Recipes
Recipe Exchange
Please share your favorite sun cooked recipe with others. Email recipes to info@sunoven.com

7 cups puffed amarath cereal 1 cup wholewheat flour 1/2 cup oatmeal 1/2 cup ground flaxmeal 1/2 cup ground almonds 1/2 cup shredded coconut 1 tbsp pure cocoa powder ( 2 for chocolate lovers) 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice 1 mashed ripe banana 1 grated apple (in Mexico we used grated guava without the seeds) 1 tsp real vanilla extract 1 tbsp virgen olive oil 1-2 tbsp honey or molasses pinch of sea salt (raisins or other dry fruit optional) Mix dry ingredients well in large bowl or bucket. Prepare orange juice, mash the banana, add grated apple, sweetner, oil & salt. Blend all together and add to dry ingredients. The puffed amarath starts to deflate with the liquid, and the flaxmeal makes the batter hold together. You may need more or less liquid, to make the batter stick, but not be too wet. Using a serving spoon for a mold, press batter into spoon, and slide out onto lightly oiled cookie sheet, 8-12 cookies. This gives them sort of a shape of an almond, depending on spoon. You may also use your hands(oiled), to shape the cookies. The batter gets sticky. By using the spoon shape, the cookies are kind of thick in the middle and thinner on the edges. Place in sun oven and bake 30-40 min +/-, at 150° C / 300° F. We had our cookies be crispy outside and chewy inside. Experiment with temperature and time to make the cookie crunchy or moist. These cookies are super energetic and wonderful for breakfast, or anytime. Makes 20+ cookies, depending on size.

Whole Chicken
	Whole chickens roasts beautifully in 3-4 hours. Stuff a whole lemon inside before you bake it.

Chicken Veggie Casserole
	Assemble pre-cooked rice, chicken or turkey, cream of anything soup and available veggies. Cheese on top and Bake in solar over for a couple of hours Freeze ahead for an easy Saturday meal.

Basmati Rice
	2 cups cooked Basmati rice 1 bag of mixed frozen vegetables (I used the stir-fry kind) 2 cans cream of anything soup 1 can of chicken broth, milk or whatever you have around. Loosely pack this mix into an oven dish and cover with mozzarella cheese. Cover and bake until the cheese is bubbly. Breadsticks covered with cheddar and baked until melted.

Rice, Veggie and Sausage Supper

2 Cups cooked rice 1 Cup cubed or shredded cheese I Can Cream of anything soup 1 Small onion, chopped 1 Cup Frozen mixed vegetables 3--6" pieces Cheddar-wurst or other Bratwurst or Polish Sausage (About 1 lb)sliced into 1 inch bite-sized pieces. Seasonings of choice. I used garlic, Mrs Paul's and lots of pepper. I had pre-cooked my rice in chicken broth. Gently mix all ingredients together. Spread in Baking dish. I started with cold ingredients and frozen sausage and vegetables. My oven stayed at 325° F and I let my casserole stay in the oven for two hours. It was probably finished in -1/2 hours but I was busy and let it sit. Serves four, or two hungry guys.

Warm Fruit Salad
	Remove the skin from one pear. Split in half lengthwise and remove the seeded area and stem. Place face-up in a baking dish. Sprinkle with: 2 Tbsp. organic raisons 2 tsp. Brown sugar 2 tsp Butter and a sprinkle of vanilla or rum extract. Bake in oven for up to an hour. This is absolutely delicious warm, with cream or cold or with cake or ice cream.

Banana Bread

1/2 Cup shortening (or combo of butter or margarine) 1 Cup brown sugar 2 eggs 2 mashed bananas 1/2 cup nuts 2 cups sifted flour 1 tsp. soda 1/2 tsp. salt. Mom's recipe says mix all above together and bake at 300 degrees for an hour and 15 min. in a greased pan. I did things a little differently with wonderful results: I DOUBLED the recipe, (freezing 1/2) Then... I used left over flours I had laying around.. So I used 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour, and I cup regular wheat flour and 1 cup white cake flour. I also used 1 stick butter and 1 stick margarine since I was out of shortening. I used 5 regular large eggs instead of four. And I sprinkled the nuts and 1/2 cup raisons on top, thinking they would sink, but the batter was so thick they stayed on top. Next time I might add some brown sugar to the nuts and raisons and leave them on top for chewy wonderfulness.

