RECIPE ROUNDUP

A Guide to Cooking Green
By Kevin Hargis

By now, most of you have probably heard about the concept of your “carbon footprint,” which refers to the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere based on certain activities you perform in your daily life.

Author Kate Heyhoe has given thought to a specific type of carbon footprint, what she calls your “cookprint,” which includes everything you buy and do to feed yourself and your family. In her book Cooking Green: Reducing your Carbon Footprint in the Kitchen the New Green Basics Way (De Capo Press, 2009), she examines all aspects of food preparation and offers suggestions on how you can improve efficiency in the kitchen. Appliances, she writes, account for 30 percent of the total energy consumed in our homes.

The book includes lists of tips for reducing your cookprint, which will save you money on your energy bills to boot.

Some of these cooking methods will take you time and experience to perfect, but if you can get the hang of it, you should start to see some benefits when bill time comes around.

Here is a recipe from the book that combines several fuel-efficient methods to cut in half the cooking time of a traditional lasagna.

SHORT-CUT PASSIVE LASAGNA

9 lasagna noodles
3 to 4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 carton (15 ounces) ricotta cheese (preferably whole-milk ricotta)
1 large egg
1 large clove garlic
1 teaspoon dried marjoram or oregano
1 jar (12 ounces) roasted red peppers, drained
1 can (4.25 ounces) chopped black olives, drained
1 jar (12 ounces) quartered marinated artichoke hearts, drained
1 cup (5 to 6 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1 jar (24 ounces) prepared pasta sauce, or home-cooked sauce
8 ounces sliced or shredded provolone cheese (about 2 cups)

Bring about 6 cups water to a boil (use electric kettle for most fuel-efficient boiling). Arrange noodles in 13x9-inch glass baking dish, in three stacks. Pour water over to cover, jiggling pan so noodles don’t stick together. Cover with larger baking dish to help hold in heat. Soak 25 to 30 minutes or until almost al dente (soaking a bit longer while you prep is OK). Separate noodles once while soaking so they don’t stick together. Remove noodles to colander to drain. Drain water from dish and wipe dry. Oil bottom and sides of dish with about 1 teaspoon of olive oil.

While noodles are soaking, beat ricotta and egg together with fork until smooth and slightly fluffy. Pour remaining olive oil in separate microwave-safe mixing bowl. Mince garlic and drop into bowl. Crumble marjoram or oregano and stir into oil. Microwave on high about 30 seconds to soften garlic. Remove bowl. Shred peppers with fingers or chop into large bites and add to bowl. Stir in olives, artichoke hearts and feta. Start layering: Spread thin coat of pasta sauce in bottom of dish (about a quarter of the jar). Top with layer of three noodles. Spread all of ricotta mixture over noodles. Spoon on another sauce layer (another quarter of jar), gently pushing it over entire ricotta surface. Add second layer of three noodles. Spread pepper mixture evenly over noodles. Add final layer of noodles, spread on remaining sauce, and top with provolone. Loosely cover with foil.

Place lasagna in cold oven and turn heat to 400 degrees. Bake 25 minutes. Remove foil, rotate pan and bake 5 more minutes. (Lasagna will not look done; the top cheese will be soft but not brown, sauce will show hints of bubbling around edges.) Turn off heat and allow to passively bake 15 minutes, until the top browns and the sauce bubbles. (Use the oven light and window to check lasagna at this point. Do not open the door.) If top still isn’t brown enough, move to a top rack, flip on the broiler, and broil for 1-2 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to rest 5 to 10 minutes. Slice and serve.

Serving size: 1 cup. Servings: 6. Per serving: 570 calories, 30.8 g protein, 28 g fat, 49.3 g ncarbohydrates, 906 mg sodium, 120 mg cholesterol

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HOME COOKING

Recipe Contest Winner: Patsy Copeland Henderson, Central Texas Electric Cooperative
Prize-Winning Recipe: Easy Ribs

Slow cookers are among the most efficient kitchen appliances, allowing you to cook an entire meal for pennies. They are also among the most convenient. You can load one up and start it when you leave for work and come home to a hot meal in the evening. But recipes for Crock-Pots aren’t limited to soups and stews, as these delectable ribs prove.

