Once again the Zombie Survival Crew commanders are teaming together to bring you, loyal brigadiers, easy and delicious recipes you can fix on the run during the zombie apocalypse. The goal is to find a mix of food ideas that’ll keep you ready to fight your way to safety, even when supplies are running low.
This week we’re making Food. Yes, that’s what it is called, Food. In the Orange Brigade kitchen, Food refers to a single-pan dish with everything you find in the pantry that’ll taste good together. Typically, Food consists of potatoes, some sort of sturdy green vegetable, onions, and meat or cheese for a protein kick. Here’s the basics.
What You Need:
1 large cast iron skillet
Spatula
1 tablespoon oil (Any kind. Butter will also work. You just need to keep the potatoes from sticking.)
1 pound potatoes, washed and chopped into bite-size pieces
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
Garlic (fresh or powder), to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
Whatever other vegetables you have on hand – Corn, bell peppers, asparagus, leeks, cabbage, broccoli, etc. Chopped in bite-size pieces.
Whatever meat is available – sausage, chicken, deer, rabbit, squirrel, etc. (No fish. It is too delicate to handle the cooking process.) Chop meat in bite-sized pieces.
Cheese (optional)
How Do You Cook Food?
Heat the cast iron pan over the fire, add oil.
When the oil ripples, carefully toss in the potatoes and onions. Cook until the onions start to turn clear.
Add in the meat. Cook until the outside edges of the meat are done.
Add in the garlic and other vegetables. Cook, stirring to keep the potatoes from sticking, until vegetables are tender and the meat is cooked through.
Toss cheese on top and serve in a bowl.
It isn’t a glamorous meal. Heck, it doesn’t look particularly thrilling, either. But it is a great, easy way to get your vegetables and protein in. One pan will feed at least five people.
Sure, the Zombiepocalypse has started. Supplies are running low. However, if you’re like me, you’ll find a way to feed yourself and those around you with just a few simple ingredients.
This recipe can be altered to cook over a fire. Note: if you are not using bottled water to cook with, boil the water necessary (plus extra for evaporation) before adding any ingredients.
Prep time: However long it takes Cook time: See above Servings: 6-8
What you need:
Large pot
Spoon
Knife
Blender (hand blender or potato masher)
Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash – peeled, gutted, and chopped into inch-size chunks
1 medium-sized onion – rough chop
2 cloves garlic – minced
1 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp thyme
2 tsp yellow curry powder
1 tsp brown sugar
4 cups water (use chicken broth or vegetable broth for extra flavor)
Salt and pepper – to taste
1 cup milk (any milk you have, even non-dairy like coconut milk)
How you make it:
Heat the olive oil in large pot over medium heat and add onions. Sautee until the onions begin to turn translucent.
Add the garlic. Sautee for another minute.
Add the squash, thyme, curry powder, and brown sugar.
Cook until the squash begins to turn soft, stirring occasionally.
Add the water (or your liquid of choice) and bring to a boil.
Allow the soup to simmer until the squash is soft enough to squish with the back of your spoon.
Take the pot off the heat. If you use a hand blender or potato masher, squish the squash until everything is smooth. (Note: with the potato masher, the onions will remain whole).
If you use a regular blender, pour a portion of the sup mixture into the blender. Remove the plastic vent-thingy on the lid and cover the hole with a paper towel before blending. Otherwise the heat will build up and you’ll end up wearing dinner. Continue blending batches of the soup until it is all done and return to the pot.
Add the milk. Use enough to thin the soup without making it watery.
Season with salt and pepper until you like how it tastes.
May be garnished with sour cream when served.
If you prefer spicy soups, add a dash of cayenne pepper with the water before boiling. Careful, a little goes a long way.
Being stuck in a world infected by the undead doesn’t mean you have to eat boring foods. Sneak some favorite spices into your go bag on your way to your nearest escape route and fight dull taste buds along with zombies.
As part of our collective efforts to prepare for the z-poc ZSC command has undertaken a mission to bring you a series of recipes to keep the body strong and the spirit lifted during dark times. Now, don’t go thinking you’ll be cooking these up in the early days of the infection. You’ll be too busy slaying walkers on the move for this kind of fare. But once the initial dust settles and you’re in the fight for the long haul, you’re going to want something other than the beef jerky, energy bars and chocolate you’ve got stashed in your Go Bag.
Red Brigade is first out of the gate for our new Tasty Survival Skill series of recipes ZSC brigaders can use to prepare for and survive cataclysmic events up to, and including, a full blown zombie infestation.
Blackberry preserves may not seem like the most intuitive survival recipe, but when the world falls apart having something sweet on hand is never a bad plan.
Preserves can be made in advance, stored for long periods of times, and best of all, the United States is one of the largest producers of blackberries in the world. Blackberry varieties can be found in almost every State. If you don’t prepare preserves in advance of a cataclysmic events, once the dust settles, it won’t be hard to find them in farming country close to almost all of the ZSC’s designated meet up points, or anywhere you decide to hold up for the medium- or long-term.
Directions:
1. Rinse the berries in cold water and drain
2. Put berries into a stock pot and mash to extract juices.
3. Add sugar and mix. Add cinnamon and/or nutmeg, as desired.
4. Bring to a boil over a high heat, while stirring constantly.
5. Add pectin and return mixtures to a full boil for one minute.
6. Skim off all the foam.
7. Ladle or pour the preserves into sterile Mason jars. Leave at least ½ inch empty at the top. Make sure to wipe clean the rims before you cap and seal.
8. Place filled Mason jars in a stock pot with enough water to cover the jars by 1-2 inches. Cover and bring to a boil. When water is boiling, set your watch for five minutes.
9. Remove jars and place off to the side. Allow to sit for at least 12 hours, preferably 24. Check the seals and remove bands.
10. Consume at will!
