Split Pea Soup

Looking back over my previous blog posts I detected a pattern. Whenever I can't come up with anything new I make split pea soup and that's exactly what I did today. My recipe, if you can call it that, is very simple. Diced onion, carrots, and celery sauteed in some olive oil. Add two cups of split peas, about five cups of water, a tablespoon or so of marjoram and leave it in the Sun Oven until the peas are falling apart. Puree it with a hand held blender, add salt and pepper to taste and you're done. I used to simmer a ham hock or a smoked turkey leg with it, but I think the soup is just as good without meat. I always try to make as big a batch as possible because this soup freezes very well, but with Martin around there usually isn't much left. Luckily, especially since I stopped putting the meat in it, it's about the easiest thing in the world to make.

Solar Baked Corn Muffins

Inspired by a reader's comment on my failed cornmeal bread I dusted off my cast iron muffin pan collection last night. I had a corn bread mix that I bought a few weeks ago and all the necessary ingredients. This was great. I like going to bed knowing what I'll be solar cooking the next day almost as much as I like knowing that my solar cooked dinner will be ready when I get home from work. Now I had to choose a pan. Here are the finalists:

Fishes? Stars?

Two of my favorites, but they don't fit in the Sun Oven.

Snowmen? Christmas trees?

A little early for those.

Cacti?

Too cheesy.

Autumn Fruits.

Perfect. (almost)



The pan was still too big to fit in the Sun Oven without removing the leveling tray. This meant I'd have to wait until the sun was high in the sky because I would not be able to tilt the Sun Oven. I went to bed, happy knowing that today would be a light solar cooking day.
Out of habit I set the Sun Oven up first thing in the morning. I then had the bright idea that just maybe the muffins could be ready in time for breakfast. This time of year, when the sun is lower, the earliest you can start using the Sun Oven is about nine o'clock. If you've been following this blog you may have figured out by now that I am not an early riser. Nine thirty is a little late for my breakfast, but not too late. I decided to go for it. I had completely forgotten the part about waiting until the sun was at its peak until it was time to put the pan in the Sun Oven. I tried everything I could think of to fit the muffin pan in the Sun Oven, without spilling anything, while focusing it towards the low morning sun, with no success. I wound up baking the muffins at a much lower than desired temperature. By this point I'd accepted the fact that they would not be ready for breakfast and poured myself a bowl of - yawn - shredded wheat.
In spite of all that, the muffins were done by ten thirty and, apart from the fact that I overfilled the cups and they didn't really look anything like autumn fruits, they were pretty good.

Meatless Monday Lentil Shepherd's Pie

 This morning we had what I like to call a 'Simpsons Sky', big white clouds with a  blue background. These types of clouds mean longer cooking times. If I wanted to make my lentil shepherd's pie entirely in the Sun Oven I would have to get busy. As long as the lentils and potatoes were done by 1:00 p.m. I could leave the assembled pie in the oven all afternoon while I was at work. I love it when I'm out working and my dinner is waiting for me in the back yard. The lentils were cooked just in time, but I had to cheat a little with the potatoes by boiling them on the stove for about five minutes. I should have put them in the Sun Oven at the same time as the lentils. If I had they would have been ready in time. This little cheat, however, did allow me to bake the pie in the Sun Oven and gave me the luxury of coming home to a fully cooked meal.
If you want the recipe you can find it here: http://www.meatlessmonday.com/lentil-shepherds-pie/

Sunny with Meatballs

I don't make meatballs often. Mostly because I hate browning the little suckers before putting them in the oven. That, and the fact that it seems like a stretch to claim a dish is solar cooked if the bulk of the cooking is done in a frying pan on the stove. So when I found a recipe in the soon to be defunct Gourmet magazine that went straight to the oven, no browning required, I decided to give it a try.
I made a batch last week but when they were ready to go into the Sun Oven clouds had rolled in and it was obvious that it would be one of Arizona's rare overcast days. In a way that was fortunate because it turns out the only thing I liked about the original recipe was the no browning part.
I believe I made enough modifications to call this recipe my own. A few more tweaks and it may very well become a regular at our dinner table.

