 |
NOAH |
Neighbors Organized Against Hunger |
.
.
|
Recipes that were posted in June , 2009
The hosting organization was
Rohnert Park Bible Church
The coordinator was
Joanne Holcomb |
|
|
 |
.
Recipes posted June 24, 2009 |
|
| |
Quick and Easy Banana Nut Bread
This is a quick and easy way to make banana nut bread when you don’t have the time or all the ingredients to make it from scratch.
Start with a commercial cake mix, the cheapest you can get; all the brands are basically the same. Food Maxx usually has a few types for about 88¢. Use a white, yellow or spice mix. Simply follow the directions, cutting the liquid from 1 1/3 cups to one cup. Also, you don’t have to use three eggs. If you only have two, it will still work just fine. When the batter is made, fold in two mashed, ripe bananas and from one half to one cup of chopped nuts – (any kind but peanuts.) If you don’t have any nuts, so-be-it. Continue as per the directions on the box and bake.
The next step is optional but makes it so much better: As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, drizzle some warm Baker’s Syrup over it. This makes a beautiful, moist cake that will keep for quite a while. Actually, I lied. It doesn’t keep very well at all. As soon as your family tastes it, it will be gone!
 |
|
 |
Banana Cream Pie the Easy Way
Want to make a super easy Banana Cream Pie? Buy a frozen pie shell and a package of instant vanilla pudding. Bake the pie shell and make the pudding according to the directions on the box. When the pie shell is cool, slice bananas and place in an even layer on the bottom. Cover with the pudding. Slice more bananas and place in a decorative ring around the outer edge, on top of the pudding and chill. It will be even more sinful if you enhance each serving with a dollop of whipped cream or cool-whip. |
|
Plum Duff
If you took home a lot of plums and are now afraid some of them may go to waste, make a delectable plumb duff or crumble for a special breakfast, or a welcome dessert. It’s easy, delicious and a guaranteed kid pleaser.
Wash the plumbs and remove the pits. Cut into small, thin pieces, (skin on) and mix with sugar or sweetener to taste. Add a wee bit of powdered cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger if you have them. Add about a teaspoon of flour per cup of plumbs. Stir well and pour into a baking dish. Cover with streusel topping. You will also find a recipe for streusel topping on the box of Bisquick or similar all purpose baking mix. Bake at 350° for forty to forty-five minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Try it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream, or with a bit of milk or cream poured over it.
    |
What to do if those bananas and plums get too ripe? If you’ve got a blender and milk, you’ve got
.
FRESH FRUIT SMOOTHIES
.
Just put cut up fruit and milk in the blender and whir until smooth. Add sugar, sweetener or honey to taste and whirr again. You can even add a few ice cubes to make it extra thick and luscious. Ain’t summer grand.
 |
| |
The following are Recipes for foods distributed June 17, 2009
|
|
 |
Sunday Baked Ham Dinner
This week’s provender has all the makings of a spectacular special Sunday dinner. Bake the ham with the potatoes and onions. Serve along with steamed and buttered broccoli and finish with a peach pie or fresh cut fresh peaches served with a wee bit of cream poured over each serving. Why not go all the way. Make biscuits and gravy. Not very healthy, |
 |
but hey; once in a while won’t hurt, and they are so tasty, as well as inexpensive to make. Wow! That sounds like Sunday dinner to me. And after words, you have bits of ham to make potato soup, or to add to the pasta. Ham scraps, added to chopped onion and chopped steamed broccoli and a bit of salsa can make burritos. And of course that ham bone is great boiled with beans, split peas or lentils. |
 |
Easy Biscuits and Gravy
Biscuits
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 ½ cubes of butter, margarine or shortening, (3/4 cup) – It should be could
3/4 cup cold water |
| When the ham is done, remove from the oven, cover with foil and set aside to keep warm. Turn the oven to 450° or 500°. Sift the flour, baking powder and sugar together. Add the butter, cut into small pieces, and with a wire pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it is about the texture of coarse cornmeal. No piece of butter should be any larger than a small pea. Pour the cold water into the flour and shortening mixture and using a table fork. Stir round and round quickly, just until all the flour is moistened. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently. Actually, you just |
 |
sort of want to shove the bits and pieces together. Over working will result in tough biscuits. Pat into a circle that is about three quarters of an inch thick. Use a round cookie cutter or the rim of a drinking glass dipped in flour and cut into rounds. Push the scraps together and pat into a circle again and cut more biscuits. Continue until all the dough is used. Place the biscuits about one inch apart on a baking sheet that has been lightly oiled or lined with a sheet of bakers parchment. Place in the center of the oven and bake for five minutes. Reduce the heat to 350° and continue baking for about fifteen minutes more, or until the tops age golden brown. Remove from the oven, wrap in a clean cloth, place in a basket or bowl and keep warm until serving time.
