In honor of our three-millionth meal delivery, this week's recipe is an Open Arms classic from Kitchen Director Asei Tendle. If you volunteered with us over the last couple years, you may have helped cook, package or deliver this tasty stir fry for our clients to enjoy. Now's your chance to savor it in your own home!
Chicken Stir Fry
Makes 6 servings
1 package rice stick noodles
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp. vinegar
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. dry ginger
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
1 onion, julienned
2 carrots, julienned
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 tbsp. grated orange zest
2 large bell peppers, seeded and julienned
3 large green onions, chopped
1 small head of broccoli, cut into small pieces
Meat from one rotisserie chicken
1. Cover rice noodles in warm water and soak for a half hour.
2. Meanwhile, bring soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, ginger and garlic to a boil in a small sauce pan. Boil for 4 minutes and remove from heat. Set aside.
3. Heat half of the oil in a saute pan over medium high heat until it is hot, about 30 seconds. Drain noodles and saute in pan until soft, about 2 minutes. Remove and place in a bowl.
4. Saute onion and carrot for about a minute in the other half of the oil.
5. Add celery, orange zest, peppers, green onions and broccoli, and saute for an additional 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Add chicken and sauce to the pan and mix well. Serve over noodles.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Weekly Recipe #88: Indian-Spiced Popcorn
By Jeanne Foels, Marketing & Outreach Coordinator
If you rely solely on your microwave for making popcorn, you're missing out. Popping your own on the stove is an easy, satisfying alternative, and it can much cheaper than buying microwaveable bags of popcorn. You can buy fresh kernels at your local co-op -- we recommend popping corn from Whole Grain Milling in Welcome, MN.
This recipe features zippy spices used in Indian cooking for a twist on your regular salt-and-butter combo.
Indian-Spiced Popcorn
Yields about 4 quarts
2 tbsp. coconut oil or vegetable oil
1/2 cup corn kernels
3 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. garam masala
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Salt
1. Heat a 4-quart pot with a tight-fitting lid on the stove top.
2. Melt the oil and swirl it around to coat the bottom of the pan. Drop in a single popcorn kernel and wait for it to pop.
3. When the kernel pops, pour the rest of the corn in all at once. Cover and shake the pot to coat the kernels in the oil.
4. Swirl the pot over the top of the burner once or twice until you hear the first few kernels pop. Once the corn is popping, swirl the pot continuously over the heat.
5. When the popping slows down at the end, remove the pot from the burner. Once all the popping has stopped, take the lid off and dump the popcorn in a large bowl.
6. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the spices and mix well.
7. Pour the butter mixture over the popcorn and toss well to fully coat the kernels. Serve immediately.
If you rely solely on your microwave for making popcorn, you're missing out. Popping your own on the stove is an easy, satisfying alternative, and it can much cheaper than buying microwaveable bags of popcorn. You can buy fresh kernels at your local co-op -- we recommend popping corn from Whole Grain Milling in Welcome, MN.
This recipe features zippy spices used in Indian cooking for a twist on your regular salt-and-butter combo.
Indian-Spiced Popcorn
Yields about 4 quarts
2 tbsp. coconut oil or vegetable oil
1/2 cup corn kernels
3 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. garam masala
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Salt
1. Heat a 4-quart pot with a tight-fitting lid on the stove top.
2. Melt the oil and swirl it around to coat the bottom of the pan. Drop in a single popcorn kernel and wait for it to pop.
3. When the kernel pops, pour the rest of the corn in all at once. Cover and shake the pot to coat the kernels in the oil.
4. Swirl the pot over the top of the burner once or twice until you hear the first few kernels pop. Once the corn is popping, swirl the pot continuously over the heat.
5. When the popping slows down at the end, remove the pot from the burner. Once all the popping has stopped, take the lid off and dump the popcorn in a large bowl.
6. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the spices and mix well.
7. Pour the butter mixture over the popcorn and toss well to fully coat the kernels. Serve immediately.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Wednesday is Food Day!
By Gwen Hill MS, RD, LD
Food Day is this week! We invite you to join us Wednesday night at 6 p.m. to screen the movie Food Fight. This movie touches on many of the current issues being discussed about the food system right now, with an overview of how we got here. It also covers some inspiring people and organizations that are making a difference in their community.
Topics covered in Food Fight:
Following the movie, we will have a lively panel discussion featuring local experts. They will respond to the movie and answer questions from the audience.
The panel includes:
Food Day is this week! We invite you to join us Wednesday night at 6 p.m. to screen the movie Food Fight. This movie touches on many of the current issues being discussed about the food system right now, with an overview of how we got here. It also covers some inspiring people and organizations that are making a difference in their community.