Solar Oven Meatballs and Red Sauce

1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup red wine
1 lb. ground beef
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 tbs minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried mustard
1/4 tsp salt

1 26 oz. carton Pomi strained tomatoes
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbs fresh basil, chopped

Soak breadcrumbs in the wine. In a large bowl combine with next eight ingredients, beef through salt. Form 12 meatballs. Place meatballs in a dark square baking pan big enough to accommodate them without crowding. Pour strained tomatoes and salt over the meatballs. Cover with tin foil. Place in Sun Oven and cover pan with a dish towel. After about 30 minutes remove dish towel and tin foil. Continue cooking, uncovered, for another 30 minutes. Remove from Sun Oven and stir in basil. Serve over spaghetti with additional freshly grated parmesan cheese.

The dish towel trick comes in handy whenever you want to cover something with tin foil or if you need to use a shiny pot. Without the dish towel the sun's heat would be deflected and the food may not cook. Trust me, I speak from experience.

Clouds Curtail Cooking of Chocolate Croissant.

On a day like today I realize I'm totally spoiled. Arizona is a perfect climate for solar cooking, the Global Sun Oven is, in my opinion, the best solar cooker on the market and I get to take advantage of both. Even today, with less than ideal weather conditions, I managed to bake some bread.
 I slept in this morning and woke up to a partially cloudy sky. I put the Sun Oven out to preheat first thing. I had taken two chocolate croissant out of the freezer before going to bed. At 350 calories each I consider these a special treat and had been looking forward to enjoying one all week. Unfortunately after they had been in the Sun Oven for ten minutes the sun went behind a large cloud where it looked like it was going to stay for a while. I wanted to savor my croissant with my coffee that was brewing so I finished baking them inside.
In the meantime I was second guessing my decision to bake bread today. I don't mind turning the indoor oven on for the short amount of time to bake a croissant but bread is another story. It's not so much the cost, I just prefer the taste and texture of solar baked goods. I rarely baked bread before owning a Sun Oven, now I do almost weekly. Of course I needn't have worried. The weather was not ideal, but it was adequate. The baking time was simply longer. Unlike with a conventional oven a longer cooking time does not affect the quality of the food. So with intermittent sun and a little patience by mid afternoon we were able to enjoy some freshly baked bread.

Solar Cooked Acorn Sqash

I had a very busy day today. Well, a busy afternoon and evening. I had enough time in the morning to roast some acorn squash and get a start on a pot of pasta fagioli. We had some of the solar cooked squash for lunch, but the pasta fagioli will have to wait until tomorrow. I only had an hour between the time I got home from work and the time we had to go out again to attend a volunteer orientation at the Arizona Humane Society. There just wasn't enough time to finish making the soup, so we grabbed a quick bite out. The animals are worth it.
I brushed the sliced acorn squash with a mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, and red chili pepper and roasted it in the Sun Oven for about forty minutes. I don't like overly sweet squash, but the chili pepper gives it a nice kick.

Creamy Sun Oven Risotto

With the sun back out in full force I was able to complete my risotto today. I used the sauteed onions from yesterday. I figured they'd be safe and it was nice to have a day off from onion chopping. To keep the dish as close as possible to traditional risotto I let the pot with the onions heat up before adding the rice. When it was sizzling hot, after about ten minutes in the Sun Oven, I stirred in a cup of arborio rice. While the rice sauteed with the onion I reheated two cups of leftover minestrone in... gasp... the microwave. When making a traditional risotto the hot liquid would be added a little at a time, while constantly stirring the rice. This would be impractical with a Sun Oven, so I added the minestrone all in one go, gave it a good stir, covered the pot and let it cook for thirty minutes. After removing the risotto from the Sun Oven I stirred in half a cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese and some fresh basil. The result was a pretty tasty risotto. The rice was al dente and it was even slightly creamy. We polished it off for lunch.

A Day in the Life of a Sun Oven

I had every intention of using the minestrone left over from Monday to make a risotto for dinner tonight. I'm still on the fence about making risotto in the Sun Oven. Rice prepared in the Sun Oven, especially when cooked in the same pot as chicken, is delicious; it's texture, however, is not creamy like stovetop risotto. I was hoping that with careful timing I'd get more risotto like results. This meant the Sun Oven would be idle until late afternoon. The weather was also iffy.
For the first part of the morning it was mostly cloudy. I put the Sun Oven out anyway so Martin could bake his daily croissant; how quickly habits are formed. Before leaving for a morning appointment I warned him that he might have to bake it in the indoor oven. He didn't. The sun came out long enough to get the job done.
When I got home there were even more clouds on the horizon, but it was still mostly sunny. I took advantage of the preheated Sun Oven to whip up some huevos rancheros. After lunch I decided to get a head start and cook the onions for the risotto. That's as far as I got. By early afternoon the clouds had taken over; we even got a few drops of rain. I wound up having something else for dinner. I'll give solar risotto another try tomorrow. The weather forecast looks good.

