Katherine's Black Bean Chili Meal in a Jar

Layer in a quart jar in this order:

½ cup Thrive freeze dried ground beef

½ cup Thrive freeze dried sausage

¼ cup Thrive dehydrated mixed bell peppers

¼ cup dehydrated onion

2 Tbsp. tomato powder

1 tsp. chili powder

½ tsp. garlic

½ tsp. Chef’s Choice

½ tsp. cumin

½ cup Thrive freeze dried corn

1 cup Thrive Instant Black Beans

½ cup Thrive freeze dried diced tomatoes

Add contents of jar to 8 cup of rapidly boiling water. Stir well. Simmer 15-20 minutes

Goes good with Yummy Cornbread!

Featuring: THRIVE LIFE Tomato Dices

Tomato dices are easy to use.  Add 1/3 cup water to 1 cup tomato dices; let sit covered 3-5 minutes or until tender. 

1 cup dry = about 1 large tomato.

Tips and More:

• The dices are peeled and seeded, ready for use in soups, stews, pastas, and rice dishes.
• Because tomatoes are so delicate, it's best to wait to rehydrate the tomatoes right before you plan to use them, and to add them at the end of a recipe so they don't get too soft.
• Rehydrate and oven dry them for tasty sun-dried tomatoes.

Here is a link to one of my favorite casseroles using tomatoes, Tamale Pie in a Skillet. 

Homemade Pizza

Dough:
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 1/4 tsp. yeast
1 tsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 1/2-4 cups flour (I used half wheat flour, half white)
2 tsp. salt

In a large mixing bowl, add the warm water, the yeast, and the sugar.  Let proof for about 10 minutes until it becomes foamy.

Mix in the olive oil, flour, and salt.  Mix on low speed for about 10 minutes.  Place in a bowl sprayed with Pam.  Turn the dough around until coated with oil, cover with a clean towel and let sit in a warm room for about an hour, or until doubled in size.

Punch dough down and roll or press out onto a pan that has been sprayed with Pam and sprinkled with a little corn meal.

Bake at 400* for 10 minutes, then remove, add your sauce, cheese, and toppings, bake for another 10-15 minutes.

Thin Crust Dough:
3/4 cup lukewarm water
1 tsp. yeast
2 cups wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt

Follow the directions above, but bake at 500*F for 5-10 minutes.

Sauce
1 can tomatoes (I used a jar I had bottled from our garden OR 1 cup THRIVE tomato dices)
1 small can of tomato sauce (OR 1/4 cup THRIVE tomato powder and 1/2-3/4 cup water)
1 tsp. dried garlic or garlic powder or 3 cloves of fresh garlic, sauted in oil
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp cayenne (red) pepper for a bit of a kick

Simmer for 1/2 -1 hour, or until desired consistency.

Lasagna in a Pot

1 lb ground beef
1 onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (14 oz) chicken broth or two tsp. chicken bouillon and 2 cups of water
2 cans (14.5 oz) tomatoes (I used a quart that I had bottled from our garden)
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce (or 1/2 cup THRIVE tomato powder & 2 cups water)
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. rosemary
1/4 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. brown sugar, packed
12 oz. Italian trio noodles or corkscrew noodles or any kind you like
1 cup Parmesan cheese
2 cups Mozzarella cheese

1. Brown ground beef. Add onion, bell pepper & garlic.

2. In a pot, add chicken broth, stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, seasoning, salt & brown sugar. Add beef mixture.