Topics covered in Food Fight:
- The role our food system has on the incline of obesity and chronic diseases.
- Social patterns that have developed over time to influence our food choices.
- How Earl Butz influenced the food system as the Secretary of Agriculture in the 1970’s.
- How do the Farm Bill and subsidies play into the equation?
- What are people doing in the community to address their concerns?
- How can we address food deserts?
- What’s happening with school meals?
Following the movie, we will have a lively panel discussion featuring local experts. They will respond to the movie and answer questions from the audience.
The panel includes:
- Tricia Cornell, Local author and cookbook writer
- Lindsay Rebhan, Urban Farm Consultant
- Mike Venker, Vice Chair of Open Arms Board and Cargill representative
- Rita Panton, Open Arms Kitchen Manager and Farm Liaison
- Ben Penner, Open Arms Farm Director
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Weekly Recipe #87: 10 Pumpkin Recipes
In honor of our young professional group's pumpkin carving event this Sunday, we have 10 terrific ways to cook and bake with pumpkin this week. Perfect for savory and sweet dishes alike, the versatile gourd is low in calories and chock full of vitamins and antioxidants, making it a great choice for everything from waffles to soup.
Many of these recipes call for canned pumpkin, but you can easily whip up your own instead -- we've included a recipe for homemade pumpkin puree below.
1. Pumpkin Waffles with Apple Cider Syrup
2. Pumpkin Shrimp Curry
3. Honey Ginger Pumpkin Butter
4. Black Bean Pumpkin Chili
5. Pumpkin Rolls with Brown Sugar Glaze
6. Pumpkin Risotto
7. Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake
8. Pumpkin, Chickpea and Red Lentil Stew
9. Honey Walnut Pumpkin Bread
10. Thai-Spiced Pumpkin Soup
Pumpkin Puree
(Yields about one cup of puree per pound of raw pumpkin)
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Halve the pumpkin crosswise and scoop out the seeds and strings.
3. Place halves hollow side down in a large baking pan covered with aluminum foil. Add a little water to the pan.
4. Bake, uncovered, for 1½ to 2 hours or until fork-tender. Remove.
5. When cool, scrape pulp from shells and puree, a little at time, in a food processor or blender.
6. Drain the puree before using it in recipes. Line a strainer with a double layer of cheesecloth, paper towels or a dish towel and let the pumpkin sit to drain the extra moisture.
Many of these recipes call for canned pumpkin, but you can easily whip up your own instead -- we've included a recipe for homemade pumpkin puree below.
1. Pumpkin Waffles with Apple Cider Syrup
2. Pumpkin Shrimp Curry
3. Honey Ginger Pumpkin Butter
4. Black Bean Pumpkin Chili
5. Pumpkin Rolls with Brown Sugar Glaze
6. Pumpkin Risotto
7. Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake
8. Pumpkin, Chickpea and Red Lentil Stew
9. Honey Walnut Pumpkin Bread
10. Thai-Spiced Pumpkin Soup
Pumpkin Puree
(Yields about one cup of puree per pound of raw pumpkin)
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Halve the pumpkin crosswise and scoop out the seeds and strings.
3. Place halves hollow side down in a large baking pan covered with aluminum foil. Add a little water to the pan.
4. Bake, uncovered, for 1½ to 2 hours or until fork-tender. Remove.
5. When cool, scrape pulp from shells and puree, a little at time, in a food processor or blender.
6. Drain the puree before using it in recipes. Line a strainer with a double layer of cheesecloth, paper towels or a dish towel and let the pumpkin sit to drain the extra moisture.
Food Day Celebrations
By Gwen Hill MS, RD, LD
Next Wednesday is Food Day! Food Day is similar to Earth Day, but instead of focusing on the way we treat our planet, we are asked to examine our food system and support healthy agricultural processes and diets. This nationwide event began last year and was an instant success. I love Food Day because I see it as a celebration of good food – and here at Open Arms, good food is what we are all about!
Open Arms celebrated last year by showing a documentary, bringing in an engaged crowd. This year, we are going to take it a little further. We have two great events planned:
The first event will be a farm work day held on Tuesday, October 23. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., we'll work to support our organic farm and get it ready for the winter. We will provide boxed lunches and shuttles from Open Arms to the farm in Belle Plaine. This is a great opportunity to check out our unique organic garden if you haven’t yet. With the three acres of land we plant there, we yield close to 30,000 pounds of produce to use in our meals. Because of this farm, our clients are able to eat many organic vegetables throughout the summer – delicious veggies grown and processed by the hands of our volunteers. We want to share this wonderful space with you – come enjoy the farm with us! RSVP to Lila by Friday, October 19 if you want to join the fun.