Solar Baked Croissant

I recently discovered these frozen croissants from Trader Joe's. You let them defrost overnight, pop them in the oven in the morning, and they're delicious. By oven I mean the indoor oven; I get up too early to bake them in the Sun Oven. Martin, however, insisted that they could be solar baked. I was unwilling to wait until midmorning for my breakfast so Martin decided to bake one for himself. It came out perfect. So perfect that from now on I may have to add a midmorning snack to my normal daily meals.
I also made one of my favorite solar dishes today, Chicken with Two Lemons.

Meatless Monday Minestrone

Inspired by the simple soup I made on Friday I put this minestrone together with vegetables I had on hand: leeks, savoy cabbage, butternut squash, carrots, celery and cranberry beans. Paired with a loaf of good crusty bread, some goat cheese and a glass of wine we enjoyed a light dinner. I used a cast iron dutch oven and slow cooked it all afternoon. I left it in the sealed Sun Oven until dinner time so there would be no need to reheat it. I plan on using the left overs for a risotto.

Meatballs with a Chance of Cloudy

It was nice and sunny this morning at eight o'clock. It seemed like the perfect day to make meatballs. By nine o' clock they were ready to go, but the sun had disappeared. I could tell by the number of clouds on the horizon that we would have, at best, sporadic sunshine today. Not the kind of day for any kind of solar cooking; least of all ground beef. Not wanting the raw meat swimming in tomato sauce to become a bacteria playground I turned on the electric oven and called it a day.

Solar Roasted Carrots with Cardamon

No major solar cooking today. Just some baby carrots tossed with melted butter and ground cardamon then slow roasted in the Sun Oven. I was hoping they would brown but even after an hour at 350º they were not changing color. I wound up leaving them in the oven all day, mostly because I went out for a quick errand thinking another half hour might do the trick. One errand lead to another and I didn't get back until 4 o'clock. By this time some of the carrots were brown, but they had also shriveled up and were more like carrot jerky than anything else.
Browning is probably one of the trickiest things about solar cooking. I know I've been successful in the past. I even went back to some of my previous posts just to be sure. My theory is that it has to do with the angle of the sun. It's still hot here, but the sun is much lower in the sky than during the summer months meaning that the Sun Oven needs to be focused accordingly. We've also had a high pollution warning in effect this week so that could be another factor. Whatever the case I think I'll stick to foods that don't need browning for the next few months.

Sun Oven Sauteing

This morning I made a simple soup using onions, garlic, canned cannellini beans, canned broth and savoy cabbage. Normally I would saute the onions and garlic on the indoor stove but for some reason today that seemed like cheating. I let the olive oil heat up while I chopped the onion and garlic. By the time I'd finished chopping the oil was nice and hot. I let the onion and garlic cook about ten minutes before adding the rest of the ingredients. I served it over the disappointing cornmeal bread from yesterday. It made a very satisfying lunch.

My First Failure- Cornmeal Bread

It had to happen sooner or later. I'm surprised I made it this far without any major culinary disasters. In general the Sun Oven is very forgiving. It's practically impossible to overcook or burn anything, but it can't compensate for a bad recipe or not following one properly. I don't know why I chose this recipe. We were out of bread and I wanted to try something new. In retrospect I should have stuck with my trusted 100% whole wheat bread recipe. I'm not sure what I did wrong. When I noticed that the loaves were not rising I checked the troubleshooting chapter of my cookbook. Among the possible causes were:
1. Too much yeast. The recipe called for 1 1/2 tsp. I used a whole packet.
2. Too much water. The dough seemed a little dry so I added a tiny bit during the kneading cycle.
The bread came out dense with an overall unpleasant crumbly texture. The flavor was similar to cornbread. I don't really like cornbread. At least I used up all the cornmeal I had in the pantry so I won't make the mistake of trying this bread recipe again any time soon.
As for the Sun Oven, it did it's job perfectly maintaining a temperature of 350º turning out two nicely browned loaves in forty-five minutes.

