Bernie is ONE!! Yes, it went by so quickly! Yes, she gets more delicious every day!! Yes, I began planning her vegetable-themed birthday party more than six months ago and spent hours and hours searching for the perfect garlands and outfits, hand drawing her invitations, developing new recipes, sketching out her table scape, typewriter-ing the seed packet party favors, and scheduling the prep down to the minute. (And yes, in retrospect, I see what Nick meant when he said that I am… crazy…) And then yes, we had to cancel it ☹️! But!! Even though we missed our fronds and family dearly, it was truly a magical beautiful Bernie day and we loved every single moment of it. We had sprinkle pancakes and blueberries for breakfast, homemade chicken and stars soup for lunch, and turkey spinach meatballs with freshly made fettuccine for dinner. In between, we played in pools of Cheerios and visited the farm cats. And then we had cake! Obviously!

I am so pleased with how this naturally colored rainbow cake turned out. It took a bunch of experimenting and tweaking to get the shades to match and to figure out a method that wouldn’t require too much fussiness/juicing/boiling of beets/etc. I tried using turmeric but that was too bright, and I tried using a store-bought precooked beet but that wasn’t bright enough and just got messy. In the end, I went with a combination of store-bought carrot juice, store-bought beet juice, and a big bunch of fresh mint. The cake is based on my go-to vanilla butter cake that is so incredibly moist, dense, and delicious. It’s one of my proudest cakes! The flavor of the beets and the carrots is undetectable and the flavor of the fresh mint shines through just a wee bit, enough to lend its herby flavor but it’s far from overpowering. I went with a basic cream cheese frosting to add some nice tang and decorated with Fimo clay cake toppers.

For Bernie’s mini cake, I stacked up the scraps that I cut off from leveling the layers and cut out tiny layers with a biscuit cutter. No separate cake pans necessary. I was so excited when I realized this would work! The cake is so moist that the scrap layers stuck together without a need for frosting between them. Bernie loved it! I took enough photos of her eating it to break my phone and she didn’t even make a huge mess which makes me think that one day she’ll make a great cook that will be good at the whole clean-as-you-go thing. 

Weeks ago, I baked the cake layers, let them cool, formed Bernie’s mini cake, wrapped everything in plastic wrap and froze them so that I could have one more thing checked off my to-do list for the party. It also made frosting them, especially the mini cake, way way easier. I always like to frost frozen cakes (and then allow to sit at room temperature for a few hours or overnight before serving). 

Important note about the layers! The blue layer that’s in these photos is a layer I added at the last minute because we were going to be expecting more guests than my usual three-layer cake serves and also because I needed to test two of the layers again. It’s not a part of the recipe below, which only makes three layers, but if you’d like to make a blue layer, simply use the same method as the green layer but sub out the mint for wild blueberries (I used frozen). You’ll have to either make another third batch of batter or replace one of the other colors with the blue. I’m sorry in advance for any confusion!!

---

Naturally Colored Rainbow Cake

Makes one 3-layer 8” cake (and a mini cake!)

Ingredients

3 1/2 c (450g) all-purpose flour

1 tb baking powder

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 c (225g) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 c (112g) refined coconut oil, room temperature

2 1/4 c (450g) sugar

4 large eggs, room temperature

1 tb vanilla bean paste or extract

1/2 c (120g) sour cream, room temperature

1 c whole milk, divided

1/4 c carrot juice

1/4 c beet juice (storebought is fine, the one I get has a little lemon juice added and that’s ok)

1/4 c firmly packed fresh mint leaves

Frosting:

1 c** (225g) good quality unsalted butter, room temperature

8 oz (224g) cream cheese, room temperature

4 c** (480g) powdered sugar

1/8 tsp kosher salt

1 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract

3 tb** (45g) heavy cream

**if you’re making a mini cake, I recommend adding another 1/2 c of butter, 1 c of sugar, and 1 tb of heavy cream to the frosting in order to have enough!

Clues

To make the cake layers: preheat the oven to 350ºf. Grease and line the bottoms of three 8” cake pans with parchment and set aside. (For a 4-layer cake, which is the one on the pictures, please see my note above!)

