Winning recipes: Get Ready Emergency Stockpile Recipe Contest
The first Get Ready Emergency Stockpile Recipe Contest presented a challenge: Could people use creativity 
and culinary skills to overcome constraints in the kitchen that happen during an emergency? Can people make good-tasting, nutritious food without electricity or cooking gas?
We loved these recipes so much we created a cookbook, which you can download now as a PDF.
Thanks to the recipes below, the Get Ready team has learned that it is possible to eat well during an emergency! We were very impressed with every recipe recieved. It was difficult to pick just four winners and four runners-up, but here they are!
Winning recipes
Easy Orange Curry Chickpeas
Submitted by Jess Apfe of Berkeley, Calif.
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 1 (15 oz) can low-sodium or no-salt added chickpeas, drained
- 1 (11 oz) can mandarin oranges, drained (save about 2 Tablespoons of juice)
- 2 tablespoons raisins
- 2 tablespoons slivered almonds (optional)
- 2 tablespoons mandarin juice (saved from draining the oranges)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/4 teaspoons curry powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Drain canned chickpeas and mandarin oranges. Save 2 tablespoons of juice from oranges to make the dressing.
- Combine chickpeas, oranges, raisins and almonds in a medium-size bowl and toss together.
- Pour over chickpea mixture and toss to coat.
Black Bean Casserole
Submitted by Sandy Dulany of Springdale, Ark.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
- 1 (15 oz) can of low-sodium black beans
- 1 (5 or 10 oz) can or pack of chicken
- 1 can of low-sodium corn, whole kernel
- 2-3 tablespoons peanut butter (crunchy or creamy)
- Whole wheat, low-sodium crackers (like Triscuits or Wheat Thins)
- Open up cans of black beans, corn and chicken; drain.
- Mix ingredients in a bowl; stir in peanut butter.
- Crumble crackers on top (or serve mixture on top of crackers).
Aloha Chicken Poppers
Submitted by Kadija Anna Bridgewater of Deerfield Beach, Fla.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple in pineapple juice
- 2 (12 oz) cans fully cooked chunk chicken breasts, drained and flaked
- 15 mayonnaise packets (light mayo)
- 4 dozen crackers
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts (preferably unsalted; optional)
- Pepper (to taste; optional)
- Drain the pineapple, reserving the juice to drink.
- Combine the chicken, pineapple, mayonnaise and black pepper. Mix well.
- Top each cracker with a teaspoonful of chicken salad. Garnish with chopped nuts if desired.
Troubled Times Trifle
Submitted by Heather Anne Kennedy of Troy, Ohio
Serves 8
Ingredients
- 1 (16 oz) box of milk (or milk powder pouch reconstituted with bottled water to make 2 cups)
- 1 box instant vanilla pudding
- 1 box plain vanilla cookies or animal crackers (there will be some left)
- 1 can raspberry pie filling
- 1 small can mandarin oranges (drain liquid into a cup and enjoy it as a sweet beverage)
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds (optional)
Directions
- In a 3-cup container with a tight fitting lid, combine milk and instant pudding. Put the lid on and check it twice! If you have children, let them take turns shaking the container for about 3 minutes, or until the pudding is thickened.
- Layer the ingredients in this order:
- 16 crumbled cookies
- 1 cup pudding
- Pie filling
- 16 crumbled cookies
- Rest of the pudding
- Mandarin oranges
- Optional slivered almonds
Runners-up
Emergency AAC Rolls
Submitted by Kellie Foglio of Salem, Wis.
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
- 2-3 tablespoons alfalfa seeds
- Bottled water
- Nori (sheets of dried seaweed)
- 1 can of asparagus
- 1 can of crab
- Low-sodium soy sauce
- Wasabi powder, mixed with water per directions to form wasabi paste
Directions
- To sprout seeds: Place in a jar or container with holes poked in the lid. Add 1 cup water and soak for 8-12 hours. Rinse and drain; repeat this process for 3 days. Then place jar and seeds in a space that has light (even a little bit of light will work). Keep rinsing and draining for 2-3 more days; you will have a lot of sprouts at this point!
- Lay out nori sheets.
- Drain cans of crab and asparagus.
- In the first 1/3 of the sheet lay out sprouts, asparagus and crab
- Roll everything up and seal the outer edge of the nori sheet with a little bit of water.
- Cut each roll into 5-6 pieces. Serve with soy and wasabi paste!
Southern Style “Barbeque”
Submitted by Jennifer Short of Terra Alta, W. Va.
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons barbeque sauce
- 1 (6 oz) can of tuna
- 10 saltine crackers
Directions
- Drain the can of tuna and stir in barbeque sauce (stir in can for easier "clean up".)
- Spread on crackers and enjoy!
Black Bean and Corn Salad
Submitted by Judy Wu of Evanston, Ill.
Serves 3-4
Ingredients
- 1 can of black beans
- 1 can of corn kernels
- 1 can of diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons of vinegar
- 1/2 cup of olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of pepper
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon of onion powder
- 1 teaspoon of cumin powder
- Dash of chili powder (optional)
- Baked tortilla chips (or healthy chips of choice)
Directions
- Open and drain the cans of black beans, corn and diced tomatoes, and mix them in a large bowl.
- Add the vinegar, olive oil, pepper, garlic and onion powders and cumin into the bowl. Mix thoroughly.
- Top salad with baked tortilla chips.
Curried Chicken and Artichoke Salad
Submitted by Mary Marlowe Leverette of Columbia, S. C.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 can (10 oz) chunk white-meat chicken, drained
- 1 jar (6 oz) marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Directions
- Toss chicken, artichoke hearts and raisins in a medium bowl.
- Separately blend oil, vinegar, curry powder and garlic powder and gently stir into chicken mixture. Serve right away.
More stockpiling recipes
Want even more recipes? Download these easy-to-make options created and tested by the Get Ready team! (PDF)