Pan Gravy
Makes 3 to 4 cups
What’s a biscuit without it’s gravy? Good gravy is easy to make but the first step of cooking the flour and fat together is all important. This is called a “Roux,” and is the first step in any really good gravy or sauce.
3 tablespoons of the fat from cooking the ham – (or substitute other fat or cooking oil)
3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour |
 |
3 to 4 cups of pan juices, stock, broth or hot water mixed with powdered bouillon to taste
Place the fat and flour in a heavy skillet and over a medium-low heat, stir together with a wire whisk until the mixture is bubbling and a nutty-brown color. At this point, stir in three cups of whatever liquid you are using, whisking vigorously all the while. Continue to cook, whisking slowly until the mixture thickens, about five minutes. It you want a thinner gravy, add a bit more liquid and continue whisking over medium heat for another two or three minutes. If you wish you may add thinly sliced mushrooms about halfway through the cooking time. Serve hot. |
| |
Choucroute Garnie
Serves 4 to 6 or more
.
Choucroute Garnie is French for, “a gathering of pork.” It is a favorite dish in Alsace, and is made form whatever pork products you have on hand, plus, potatoes, onions and sauerkraut or fresh cabbage cooked in broth, wine or beer. So, here is yet another use for that ham. Enjoy a ham dinner this Sunday, save a few slices and the bone and buy a package or two of inexpensive hot dogs. You can usually get them for $1.00 or less. Food Max has them this week for 88 cents. |
 |
Trim the fat off the ham and bone and discard. Place the bone, any bits of ham and the hot dogs in a large, heavy pot with a heavy lid. Add several cloves of crushed garlic, 5 or 6 peeled onions, cut into thick slices and 4 or 5 potatoes, cut into large chunks. Peel off the outer leaves of the cabbage and set aside. Cut the remainder of the cabbage into quarters and remove the hard core. Roughly chop and add to the pot. Add about a teaspoon of Italian seasoning or other favorite herbs and a bay leaf if you have it. Pour in two or three cups of broth.* Cover everything with the large leaves of cabbage, like they were blankets and you were tucking the other meat and veggies into bed. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cover with a tight fitting lid. Cook for about an hour or until all the veggies are tender and the meat is falling off the ham bone.
.
As you can see, this is a very economical dish. You can add as many potatoes and as much cabbage as you want and a little bit of meat will flavor it beautifully. If the budget will allow, you may use German sausages instead of hot dogs.
* You can make broth by adding powdered bouillon to hot water to taste. You can also substitute a bit of beer or white wine for part of the liquid. |
|
 |
Braised Cabbage
Serves 4 to 6
1 or 2 heads of cabbage, depending on size
1 or 2 tablespoons of olive or other vegetable oil
1 or 2 onions, cut into thin rings
2 or 3 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
1 or 2 heads of cabbage, depending on size
About 1 cup of chicken, beef or vegetable broth * |
.
About half a teaspoon mixed dry herbs, (often sold as Italian seasoning)
Fresh black pepper to taste – (no salt needed – the broth is usually way salty enough)
Remove and discard any damaged or wilted outside leaves from the cabbage. Cut into quarters if small, into eights if larger, and remove the hard inner core. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet and gently sauté the onion and garlic until the onion rings are soft and pinkish. Add the cabbage to the skillet and cook until very lightly browned on all sides, using a pair of kitchen to turn. When the cabbage is golden brown and hot through, sprinkle with the herbs and pepper and pour in the liquid and cover with a tight fitting lid. Simmer until tender to your liking, usually about thirty minutes. Remove the cabbage and onions to a heated serving plate and keep warm. If there is still a lot of liquid in the skillet, increase the heat and reduce the liquid by about half. Pour over the cabbage and serve hot. A light sprinkling of paprika is a nice addition.
If you enjoy the flavor of caraway, sprinkle on a few caraway seeds when you add the herbs and pepper. |
| |
 |
Fresh Peach Cobbler
Just in case you have more peaches than you can use, how about a quick and easy fresh peach cobbler. And have you ever wondered why they are called COBBLERS? Because the crust, made from biscuits, instead of traditional pie crust, looks like an old fashion cobblestone street.