Girl Scout Camp Supper

When I was a Girl Scout, we made this in tinfoil packets with sliced potatoes and threw them in the campfire. This solar version retains all the wonderful taste. SERVES ONE pictured can be doubled or quadrupled and baked in an 8 inch square pan. 1 (frozen) hamburger patty per serving, or two--you choose 1 Cup Frozen Hashed Brown Potatoes per serving, or one thinly sliced potato 1/2 cup Frozen Corn per serving 3 pats of Butter or more to taste and quantity Salt and pepper to taste. Arrange in layers in covered baking dish. Pictured above, the corn is on the bottom, then potatoes, butter and seasonings, the frozen burger on top to brown. Cover and bake in SUN OVEN® for two hours. Again, it was probably finished in less time but I forget sometimes that I am cooking. Food doesn't burn in a solar oven so it always works out! This meal really brought me back to the wonderful flavors retained when cooking in tin foil packets, outdoors, without the mess!

Pot Roast
	Freezer to table in three to four hours. Guess what? I bought a roast and stuck it in the freezer. I took it out of the freezer one day, gave it a shot of tamari and a couple cloves of garlic and into the oven for 3.5 hours. Who says you can't brown meat in a solar oven?

Pot Roast with Rice or Noodles

2-4 lb. boneless chuck roast
(rub in whatever spices, I use salt & coarse ground pepper.) Spread over the roast a full can of Cream of Mushroom soup.

Cook COVERED approx. 4 hrs. at 300° F.

Lift roast from pan (will fall apart) stir cooked rice or noodles in the juices and soup left in the bottom of the pan.

Serve with salad.

Lasagna

1 jar (32 ounces) spaghetti sauce
1 package (8 ounces) lasagna noodles
Olive oil
1 pound ricotta cheese
1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Spread 1 1/2 cups of sauce over bottom of a dark roasting pan. Coat uncooked noodles with olive oil. Layer half the noodles and half the ricotta cheese over the sauce. Add half of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers of sauce, noodles and cheese. Top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top. Cover and bake in the solar oven for 3 to 4 hours. Makes 6 servings.

Barbecued Chicken

1 cut-up chicken (about 3 pounds)
1/2 cup vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 clove garlic, minced

Place chicken pieces in a dark pan. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over the chicken pieces. Cover and bake in solar oven for 2 to 3 hours. Makes 4 servings.

Baked-Potato Salad

4 medium potatoes
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup finely chopped green, red or yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried dillweed
1/2 cup safflower mayonnaise (or other mayonnaise)

Bake potatoes in the solar oven for 1 1/2 hours. Let cool slightly. Remove potato pulp from skins and lightly mash. Combine with remaining ingredients. Chill. Makes 6 servings.

Recipes for a vegetarian SUN OVEN® Meal:
by Jennifer Stein Barker

Risotto This is a baked rice dish in the Italian style. If you cannot get fresh oregano and lovage, follow the substitutions for "winter risotto".

Serves 4: 1-2/3 cups raw brown rice 2 Tbsp. lentils 1-1/2 cups chopped or ground tomatoes 2-2/3 cups stock or water 1 small onion, sliced thin 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 small turnip, coarsely grated 1/3 cup chopped fresh oregano 2 tsp. finely chopped fresh lovage leaf dash Tabasco 1/4 tsp. ground cumin 1 Tbsp. olive oil 1 Tbsp. tamari Winter Risotto: for the fresh oregano and lovage, substitute: 2 tsp. dried oregano, crushed 1/2 tsp. fennel seed, crushed or ground Combine ingredients in a 2 liter or larger casserole. Stir to mix. Bake, covered, in sun oven until all liquid is absorbed. The rice and lentils should be tender (if not, add more liquid next time). When it is done, the herbs will be on the top. Stir everything together before serving. Serve with a crusty bread and green salad.

Chocolate-Mint Ricotta Mousse
A velvety-smooth mousse with a secret!

Serves 6:
2-1/2 squares unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup honey
1-15 oz. container low-fat ricotta cheese
1/4 cup spearmint leaves, packed

Measure the honey in a heatproof cup. Break up the chocolate squares and add them to the honey, pushing the chocolate down so it is covered. Heat honey and chocolate in a solar oven just until the chocolate melts.

Scrape the honey and chocolate into a blender. Add the ricotta cheese and mint leaves. Blend until liquid and smooth. You may have to stop the blender frequently and scrape down the sides, pushing the cheese down onto the blender blades.

When smooth, pour into a serving dish or individual cups. Chill for at least two hours before serving. Garnish with fresh mint leaves.