In a large bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder, and then lightly stir in the salt and set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter, coconut oil, and sugar on medium high for 3-4 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Reduce the mixer to low and add the vanilla and sour cream. Gradually add the dry mixture and mix until about 80% combined (you’re going to continue to mix once you add the coloring so only partially mixing at this stage prevents over mixing the batter). Divide the batter evenly into 3 bowls (using a scale helps with this!). In the first bowl, add 1/4 cup of milk and the carrot juice and fold together until smooth and just combined. In the second bowl, add 1/4 cup of milk and the beet juice and fold together until smooth and just combined. In a blender, blend together the mint leaves with the remaining 1/2 cup of milk until very smooth. Add this to the third bowl and fold together until smooth and just combined. Transfer the batters to the cake pans and spread them out evenly. 

Bake until the edges of the cakes are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs on it; begin checking for doneness at 30 minutes and try your darnedest not to let it over bake. Let in the pans for 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

To make the buttercream: 

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter and cream cheese until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar, and then mix in the salt, vanilla, and heavy cream. Mix until creamy.

To frost the cake, level the top of the layers and then stack them up with a layer of frosting in between. (The cakes bake up generally pretty flat so there won’t actually be that much to level off.) Frost all over and decorate as desired.

To make a mini cake, stack the leveled scraps of cake up, give them a good firm pat so they stick, and cut out four 2 1/2 inch circles with a biscuit cutter. Don’t worry if some of the scraps tear, the cake is moist enough that when you stack up the scraps, they’ll all smoosh together. Stack them on top of each other and, if you have the time, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for a few hours or even a few weeks. This will make frosting this tiny cake way easier! Frost while frozen and let come to room temp before serving.

This cake is super moist that you could definitely decorate the day before serving. Let it sit at room temperature overnight.

Print this recipe

---

-yeh!

This easy shrimp curry tastes better than a restaurant in under 30 minutes! It’s a Thai red curry flavored with coconut milk and curry paste.

This one left us speechless. Really! Because this shrimp curry tastes better than a restaurant, but it’s a quick and easy dinner you can make at home. There is so much flavor going on here: rich coconut milk, aromatic curry paste, tangy lime and peppery basil surrounding tender, juicy shrimp. Serve it over jasmine rice and your friends and family will be singing your praises. This one is a keeper and even better: it’s a healthy dinner in less than 30 minutes. There are a few secrets to making this Thai red curry: here’s what to do!

Keys to making shrimp curry

It’s so easy to make a shrimp curry! To make it taste like a Thai red curry you’d get at a restaurant, here are some tips on the most important ingredients in this easy dinner recipe:

• Thai red curry paste: It’s a paste made of chiles and aromatics like garlic, ginger, and lemongrass and absolutely essential to the flavor! It’s not too spicy and only adds a gentle heat. See below for more.
• Large shrimp: Using shell on shrimp is nice because they come out even more flavorful and juicier; or use tail on shrimp if desired.
• Full fat coconut milk: Use only full fat coconut milk here: it’s gets that essential creaminess to the broth.
• Fish sauce: It might sound odd if you’ve never cooked Southeast Asian style cuisine, but it’s absolutely essential to adding that authentic flavor in Thai and Cambodian food.
• Basil or Thai basil: If you can find it, Thai basil is most authentic and has a subtle licorice flavor. If not, whatever fresh basil you can find works!

What is Thai red curry?

Alex and I spent time in Cambodia together years ago, and the flavors of this shrimp curry instantly brought us back to Southeast Asia! Cambodian cuisine features curries very similar to Thai red curry.

What is it? Thai red curry is a Thai dish with a sauce made with red curry paste and coconut milk. It can be made with different proteins like chicken, beef, shrimp, or tofu. Then what’s red curry paste? If it’s not part of your cooking repertoire, you’ve got to add it: stat.

