Easy "Emergency" Meals

[Razor]

Tying into the "Be Prepared" and camping food threads, use this thread to list recipes for meals that are easy to make (e.g. one-pot meals), use mostly/all non-perishable ingredients, and don't take a great deal of time to prepare.

Here's an example recipe:

Spanish Rice
(serves 4-6)

2c rice (boil-in-bag, or standard if you don't mind the cooking time requirement)
1lb ground beef or chicken (dehydrated or canned can replace fresh)
1T. olive oil
1 med. onion, diced (optional)
1 med. green bell pepper, diced (optional)
2 cloves garlic, crushed (optional)
2 15oz cans diced tomatoes, one can drained
1 15oz can kernel corn, drained
1 small can sliced mushrooms
Oregano, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste

Prepare rice. Heat olive oil in deep skillet, then sautee onion, bell pepper and garlic (again, if fresh ingredients are scarce, this is optional). Brown beef or chicken as needed (or rehydrate and heat in skillet). If fresh garlic and onion aren't available, replace with dried minced or powdered garlic, and onion powder. Add tomatoes, corn, mushrooms, oregano, salt and pepper, and simmer 8-10 minutes until mixture is well heated. Mound a serving of rice in a bowl or lipped plate, and spoon mixture over rice. Add Tabasco as can be tolerated. ;)

[echoes]

Razor:
Sir, this is great "stew" that I have made during our frequent power outages here in Oklahoma. :)

2 Cans Chicken & Dumplings Soup
2 Cans boiled Potatoes
1 Can sweet corn, drained
1 Can geen peas, drained
1 Can carrots, drained
1 Clove of garlic, minced
Pepper to taste

*Over an open fire, place oven rack (or similar) over brick supports at each end.
*Place stew pot (or cast-iron) on the rack with all ingredients combined in pot.
*Add 1 cup water gradually, for texture.
*Bring to boil.
*Let sit for five min, and Enjoy with a loaf of any bread or crackers!;)

Holly

[Shar]

In thinking about this I've realized that my recipes are way too dependent on perishable food and/or are seriously boring (spaghetti and the like). However, the kids favorite meal is something my husband makes on my nights off and it fits the bill because it can be completely non-perishable and one-pot but it also has the added benefit of cleaning out the fridge of anything perishable. He misses the Ramen shops (ramen ya san) in Japan so he created his version for us here.

Dad's Ramen
The recipe is highly dependent on what is around, but here are the basics:
2-3 packages of square Ramen noodles - make it without the powder
In the pot with the noodles put:
Can of corn
1/2 thin sliced red onion
He dumps whatever veggies are leftover in the fridge that need to be used up including ham or other lunchmeats, so if the power went out - this is a good way to get rid of things like cabbage, carrots, celery, fresh spinach, sprouts but you could also probably use frozen or canned veggies depending on the circumstances.

If you are lazy like I am, you'd then season everything in the pot, but my husband prefers seasoning in everyone's bowls to their tastes. Essentially, the seasonings we use are:
Packet that comes with the noodles
Soy sauce 1-2 tbls per serving
Cayenne powder
(my husband says he sometimes uses Bulldog sauce, Tabasco sauce, Kimchi or other random "sauces" depending on his moods or what is in the fridge.)

I've got one other recipe for Hoppin' John but it has a few more perishable items in it, but it has been adjusted from normal Hoppin' John to be a simpler recipe:

Hoppin' John
6 slices of bacon, crisped and crumbled
3 tablespoons of the bacon drippings
1 cup smoked ham, chopped
1/2 c. green bell pepper
1/2 c. yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
1 15 oz. can black eyed peas, drained
2 c. cooked rice
1/4 teaspoon tabasco
salt and pepper, crushed red pepper optional

To prepare: Saute ham, onion, garlic, and pepper in bacon drippings until
slightly tender. Stir in beans, rice, tabasco, salt, pepper, and crumbled
bacon. Stir until thoroughly heated. Letting sit enhances the flavor.

[mugwump]

Excellent books:

The Can Opener Gourmet : More Than 200 Quick and Delicious Recipes Using Ingredients Already in Your Pantry .

Apocalypse Chow: How to Eat Well When the Power Goes Out . Note that these recipes are vegetarian, but there's no law against throwing in a can of chicken chunks.