Sun Baked Phyllo Fruit Cups

If I were granted the power to declare one food item a free food, something that could be consumed at will with no negative consequences, it would be a toss up between cheese and pie. Yesterday during my foray into the freezer I found a box of phyllo dough that was nearing it's expiration date and was reminded of this low calorie alternative to pie. It works with any type of fruit that normally goes into a pie. Today I used frozen blueberries.

Sun Baked Phyllo Fruit Cups

Six sheets of phyllo dough, defrosted
2 cups frozen blueberries
1/4 cup sugar, divided
1 tbs flour
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Preheat Sun Oven and spray a six cup cupcake pan with nonstick spray or line with silicone liners.
Toss berries, 3 tbs sugar, flour, cinnamon and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Place on sheet of phyllo dough on work surface (keep remaining sheets of phyllo covered to prevent drying). Lightly spray the phyllo with cooking spray. Cut into four rectangles. Stack rectangles on top of each other. Repeat with remaining phyllo sheets. Carefully press each stack into the greased cupcake pan. Divide blueberry mixture evenly among phyllo lined cups. Cover with the edges of the phyllo dough. Lightly spray fruit cups with cooking spray and sprinkle with remaining sugar.
Bake in Sun Oven until golden brown, about 45 minutes.
 This is a decent pie substitute, but I will never eat fat-free cheese.

From Frozen to Sun Roasted in Four Hours

I had a lot of work to do this afternoon so I chose what I thought would be a slow cooked dinner. I took two cornish hens (one fell apart before I could take the picture) straight from the freezer and put them in the pot atop a bed of rice, turnips and rutabaga. I popped everything in the Sun Oven at eight a.m. and went about my morning business. Shortly after noon I noticed that the glass door of the oven was covered in condensation, a telltale sign of doneness. I couldn't believe they could have gone from frozen solid to roasted so quickly, but they did. Since it was lunchtime we went ahead and ate. We'll be going out for dinner.

Beet Soup in Roasted Acorn Squash

I was really excited about trying this recipe for a few reasons. First, it's vegetarian, therefore perfect for meatless Monday. Second, we rarely eat beets, the main ingredient and I'm always looking for ways to add variety to our diet. Third, it's very pretty. And last, it put us in the autumn spirit even if it is still 102º outside.
Once again the recipe is adapted from epicurious.com. Both the soup and the squash were cooked in the Sun Oven. I did cut the recipe in half. I like trying new things, but didn't want to eat beet soup all week. While it was a lot of fun to make, the flavor wasn't very exciting. I'm not quite sure what could be done to spruce it up. I don't think it's going to be a regular at our dinner table.

Solar Roasted Turkey Breast

Thanksgiving is just around the corner so I've been experimenting with turkey. On the big day I plan on roasting a whole bird using a baking bag, but I thought I'd practice on smaller pieces in the weeks leading up to it. For today's trial I used a six quart stock pot with a steamer insert. I wanted to keep the bird out of its cooking juices hoping to obtain a crispy skin. I brined the breast overnight and put it in the Sun Oven at just after ten a.m. By noon the probe thermometer was at 180º and the breast was ready. Just in time for lunch. The skin did come out crispy but I think I prefer cooking poultry with rice. When cooked together the rice comes out so scrumptious that I'm happy to sacrifice the crisp skin.  My only problem now is what will we have for dinner?

Here are the tools I used today - minus the probe thermometer. A six quart stock pot, a steamer insert and two canning jar lids to set on the floor of the Sun Oven chamber.

Solar Vegetable Stack

It could no longer be avoided. Today I had to clean the house. Even the "but I have to make something for my blog" excuse wasn't good enough. Still, I had to throw something in the Sun Oven, so I started by cleaning out the fridge. I found a sweet potato, a rutabaga, some small purple potatoes and a spaghetti squash. I cut up the first three items, tossed them with olive oil and spread them out on two baking trays. I cut the spaghetti squash in four pieces and put it in a roasting pan with  half a cup of water. With a little creative stacking I managed to fit everything into the Sun Oven. This stack method of solar cooking does increase the overall cooking time. I wish I could tell you by how much, but I was too busy with housework to pay attention to the exact timing. I think it went into the Sun Oven at 10 a.m. and was ready at 1 p.m., but that's just a guess.

