So Simple: Easy Winter Warmers with Georgia Pecans

ATLANTA – Americans have developed a unique craving these days, one that’s often hard to satisfy. What many of us yearn for, say the experts, is a recipe for simple living. Indeed, to “simplify” has become the new catchphrase and the latest lifestyle trend in everything from fashion to finance to food.

Making our modern lives uncomplicated, it seems, is remarkably challenging, yet making modern cooking uncomplicated is easier than ever. The road to simplicity leads right into the kitchen, where better planning, storage, equipment and ingredients have made cooking less demanding and more efficient.

Simple food doesn’t necessarily mean plain food. We can make interesting, tasty, soul-satisfying everyday meals by cooking simply if we rely on one basic rule: choose honest, natural ingredients that deliver full flavor and wholesome goodness. Foods like fresh or unprocessed fruits and vegetables, whole grains, quality meats, fish and poultry, spices and herbs and versatile ingredients like pecans, which lend texture and richness to all kinds of sweet and savory dishes.

According to the Georgia Pecan Commission, the distinctive rich nutty taste of pecans is a natural match to fish, chicken and cheese, and the crunchy texture lends itself to all sorts of breads, salads, soups, meatless meals and even something as simple as sprinkling pecans on a favorite breakfast cereal.

“Georgia leads the nation in U.S. pecan production,” says Charles M. “Buddy” Leger, chairman of the Georgia Pecan Commission. “Each fall, Georgia produces an average of 88 million pounds a year. We want to educate consumers that pecans will remain fresh throughout the winter months and year-round, but proper storage is important.”

According to the Georgia Pecan Commission, pecans can be refrigerated and stored in airtight containers for up to nine months or frozen in zipper-lock freezer bags for up to two years. Unshelled pecans can be stored in airtight containers in a cool, dry place for three to six months.

When trying to keep things simple, almost every cook is tempted to fall back into the waiting arms of the crowd of convenience foods that fill the supermarket shelves. And when we do, the result is often a sense that we’ve paid so much, and gotten so little back. But there are satisfying, wholesome, natural foods, such as pecans, that are just as convenient, available and ready-to-use. A handful of pecans boost the flavor, texture and appearance of all kinds warming foods while adding a healthy supply of “good fat.” Pecans are rich in oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat believed to be helpful in preventing heart disease. Studies suggest that just ¾ cup of pecans added to daily meals may lower levels of so-called “bad” LDL cholesterol while not affecting the good-for-you HDL cholesterol levels.

To simplify meal making without surrendering completely to pre-fab foods, cooks can take advantage of other wholesome products that allow for shortcuts. Certain preserved foods made good sense, such as canned pumpkin. When mixed with tasty pecans and dried currants into a sweet chewy bar, these pumpkin pecan blondies become an all-natural convenience food that taste even better the day after they’re baked.

Likewise, a quick, value-added dish such as a pot pie can be baked under a biscuit topping enriched with pecans. This homemade and hearty dish can be put together with much less time and little fuss.

Another trick for streamlining meals, especially dinner, is to make one delicious side dish, such as bread stuffing flavored with mushrooms, leeks and pecans, and then buy simple ready-to-eat dishes to accompany it, such as roast chicken and pre-washed salad.

Finally, there are foods that “Mother Nature” supplies for our convenience, including acorn squash. Simply halved and baked, the squash instantly becomes a cradle of flavors when filled with creamy goat cheese, herbs and crunchy pecans.

For more information about pecans, as well as pecan recipes, visit the Georgia Pecan Commission’s Web site at www.georgiapecans.org.

Side Bar: Simple Is As Simple Does: Home Cooking Made Easy

The Georgia Pecan Commission offers these tips for simplifying winter cooking:

• Keep the pantry well stocked with staples and favorite seasonings, using easy reach-in canisters for things like flour, sugar and grains. For pecans, refrigerate in airtight containers (for up to nine months) or freeze in zipper-lock freezer bags (for up to two years).
   
• Let the oven do double duty. If you’re roasting vegetables for instance, take the opportunity to toast some pecans on a baking sheet. (Just 8 to 10 minutes at 350°F.) This way the pecans are ready for snacking or adding to salads, side dishes and breakfast cereals.
   
• Remember the slow cooker. It takes time, but nothing could be simpler than stirring together 4 or 5 ingredients in a cooker and coming back later to find they’ve been transformed into dinner.
   
• Make extra food, using leftovers for another meal. Last night’s chicken cutlet can be tonight’s pot pie filling, topped with a quick Pecan Biscuit Crust (see recipes).
   
• Use fruits and vegetables in season for big flavor with little fuss. Fresh pre-washed spinach, for instance, wilted in garlic oil and tossed with pecan halves takes just minutes to prepare. Likewise, juicy ripe pears halved and topped with cottage cheese and pecans make for an instant light meal.
   
• Engage others. Our kitchens have expanded and so has the need for everyone to pitch in. Delegate parts of the meal or let dinner be a family pot luck with everyone contributing something.

###

EDITOR’S NOTE: November is Georgia Pecan Month. For more information and recipes featuring Georgia pecans, visit the Georgia Pecan Commission’s Web site at www.georgiapecans.org .