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NOAH |
Neighbors Organized Against Hunger |
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Recipes posted May 28th |
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Huzza! Summer is just around the corner and that means fresh produce. This week we were lucky enough to be able to obtain celery and beautiful big heads of fresh lettuce. What a tasty endowment!
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A wonderful, crisp salad is always a welcome addition to the summer diet. A salad can be as simple as tearing up fresh lettuce and putting it in a bowl or it can be a creation of magnificence, filled with the summer’s bounty: tomatoes, bell peppers, celery, sweet purple onions, avocados, beans, croutons, bean sprouts, you name it. A salad can also be a tasty way to use up any bits and pieces of leftovers. Start with lettuce and celery and begin adding stuff; you got a can of beans or corn? Add some. Got a bit of leftover ham, chicken, fish? Dice or sliver it and toss it into the salad bowl. Any leftover cooked vegies from last night’s dinner. Dice them and add. A bit of cheese, grate it and add. Why not? Add a dressing of choice and there’s a delicious meal in a bowl.
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Orange and Sweet Potato Salad
Here is an unusual yet tasty salad that utilizes several of this weeks ingredients. Peel some sweet potatoes and cut into half inch slices. If the sweet potatoes are large, cut the slices in half or quarters. Carefully slide into boiling water and cook until they may be pierced with a fork or skewer but are not mushy. Drain and cool in cold water. |
Drain well and place in a salad bowl. Peel several oranges and separate into segments, then cut the segments into bite size pieces and add to the sweet potatoes in the bowl. Add diced celery and an onion, (preferably sweet purple ones) either diced or cut into thin rings. A chopped green onion or two would be a good addition as well. Be sure to use the most of the green part . Toss all together gently. If you happen to have any fresh mint, chives, parsley, dill weed or cilantro growing, mince a bit and add. Add a dressing of choice. Ranch is O.K.
I like to make a rather sweet dressing by adding a spoon or two of orange marmalade or frozen concentrated O.K. to about half a cup of mayonnaise or sour cream. I often add a touch of curry powder. Drizzle your dressing over the salad and toss gently. Line a plate with fresh lettuce leaves and pile the salad on them. Talk about yummy! |
Taco Salad
Serves 4 to 6
With summer fast upon us, salads are a great addition to the diet.
This is one of those salads that’s a meal in its self.
1/2 pound of ground beef or pork - (if available) *
Taco seasoning to taste
1 or 2 tomatoes, cut into wedges |
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About 1/2 an onion, cut into thin slices
Shredded crisp lettuce
About a cup of diced celery
1 bell pepper, any color, seeded and cut into thin strips – (if available)
1 Anaheim, cut into thin rings – (if available)
About a cup of canned or cooked beans
About 1/2 a cup of grated cheese of choice
1/2 cup chunky salsa
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Taco or other Mexican seasoning to taste
Warm or toasted tortillas
Gently sauté the ground meat, breaking it up as you go. Season it to taste with a bit of Taco or other Mexican style seasoning. Drain off excess fat and set aside to cool. Combine the tomatoes, onion, lettuce and celery in a large serving bowl and toss gently. Scatter the beans, meat and cheese over the top of the salad. Mix the salsa and mayonnaise together and season to taste with the taco seasoning. Drizzle this dressing over the salad. Serve with warm or toasted tortillas. This salad is a good way to use up any leftover bits of meat or chicken you may have; dice small and scatter over the top.
* You're a vegetarian? Not to worry. The salad is just as good without the meat. |
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There were tortillas and refries in most of the parcels this week. The obvious is tacos or burritos. When making those tacos or burritos, adding a bit of chopped onion, shredded lettuce and diced tomato makes them a lot more interesting and makes the ingredients go a lot further. If fresh tomatoes aren’t available and you have any diced canned tomatoes from previous weeks, they will work just fine. And of course a bit of grated cheese, if available is a super addition. |
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Bean Dip
Is there anyone who doesn’t love bean dip. This one is quick and easy and a good use for those refries.
1/2 can bean dip
1/2 cup chunky salsa
1/2 cup mayonnaise or sour cream |
About half an onion, diced small
1 or 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
About 2 tablespoons of minced fresh cilantro – (optional)
Tabasco or other hot sauce to taste
Mix all together well. Serve with tortilla chips or cut fresh vegetables for dipping. |
Southwest Scramble
This simple recipe is a great way to make a few eggs go a long way. For fried or scrambled eggs will usually feed two people. Adding some tasty ingredients and those same 4 eggs will make a satisfying meal for four. This makes a nice dinner meal. Eggs don’t have to stay on the breakfast table.
