Manna Packs!

Manna Pack!

Okay so my father helped build a house this summer. While building said house he met a man that works with the Feed My Starving Children charity. This man talked about how they had recently developed Manna Packs a fortified rice mixture that also has soy protein in it. Anyway he asked my father if he knew anyone that wanted to help make the mixture more enjoyable to eat as it was rather bland. Long story short I got to make two different recipes with the Manna Packs in an effort to make them more enjoyable. Now, I believe, these Manna Packs are only available in food shelves and only certain ones at that but that does not mean that people cannot use the recipes that I came up with using a different rice mixture (I would recommend a blend of a short or medium grain rice with wild rice and another grain such as millet or grits as it was somewhat thick in consistency). The recipes that I made had the requirement of consisting of products typically donated to a food shelf, pantry essentials, or fairly cheap ingredients. These stipulations were of my own design in an effort to make them as realistically possible for a family with a low food budget to both make and enjoy. I ended up making the recipes with my father because he wanted to try them as well. The two recipes are below and are inspired from the Mediterranean area and Asia. I will include suggestions with each one for different ways to change it and possibly improve it.

The finished dishes in serving bowls.

Top is the Mediterranean style

Bottom is Asian style

Mediterranean style

The aim of the Mediterranean style was to make a dish similar to conventional risottos.

Ingredients:
1/2 white onion ~2/3 cup minced
1 cup carrot minced
4 sprigs parsley ~1/4 cup semi loosely packed
1/8 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 garlic powder
1/2 tsp chicken base concentrate (about equal to 1 bouillon cube)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cups prepared Manna Pack


Instructions:
Cook Manna Pack rice mix following the instructions on the package
While the Manna Pack rice mix is simmering, Mince 1/2 white onion and 1 cup carrots, Tear 4 sprigs of parsley into 1/4 inch pieces
Saute carrot, onion, parsley, and seasonings in a medium pan over medium heat for 5 minutes or until tender
Add 2 cups manna pack rice mix
Cook an additional 3 min
Serve


Suggestions for the Mediterranean style:
substitute 1/3 of the water used to prepare the Manna Pack with chicken broth
Add 1-2 cups broccoli that has been cut into florets with the stocks minced. Cook with the carrots and onions.
Add 1/2 cup celery cut into 1/2 inch pieces.

Carrots and onions in a bowl minced with a slap chop thing.

Added parsley and seasonings

Saute Time!

1 1/2 cups of the Manna Pack added so far

Finished Product

Asian style

The aim of the Asian style was to be similar to conventional fried rice dishes.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup carrot minced
1 zucchini cut into 1/2 inch pieces ~2 cups
3/4 cup onion sliced
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chicken base concentrate (about equal to 1 bouillon cube)
1 1/2 tsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp oil veg
1 tsp soy sauce
2 cups prepared Manna Pack

Instructions:
Cook Manna Pack rice mix following the instructions on the package
While Manna Pack is simmering, Stir Fry vegetables and seasonings in a large pan over medium heat for 5 minutes
Add in soy sauce cook 2 more minutes
Add 2 cups manna pack rice mix
Cook an additional 3 min
serve

Suggestions for the Asian style:
Substitute the zucchini for fresh vegetables that are on sale (e.g. eggplant, peppers, bok choy, cucumber, etc.)
Add a scrambled egg or two
Add chicken or another meat

Minced Carrot for color.

Added Zucchini, onion and seasonings

Stir frying

Added in the soy sauce

1 1/2 cups of the Manna Pack so far

Finished Product

The different topics covered and a basic plan for the future.

Hello everyone, my name is Andrew, the creator of The Bored Bachelor. A blog dedicated to food and food related topics. There will be eight different types of posts here at The Bored Bachelor.

The first type will be called "Spread 'em". Spread 'em will focus on dips sauces and spreads to be used with a wide verity of foods. Spread 'em will have at least one sub-category called "A&J's Nut Butters" which will focus on gourmet and flavored nut butters.

The second type of post will be called "Harmony". Harmony will focus on dishes and whole meals that are balanced in taste. Most posts will have a theme to them (e.g. specific ingredient, taste, color, etc.) Additionally Harmony will also have a sub-category named "Elements" which will focus on dishes with the themes of the elements of eastern medicine and classical Greek element beliefs. More specifically the elements will be water, earth, fire, air, wood, and metal.

The third type of post will be called "Well Bread". Well Bread will focus on breads and pairings of bread products.

The fourth type of post will be called "Alcoholic Andy". Alcoholic Andy will focus the creation of alcoholic spirits, infusions, and cocktails.

The fifth type of post will be called "A Sweet Surprise". A Sweet Surprise will focus on confections and candies.

The sixth type of post will be called "Science Slice" Science Slice will focus on food science and ways in which food and cooking can be used to explain other topics such as chemistry and physics.

The Seventh type of post will be called "Experimental Empanada" Experimental Empanada will focus on foods that do not fully fit into the above categories or are experiments in cooking without recipes made with them.

The eighth and final type of post will be called "news" which will surprisingly enough be related to news about the blog including schedule changes and if anything else really excited happens to me related to food or the blog.

Okay now that we have the general idea of what kinds of topics will be covered I can talk more about what the format of the blog will be like and the schedule for the blog at least for the month of September 2014. For September 2014 I am hoping to have a weekly post but I am also starting a new job and am unsure if I will be able to continue to keep up with posting. In general I will try to take pictures of the ingredients as well as most if not all steps in the cooking process. I will also try to have a good version of the recipe in the post along with some explanation of the inspiration of the recipe. Ideally I would like to include methods of changing a recipe to accommodate food allergies and preferences in each recipe, but I cannot guarantee that I will have the time or forethought to do this.

Finally some information about me. My parents claim that I have been cooking since the age of two, in which I was frying garlic powder on the stove. I have always loved food (although not all food when I was a kid) and have enjoyed cooking for a great many years (and yes, I am old enough to buy and consume alcohol). I do not have formal training in cooking and I am also not the best writer as I am sure you can already tell. I try to have fun with cooking and insert jokes in posts so that they are more enjoyable to view. I hope that you enjoy my blog.