Solar Sicilian Style Potato Gratin and question about cookware

I got a tri-tip roast on sale the other day and since then had been scouring the internet for a recipe that would work in the Sun Oven. As the expiration date grew closer I abandoned the search and fired up the grill. After all, even Paul Munsen of Sun Ovens International will admit that you'd be disappointed by a steak cooked in a Sun Oven. Of course I'd need a side dish and what goes better with meat than potatoes? I considered the obvious-baked potatoes-but wanted to make something a little more challenging. The next thing to come to mind was a potato gratin, but  after weighing myself this morning the cream, butter and cheese that normally go into that dish were out of the question. Back to the internet where I found this low fat Sicilian Style Potato Gratin recipe. All I did to modify it for solar cooking was reduce the broth to one cup and cover the tin foil sealed baking dish with parchment paper. The cooking time was the same as the original recipe and it came out nicely browned on top.
 A quick note on cookware, specifically about color, since I got a question about it from a reader. Most solar cookers only work with black lightweight pots. I have found that this is not so with a Sun Oven. I use red, green, and black enamel ware pots and don't notice any difference in cooking times. I also use cast iron which increases the cooking time but has the advantage of keeping the food warm even after the sun goes down. Glass and ceramic baking dishes also give excellent results. Even a shiny pan can work if you cover it with a dish towel or parchment paper.

A Simple Solar Cooked Dinner

After the extensive preparations that went into our two day camping trip, I was too tired to come up with anything exciting for dinner tonight. I followed a recipe for Pasta with Lentil Bolognese from epicurious.com but served it with rice instead of pasta. To modify it for the Sun Oven I used two pots. In the first one I cooked the lentils. I put the rest of the ingredients in the second pot and let them simmer alongside the lentils in the Sun Oven. I have learned from past experience that the acidity of the tomatoes will keep the lentils from softening so I prefer to precook them. When the lentils were almost done I combined everything into one pot and returned it to the Sun Oven. At this point I had enough room to start the rice. I served it just like it was pasta, spooning the lentils over the rice and dusting it with freshly grated romano cheese. It made a simple and satisfying dinner.

Camping with the Sun Oven

 We went camping for one night, and while there is some debate among my friends as to whether staying in a cabin is actually camping, that's what I'm calling it. So we didn't pitch a tent; we did bring our own linens, cook and eat outside, and use the nearby shower/restroom facilities. Really the cabin was nothing more than a hard sided tent.
Using the Sun Oven in this setting was mostly a question of preparation. The evening before I seasoned a small pork shoulder roast with a spice rub and wrapped it in plastic wrap. I also soaked some beans and chopped a bell pepper and onions. We got to the campsite just before noon, set up the Sun Oven and had our dinner cooking in no time. After an afternoon of hiking and enjoying the cooler temperatures-it's still in the 100's here in Phoenix-we enjoyed a relaxing picnic dinner.

With no t.v. or internet and only a flashlight to see by, we decided to call it an early night. I wanted to get up early to make breakfast in the Sun Oven. I didn't need an alarm clock, at 6:30 a.m. it was time to make a trip to the communal restrooms. When I got back the sun was just starting to peak over the trees. To use the Sun Oven to catch the early morning rays I remove the tray, turn it upside down and place a trivet, or in this case having forgotten to bring one, an upside down square pan, on the floor of the cooking chamber. By 7:00 the Sun Oven had reached 250º. Hot enough to cook some huevos rancheros. I took two small dark metal pans, coated them with cooking spray, then topped a corn tortilla with some beans left over from dinner and two eggs.

A Day of Solar Baking

The Sun Oven was very busy today. I made two pizzas, a focaccia and a pumpkin cake. To make my part of the job easy I used purchased pizza dough and a cake mix from Canterbury Naturals.  I couldn't decide if I wanted tomatoes or eggplant on the focaccia so I did both. A drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt, pop it in the pre-heated Sun Oven and you're done. It was a beautiful sunny day and keeping the temperature at 350º was a cinch.
Tomorrow we're taking the Sun Oven on a camping trip. I won't be able to update my blog until we get back but I promise to take pictures.

Sun Dried Tomatoes Day Two

Even with the Sun Oven being used to finish drying the tomatoes today, we still managed to have a solar cooked meal. For once I was thinking ahead when I cooked a whole pound of beans on Friday. I used some of them for that evening's pasta fagioli, the rest I saved for use during the rest of the week. Today we had this simple but satisfying salad.