4 eggs |
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1 tablespoon olive or other vegetable oil
1 onion, diced
1 or 2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 rib of celery, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
About half a can of refries
1/2 cup grated cheese
1/2 cup salsa
Beat the eggs and set aside until the foam subsides. Stir the refries to break them up and place in the microwave for a few seconds to heat them and make them softer and more easily spooned. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet and over a medium heat, gently sauté the onion, garlic, pepper and celery until the onion is pinkish and translucent and just beginning to brown around the edges and the vegies are beginning to soften. Pour the eggs over the sautéed vegetables and immediately top with dollops of the softened refries. Working quickly, sprinkle with the cheese and salsa. Using a spatula, gently, lift and turn the eggs until all are cooked to your liking and the other ingredients are lightly incorporated. Serve with toast or warmed tortillas. |
Kid Pleasing Snacks
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Try this on your kids. Cut celery into boats about three or four inches long and fill them with refried beans or peanut butter. This makes a great and healthy snack. |
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Another Tasty Snack
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Make toast and spread it with refries. Sprinkle with a bit of grated cheese and pop in the oven just until the cheese begins to melt. Cut into triangles and top each with a small dollop of salsa. Great snacking. |
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Recipes posted May 20th |
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Most of this week’s grocery bags contained pasta, red sauce, hamburger and potatoes. Sure, the obvious is to sauté the hamburger, add it to the red sauce and pour it over the pasta. One meal. BUT; if you think beyond the obvious, those ingredients can be stretched to become several interesting meals.
First, think of pasta beyond red sauce. Go to the Previously Posted Recipes and scroll down to the week of April 29 where you will find several ideas for pasta without red sauce. They will give you ideas for several excellent meals while leaving your red sauce to use in different ways to create additional interesting meals. |
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Stretching that Hamburger
The following are several ways you can stretch that hamburger |
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Swedish Meatballs
Serves 4 to 6
The Meatballs:
1 or 2 tablespoons olive or other vegetable oil
1 onion, diced
2 or 3 cloves of garlic, minced |
1 pound of ground beef – (or other ground meat)
1 teaspoon mixed dry herbs, - (sometimes called Italian seasoning)
1 cup of cooked rice – (white or brown)
1 egg
Salt and black pepper or red pepper flakes to taste
Heat the oil in a heavy skillet and add the onion and garlic. Sauté until pinkish and translucent but not yet beginning to brown. Allow to cool, then place in a bowl with the remaining ingredients and mix well. Form into small meatballs about the size of a walnut and set aside. Wipe the skillet clean and heat a bit of additional oil to medium and gently grown the meatballs on all sides. Continue to cook until the meatballs are done. To test, cut one open. They should still be slightly pink on the inside. Over cooked and they will be dry. Remove from the skillet and set aside while you make the gravy.
The Gravy:
About 3 tablespoons of butter or margarine
About 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
About 2 cups chicken or beef stock or broth – (if you have powdered bouillon, follow the manufacturer’s directions and make your own stock or broth)
In a heavy skillet, melt the butter and flour together over a medium to low heat while stirring constantly. Continue to stir until it is a golden brown. Pour in the stock or broth and simmer over a medium heat, whisking all the while, until thickened; about three to five minutes. Add the meatballs and continue to simmer until they are hot through. Serve as is or over cooked noodles or steamed rice. A bit of chopped fresh parsley or green onion added just before serving is a nice addition
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Meat Loaf
Serves 4 to 6
1 to 2 tablespoons olive or other vegetable oil
1 large onion, diced
2 to 3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bell pepper, seeded and diced, (optional)
1 stalk of celery, diced, (optional) |
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2 to 3 slices of bread, torn into small crumb or 1 cup of cooked rice or 1 cup of instant oatmeal
About 1 teaspoon mixed dry herbs, (often called Italian seasoning)
About 1/2 a teaspoon of dry powdered mustard – (optional)
About 1/4 cup of chopped fresh parsley – (optional)
A dash of Worcestershire sauce
About 1/2 cup milk, broth or water
1 egg
Salt and black pepper to taste
Heat the oil in a heavy skillet and gentle sauté the onion, garlic, bell pepper and celery until softish and just beginning to brown around the edges. Place in a bowl and allow to cool. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Make a small patty of the mixture and fry or nuke to taste for seasoning. Adjust the seasonings if necessary. Pack into a baking dish and set in a larger pan. Place in the center of the oven and half fill the larger pan with water. Bake at 350° for about an hour to an hour and a half. About half way through the baking, gently spoon or pour off any excess fat that has accumulated. When done, remove from the oven and allow to sit for about ten minutes before serving. Serve with gravy, boiled or mashed potatoes, noodles or rice. Also serve with a few carrots or other vegetables and you will have a very satisfying and nutritious meal that will make that pound of hamburger go a long way. AND, leftover meatloaf sandwiches are great!