SUN OVEN® RECIPES AND USES
By Charles and Pam Dawsey

We find the SUN OVEN® to be very forgiving. You will find you can cook at a higher temperature with less time or a lower temperature with more time. The meat cooked is more moist and flavorful than with a conventional oven.* For dry camping in our motor home, this oven is a must. When we are not using the oven for other things, but wish to keep it available, we place a black tea kettle of water inside which also provides us with extra hot water. All dishes should be dark, so the sun’s rays will be better absorbed, and should be used with the cover on unless otherwise stated.

* Mfr.’s note: meats must be cooked at temperatures above 250º F to prevent bacterial overgrowth.

MORE RECIPES:

PORK SPARERIBS
(Baby-back ribs)

1 rack ribs
Barbecue sauce (Ingredients Below)

1 onion, chopped
1 cup ketchup
½ cup molasses
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup cider vinegar
3 tablespoons prepared mustard
½ teaspoon liquid smoke
Salt and pepper to taste

Sauté onion in small amount of oil. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes. Boil ribs in water for 15 minutes. Place ribs in a dark baking pan and cover with half the sauce. Use balance of sauce to brush on during cooking. Cook in preheated 325º F oven for 2 hours.

BEAN SOUP

2 cups mixed beans
1 large onion, chopped and sautéed
4 cloves garlic, chopped and sautéed
3 tablespoons dried parsley
Dash oregano
2 tomatoes, chopped (or canned)
Red pepper (optional)
½ green pepper, chopped
1 ham hock or 4 strips of bacon (smoked)

Preheat SUN OVEN®. Place ingredients in pot and cover to within 1 inch of top with soup stock or 3 cubes of beef bouillon in water. When done, add ½ lemon or 2 tablespoons vinegar. Cook at 300º F for 4 hours.

ASIAN MEATBALLS with HOT RICE

This dish is as colorful as it is tasty. It can be prepared ahead of time and reheated before serving. Although it looks complicated, the three stages are easily accomplished and well worth the effort.

MEATBALLS:

1 pound ground beef
1 cup bread crumbs
½ cup chopped onion
¼ teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 beaten egg

Mix ingredients by hand or with your cuisineart. Form into small balls. Spray pan with Pam and arrange meatballs. Cook in preheated SUN OVEN® at 325º F for 50 minutes or until done.

SAUCE:

1 cup juice from a 17-oz. can of chunk pineapple (reserve fruit)
½ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cornstarch
¾ cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Set aside. Arrange the following over meatballs:

1 green pepper, cut in one-inch pieces, slightly blanched.
Drained pineapple from can (above)
1 large or 2 small tomatoes, cut in 8 pieces.

Pour sauce over all and pop into your SUN OVEN® to reheat for about one hour before serving. Serve over hot rice. (Turn lid upside down and cook a small pot of rice on top of the dinner. Rice should be done in one hour when dinner is ready to serve.)

MEAT LOAF

1½ pounds ground beef
1 cup tomato juice
1 egg
¼ cup chopped onion
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¾ cup rolled oats or breadcrumbs

Preheat SUN OVEN®. Combine ingredients. Bake in loaf pan at 325º F for 1½ hours.

PORK LOIN ROAST

2 pound pork loin roast
Salt and pepper

Rub meat with salt and pepper. Brown on all sides in an iron pot on top of stove. Place in preheated SUN OVEN® and cook at 325-340º F until thermometer shows 170-180º F internal temperature (about 2½ hours).

ROAST CHICKEN

Roasting chicken
Margarine
Salt and pepper

Rub chicken with margarine, salt and pepper. Cook in covered baking dish, using basting syringe to baste occasionally with pan drippings. When meat thermometer reads 180º F chicken is done (about 4 hours).

BEST EVER PORK AND BEANS

We usually double this recipe.

1 can Campbell’s pork and beans
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon dried onion
1 teaspoon dried mustard
¼ cup maple flavored syrup
1 slice bacon, cut into pieces and placed on top

Bake in preheated SUN OVEN® at 325-340º F for about one hour. Leave in oven at 200º F until dinner is served. These are really delicious and go well with any of the meat dishes.

CHEESY POTATO CASSEROLE

¼ cup butter
1 cup chopped onions
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 16-ounce sour cream
1 20-ounce bag frozen hash brown cubed potatoes, thawed
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
Crushed potato chips for the topping

Melt butter in small pan. Sauté onion until translucent. In a bowl, stir together sour cream, chicken soup and onions. Mix well. Add potatoes, salt, pepper and cheese. Stir until all ingredients are well blended. Pour into ungreased dark-colored casserole dish. Sprinkle potato chips on top. Cook for 2 hours in preheated 300-325º F oven.