3. Bring to a boil. Add noodles; cook to your liking.

4. Add Parmesan cheese.

5. Garnish with Mozzarella cheese.

Canning Tomatoes

1. Grow and pick tomatoes - try to avoid cracked ones, and don't let them sit too long and begin to rot. (Approximately 23 pounds of tomatoes for a batch of seven 1-quart bottles.
2. Blanch tomatoes by placing them in boiling water for 30-60 seconds. Transfer to a bowl of cold water immediately.
3. Remove cores and peelings.
4. Place into jars (pressing them down and going around the edges with a non-metallic spatula/spoon to remove all bubbles) until they just reach the neck.
5. Add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of salt per quart. The final volume should be about 1/4-1/2 inch from the rim.
6. Wipe off the rim and threads of the jar with a damp, clean cloth.
7. Place lids on and screw down evenly and firmly, just until resistance is met-fingertip tight.
8. Set it onto the elevated rack in the boiling-water canner. Water must cover the two-piece caps on the jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary. Put lid on canner. Bring water to a boil. Start counting processing time after water comes to a rolling boil.
9. Process pints 40 minutes, quarts 45 minutes, at a gentle but steady boil.
10. Remove bottles from canner using canning tongs. Set on a towel to cool 12 hours--Most lids will make a popping sound as it cools.
11. Check for seal by pressing on the lid--it should not push in.

Canning Salsa

10 cups roughly chopped tomatoes
5 cups chopped and seeded bell peppers
5 cups chopped onions
2 1/2 cups jalepeno peppers, chopped, seeded
1 1/4 cups cider vinegar
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons cilantro, minced
3 teaspoons salt
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

1. Combine all ingredients except tomato paste in large sauce pot.
2. Simmer until desired thickness.
3. Stir in tomato paste.
4. Ladle hot salsa into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch head-space.
5. Process 15 minutes in a hot water bath.

Katherine's Chili

2 lb. sausage (Hot)
1 lb. hamburger
1 large onion
2 cans green chilies
1-2 green peppers, diced
3 cans black beans, drained (about 1 cup dry beans)
7 cans kidney beans, drained (about 2 1/3 cup dry beans)
8 cans stewed tomatoes
3 T. chili powder
1 T. cumin
2 T. garlic
¼ c. sugar
2 T. salt (or more, if needed)
2 t. pepper
2 T. Montreal Steak Seasoning
1-2 c. wheat berries

Brown sausage, hamburger and onions until tender. Add diced green pepper, green chilies and spices and sauté for a few minutes. Add canned beans and tomatoes and simmer for 30-45 minutes. This batch makes a HUGE pot and works great as a freezer meal.

*Goes great with Yummy Corn Bread!

Baked Spaghetti

from Tammy Harman

12 oz. spaghetti cooked & drained
1 lb browned ground beef
1 cup onions chopped
1 cup green peppers, chopped
1 tbsp butter
1 can cream of mushroom soup
¼ C Parmesan cheese, grated
4 oz mushrooms w/o juice
1 can diced tomatoes with liquid
1 tsp oregano
1 can olives, drained
¼ C water


Saute’ onion and green pepper in butter until tender. Add tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, oregano. Add beef. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Place half of the spaghetti in a greased 13x9 pan. Top with half of the vegetable mix. Sprinkle with 1 cup cheddar cheese. Repeat layer. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

Taco Soup

1 lb. ground beef, cooked
1-2 cups wheat berries
2 cans kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 med. chopped onion
1 can stewed tomatoes
2 pkg. taco seasoning mix
1(48 oz) can tomato juice (or 1 cup THRIVE tomato powder & 6 cups of water)
1 can corn

add a tsp. of Cayenne pepper to give it a kick.

Mix & cook together. Top with grated cheese, sour cream & tortilla chips.

Tamale Pie in a Skillet

1 onion, chopped OR about 2 Tbsp. dry onion
1 - 1 1/2 cups THRIVE ground beef & 1/2 cup water
1 cup wheat berries (optional)
1 cup of THRIVE tomatoes
1/2 cup of THRIVE tomato powder & 2 cup water
1 cup THRIVE corn & 1/3 cup water
1 cup THRIVE sour cream & 1 cup water
1 (4.5 oz) can olives, sliced

2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. chili powder
½ tsp. cumin (optional)
1 cup corn meal
2 cups Monterey jack or cheddar cheese, shredded

Using a 10" or 12" skillet with lid, stir all of the ingredients, except the corn meal and cheese, until thoroughly mixed. Sprinkle corn meal on the top. Pour one cup water over corn meal. Cover and simmer over medium for about 20 minutes. Remove from heat, add grated cheese to the top, cover with lid until melted.