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To turn this into an Italian style meat loaf, replace the 1/2 cup of milk, water or broth with about 1/2 a cup of red sauce and spread red sauce over the top of the meatloaf before baking. Spread on more red sauce about half way through the baking.
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Scottish Potato Pies
To make 4 to 6
4 to 5 large potatoes
1 to 2 tablespoons of olive or other vegetable oil
1 or 2 onions, diced
2 or 3 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon mixed dry herbs – (sometimes called Italian seasoning) |
1/2 pound of hamburger
Salt and black pepper to taste
Stock or broth *
2 tablespoons of butter or margarine
2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
Wash four to six large potatoes. Bake or nuke until they are quite soft. When they are done, one at a time, wrap in a clean tea-towel and gently massage to sort of fluff and break up the insides of the potato. Try not to break the skin.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet and gently sauté the onion and garlic until the onion is pinkish and translucent but not yet beginning to brown. Remove from the skillet and set aside. Add the hamburger and gently sauté, breaking it apart into small bits as you work. Add the herbs and continue to sauté. Don’t overcook. It should still be slightly pinkish. Pour off any excess fat. Place in a bowl with the sautéed onions and garlic. Cut the top off of each potato and gently scoop out some of the inside, trying not to break the skins too much. Gently mix the potato with the hamburger and onion. Stuff this mixture back into the potato skins and set the filled potato skins in a baking dish. Add enough broth or stock to the pan to be about an inch deep around the potatoes. Cover with foil and place in a 350° oven for about thirty minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully lift the potatoes out of the dish and place on a serving dish. Set aside and keep warm. Measure the liquid in the baking dish and set aside.
In a skillet, melt the butter with the flour and stir over a moderate heat until a light golden brown. Add enough stock or broth to the measured liquid to make two cups total. Add to the skillet and whisking all the while, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and continue to whisk for about five minutes, or until thickened.
Place a stuffed potato on each plate and soon some of the gravy over it. If you have a package of frozen peas, add them to the gravy.
* Follow the manufacturer’s directions and you can turn powdered bouillon into stock or broth. |
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You can use the other half pound of meat in a sauce to use on pasta. Now you have made one pound of meat stretch for two meals. Add a few sautéed vegies and it will go even further.
  
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Pizza Bread
Some of you got French bread or garlic bread. How about using that red sauce to make Bread Pizza. It’s easy, quick and a kid pleaser. Just sauté some diced onion in a bit of olive or other vegetable oil, along with chopped garlic and celery if you have it. Add the sauce to the skillet along with about a cup of water or broth, (You can make the broth if you still have any of the chicken bouillon from several weeks ago). Add about a teaspoon of dry mixed herbs (often called Italian seasoning) if you have it, stir well and simmer until the sauce has thickened. Turn the oven to 350° or 400°. Split the loaf of French bread in half and place on a baking sheet. Spread each side liberally with the sauce. You can place it in the oven as it is and bake until it is just beginning to brown or you may enhance it with anything you might have laying about. |
If you have any bits of leftover meat of chicken, chop it up and scatter it on top. Any cheese, grate some and scatter on top. If you have any olives, chop some and add as well. How about some chopped bell pepper, chilies, or mushrooms. Just about anything makes a good topping. If you are using cheese, sprinkle it on last, then place in the oven until the cheese melts and begins to turn brown, and you have pizza! Huzzah!
This is also a good way to use up those hamburger and hot dog buns that are often in your grocery bags. Split the buns in half and lightly toast. Then spread with red sauce and any of the above suggested toppings and pop in the oven until hot and just beginning to brown around the edges, and you have individual pizzas. |
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Recipes posted May 13th |
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Pasta with Enhanced Sauce
Serves 4 to 6
If you received pasta and a jar of sauce in your bag this week, sure, you can just boil the pasta and pour the jar of sauce over it, but it will taste a lot better and go a lot further if you spark it up a bit.