You can make any amount you want. Preheat the oven to 450° or 500°. Peel and slice the peaches into a bowl. Sprinkle with sugar to taste and add a wee bit of cinnamon, nutmeg and powdered ginger. Also sprinkle with a bit of all purpose flour, about 1 teaspoon per cup of sliced peaches. Stir gently and leave sit while you |
make the biscuits. Use your favorite biscuit recipe, Bisquick, frozen biscuits or the recipe listed above. Pour the peaches into a baking dish that will hold them comfortably and top with the biscuits. Place the biscuits so that they are just douching. When the rise the will fill in the gaps. Paint the tops of the biscuits with an egg that has been beaten with one tablespoon of water and sprinkle with a bit of sugar. Place in the center of the oven, with a baking sheet on the rack below to catch any drips. Bake for five minutes at 450° or 500° and then reduce the heat to 350° and bake for another forty to forty-five minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool a bit. Fresh peach cobbler is great served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and it is great cold a well. |
|
The following are Recipes for foods distributed June 10, 2009
|
 |
Fresh Mushroom Fajitas
A bit of olive or other vegetable oil
Thinly sliced onion rings
Thinly sliced garlic
Sliced mushrooms – (if you received large mushrooms, slice them – if you received the small mushrooms, just chop them roughly)
Salsa
Fresh, warm flour tortillas
Heat a bit of olive oil in a heavy skillet and gently sauté the onions and garlic until the onions are pinkish, translucent and just beginning to brown around the edges. Add the mushrooms and continue to sauté until the mushrooms are hot through and just barely beginning to brown around the edges. Add a bit of salsa or other sauce, just enough to moisten the mushrooms and onions, cook only until hot through. Wrap in warm tortillas and serve. Sure, you could add a bit of grated cheese if you have it, but it’s not necessary. |
|
Fresh Mushroom Scramble
Serves 3 to 4
Eggs don’t go very far. If served plain, one person can easily eat two to three eggs and still be hungry. If however, you enhance your eggs with sautéed vegetables, they will not only be mighty tasty, they will go a lot further.
1 or 2 tablespoons of olive or other vegetable oil
About half an onion, roughly chopped
2 or 3 cloves of garlic, minced
About a cup of chopped or sliced mushrooms |
 |
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated cheese
Fresh black pepper to taste
Heat the oil in a heavy skillet and gently sauté the onion and garlic until the onion is soft, pinkish and translucent. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking until the mushrooms are hot through, about two minutes. Pour in the eggs and allow to cook, undisturbed until a bit of a skin develops on the bottom, (about a minute). Sprinkle the cheese over the top and add pepper to taste. Gently begin lifting and turning the egg mixture until all the egg is cooked to your liking. I like my eggs a bit on the soft side. Some people prefer them firmer. Served warm with toast, this makes an excellent special breakfast. It’s also great for lunch or supper.
You might try sautéing a bit of chopped zucchini along with the onion and garlic. |
 |
Fresh Garden Soup
Serves 4 to 6
1 to 2 tablespoons olive or other vegetable oil
1 onion, diced
2 or 3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 stalk of celery, chopped – (optional)
1 or two zucchini, diced
About a cup of mushrooms, roughly chopped |
6 cups of water
Powdered bouillon to taste – (usually about a teaspoon per cup of water)
Fresh black pepper to taste – (you probably won’t need any salt – the bouillon is quite salty)
Chopped fresh parsley – (optional)
Heat the oil in a heavy pot and gently sauté the onion, garlic, celery and zucchini until just beginning to brown around the edges. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking until hot through. Add the water and bring to a boil. Add the bouillon to taste. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook for about thirty minutes. Season to taste with pepper and stir in a bit of chopped fresh parsley. Serve hot with toasted and buttered buns.
You could add bits of other veggies you might have hanging around, (carrots, peppers, a few leftover cooked beans, whatever. Don’t add beets. They’ll make it look icky). Also try adding a bit of pasta. |
Other Mushroom Ideas:
For a true Hobbit, mushrooms have infinite uses. Here are just a few simple ideas.
1. Try simply slicing them, sautéing them with minced garlic in a bit of olive or other vegetable oil and serving them as a side dish with whatever meat you may be serving.
2. Sauté chopped or sliced mushrooms in a bit of olive or other vegetable oil and add just a bit of milk, half and half, cream or sour cream. Cook for a minute or two, just enough to reduce the liquid a bit, season to taste with salt and pepper and serve over buttered toast. |
 |
3. Sauté with diced onion and minced garlic. Add just enough stock, broth or bouillon to moisten into a bit of a sauce and pour over cooked pasta. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and a bit of minced fresh parsley or chives.
|
 |
Cucumbers
Cucumbers in a salad are a given however, there are other delicious uses for them.