The second event is on Wednesday, October 24. At 6 p.m., we will be screening the movie “Food Fight,” an inspirational documentary that describes the current state of our food system, how we got here and what we can do to make it better. Immediately following the movie, we will have a lively panel to discuss the ideas in the movie and talk about our current food system. The panel includes representatives from our farm and kitchen, Ecological Gardens and Cargill, as well as a local cookbook author. We hope to bring in a large crowd to enjoy a lively conversation between the panel members and the audience. With this panel, you will leave feeling enriched and educated about our current food system. Please RSVP to Nancy if you can attend this event.
Join us in celebrating Food Day! The more the merrier, so bring a friend. Please check out our event page for more details.
Next Wednesday is Food Day! Food Day is similar to Earth Day, but instead of focusing on the way we treat our planet, we are asked to examine our food system and support healthy agricultural processes and diets. This nationwide event began last year and was an instant success. I love Food Day because I see it as a celebration of good food – and here at Open Arms, good food is what we are all about!
Open Arms celebrated last year by showing a documentary, bringing in an engaged crowd. This year, we are going to take it a little further. We have two great events planned:
The first event will be a farm work day held on Tuesday, October 23. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., we'll work to support our organic farm and get it ready for the winter. We will provide boxed lunches and shuttles from Open Arms to the farm in Belle Plaine. This is a great opportunity to check out our unique organic garden if you haven’t yet. With the three acres of land we plant there, we yield close to 30,000 pounds of produce to use in our meals. Because of this farm, our clients are able to eat many organic vegetables throughout the summer – delicious veggies grown and processed by the hands of our volunteers. We want to share this wonderful space with you – come enjoy the farm with us! RSVP to Lila by Friday, October 19 if you want to join the fun.
The second event is on Wednesday, October 24. At 6 p.m., we will be screening the movie “Food Fight,” an inspirational documentary that describes the current state of our food system, how we got here and what we can do to make it better. Immediately following the movie, we will have a lively panel to discuss the ideas in the movie and talk about our current food system. The panel includes representatives from our farm and kitchen, Ecological Gardens and Cargill, as well as a local cookbook author. We hope to bring in a large crowd to enjoy a lively conversation between the panel members and the audience. With this panel, you will leave feeling enriched and educated about our current food system. Please RSVP to Nancy if you can attend this event.
Join us in celebrating Food Day! The more the merrier, so bring a friend. Please check out our event page for more details.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Weekly Recipe #86: Southwest Chicken Soup
This week's recipe comes from Open Arms chef Cassie, who recommends this comforting soup for chilly fall evenings. "I'm just turning the heat on at home now -- I made this soup last night to have something nice and warm to eat," she says. Pair it with some oven-warmed tortillas or bread to up the cozy factor in your home.
Southwest Chicken Soup
2 large bone-in chicken legs or thighs, skin removed
1 tbsp. granulated garlic or garlic powder
1 tbsp. Montreal steak seasoning
Olive oil
4 medium carrots, large dice
5 stalks of celery, large dice
2 medium onions, large dice
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp. of rosemary, minced
4 cups of chicken stock
1 cup of brown rice, cooked
1 cup of black beans (about 1 can)
1 tbsp. of paprika
1 tbsp. of cumin
1 tbsp. of coriander
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups of collard greens/kale/mustard greens/chard, cut into a large chiffonade
1. Coat chicken with granulated garlic and Montreal steak seasoning.
2. Place a small amount of olive oil in medium-size stock pot and sear chicken on all sides until brown. Be sure to see some pan drippings sticking to the bottom of the pot -- this caramelization will help flavor the soup when stock is added later.
3. Add carrots, celery, onions, garlic and rosemary to the chicken and stir until onions are transparent and carrots are starting to brown.
4. Pour in chicken stock and de-glaze bottom of pan drippings -- scrape brown spots with spoon as to incorporate flavor into stock. Simmer with lid on low heat for about an hour.
5. After an hour, add brown rice, black beans, paprika, cumin, corriander and salt and pepper to taste.
6. Add in collard greens about three minutes before serving to keep them a brilliant green and prevent them from overcooking.