I realize that not everyone will have all of the veggies suggested below on hand. If not, use what you have. Even if it’s just the onions you received, your pasta will be all the better for it. |
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1 or 2 tablespoons of olive or other vegetable oil
1 or 2 onions, diced
3 or 4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 or 2 stalks of celery, chopped small
About half a bell pepper, chopped small
1 teaspoon mixed dry herbs, (often called Italian seasoning)
1 jar or can of commercial tomato, spaghetti, pizza or sloppy Joe sauce
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoons sugar
Cooked pasta of choice
Heat the oil in a heavy skillet and gently sauté onion and garlic until the onion is pinkish and translucent. Add the celery, pepper and herbs and continue to sauté until all are soft and just beginning to brown around the edges. Add the sauce, water, vinegar and sugar, stir well and simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes. Pour over pasta that has been cooked to your desired degree of doneness. Serve hot. If you have any parsley, chop some and sprinkle it over the top, along with a bit of grated Parmesan cheese, if available. |
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Pasta Bake
Serves 4 to 5
This recipe for a pasta bake gives your pasta a bit of a different flair.
Cook pasta until it is just barely done. It should still have a bit of tooth to it since it will be cooked again. Drain well and toss with about 1 tablespoon of olive or other vegetable oil. Make the Enhanced Spaghetti Sauce. Stir about one third |
of the sauce into the pasta. Pour the rest of the sauce on top. Mix about half a cup of grated cheese of choice with about half a cup of bread crumbs. Sprinkle this cheese and breadcrumb mixture over the pasta and bake at 350° for about 20 to 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and just beginning to turn brown. Serve hot.
You’ll find information for making breadcrumbs if you go to recipes posted in previous weeks
and scroll down to recipes for April 15. Near the end you’ll see information on making breadcrumbs at home. |
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| Tomato sauce, Spaghetti sauce, Sloppy Joe sauce and Pizza sauce may be used interchangeably. They are just seasoned a bit differently. They will taste better and go further is you sauté some onion, garlic, celery and bell pepper to add to it. |
Suggestion: make un-red pasta and use the jar of sauce to make a potato and onion or bean casserole. You'll get two meals instead of one. |
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Consider making your pasta and your jar of sauce making two meals instead of one. Instead of putting the jar of sauce on the pasta you received this week, use the sauce to make a potato or bean based casserole.
Potato or Bean Casserole
Serves 4 to 6
4 or 5 potatoes
1 or 2 tablespoons of olive or other vegetable oil
1 or 2 onions, cut into thin rings
3 or 4 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon mixed dry herbs, (often called Italian seasoning) |
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A jar of spaghetti sauce or other red sauce
A bit of grated cheese
Peel the potatoes and boil until they are just tender, but not falling apart, (or nuke until almost soft and then peel) You don’t want them falling apart because they will be cooked again. Set the spuds aside until cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy skillet and gently sauté the onions and garlic, with the herbs, until they are just beginning to brown around the edges. Slice the potatoes and place in alternate layers with the onion mixture in a baking dish. Pour the spaghetti sauce over the top and sprinkle with a bit of cheese. Bake at 350° until hot through and bubbling and the cheese is melted, about twenty or thirty minutes.
You can do the same thing with beans; dry or canned. If using dry beans, cook until tender, drain and use in place of the potatoes, or you can use drained canned beans, any kind. Kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans, garbanzo, black-eyed peas will all work.
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You can do the same thing with beans; dry or canned. If using dry beans, cook until tender, drain and use in place of the potatoes, or you can use drained canned beans, any kind. Kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans, garbanzo, black-eyed peas will all work.
Try cutting up a few hot dogs and adding. Kids love it. |
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Apple ‘n’ Onion Salad
This week most of you received beautiful big sweet purple onions. I personally don’t care for them cooked at all, but raw in salads and sandwiches they are splendid.
Try a salad of diced apples and sweet purple onions. Dress with your favorite dressing. I think a somewhat sweet dressing works best. If you have oil and cider vinegar, mix about 1/2 a cup of the vinegar with 1/4 cup of oil and sweeten to taste with sugar, honey or non sugar sweetener. Drizzle over the salad. If you have any celery chop some and add to the salad. Grated carrots are a nice addition as well. If you have them, toss in a handful of raisins. Serve as is or on a bed of lettuce. |
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Recipes posted May 6th |
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Baked Ham
O.K. so baking a ham is a no-brainer, except that they often package them with that packet of graze that I quite frankly find disgusting. If you too find that commercial glaze somewhat less than rewarding, you might enjoy trying one of the following easy ideas for glazing your ham.
