking soda
    1/4 tsp salt

Add to the bowl and mix:
     1 cup mashed bananas (2-3 medium)
     1/3 cup shortening, margarine, or butter
     2 TB milk

Add to the bowl and mix:
     3/4 cup flour
     2 eggs

Stir in:
     1/4 cup chopped nuts

I actually skipped the nuts, but put in a cup of butterscotch chips....'cause that's how I roll.

Pour batter into a greased 8 x 4 x 2" loaf pan.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.  Remove from pan and cool thoroughly on a wire rack.  Makes one loaf (16 slices).

Oh my.  it was good.  The only reason that I knew this bread was made with dehydrated bananas was that the bread had SUPER BANANA FLAVOR (complete with echo).

It was definitely a success, and now I know I can make banana bread anytime I want. We have tons of banana chips just waiting.....

Junque Food - "Stock"-ing up in more ways that one

Yesterday DaHubster casually mentioned that it might be time to make stock.  See, I take our leftover food bones, chicken, beef, pork, and freeze them in bags until I get enough to make stock with. In the summer time, I do the same with all my garden veggie peels and ends.

When I get a good sized baggie full, I dump it all in my stock pot, and throw in just enough water to cover, Bring to a quick boil, then simmer for a few hours.

then I drain the home made stock, and put the liquid into ice cube trays and freeze. Then take the frozen cubes of stock and store them in freezer bags.  Each frozen stock cube is about 2 tablespoons of liquid.

I use the stock in almost all of my cooking. there's no salt, like there is in commercial stock or broth, and a few cubes is a great way to enhance flavors in just about anything you are cooking.

And it's not really a hassle to do, since you don't have to watch the stock pot when it's simmering. You don't have to watch the cubes freeze. 

It's a great thing to do on the weekends, when you're running around cleaning or whatever. Makes for healthier eating too.It's a great way to get a little extra sumpin-sumpin out of bones that you are just gonna throw out anyway. And, best of all, it cuts down on your grocery bill if you dont have to buy broth.

Now, start saving your bones & veggie peelings, people! :)