Layered Jar Recipes

[ReneeK]

Hi everyone!

As tradition in our household, we like to make homemade gifts to give to friends, neighbors, and our service providers (postman, drycleaner, etc) for the holidays. This year we have decided to make decorative jar covers and then layer quart jars with dry ingredients for a recipe, i.e. layered beans and dehydrated veggies for soup. The only McDougall friendly recipe I can come up with that would work for the quart jars would be bean soup or something like that. Does anyone have any ideas for layering other ingredients for various recipes? Thank you for your help.

[S B]

Here is an idea for a recipe that I came up with. I call the recipe North and South.

It is old fashioned oats (rolled oats) for the Yankees and coarse yellow corn grits for the Rebs cooked together. I know, it's name is a little silly! BUT it tastes good (to me, anyway)!

If you are brave and use this idea, you might want to use pint jars or even little 1-cup jelly jars because a quart jar of this dry mixture would make approximately 12 servings, going by the serving sizes listed on the boxes of oats and grits. Therefore, about a 1/3 cup of this dry mixture would make one serving.

To make a layered jar of this, I would put some dry grits in a jar and pour some dry oats on top of them. Then I would put some nutritional yeast, a pinch of freshly ground black pepper, and a pinch of salt in a pretty but very tiny bag that is either blue or gray. I would tie the top of the bag tightly together with either a gray or a blue ribbon (with the bag one color and the ribbon the other) and place it in the jar on top of the oats OR use a blue and gray bag and seal it and tie it to the outside of the jar with a blue ribbon and a gray ribbon twisted together.

Remember, grits are denser than oats and will sift through the oats if they are placed on top of them -- so the oats will NEED to go on top. However, in order to get half of a "cooked serving" of both of these grains in “each” serving of North and South, TWICE as much dry oats as dry grits will be needed.

Since the thicker layer (the oats) will have to be on top, I am not sure how good this will look, but the recipe IS McD-legal and the jar WILL be layered.

By the way, mix 1 part of dry North and South with a little over 3 parts of water (or more to taste) and cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils. Then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring “almost” constantly, until the grits are done. Serve it hot and allow each person to sprinkle a desired amount of the yeast mixture on top of his/her serving.

Hope this helps!

[Chrmann]

Note: I tried to re-work my recipe so it would fit in a quart jar.

Cheese Sauce Mix

1 1/2 cups nutritonal yeast flakes
1 1/2 cups oat flour
3/4 cup soymilk powder
1/4 cup Magic salt-free seasoning
3/4 teaspoon powdered mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
-layer in airtight container.

To use:
Mix all together. Mix equal amounts mixture and non-dairy milk.
Cook on medium heat. Stir constantly, until thickened. Cooks fast.
Cool. Store in refrigerator. When cold, can be sliced or grated for recipes.

Makes fantastic grilled cheese sandwiches!

Can order Magic Salt-free seasoning through Amazon.com

[Karen]

How about:

- Fat Free Muffin mix (I just use my regular muffin mix with no oil or egg, adding a bit more soda) You might want to add raisins (I don't like cooked ones) or dried fruit
- Lentil Chili (recipe here)
- Lentil Soups (this is my favourite - different coloured and sized lentils plus spices and dried onions)
- McDougall Pancakes
- Spiced Tea (instant tea, powered spices, cloves, cinnamon bark, powdered ginger, etc.)
- Spiced Coffees (see tea above)


...not all in one jar!

I agree that a Quart jar is a lot...you might try smaller jars with more flavours (teas, chilis, pancakes)

Karen