New Year New Blog

Happy NEW Year! Time for some changes. For the past few years the focus of this blog has been learning how to use food storage and pantry items in a delicious way. I have learned a lot. But by no means do I only cook out of my food storage and so I am rethinking my blog a little. I have a ridiculous amount of recipes that I have vowed to try. They are overflowing out of my recipe cabinet. My New Year's resolution is to streamline my recipe cabinet. Keep what works -- Throw out what doesn't. So I am adding a few elements to my blog.

1. Once a week I will still share a pantry friendly meal. After all the blog is called Pantry Eats.
2. Once a week I will share a new recipe that I have tried from my "to do" recipe list.
3. Twice a month I will share a seasonal recipe. I am a big believer in seasonal eating. 

So here is to happy eating. Enjoy these links for recipes you may have missed.

Our most viewed recipe for 2011. banana and cherry jello pops

What we were making a year ago: Sugar Free Raspberry Soda

Agave Sweetened Strawberry Mango Freezer Jam

That is a mouthful.


I have been experimenting with agave syrup as a sweetener. I am trying to stay off refined sugars and that includes in my jams. I never have liked a jam where I can taste more sugar than fruit anyway. I usually make reduced sugar jams.

This jam was pure experiment. I have never sweetened my jam with Agave and I almost never make freezer jam. And I decided to combine mango and strawberries.

How did it turn out? LOVE IT. It is so fresh and delicious it tastes like I am putting a strawberry mango smoothie onto my toast. Plus I love that Agave syrup is not a refined sugar and has a low glycemic index.

Now I use a special pectin for my low sugar jams called Pomona's pectin. It works wonders with no sugar or low sugar jams and jellies. I buy mine at the health food store but it can also be ordered online from www.pamonaspectin.com



The recipe
4 cups of sliced strawberries
2 cups of mangos diced.
(you need enough fruit to make 4 cups mashed total)
1/2 C agave syrup or to taste.
1/4 Cup lemon juice
3 tsp of pomona's pectin powder
4 to 7 tsp of calcium water (the calcium water is part of the pomona's pectin pack. It tells you how to make it in the package.)
3/4 Cup Water


1. Wash and rinse air tight freezer safe containers.

2. Prepare fruit. I gave mine a pulse or two in the blender since mangos can be hard to mash. Don't overprocess your fruit. You want some chunks in your jam.

3. Add lemon juice and fruit to large bowl. Combine

4. Add agave to fruit and stir well.

5. Bring water to a boil

6. Put hot water in blender or food processor. Add pectin. Vent lid and blend on low 1-2 minutes until dissolved. If you do not vent your lid slightly the water will overflow when blending.

7. Add hot liquid pectin to fruit.Stir until well mixed.

8. Add 4 tsp calcium water to fruit and stir well. Jell should start to appear.If not continue adding calcium water one tsp at a time until jell form. The jell on this jam is softer than a canned or cooked jam.

9. Fill containers with jam until 1/2 inch from top. Cover and freeze immediately.

10. To eat thaw and keep in freezer up to 1 week.

Tip:
Once you take this out of the freezer it is so good almost freezing cold.

Sugar Free Raspberry Soda

It has begun. I am going back off refined sugars. I have done it before, for 10 years in fact. And it was good for me. Somewhere along the road I decided I could gorge myself on the stuff again. But I am seriously limiting my sweets to the weekend from now on. So how do I stand the sugar craving. How do I keep my resolution? I remembered I had a couple yummy things in the pantry for a lowfat, sugar free midday sweet sipper.


Now I am also trying to reduce my artificial sweetener intake, but I am going to need to feel like I can indulge every now and then. And I needed something sweet sparkly and bright on this cold January day. This sugar free syrup does have Splenda added to it. So buy the regular syrup if you want.

This is so easy it is ridiculous but I would like to say that sometimes it is a good idea to stock our pantry with a few treats that can gourmet up our pantry eating. And I know how much I would pay for something similar at the sidewalk cafe downtown. One cup would cost me as much as the whole bottle of raspberry syrup cost me at the store

Raspberry Soda
1 serving
1 cup club soda or Perrier
2 TB of sugar free raspberry syrup. I used Torani brand

Stir and watch the bubbles rise. Perfect for a midday pick me up.
In honor of New Year's food resolutions our Taste feature at Alive! Utah is on 3 food resolutions and recipes. Check it out.