FLANK STEAK

Place flank steak in marinade:

¼ cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¾ cup salad oil
1 green onion, finely chopped

Marinate steak in refrigerator for three hours. Roll flank steak and skewer or tie with string. Insert thermometer in meat and cook in preheated 325º F SUN OVEN® until desired temperature is reached. (We cook this to the rare stage on the thermometer.)

RUMP ROAST

3 pound rump roast
Flour
Salt and pepper
3 cloves of garlic
Onions
Potatoes
Carrots
Turnip
2 cups beef bouillon

Sear meat on all sides on top of stove. Insert cloves of garlic in cuts made in the roast. Cook in preheated 325º F SUN OVEN® until desired temperature is reached on meat thermometer (about 3 hours). Add onions, potatoes, carrots and turnip. Add beef bouillon for gravy. Cook another 3 hours at about 250º until carrots are done. Thicken the juices with a little cornstarch dissolved in cold water. Dinner should be ready to serve!

HOME BAKED BREAD

3 cups bread flour
¼ cup corn meal or whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1¼ cups water
2 teaspoons yeast
1 tablespoon gluten (optional)

We use a bread machine to do all the work. Just before it starts to bake, remove the dough to a greased loaf pan and place in the microwave oven with 2 cups of hot water. Dough should double in size in about 35 minutes. Remove to your 325º F SUN OVEN® and bake for approx. 45 minutes. For a better crust, brush loaf top with salt water 5 minutes before done. Test for doneness by tapping the loaf; if it sounds hollow, the bread is done.

CORN BREAD

1 package Jiffy Corn Bread Mix
1 chopped green onion
1 egg
Buttermilk

Mix first three ingredients with enough buttermilk to get the right consistency. Bake in preheated SUN OVEN® at 325º F for approx. 70 minutes or until done.

CHILI CON CARNE

5 slices bacon
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
2½ cups kidney beans
3½ cups canned tomatoes
Salt
1-2 tablespoons chili powder
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

For this recipe, we use our 4-quart cast iron pot. Place bacon slices in pot and cook at 325º F. When bacon is done, remove and sauté onions in bacon drippings until tender. Add meat, stir and cook until gray in color. Chop bacon into small pieces and return to mixture; add remaining ingredients. Simmer about 40 minutes until flavors are well blended.

PORK CHOPS

2 fairly thick pork chops
Flour
Salt and pepper

Coat chops with flour, salt and pepper. Sear on both sides. Place in a dark pan, uncovered, and bake in preheated 360º F SUN OVEN®. The temperature may drop to 325-350º F. Remove from oven and cover with gravy; return to oven for about 45 minutes. Best pork chops ever! Great served with rice (see below).

RICE

1 cup brown rice
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups water

Place ingredients in 1-quart dark pot with lid in 250-275º F SUN OVEN® for 1 hour.

SUN DRIED TOMATOES

Slice tomatoes as thin as possible. Place in wax-paper lined pan in SUN OVEN® with door open. We use the roma tomato because the color is better when dried and it tastes better. Turn tomatoes over a few times to keep them from sticking. On a clear, sunny day, it will take 5-6 hours for them to be completely dried. Our first try was very successful! If you have ever purchased sun dried tomatoes, you will really appreciate this use of your SUN OVEN®. You can use a wire rack to do two batches at a time, one on top of the other. We remove the insert when drying.

General Tips

EXAMPLES OF COOKING TIMES & TEMPERATURES

Bowl of soup: 45 minutes @ 320º F
Macaroni and cheese: 2 hours @ 300º F
2 country style ribs: 1 hour @ 340º F, turn & cook for another hour
Gingerbread (Dromedary mix): Bake in a dark pan @ 300-325º F until done

All cooking times are approximate!

Clouds: We don’t worry too much about clouds; if we have to, we move indoors and finish the meal. The exception is baked goods such as bread. We wait until we are sure of enough time to complete the baking before using the SUN OVEN®.

When you become comfortable with your SUN OVEN®, you will have as much fun as we did. We are purists, and did all the cooking in the SUN OVEN®. You can shorten preparation time by sautéing the onions and frying the bacon on your stove, but who wants to do that? Charlie doesn’t!