EASY RIBS

2 1/2 pounds baby-back pork ribs
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning mix
1 medium onion, sliced
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon barbecue sauce
1 teaspoon stone-ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Liquid Smoke (optional)
Dash salt
5 teaspoons cornstarch

Rub ribs with Cajun seasoning. Layer ribs and onion in 5-quart slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine ketchup, brown sugar, orange juice, vinegar, molasses, Worcestershire and barbecue sauces, mustard, turmeric, paprika and garlic powder. Add Liquid Smoke, if desired, and salt. Pour over ribs. Cover and cook on low for 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 hours, or until meat is tender. Remove ribs and keep warm. Strain cooking juices and skim fat; transfer to a saucepan. Combine cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water and mix until smooth; stir into juices. Bring to boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with ribs.

Serving size: 2 ribs. Servings: 8. Per serving: 405 calories, 28.3 g protein, 15.4 g fat, 34.7 g carbohydrates, 0.5 g fiber, 1,083 mg sodium, 104 mg cholesterol

CROCK-POT COBBLER

Nonstick cooking spray
2 cans (21 ounces each) pie filling (your choice of pineapple, apple or cherry)
6 ounces dried apricots, snipped into small pieces
1/2 cup orange juice
1can (171/2 ounces) ready-to-bake cinnamon rolls

Lightly coat slow cooker with nonstick spray. Combine pie filling, apricot pieces and orange juice in cooker, cover and cook on high for 11/2 hours or until mixture is bubbly. Stir mixture. Cut each cinnamon roll in half. Place roll halves on top of fruit mixture, cinnamon sides up. Cover and cook an hour or until rolls are fluffy throughout. Remove crock from cooking element, if possible, or turn cooker off. Let stand, uncovered, about 30 minutes to cool before serving. Spread roll icing that’s included in the can over top.

Serving size: 1/2 cup. Servings: 12. Per serving: 225 calories, 1.9 g protein, 0.8 g fat, 49.2 g carbohydrates, 1.9 g fiber, 189 mg sodium, trace cholesterol

Ella’D Perry
Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative

CROCK-POT CHICKEN WITH WINE AND STEWED TOMATOES

6-7 pieces cut-up chicken
1 can (15 ounces) stewed tomatoes
1 can (4 ounces) mushrooms
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 cup white wine
Salt & pepper to taste
6-7 white Cheddar cheese slices

Place chicken at the bottom of Crock-Pot. Add remaining ingredients, except cheese. Cook on high for four hours or low for six to eight hours, until chicken is no longer pink. Remove lid and place cheese on top of chicken. Replace lid and let cook until cheese melts, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Serving size: 1 piece of chicken with sauce. Servings: 6. Per serving: 187 calories, 24.2 g protein, 4.1 g fat, 8.4 g carbohydrates, 1.2 g fiber, 571 mg sodium, 56 mg cholesterol

Susan Cook
Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative

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RECIPE CONTEST

JULY’S recipe contest topic is EASY CONDIMENTS. One of the best ways to use less energy in the kitchen in summer is to avoid the stove, thus reducing stress on the air conditioner. Do you have a recipe for a no-cook main dish that will fill your belly while keeping the kitchen cool? The deadline is MARCH 10.

Send recipes to Home Cooking, 1122 Colorado, 24th Floor, Austin, TX 78701. You may also fax them to (512) 486-6254, e-mail them to recipes@texas-ec.org, or submit online at www.texascooppower.com. Please include your name, address and phone number, as well as the name of your electric co-op. The top winner will receive a copy of 60 Years of Home Cooking and a Texas-shaped trivet. Runners-up will also receive a prize.