White Bean, Onion and Tuna Salad

2 cups cooked white beans
2 cans tuna
1/2 red onion thinly sliced
Oil
Vinegar
Salt
Pepper

Drain tuna, combine first three ingredients in a large bowl. Season to taste with oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Serve with a good crusty bread.

Food Drying Stack

Yesterday I found that good deal on tomatoes that I had been looking for, and the timing couldn't have been better. We're going out to dinner with friends tonight, making it a perfect day to use the Sun Oven as a food dehydrator. This time I cut the tomatoes in half. Last time I quartered them and they turned out a little too dry. I used three pizza pans with two custard cups to separate them. I removed the swinging tray from the Sun Oven and placed a trivet on the bottom. It was a bit of a balancing act to get them to fit, I had to keep the oven at a slight tilt, but they are drying nicely. They are taking longer to dry this time, maybe because I only halved them or maybe because I'm using three pans instead of two, in any case it looks like it will be a two day project. That's just over four pounds of roma tomatoes on the trays and I could have fit half a pound more.
In case you're wondering what I do with all these sun dried tomatoes here's one of my favorite tuna recipes.

No Mayo Tuna Salad Sandwich Spread
4 - 6 servings

6 sun dried tomatoes
1 tbs capers, drained
6 black olives, pitted
2 cans tuna packed in water
2 tsp olive oil

Soak the tomatoes in a small bowl of warm water for approximately 10 minutes. Drain tomatoes reserving soaking water and place in a food processor with the capers and olives. Process until finely chopped. Add tuna and olive oil and process until mixed. Add reserved tomato soaking water 1 tsp at a time while processor is running until desired consistency is reached. Depending on the type of tuna, it may not be necessary to add any water at all.

This makes an excellent, low calorie sandwich spread.

More Solar Pasta Fagioli

Whenever I make lamb shanks with beans, a pot of pasta fagioli is sure to follow within a few days. It would be a shame to let the broth from the lamb go to waste. Technically it was not completely solar cooked. This morning I used the Sun Oven to cook some beans in one pot and a mixture of olive oil, leeks, carrot, celery, garlic and canned tomatoes in another. In the evening I combined the broth, beans and vegetable mixture in a dutch oven and brought the soup to a lazy boil before adding the pasta.

Solar Baked Cherry Oatmeal Crunch

After reading a delightful sounding solar biscotti recipe a fellow blogger sent me I was in the mood for some baking. With no eggs, no nuts, and no chocolate in the house the biscotti would have to wait for another day. Luckily I had a stick of butter, a can of cherries and a mix. It turned out so good we ate half of it before I got a chance to take a picture.

A Solar Cooking Favorite

This lamb cassoulet was the first dish to appear on my blog. It's still one of my favorites. I adapted the recipe from Pressure Perfect by Lorna Sass.

Sun Oven Lamb Shanks with White Beans

1/2 lb. white beans (cannellini, great northern or mayocoba)
1 tbs. olive oil
2 leeks, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 bay leaves
3 1/2 cups water
2 lamb shanks
1 tbs fresh chopped rosemary
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Soak beans overnight. Heat oil in a large dutch oven, add leeks and carrots, saute for about five minutes. Add beans, water, bay leaves and lamb shanks. Cover and place in Sun Oven and cook for at least four hours. To serve remove meat from bones. Drain beans reserving broth for future use. Return beans to pot and season with rosemary, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.

Be sure to save the broth. It's the best part of the recipe and can be used to make outstanding soups.

Sun Oven Tomato Sauce

We spent most of the morning touring the solar testing grounds of our local power company. As we trekked along from one solar panel installation to another, I wracked my brain to come up with something to put in the Sun Oven today. I'd once again forgotten to soak any beans, so a simple tomato sauce would have to do. Being short on time I started it off inside by sauteing chopped onion, carrot, celery, garlic and mushrooms in olive oil. I added strained tomatoes and put the pot with the lid on in the Sun Oven. Leaving the lid on may have been a mistake. The sauce was a little watery but the culprit could have been the strained tomatoes that I bought. I was unable to find my favorite - Pomì - and had to substitute with a different brand. Now I have to think about what to make tomorrow. How about beans?