The secret: red curry paste

Red curry paste is a jarred paste that makes it easy to make a Thai red curry. It has all the flavors you’d find in the broth, without needing to buy them separately: chili peppers, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, kaffir lime leaves, cumin, coriander, and more. Alex and I use it in all sorts of dishes and it has the best flavor. We highly recommend adding it to your fridge! A few notes on red curry paste:

• It’s not too spicy (the heat level varies). The heat of the curry paste depends on the brand. The brand we love is very mild, so it doesn’t add lots of heat to this shrimp curry.
• It’s easy to find in the international aisle in most grocery stores. It keeps for months in the refrigerator and you can use it in lots more recipes, like our Curry Lentil Soup, Curried Butternut Squash Soup or Coconut Lentil Curry. If you can’t find it at your grocery, you can buy it online: Thai Kitchen red curry paste.

Do I really need fish sauce?

To many home cooks in North America, fish sauce might sound odd or scary. But here’s the thing: it’s the secret to many Southeast Asian recipes! When Alex and I visited Cambodia, they put fish sauce in just about everything. Why? It adds an incredible depth and savory umami flavor to everything from broths and salads.

Fish sauce is made from fermented fish. Yep, not the biggest selling point! But you can think of it more like a Southeast Asian-style soy sauce. When you add it to the broth in this shrimp curry, it adds a noticeable authentic Thai flavor. Don’t leave it out!

Use shell on shrimp for big flavor.

The best shrimp for shrimp curry is shell on or tail on shrimp: mostly because it looks the prettiest! Shell on shrimp has the best flavor: both because it gets the juiciest when cooked in the shell, and because the shell adds a little flavor to the broth. But if the thought of peeling shrimp isn’t desirable (we get it!), tail on shrimp is great too. (Want more shrimp recipes? Here are 10 Healthy Shrimp Recipes.)

Best rice for shrimp curry? Jasmine.

The perfect pair for this shrimp curry is rice: but not just any rice. Jasmine rice! Jasmine rice is also called Thai fragrant rice: because of its beautiful popcorn-like nutty flavor. When Alex and I used it for this shrimp curry, it was the finishing touch that transported us back to Southeast Asia. Try our jasmine rice recipes: How to Cook Jasmine Rice and Instant Pot Jasmine Rice.

If you can’t find jasmine rice, basmati rice works too! Or any type of medium or long grain rice. You can use brown rice too (it has more nutrients), but here we wanted to be ultra-authentic and served it with sticky white rice.

More curry recipes

Love curry? We do too. Once you’ve made this shrimp curry, here are a few more to try! There are lots of types of curry from all over the world: most of the recipes on this site are Indian or Thai-style curries:

• Easy Chickpea Curry One of our top recipes, this 20-minute chickpea curry is Indian style (made with curry powder, not paste).
• Vegetable Curry This vegetable curry is the best way to eat your veggies! Cauliflower, bell pepper and chickpeas swim in a flavor-packed broth.
• Coconut Lentil Curry This fast and easy dinner idea that’s healthy and full of flavor. It has similar flavors to this shrimp curry!

This shrimp curry recipe is…

Pescatarian, gluten-free and dairy-free.

Print

A Couple Cooks - Healthy, Whole Food, & Vegetarian Recipes

I know, I know, you don’t need to tell me that there are already four banana bread recipes on this site, plus four additional banana cakes, and that’s probably enough, right? Genuinely, I believed I was done too, that the Banana Baked Goods course at SK University* had been completed. But then a few things happened. After creating the pumpkin bread of my dreams and what I hope will be the last zucchini bread recipe you’ll ever need over the last couple years, it began to bother me that the banana bread recipes on the site lacked what these have: a towering height and a crunchy top that will be hard not to lift off in one giant tile and swiftly coat the underside with salted butter. So, I created one and I’ve been keeping it to myself for over a year because, see above: SK is probably at Banana Bread Capacity. But over the last few weeks of, well, not doing a whole lot else, I can’t help but notice that we’ve all been making a whole lot of banana bread. And I think you might like this one instead.

Read more »

Oven Baked Beef Tacos are a super easy dinner recipe to make for your family!

This is the best sort of dinner recipe to make if you are looking for a meal that uses very few ingredients. And it’s also a good one to make for picky eaters. Everyone will be able to add their own fixings to their tacos, according to what individual preferences are. This recipe makes ten Oven Baked Beef Tacos, so adjust as needed if you want to make fewer tacos or more for a really hungry bunch!