When I was a kid living in southern California, we crossed the border into Tijuana frequently. There were venders who sold delicious cucumber snacks. Cucumbers were sliced into spears and sprinkled with cider vinegar, garlic salt, black pepper and paprika. They were crisp, fresh and delicious; and so much healthier than some high fat or high sugar snack. |
Another excellent use of cucumbers is this:
Chilled Turkish Cucumber and Yogurt Soup
1 or 2 cucumbers – (depending on size)
About 1/2 a cup of diced sweet purple onion
2 or 3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
About 2 cups of plain yogurt
Minced fresh or dry dill weed to taste
Salt and fresh black pepper to taste |
|
Peel and seed the cucumbers and grate on the large holes of a grater. Put into a bowl with the remaining ingredients and stir. Refrigerate until well chilled. Serve cold as a soup. Traditionally this is served with Pita bread. Flour tortillas will work too. |
|
Zucchini Pasta al Fresco
Serves 4 to 6
About 1 ½ pounds of pasta of choice, boiled to desired degree of doneness
1 teaspoon of olive or other vegetable oil
1 to 2 tablespoons additional olive or other vegetable oil
1 onion, diced
3 to 4 cloves of garlic, shopped small
1 or 2 zucchini, cut into approximately 1/4 inch slices |
About 1 cup of chopped mushrooms
2 or 3 fresh tomatoes, diced, or 1 can of diced or crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon mixed dry herbs – (often sold as Italian seasoning)
Salt and fresh black pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley – (optional)
Cook the pasta, drain well, return to the pot and add a spoon full of oil and stir gently. Set aside. Heat the additional oil in a large heavy skillet. Gently sauté the onion and garlic until golden. Add the zucchini and continue to sauté over a moderate heat until hot through. Add the mushrooms and sauté for another minute or two. Add the tomatoes and herbs, and continue to cook, covered for another five to ten minutes, or until the zucchini is tender. Add the pasta to the skillet and season to taste with salt and pepper. Continue to cook over a medium heat, stirring gently, until all is hot through. Served hot with French bread this makes an excellent and healthy meal. A sprinkling on parmesan cheese is a nice addition. |
Zucchini Bake
Serves 4 to 6
1 or 2 tablespoons olive or other vegetable oil
1 onion, diced
3 or 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 can chopped or crushed tomatoes – (do not drain)
1 cup chopped mushrooms – (optional)
1 teaspoon dry herbs – (often sold as Italian seasoning) |
 |
1 cup grated cheese
1 cup breadcrumbs *
2 or 3 zucchini, sliced into 1/4 inch thick strips lengthwise
Preheat the oven to 350°. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet. Gently sauté the onion and garlic until the onion is just beginning to brown around the edges. Add the tomatoes, mushrooms and herbs. Cook for another two or three minutes. Set aside. Toss the cheese and breadcrumbs together. Slice the zucchini. Lightly oil a baking pan and cover the bottom with a layer of zucchini slices. Spoon some of the tomato and onion mixture over the zucchini. Sprinkle on some of the cheese and bread crumb mixture. Add another layer of zucchini, then more of the tomato mixture, and more bread crumbs. Continue until all the ingredients are used. Be sure to end with the breadcrumb/cheese mixture. Put into the oven for about thirty to forty minutes, or until the top is browned and crusty and the zucchini is tender. Serve hot.
* Go to April's Recipes and scroll down to “Things to do with Hamburger and Hotdog Buns,” to find directions for making bread crumbs. |
 |
The following are Recipes for foods distributed June 3, 2009 |
 |
|
 |
Sure, one can of vegies doesn’t go very far for a big family, however, if you add that can of vegies, drained and well rinsed, to a bowl of torn up lettuce, it will add interest, flavor and nutrition to your salad and make those vegies go a lot further. Try also adding a few thinly sliced onion rings from the lovely sweet purple |
onions we had this week. AND, you can use some of that bread to make croutons. Croutons are great in salads. You’ll find directions for making croutons among the recipes listed for April. They are near the bottom of April 15th’s recipes under, things to do with Hamburger and Hot Dog buns.
.
You now have a salad that is a lot more interesting than just plain lettuce, and that can of vegies will go a lot further. If you received plain beans, they of course are great in a salad as well. Use what ever dressing you choose. |
|
 |
Quick Vinaigrette for Salads
Dressings for your salads don’t have to be thick and creamy. For a light and tasty alternative try this.