Sun Oven Dried Tomatoes

The Sun Oven can also be used as a food dehydrator. All you have to do is prop the glass door open. I'd been planning on making a big batch of sun dried tomatoes as soon as I found a good deal on fresh ones. This morning it dawned on me that I might want to try a small batch first just in case. Good thing I did. I wasn't sure if I should slice the tomatoes or just cut them in half. I was afraid that they would not dry out enough if I cut them in half. I was wrong. The sliced ones stuck to the pan and had to be thrown away. The ones in the picture came out great; I cut them in quarters this time, but when I do find a bargain I'll just cut them in half. A tomato's moisture is no match for the Arizona sun combined with a Sun Oven. These were dry in under six hours.

Sun Oven Turkey and Rice

I was going to wait until Thanksgiving to make my first turkey in the Sun Oven. I've been told that it can be used to cook a bird as big as 18 lbs. Since it would take us a month to eat that much turkey I opted for thighs only today. After yesterday's overcooked eggs I made an effort to pay more attention to the cooking time. I even used a meat thermometer. The meat took two hours to reach 180ºf. The glass door of the Sun Oven was also starting to steam up which is another sign of doneness.
Normally I prefer white rice but this brown rice that I got from Massa Organics is the best I've every tasted. I brined the thighs overnight and seasoned them with sage, butter, salt and pepper. Even with just two thighs we have plenty of leftovers for another meal.

Solar Hard Boiled Eggs

No major solar cooking projects today. With the fridge full of leftovers I thought I'd experiment a little. I've wanted to use the Sun Oven to make some hard boiled eggs ever since I learned from Paul Munsen of Sun Ovens Int. that it was possible. I found the idea of boiling an egg without water to be very intriguing. Turns out it may be the one thing that is possible to overcook in a Sun Oven. I didn't pay attention to the time when I put the eggs in the oven and then I completely forgot about them. In all I think they were in the Sun Oven for just under two hours. They came out a little on the brownish side. Paul had warned me that they would have brown spots if they were touching but mine were brown all over. They were still edible and made a nice mid-afternoon snack but I'd take them out of the oven sooner next time, assuming I remember. It's good to know that the Sun Oven is so versatile. While it's easy enough to boil an egg over a traditional stove, the Sun Oven would come in handy when camping where open flames are not allowed.

Solar Italian Meatloaf

Whenever I'm too busy to get something in the Sun Oven before noon I start getting antsy. It seems like morning errands always take longer than expected and then there's the constant threat of clouds rolling in,  making me feel even more uneasy. Today it was almost 2:00 p.m. by the time I got the meatloaf into the Sun Oven but luckily the sky remained clear and dinner was a success.
I got today's recipe from "The Toaster Oven Cookbook". It is my favorite meatloaf recipe. I serve it with spaghetti with tomato sauce, a green vegetable and a glass of red wine.

Solar Italian Meatloaf

1 lb. ground beef
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/3 cup red wine
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly with your hands. Pat mixture into a large loaf pan. Place loaf pan in a roaster pan with a cover. Place covered pan in pre-heated Sun Oven for approx. one hour.

Solar Red Lentil Soup

As soon as we got back from our two day mini vacation, I went to the store for some red lentils.  I vary the recipe every time I make it, but the basic recipe is onion and garlic sauteed in olive oil, ground coriander, cumin, mustard, ginger, lemon peel and red lentils. We like it thick so I use less water than most recipes call for. I served it with sour cream and hot sauce. Red lentils cook quickly and are great for solar cooking. The soup was ready in about an hour.

Breakfast in the Sun Oven

We left this morning for a two day vacation. I took advantage of the fact that we would be getting up a bit earlier than usual to try using the Sun Oven to make breakfast. Normally the sun is too low to start solar cooking before 9 a.m. but if you turn the Sun Oven upside down you can catch the early morning rays. I made the same thing as I did last meatless Monday, baked eggs with zucchini. I put the Sun Oven out at 7 a.m and the eggs were ready by 9 a.m. I realize that's a bit late for breakfast but it gave us time to get everything ready to go and have a hot meal before hitting the road. I'll be out of town for the next two days so my next solar cooking update will be on Thursday.