How to make Oven Baked Beef Tacos:

This is a very easy recipe to make. You’ll need to look for the “stand up” taco shells at your market. If you can’t find the exact shells mentioned in the recipe, it’s okay to substitute regular shells. The stand-up shells make the tacos easier to fill, but if you use regular shells then you can just snuggle them side-by-side instead and they’ll stand up well enough.

Taco meat:

You’ll make the taco meat (easy). Use ground beef. And you could use ground turkey in place of ground beef if you don’t wish to use beef (or if you can’t find it). You can use an envelope of taco seasoning for these Oven Baked Beef Tacos, or you can follow directions in the recipe to make your own taco seasoning. Sometimes I like to add a can of chili beans to my taco meat to add a little more bulk and flavor to the filling. It’s up to you!

The taco shells are set inside a 9×13-inch pan. Cheese is sprinkled into each shell and then taco meat is spooned on top.

More cheese is added on top of the taco meat.

And then you’ll bake the tacos. That’s it!  These Oven Baked Beef Tacos are such an easy, no-fuss dinner recipe to make, right? We all need recipes like this right now!

Add whatever toppings you’d like for your tacos. I suggest topping them with chopped iceberg lettuce and chopped tomatoes. Add a little taco sauce or salsa too. And guacamole and sour cream are great additions too. Enjoy!

Here are a few more taco recipes you might like to try:

• Beer Battered Fish Tacos with Baja Sauce
• Family Style Pork Tacos
• Breakfast Tacos
• Spaghetti Tacos
• Grilled Pork Tacos with Tropical Slaw
• Roasted Vegetable and Black Bean Tacos
• Slow Cooker Korean Tacos
• Broiled Fish Tacos

The post Oven Baked Beef Tacos appeared first on Recipe Girl®.

If you are loving biscuits try this homemade biscuits and gravy recipe with these 7 UP biscuits recipe. These buttermilk biscuits are also another great biscuit recipe that are simple to make.

7-UP Biscuits

These will be the best biscuits you will ever make. I wanted to try this recipe because it sounded weird. 7-UP in biscuits? But they are so good! They are soft and buttery and they didn’t even make it to the table before they were gone!

What are 7-Up biscuits?

These are the type of biscuits that seem to just melt in your mouth. This taste is so delicious and easily achieved with this recipe. These biscuits are just the perfect amount of butter and softness that compliment so many dishes. 

What do you need to make 7-Up biscuits?

The 7-Up biscuits are perfect for your weekly meals because they are simple enough to whip up at a moment’s notice. Only dilemma is they seem to disappear just as quickly as they are made! 

Good thing these require your basic ingredients that are not too hard to get a hold of. 

• 2 cups Bisquick- can not forget the main ingredient that gives these biscuits life
• 1/2 cup sour cream– helps create that fluffy texture that melts in your mouth
• 1/2 cup 7-up– helps create a very soft dough that can rise easily 
• 1/4 cup melted butter– provides that buttery sensation that we all love

How do you make 7-Up biscuits?

This is by far one of the most straightforward recipes you can find. It is perfect for pairing with meals at the last minute if you are needing an extra side because it is simple, quick to make, and worth every bite!

1. Preheat the oven to 450.
2. Cut sour cream into biscuit mix, add 7-Up. Makes a very soft dough.
3. Sprinkle additional biscuit mix on board or table and pat dough out. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a 9 inch square pan. Place cut biscuits in the pan and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

 

What do 7-Up Biscuits Pair Well With:

When it comes to bread and rolls, they can honestly go with just about anything. They are versatile enough to be a great filler for almost all of your meals. And with these 7-Up biscuits, you will WANT them to be at all of your meals.

Popular dishes you normally see bread paired with would be pastas, casseroles, seafood and meat dishes and so much more. A couple of my favorite recipes that go well when served with 7-Up biscuits would have to be Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon, this is a warm beef stew that pairs perfectly with biscuits that just melt in your mouth. There is also Slow Cooker Tortellini Soup that is complete with 7-Up biscuits. Stews and soups are definitely great meals to pair with this recipe because there is nothing better than having a warm meal with bread to boot! 