1/3 cup vinegar – (red wine, cider, rice, or just plain white Vinegar)
1/4 cup olive or other vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon sugar
Salt and black pepper to taste
Put all in a jar and shake well. To this basic recipe you may add any of a variety of seasonings: |
 |
Finely minced garlic or onion
Chopped fresh herbs if available
A dash of Worcestershire sauce
A dash of Tabasco
A bit of mustard or catsup
A bit of finely minced dill pickle
A bit of sweet pickle relish
Add to the basic vinaigrette in the jar and shake well. Leave sit for about twenty minutes before using. |
.
The Enchanted Broccoli Forest |
Broccoli
We were fortunate enough to obtain beautiful, fresh broccoli again this week. Broccoli is a wonderful vegetable. It contains more protein and calcium than most other vegetables and it's way high in fiber. Broccoli is also though to be significant in retarding the development of certain types of cancer cells. |
|
 |
Marinated Broccoli
Try lightly steaming broccoli florets until tender but not mushy. They should still have a bit of crunch to them. Cool in cold water and then drain well. Place them in a jar and add your favorite Italian type salad dressing or the vinaigrette recipe posted above. Leave them for two or three days before using. They are great in salads, as part of ante pasta platter, or just for munching.
Also try putting the steamed broccoli spears in the juice left from a jar of your favorite pickles. |
You could also add a few cooked carrot slices or cauliflower florets and perhaps a few thin onion rings. Marinated veggies make great snacking, and they’re healthy. |
Cream of Broccoli Soup
serves 4 to 6
About 2 tablespoons of olive or other vegetable oil
1 large onion, diced
3 o 4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon mixed herbs – (often sold as Italian seasoning)
About 1 pound of broccoli, chopped – (stems and flowers) |
 |
4 cups of water
Powdered chicken or other bouillon to taste
2 cups of milk, half and half or cream
Black pepper to taste
Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot and gently sauté the onion, garlic and herbs until the onion is soft and just beginning to brown around the edges. Add the broccoli and continue to sauté until it is hot through and coated with the oil. Add the water and bring to a boil. Add powdered chicken bouillon to taste. Go slowly, add it about a teaspoon at a time. It is fairly salty. When the liquid tasted like you want it, cover with a tight fitting lid and simmer until the broccoli is quite soft. Allow to cool to a safe temperature and either in a traditional blender or with an immersible blender, purée the mixture. Return to the pot, add the cream and pepper and heat. This is great served just as it it or with a dollop of sour cream. It is also good served with croutons. You’ll find directions for making croutons among the recipes listed for April. Served with French bread or toasted rolls this makes a healthy and satisfying meal.
For somethig special, serve it in a bread bowl and sprinkle a bit of graited cheese over it. |
Stretching that Can
Most of you received a can of Spaghetti-o’s, Raviolis, Spaghetti and Meat balls or similar product and that one can won’t go very far for a family. However, if you consider it as a can of flavor for four and not a dinner one, it can be stretched quite a way. That one can has a lot of flavor. It also has a lot more sodium than any one person should eat. If you use it as a flavoring instead of just a meal, it will not only go a lot further; it will be a lot healthier. Think outside the box (or can, as the case may be) and consider one of these ideas for making that one little can serve double duty.
Idea no. One: Cut your broccoli into florets and blanch or steam and set aside. Sauté an onion in a bit of olive or other oil. Add the broccoli and the can of whatever to the onion and stir gently over medium heat until all is hot through.
Idea no. Two: You can make it go even further by cooking some pasta and adding the above mixture to it. You can serve it this way or, if you happen to have any cheese, put the mixture in a baking dish, sprinkle with a bit of grated cheese and bake just until the cheese begins to melt.
Idea no. Three: Don’t have any pasta left? Split some of those hamburger or hot dog buns in half, toast them and pour mixture no. one over them. Serve as is or, if you have cheese, sprinkle some over the top of each serving and pop into the oven until the cheese melts.
|
|
We hope these few recipes will be of help to you and your family. Remember, check back often to see if any new recipes have been posted.
Sincerely,
the Volunteers at NOAH |
|
|
|
The churches and organizations listed above take it in turn on a monthly rotation to be responsible the operation of the NOAH pantry. During their month, they are responsible for the organization of the distribution, providing volunteer labor for the unloading of the delivery trucks, packaging and distribution of the food parcels, cleanup and of course the ever dreaded paper work. There is also a stable of regular volunteers who donate their time and energy on an ongoing basis. |
|
|
|
 Together we make a community. |
|