A Last Minute Change of Plans

One of the reasons I don't make a weekly menu is that every time I have done so, the grocery store would inevitably be out of some of the essential ingredients on my list. Today I had one thing planned, red lentil soup, so you can imagine my disappointment when I discovered that was the only empty bin in the bulk food section at the store. It was already mid morning and with little time to come up with an alternate meal plan I fell back on something I've already made - slow cooked chicken with salsa. This time I used boneless, skinless thighs instead of breast and in my opinion it's much better. The superior flavor and moistness of the thighs make it well worth the the additional calories. We used it to make soft tacos. I must admit, when in a pinch there is nothing easier for solar cooking than this dish. Chicken + a jar of salsa + tortillas = dinner.

Solar Oven Chef Gets a Day Off

It was overcast all day today with intermittent showers or as Martin put it; a beautiful summer day - in England. Needless to say no solar cooking going on.

Solar Baked Falafel

I got this recipe for baked falafel from the local newspaper. It sounded perfect for the Sun oven and it probably is, but I hit a few snags. Since the Sun Oven consistently reaches 350º I thought the cooking time would be about the same. I had things to do in the morning and figured I'd be home in plenty of time to make falafel sandwiches for  a quick lunch. It probably would have been do-able if I'd put the Sun Oven out to preheat before leaving to run my morning errands. This is one of the small changes that sometimes are the hardest to get used to when using a new cooking method. The concept of turning an oven on hours before it's needed is so foreign that sometimes I forget that with solar cooking there is no downside to doing just that. As it turned out the Sun Oven was not hot enough when I put the falafel in. After forty minutes the falafel was just beginning to brown. I would have preferred to bake it a few more minutes but I had more errands to run and I was hungry. The overall flavor was good. I will definitely make a second attempt at Solar Baked Falafel in the near future.

Solar Muffins In Time for Breakfast

Depending how you look at it I got either an early or late start today. I put a batch of muffins in the Sun Oven at 9 a.m. I showered while they were baking and had a warm muffin for breakfast. I used a mix from Trader Joe's. These muffins were much better than the last ones I made and at only 150 calories each a pretty good deal all around.

Sun Oven Pot Roast

In one of my first blog entries I talked about getting organized. I made a menu for the week and may have even stuck to it, for a week. I don't know why I still believe I'll become the kind of person who can plan out more than a day's worth of meals and gather all the necessary ingredients with one weekly trip to the grocery store. That's why I often find myself in situations like today. I spent the morning foraging in my pantry and browsing the internet looking for some inspiration. I didn't have much to work with, a few cans of salmon, less than a cup of red lentils, carrots, celery, potatoes, onions and a rutabaga. I could have baked some more bread or a batch of muffins but I wanted to make something new. I would have to make a morning run to the market. By now it was so late I needed something that could be thrown together quickly before I left for the afternoon. The pot roast was on sale. It would go well with all the root vegetables. Sounds like dinner to me.

 I really wouldn't call this a recipe. All I did was dot the meat with garlic, brown it in a dutch oven, add the chopped vegetables with a some broth and place it in the Sun Oven. It was noon by the time I got it in the Sun Oven. I didn't touch it again until dinnertime at 6 p.m.

Solar Cooking Tricks

The Sun Oven's cooking chamber may seem small at first sight, but don't be fooled. If you remove the leveling tray you will be able to use a 6 qt pot like I did today. I've been told that it is possible to cook a turkey as large as 18 lbs in the Sun Oven using a baking bag. I haven't done this yet but if it's sunny on Thanksgiving day I'll give it a shot. The only thing to remember is to never set anything directly on the bottom of the Sun Oven. That would create a hot spot and your food could burn. To avoid any problems simply place a small trivet on the bottom of the chamber and place the pot, or turkey - in it's bag- on top of it.
I used this large pot to make a batch of vegetable soup. This low calorie soup is a staple in our household. I'm a lifetime member of Weight Watchers and Martin recently joined. We often have it as a first course for dinner. The base recipe is as follows:

Pureed Vegetable Soup

1 small potato
1 medium carrot
2 celery stalks
2 cups cubed butternut squash
1 medium zucchini
1 clove garlic
1 can red kidney beans
1/2 lb swiss chard or cabbage
1 tbs tomato paste
2 qt chicken or vegetable broth

Roughly chop all vegetables. Simmer in broth until tender. Puree soup with a handheld blender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle each serving with 1 tsp olive oil (optional)

I vary the vegetables according to what I have on hand. If I'm in a hurry I buy pre-chopped squash and pre-washed swiss chard from Trader Joe's. You can also add fresh herbs like basil or parsley just before serving.