Can you Make 7-Up biscuits ahead and store them

Absolutely. If you are trying to plan ahead or know that you’ll have minimal time when it comes to your meal you are able to make these biscuits beforehand. The tricky part may be storing or packaging them correctly because you do not want them to get stale. Here are a couple of tips and reminders when it comes to storing these biscuits.

• Make sure to let biscuits cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before storing
• Once cooled, store biscuits in an airtight container, resealable bags work as well just make sure to squeeze out as much as possible when sealing them.
• You can refrigerate biscuits with perishable items up to 1 week
• If you are just keeping them at room temperature they can be stored for 1-2 days
• If you decide to freeze them, wrap tightly in heavy duty aluminum foil or freeze wrap  to prevent biscuits from drying out or losing flavor
• Properly wrapped biscuits that are frozen can last up to 2-3 months.

How Do you Reheat Frozen Biscuits?

Frozen biscuits are an easy solution when you are trying to plan meals out ahead or are delivering meals to those in need. Just because they were frozen does not mean they need to lose their fresh out of the oven taste. Here are steps to follow when it comes time to reheat your biscuits.

• Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
• Next, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the biscuits on top
• Then bake the biscuits until they are hot, normally this will take about 12-15 minutes.
• Top the biscuits with butter.
• Serve and enjoy!

You can also choose to add honey, jam, or any other spread you like on your bread as well. These biscuits go with just about anything. 

Can you Make 7-Up Biscuits Without Bisquick:

Say it is later in the evening you have your main dish all put together and it is almost done cooking and you realize that biscuits would go perfectly with it. You have this recipe all ready to go and then see that you are all out of Bisquick. Not a problem! There is a simple substitution you can do so that you can still make delicious 7-Up biscuits. 

All you need is :

• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons of baking powder
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 1 cup of vegetable shortening, cubed

This will make a total of 7 cups of Bisquick, so plenty to use if you need to make multiple batches!   

Pretzels are one of my favorite breads and they’re easier to make than you might think – especially if you opt to make Easy Homemade Pretzel Bites instead of full sized pretzels in the first plate. Pretzel bites are something that you’ll see on the menus of gastropubs: one or two bite pretzels served with a dipping sauce or three. They’re easy to make because they only require minimal dough handing. This means that even if you’re not an expert baker, you can easily whip up this salty snack at home!

The recipe starts with a fresh batch of homemade yeast dough. Pretzel dough is relatively plain and has only a few simple ingredients. This means that the dough is very straightforward and easy to make, even if you’re not that experienced with yeast bread. If you happen to have refrigerated pizza dough on hand, you can actually use that in this recipe, too. Once the dough has been mixed together, set it aside to rise for about an hour before shaping the dough.

When it comes to shaping this dough, it couldn’t get any simpler: cut the dough into equal pieces and roll the balls between the palms of your hands to smooth them out. The recipe makes pretzel bites that are about 2-3 bites (depending on how big your mouth is!) per piece, so the balls of dough are large enough to be easy to work with as you shape them. Once they’re rolled out, they only need a few more minutes to rest until you’re ready to cook them.

Cooking pretzels is a two step process. First, the balls of dough are dunked in hot water that has a generous amount of baking soda in it. This brief bath sets the outside of the pretzel balls, ensuring that they will have a thick and chewy crust after baking. They aren’t actually cooked in the hot water mixture, just left in there long enough to set that crust before they go into the oven. Sprinkle the balls generously with salt (if you, like me, enjoy salted pretzels) while they are still wet and before they go into the oven. Pretzel salt is a specialty salt used for pretzels that is particularly coarse and doesn’t melt away while the pretzels bake. Coarse or sea salt can be substituted if you don’t have traditional pretzel salt.

Bake the bites until they are golden, then serve them up while they are still warm. My favorite pretzel dip is whole grain mustard, but there are all kinds of spicy sauces and cheese dips that also make wonderful accompaniments. These are best on the day they are made, but leftovers can be stored until the next day. If you opt to make your bites smaller than mine, reduce the baking time by a couple of minutes.