7. Serve, using tongs to separate meat from chicken bone if you prefer.
Southwest Chicken Soup
2 large bone-in chicken legs or thighs, skin removed
1 tbsp. granulated garlic or garlic powder
1 tbsp. Montreal steak seasoning
Olive oil
4 medium carrots, large dice
5 stalks of celery, large dice
2 medium onions, large dice
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp. of rosemary, minced
4 cups of chicken stock
1 cup of brown rice, cooked
1 cup of black beans (about 1 can)
1 tbsp. of paprika
1 tbsp. of cumin
1 tbsp. of coriander
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups of collard greens/kale/mustard greens/chard, cut into a large chiffonade
1. Coat chicken with granulated garlic and Montreal steak seasoning.
2. Place a small amount of olive oil in medium-size stock pot and sear chicken on all sides until brown. Be sure to see some pan drippings sticking to the bottom of the pot -- this caramelization will help flavor the soup when stock is added later.
3. Add carrots, celery, onions, garlic and rosemary to the chicken and stir until onions are transparent and carrots are starting to brown.
4. Pour in chicken stock and de-glaze bottom of pan drippings -- scrape brown spots with spoon as to incorporate flavor into stock. Simmer with lid on low heat for about an hour.
5. After an hour, add brown rice, black beans, paprika, cumin, corriander and salt and pepper to taste.
6. Add in collard greens about three minutes before serving to keep them a brilliant green and prevent them from overcooking.
7. Serve, using tongs to separate meat from chicken bone if you prefer.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Weekly Recipe #85: Fruit Financiers
By Susan Pagani, Communications Director
Every year I ask my pal Maria what she'd like in the way of birthday cake, and every year she challenges me with something new -- chocolate, triple-layer white cake with fruit, etc. This year, she asked for the very simple yet very tasty fig financier.
Financiers are small French cakes traditionally made with a rectangular mold, so named because of their resemblance to bars of gold. The one I made was delightful with fig, but any fruit will do; in the following recipe, we use raspberries. You can find the hazelnut flour at Mississippi Market in St. Paul. The butter becomes very nutty in the process of browning it, which combines with the flour to create a light, nutty little petite four that is lovely at breakfast or at tea in the afternoon -- or with a fat dollop of whipping cream at dessert.
Fruit Financiers
Adapted from a New York Times recipe
Makes about 9 cakes, depending on the pan
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), and additional for greasing the pan
155 grams confectioners’ sugar (1 1/4 cups)
56 grams hazelnut flour (1/2 cup)
40 grams all-purpose flour (1/3 cup)
Pinch of salt
4 large egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 pint raspberries, rinsed and drained
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a small saucepan, melt butter, letting it cook until it turns nut brown and smells toasted, about 5 minutes. Pour into a heatproof bowl and let cool. (Do not scrape up any black bits from the bottom of the pot.)
3. In a large bowl, combine sugar, hazelnut flour, all-purpose flour and salt. Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and set on low speed (or use a whisk and a strong arm), beat in egg whites until flour mixture is damp.
4. Add butter and beat on medium-high speed (or vigorously by hand) until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla. At this point, the batter can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.
5. Butter and flour nine 1/2-cup muffin cups or Madeleine molds. Divide batter between cups and top each with three raspberries.
6. Bake until financiers are golden brown and the tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack before unmolding.
Every year I ask my pal Maria what she'd like in the way of birthday cake, and every year she challenges me with something new -- chocolate, triple-layer white cake with fruit, etc. This year, she asked for the very simple yet very tasty fig financier.
Financiers are small French cakes traditionally made with a rectangular mold, so named because of their resemblance to bars of gold. The one I made was delightful with fig, but any fruit will do; in the following recipe, we use raspberries. You can find the hazelnut flour at Mississippi Market in St. Paul. The butter becomes very nutty in the process of browning it, which combines with the flour to create a light, nutty little petite four that is lovely at breakfast or at tea in the afternoon -- or with a fat dollop of whipping cream at dessert.
Fruit Financiers
Adapted from a New York Times recipe
Makes about 9 cakes, depending on the pan
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), and additional for greasing the pan
155 grams confectioners’ sugar (1 1/4 cups)
56 grams hazelnut flour (1/2 cup)
40 grams all-purpose flour (1/3 cup)
Pinch of salt
4 large egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 pint raspberries, rinsed and drained
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a small saucepan, melt butter, letting it cook until it turns nut brown and smells toasted, about 5 minutes. Pour into a heatproof bowl and let cool. (Do not scrape up any black bits from the bottom of the pot.)
3. In a large bowl, combine sugar, hazelnut flour, all-purpose flour and salt. Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and set on low speed (or use a whisk and a strong arm), beat in egg whites until flour mixture is damp.
4. Add butter and beat on medium-high speed (or vigorously by hand) until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla. At this point, the batter can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.
5. Butter and flour nine 1/2-cup muffin cups or Madeleine molds. Divide batter between cups and top each with three raspberries.
6. Bake until financiers are golden brown and the tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack before unmolding.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
