Energy Saving Tips for the Kitchen

Here are a few everyday things we do to help conserve energy and make cooking faster and easier!

Energy Saving Tip - Making Tea and Coffee

You don't need to boil water for tea or coffee. In fact, boiling water loses oxygen, has less flavor-carrying capacity and can scorch green teas and herbs. Stop heating water before it boils and you will conserve energy and have better flavored hot drinks for the winter months!

Energy Saving Tip - Steaming Veggies is Better Than Boiling

Steam cooks food much faster than boiling and retains more nutrients, color and texture. Use very little water in the bottom of a pot for steaming veggies including potatoes, beets, carrots, etc., and cover it to increase the BTUs inside the pot. The thinner you slice veggies, the faster they will cook. Make sure to stack your veggies so that the steam can get through. Always consume the yummy veggie water from the bottom of the pan or you'll lose many of the nutrients.

Energy Saving Tip - Keep Your Lid On!

We do our best to make the most of the resources we have. Keeping a lid on fry pans, pots, cups, and carafes holds the heat in and increases the BTUs where the food is, instead of letting it escape out into the room. It also helps to cook food faster, so it is a win-win all the way around! When frying, we put a lid on for the first "cooking" portion of stove time, and then take the lid off to allow the moisture to escape towards the end of cook time, in order to achieve that crispy, delightful texture we all love! Try this on potatoes and hash browns, and they will cook in 1/4 of the time!

Energy Saving Tip - Cut for Speed!

Veggies all cook at slightly different rates. Beets, potatoes, cauliflower, and carrots all take longer than onions, broccoli, and cabbage. Greens and herbs have the shortest cook time. In order to make your veggies a delightful and quick meal, start off by cutting your hard and root veggies (your longest cook-times) first. DO NOT cube your root veggies unless you specifically need that shape for your recipe. It takes a long time and a lot of energy to cook cubed roots. The thinner you cut roots across the grain, the shorter their cook time will be. Try cutting them about 1/4 to 1/8 inch thick. Put them in your pan and use the time they are cooking to cut your medium cook time veggies, like broccoli, green beans, cabbage, etc. Toss them in second, and while they are cooking, finish prepping your greens and herbs. Toss them in just before you turn off the heat, and cover with a lid to let the ambient heat steam and cook your greens without scorching them. This saves energy, and keeps you from accidentally burning them. Using this method, you can cut your meal-making time in 1/4, and your energy use can be less than 1/4 of average cooking energy. Think of what that can save on your bills!

 

Good Cooking! 

From the Community at Luminaria Sanctuary

www.luminariasanctuary.com

 

 

 

Luminaria's $4.25 Awesome Acorn Squash Soup Recipe!

Luminaria Sanctuary's
$4.25 Awesome Acorn Squash Soup!

From our heart to yours!

We just invented this soup after a cold, wet hike back from the hot springs. It is totally easy, cheap, and really, really comforting and yummy! All measurements are approximate and to taste, so get creative. You really can't wreck this one!  Have fun!

We suggest all ingredients be organic and local/homegrown where possible.

1-2 large acorn squash
1 can/8 oz coconut, almond, or rice milk

1/3 cup almond butter

4 Tablespoons butter/earth balance

1+ cup water
1/4+ tsp cinnamon
>1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
>1/4 cup raw sugar or maple syrup (Optional)

STEPS:
Wash your squash. Cut into chunks and remove seeds. Set seeds aside to rinse and dry for replanting next year and you'll have FREE squash in the future!

Place chunks upright in steamer pot with skin facing up (cooks faster). Steam with a tight-fitting lid until squash is thoroughly soft, about 20 min.

Sustainable tip: Water NEVER gets hotter than boiling! It simply evaporates and gets cooler! Turn your heat down to just barely boiling. As long as there is a little steam, it will cook your food just as quickly, without wasting resources. In fact, you can turn the heat OFF 5 min before food is done cooking. The ambient heat in the pot will finish cooking your food. Just keep the lid closed!

Open steamer and allow squash to cool long enough to be able to handle it without getting burned. Take out the steamed squash and use a spoon to scoop the flesh from the skin, placing the flesh in a bowl. Discard skin in compost.

Pour remaining water from steamer pot and place squash from bowl back into the steamer pot. Place on low heat. Add the coconut (or equivalent) milk, cinnamon and nutmeg, butter, salt, and almond butter. Add sweetener if desired. Use a whisk to blend well, adding water as necessary to achieve the consistency you like for your soup. You can also use a blender or hand blender if you want really smooth soup.

Warm over low heat and blend until the desired temperature and texture for serving. Garnish with mint leaf, raw chocolate shavings, or a sweet cream drizzle. Perfectly accompanied by a steamed veggie side, fresh bread and butter, or whatever you like! Serves 4-6 people. OMG sooo yummy! Enjoy!

www.luminariasanctuary.com