Easy Homemade Pretzel Bites
3/4 cup water, warm (100-110F)
2 1/2 tsp (1 envelope) active dry yeast
1 tbsp sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3/4 tsp salt

Topping
2 cups water
2 tablespoons baking soda
pretzel salt or coarse salt

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup of the water with the yeast and sugar. Stir and allow to stand for 5 minutes, until mixture is foamy.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine yeast mixture with remaining water, flour, vegetable oil and salt. Mix with a paddle attachment until dough comes together and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan. If the dough seems very wet, add in an additional tablespoon of flour. Turn mixer up to medium and beat for 1-2 minutes. (This can be done by hand with a wooden spoon and a little bit of elbow grease). Dough should be elastic and spring back when touched.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for 60 minutes, or until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 375F.
Cut dough in half and shape each half into a rough log. Cut each log of dough into 10 equal pieces. Roll dough balls between your hands to give them a round shape. Set aside for 15 minutes, covered with a clean dish towel.
In a large skillet, combine 2 cups water with baking soda and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and place the dough balls
In a skillet or saucepan, combine 2 cups water with the baking soda and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and place the dough balls into the water in small batches (4-6 at a time).
Cook for about 30 seconds, turning once, then remove from the water with a slotted spoon and arrange balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with pretzel salt while still wet.
Bake pretzel bites for 16-19 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Makes 20 pretzel bites.

The post Easy Homemade Pretzel Bites appeared first on Baking Bites.

One of my main goals when I started Budget Bytes 11 years ago was to be able to maintain a well rounded diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables, despite working with a very limited budget. Today we’re facing a new challenge—limited grocery access. The world-wide pandemic is making it difficult to stay stocked with perishable grocery items, like fresh produce, and once again I’m focusing on creative ways to keep vegetables in my diet, despite the current challenges.

So today I’m rounding up some fruits and vegetables that you can buy and keep on hand for weeks (or even months) to make sure your diet isn’t void of vegetation. Below you’ll see some of my favorite long lasting produce options, along with links for ways to use them. I hope this round up inspires you to make the most of what’s available, and enables you to make many delicious and inexpensive meals in the weeks ahead!

Stock Your Pantry and Freezer with These Fruit and Vegetables 

This list is divided into three sections: fresh, frozen, and canned. Each section will include my favorite items, storage tips, and links to recipes where the ingredient can be used. The list is not all-inclusive, so if you have some favorites that aren’t listed below, feel free to share with the rest of us in the comments below!

Fresh Vegetables:

• Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes 
  • Store potatoes in a cool, dry, dark place with adequate air flow, away from onions, and they can last for a couple of weeks.
  • Potatoes make easy and filling side dishes, like Garlic Herb Mashed Potatoes, Rosemary Roasted Potatoes, or Garlic Parmesan Oven Fries. They’re also great as part of a main dish, like Zuppa Toscana, Cheesy Cottage Pie, or Smoky Potato Chickpea Stew.
  • Sweet potatoes are also extremely versatile and can be served as a main dish (Turkey Chili Smothered Sweet Potatoes), a side dish (Sweet Potato Fries), soup (Vegan West African Peanut Stew), baked goods (Sweet Potato Cornbread), and even breakfast (Sweet Potato Casserole Baked Oatmeal).
• Cabbage 
  • Store cabbage in a high humidity drawer in your refrigerator and it can last for months. If any of the outer leaves begin to wilt, simply remove them and use rest.
  • Cabbage is a great low-carb replacement for noodles in dishes like Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry, it’s a great base for fresh slaws and salads, like Sweet Crunch Winter Salad or Classic Creamy Coleslaw, it makes a wonderfully filling addition to soup, like Beef and Cabbage Soup or “All You Can Eat” Cabbage Soup, and it can be used as a wonderful dose of fiber and flavor in pasta dishes, like Cold Peanut Noodle Salad, or Cajun Cabbage and Noodles.
• Onions 
  • Onions offer a wonderfully savory base note to many recipes and they last a long time at room temperature, so I usually buy them in bulk, 3-5 lbs. at a time. Keep your onions in a cool, dry, dark place away from potatoes.
  • Use onions as the flavor base for soup (Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup) and beans (Slow Simmered Black Eyed Peas and Greens), roast them in the oven with peppers to top Bratwurst or make Fajitas. Add them fresh to salads like Honey Mustard Broccoli Salad, or Cowboy Caviar. And don’t forget, if you have leftover red onion, don’t let it go to waste! Make Pickled Red Onions to top salads, sandwiches, tacos, nachos, and more.
• Carrots 
  • Keep carrots refrigerated, in a high humidity drawer, and they should keep for weeks.
  • Carrots make a great addition to soup, like Thai Coconut Curry Carrot Soup or Chunky Ham and Bean Soup. They’re wonderful when roasted in the oven (Roasted Carrot and Feta Salad or Curry Roasted Carrots), but they’re also great when shredded and added to salads, sandwiches, stir fries, and more (Sweet and Spicy Tuna Salad, Sesame Slaw, Savory Cabbage Pancakes).
• Winter Squash 
  • Winter squash, like spaghetti squash, acorn squash, butternut squash, and acorn squash (among others) are much harder than summer varieties, like zucchini and yellow squash. Because of their hard exterior, they last much longer at room temperature. Store your squash unrefrigerated, in a cool, dry place.
  • Winter squash is great for roasting (Smoky Maple Roasted Acorn Squash), and then using as a base for salads and bowls (Chipotle Butternut Squash and Quinoa Salad).
• Celery 
  • When refrigerated as-is, celery can begin to soften within a week or so, but something magic happens when it’s wrapped in foil. Celery wrapped in foil and refrigerated can stay crisp for weeks!
  • Grab some celery to use in soups (Chunky Lentil and Vegetable Soup), cut into sticks for snacks, or add to your salads (Crunchy Kale and Chicken Salad).

Fresh Fruit:

• Apples 
  • Refrigerated apples can last months.
  • While fresh and crunchy, they’re my favorite for snacking as-is or with peanut butter, or adding to salads (Apple Dijon Kale Salad). Once they’re a little past their prime, they’re also great for cooking! Try them in Apple Spice Pork Chops, Nature’s Candy, or Braised Red Cabbage. They’re also great for desserts, like Slow Cooker Hot Buttered Apples.
• Oranges 
  • When refrigerated, oranges can last a couple of months (of course, this ultimately depends on their freshness when they were sold).
  • In addition to being a tasty snack, oranges provide unique flavor to dishes like Slow Cooker Carnitas, Orange Chicken, or Cranberry Orange Scones.
• Pears 
  • Just like apples, pears make a great snack, a sweet addition to salads (Warm Pear and Brussels Sprouts Salad), baked goods, or your morning oatmeal.
• Grapefruit 
  • Just like oranges, grapefruit have a wonderfully long life in the refrigerator. They’re a versatile not-so-sweet fruit that allows them to pair effortlessly with both sweet and savory dishes. Check out this roundup of 10 Grapefruit Recipes to Try This Season from The Kitchn for some ideas.

Frozen Vegetables:

I lean heavily on frozen vegetables all year long. Not only are they convenient (usually pre-washed and pre-chopped), but I don’t have to worry about using them before they go limp. I can use any amount that I need, and stash the leftovers in the freezer for later. Here are my favorite picks: 

