Insect Recipies (Entomophagy)

In much of the world, people have enjoyed eating insects for thousands of years. Insects are nutritious, espcially when gutloaded. Raising insects is environmentally friendly and relatively easy. They require minimal space per pound of protein produced, have a better feed to meat ratio (Efficiency of Conversion of Ingested Food (ECI) rating) than any other animal you can raise, and are very low on the food chain.

ECI ratings are derived by comparing the weight that an organism gains after eating a quantity of food. Chickens, which produce 38 to 40 pounds of meat from 100 pounds of feed, earn an ECI rating of around 38 or 40. By comparison, beef cattle and sheep get ECI values of 10 and 5.3 respectively. In other words, 90 percent of a steer's diet and 95 percent of a sheep's diet is "wasted". ECI values for insects: 19 to 31 for silkworm, 16 to 37 for the pale Western cutworm, and up to 44 for German cockroaches.
Think of all the land, feed produce, water and pesticides used to raise beef vs raising insects!

Ive had crickets prepared in several ways - all were good. Larva are my favorites - often they have a nutty or sweet flavour.

You've eaten plenty of bugs too - you just dont know it. http://www.chameleonforums.com/entomophagy-24544/#post219798

One way to prepare larva and crickets prior to cooking is to put the crickets or mealworms in a plastic bag and put them in the freezer until they are dead but not frozen. Fifteen minutes or so should be sufficient. Then take them out and rinse them under warm water. Cricket's heads, hind legs, and wing cases can be removed according to personal preference.

Insect flour
Spread your cleaned insects out on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Heat over to 200 degrees F and dry insects for approximately 1-3 hours, until they are brittle and crush easily. Put them into a coffee bean or spice grinder, and grind them till they are about consistency of wheat germ. Use in practically any recipe!

Stir Fried Cricket Curry Over Rice
Ingredients:
3-6 cups cooked Rice
dash of Curry Powder
Vegetable Oil
1 Can Coconut Milk
a couple cloves of Garlic
One Half Onion
1 or 2 Chili Peppers
Various seasonal vegetables (peas, carrots, bok choy, whatever)
3 Dozen Crickets
Directions:
Heat oil in a skillet or wok. Add onions and peppers; heat and stir until onions are brown. Next, add the garlic then add the vegetables and crickets and stir rapidly. (put hard veggies like carrots or potatoes in first or cut them thin to ensure they get cooked properly). When all of the vegetables and crickets are finished cooking, add the coconut milk and the curry. Stir until everything is well mixed. Serve over rice.

Chocolate Chirpie Cookies
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1/4 cup insect flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 12-ounce chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup dry-roasted crickets
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. In small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In large bowl, combine butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla; beat until creamy. Beat in eggs. Gradually add flour mixture and insects, mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and three quarters of the nuts. Drop by rounded measuring teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Use remaining nuts on top of cookies. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Grasshoppers Delight
Ingredients:
1/2 cup grasshoppers
1 cup snack mix
1 cup white chocolate
Directions:
Deep fry crickets or grasshoppers (Heat up some oil or grease. When it sizzles, put in bugs. Cook until crisp. Lay them out on a paper towel to drain and cool.)

Melt the white chocolate according to instructions on the package. After it is melted, stir in hoppers and snack mix. Put the mixture on wax paper. Then let it sit until solid (or put in the freezer for a quicker treat)

Mealworm Spaghetti
Ingredients:
1/2 lb. roasted yellow mealworms
4 1/4 cups water
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
1 sprig marjoram
1 sprig thyme
2 bay leaves
1/4 onion, chopped
8 oz. dry spaghetti
6-8 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
Olive oil
3-4 tablespoons pine nuts, finely chopped
10 sprigs parsley, finely chopped
1/2 lb. purple basil, finely chopped
1/2 lb. ricotta cheese
1/4 cup whole pine nuts
Directions:
Boil water, add sunflower oil, salt, marjoram, thyme, bay leaves, and onion. Add spaghetti. Drain when done. Melt butter in saute pan. Add spaghetti. Salt and pepper to taste. Mix basil, parsley, ricotta, oil, and chopped pine nuts with the spaghetti. Heat, but do not boil. Top with mealworms and whole pine nuts.

Grasshoppers Tacos
Ingredients:
1/2 lb. grasshoppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lemon
Salt
2 ripe avocados, mashed
6 tortillas (corn or flour)
Directions:
Roast medium-sized grasshoppers for 10 minutes in a 350� oven. Toss with garlic, juice from 1 lemon, and salt to taste. Spread mashed avocado on tortilla. Sprinkle on grasshoppers, to taste.

Bug appétit !

Comments

Sandra... there really is bugs in chocolate bars?
...my favorite thing is now ruined I wont be able to enjoy my reese's with out that in my mind LOL!
Interesting blog though :)
 
Sorry to tell you but yes, there are bugs (and a certain allowable amount of rodent poo) in candy bars. In pretty much everything factory processed. Buy european chocolate if you want less of this in your chocolate - their standards are better than in the USA :)
 
Awesome read. I actually got hungry, and I'll try it out sooner or later.

Thanks!
 

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