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Mustard Glaze
1/4 cup brown German style mustard – (not yellow hot dog mustard)
About 2 or 3 tablespoons sugar
2 or 3 cloves of garlic, very finely minced or about 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon mixed dry herbs – (called Italian seasoning)
About 1/4 cup apple juice or water
Mix all together well and paint on your ham before baking. Follow manufacturer’s instructions for baking time. I usually paint my ham with the glaze an additional time or two during the baking.
Orange Glaze
About 1/4 cup orange marmalade
1 tablespoon brown German style mustard
About 1/4 teaspoon dry dill weed, if available
About 1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger, if available
About 1/4 cup orange juice or water
Mix all together well and use to paint the ham before baking and a time or two during the baking.
AND: of course that ham will go a lot further if you peel some of those nice white onions you got and bake them with it, along with some potatoes or yams or carrots or even some thick slices of apple. Baked apple goes well with ham.
A HANDY TIP: To prevent your ham from sticking to the bottom of the roasting pan, place slices of onion or apple on the bottom of the pan and set the ham on them. This helps keep the ham from sticking to the pan and helps to flavor the ham as well. |
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Split Pea Soup
If you still have any split peas left from a few weeks ago, this is the perfect time to use them. Split pea soup is a no-brainer as well. Save all your ham scraps and the bone. Cover them with about 2 quarts of water, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover with a lid and continue to cook until the meat is falling off the bone. Allow to cool, remove the bone, skim off as much fat as possible and chop up the bits of meat. |
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Then add about a cup of spit peas, a diced onion, 2 or 3 cloves of chopped garlic, a diced stalk of celery and if you wish, a carrot or two that have also been diced. Add whatever herbs you wish, a bay leaf and some black pepper. You probably won’t need any salt because the ham was quite salty. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the split peas are very, very soft, almost disintegrated. Garnish with fresh parsley and a bit of the chopped up ham. Serve hot. |
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Tip:
You don’t have to buy bay leaves. The California-bay Laurel is excellent for cooking, fresh or dry.
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It's stronger than commercial Mediterranean bay so you won’t need to use as much. It grows almost everyplace in Northern California. Pick a small branch, bring it home, wash the dust off it and hang it in your kitchen and you will have bay leaves for ages. |
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Onions, more than seasoning:
Don’t think of onions as a flavoring only. Them make excellent vegetables on their own or in combination with other vegies. And of course they are a must in salads and sandwiches. Me, I can’t cook without onions. |
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A 1/2 cup serving of Onion provides:
Calories – 32
Fat 0
Cholesterol 0
Sodium 3 mg
Carbohydrate 7.5 g
Fiber 1.5 g
Protein 1 g
Source: US Department of Agriculture |
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Glazed Onions
These tasty glazed onions, one of my family’s favorites, make an excellent side dish to be served with any meal. They are loaded with vitamin C and even have some calcium and iron, but best of all, they taste great!
4 to 6 smallish white onions |
3 or 4 tablespoons of butter or margarine
3 0r 4 tablespoons of sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon powdered cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/2 teaspoon chili seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
Peel the onions and carefully drop into boiling water. Continue to boil until they may be easily pierced with a skewer. Remove from the water and set aside.
Melt the butter or margarine and the sugar together in a heavy skillet. Add the remaining ingredients and cook over moderate heat for about a minute. Add the onions and stirring gently to coat evenly, cook until the onions are hot through coated with the glaze. Serve hot. A nice addition is a bit of chopped fresh parsley sprinkled over the top must before serving. |
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An Apple a Day:
One Medium Apple Provides:
Calories........................... 80
Fat .................................... 0 g
Cholesterol .......................... 0 mg
Sodium ............................... 0 mg
Potassium .........................170 mg
Carbohydrate ......................22 g
Fiber ...................................5 g |
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Apples, where would we be without them? Not only are they one of the best and healthiest of snacks but apples can be turned into such a variety of delicious treats. The following are links to a variety of excellent, old fashion apple recipes that your family will enjoy.
Old Fashion Apple Brown Betty or Crisp
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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 |
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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. |
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 Together we make a community. |
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