• Spinach – Fresh spinach goes bad so quickly, so I aways keep frozen on hand! It’s great to add to soups (Swamp Soup), to mix with cheese and stuff pasta (Pesto Stuffed Shells), or adding to egg dishes (Spinach Mushroom and Feta Crustless Quiche).
• Broccoli – Frozen broccoli florets are extremely versatile. I add them to pasta dishes (One Pot Bacon Broccoli Mac and Cheese), add them to stir fries (Simple Mushroom Broccoli Stir Fry Noodles), or just add seasoning and roast in a hot oven for an easy side dish (Oven Roasted Frozen Broccoli).
• Cauliflower – Just as with broccoli, frozen cauliflower is great for roasting in the oven, sautéing (Cauliflower and Chickpea Masala), or adding to soup (Moroccan Lentil and Vegetable Stew).
• Peas – Frozen peas are an easy way to add some green color, protein, and tons of fiber to any dish. Try them in soup (Vegan Winter Lentil Stew), pasta dishes (Creamy Tuna Pasta with Peas and Parmesan), and casseroles (Cheesy Cottage Pie). 
• Corn – Frozen corn kernels are an easy way to add subtle sweetness and to inexpensively bulk up any recipe. I like to add them to burrito bowls, quesadillas (Hearty Black Bean Quesadillas), and salads (Cowboy Caviar).
• Green Beans – Frozen green beans are the next best thing to fresh. They maintain their color and texture quite well compared to canned green beans, and are easy to toss into soups (Vegetable Barley Soup), or steam up for an easy side dish. 

Frozen Fruit:

• Pineapple – Chopping fresh pineapple can be quite a task, so I like to buy it frozen (pre-chopped, yay!). Frozen pineapple can be added to stir fries (Sweet Chili Chicken Stir Fry Bowls), Smoothies (Pineapple Protein Smoothie), or even used to make salsa (Easy Pineapple Salsa).
• Melon – I like to eat frozen melon just as a snack (it’s like natural popsicle bites!), but it’s also great to thaw and add to a bowl of cottage cheese, or mix with feta and mint for a quick refreshing salad.
• Blueberries – Frozen blueberries are my favorite way to get a little dose of antioxidants. I add them to my oatmeal and yogurt on a regular basis (Blueberry Almond Overnight Oats), but they’re also great for baking (Blueberry Buttermilk Coffee Cake).
• Strawberries – Strawberries are great for adding to your homemade smoothie packs, adding to yogurt or oatmeal, or making a homemade frozen cocktail (Strawberry Rosé Slush). ;)
• Avocado – I’m seeing peeled and cubed frozen avocados more and more in the stores these days. While I haven’t tried them yet, I think they would make a great alternative when fresh are out of season and prices are sky high. Frozen avocado would be great for adding to smoothies, topping tacos, adding to salads, making guacamole, or filling enchiladas (Black Bean and Avocado Enchiladas).
• Mango – Mango is another fruit that can be kind of a pain to peel and chop, so frozen mangoes are super convenient. Frozen mangoes are great for smoothies, adding to stir fry (Mango Coconut Tofu Stir Fry Bowls), puréeing into sauces, or making mango salsas. 

Canned Fruit and Vegetables:

While canned fruit and vegetables are my last resort option, I still consider them to be far better than no fruit or vegetables at all. Canned fruit and vegetables do sacrifice a little on the flavor and texture side in exchange for a nearly indefinite shelf life, which can be extremely valuable, especially in times like these. 

For those worried about the nutritional content of canned fruits and vegetables, I’ve asked our consulting Registered Dietitian, Tori Watters, to weigh in on the subject. This is what Tori has to say:

“Although canned produce has a bad reputation, it can be an affordable, accessible, and convenient option. When shopping for canned vegetables, look for “no salt added” varieties. When shopping for canned fruits, look for those packed in 100% juice or water. Most canned goods can be drained and rinsed to further remove excess salt or sugar. When preparing meals for those with particular tastes and texture preferences, all servings of vegetables count in meeting micronutrient needs. Finally, as with any type of food, preparation is key; therefore, the fats, seasonings, and sugars you add to your produce can be even more important than how it is purchased!” – Tori Watters, RD

Here is a quick nutritional comparison of fresh, frozen, and canned items so you can see how they generally compare:

For more information on how and where we get our nutritional data, please visit our nutrition disclaimer. 

Here are some of my favorite items to buy canned, even when supplies of other forms are not limited:

• Tomatoes (diced, crushed, paste, sauce)
• Artichoke Hearts
• Water Chestnuts
• Beets
• Olives
• Pineapple

What about you? What are your favorite long lasting fruits and vegetables, and your favorite ways to use them? Share yours in the comments below!

The post Long Lasting Produce to Stock Up On During Isolation appeared first on Budget Bytes.