A Fall Twist on Some Summer Favorites

By: Morgan Davis

            Since our very first class in this session of Cooking Matters, Lisa has been mentioning that she likes to make fried chicken.  She even brought a recipe in for me -- now, if that’s not a hint as to what she would like to make in class then I don’t know what is!  Doug has also revealed that some of his favorite items from the Food & Friends meal bags are the cold salads, especially vermicelli noodle and curry chicken salad.

            To me, fried chicken and cold salads scream summertime!  A menu like that makes me want to grab a picnic basket and mix up some pink lemonade.  I know I am not the only one who has noticed the sudden drop in temperatures and the influx of scarves and gloves this past week.  So, I decided to give the people what they wanted, but with a seasonal twist. 

            Two issues come to mind when thinking about fried chicken.  One, there is no deep fryer in the kitchen at Food & Friends.  And two fried chicken is not healthy eats (news flash)!  Instead of greasy fried food, Greg and Tom got busy slicing and dicing some spicy ginger and fragrant garlic.  Lisa grated some fresh orange peel. We all enjoyed the scent of the sweet, aromatic essential oils released from the orange zest.  These ingredients were the base for the sauce that went over our baked orange chicken.  The smell coming from the oven as the chicken cooked was nothing short of remarkable! 

            To address Doug’s request for cold salads, we turned classic pasta and potato salads into comforting autumn masterpieces.  Bridgette and Sara got to work on chopping some seasonal veggies including turnips, carrots, parsnips, and broccoli.  The veggies were tossed in olive oil, roasted to bring out the inner sweetness and lightly covered with a simple lemon vinaigrette to finish our weather-appropriate pasta salad.  Greg and Tom cubed some sweet potatoes which were roasted until crisp on the outside and soft and buttery on the inside.  These were tossed with sweet red peppers and crisp celery and mixed with homemade mustard vinaigrette for a festive potato salad.  Yum!

            The oven worked hard for us in this class -- roasting fresh veggies for two side-dishes and baking chicken until perfectly tender and juicy is a tough job!  Because of this, I decided to give the oven a rest for dessert.  When you are craving the perfect pumpkin pie, but don’t want to put in the work to make a pie, the solution is a creamy, spiced pumpkin mousse parfaits.  But these were not what gave me the greatest satisfaction during this class.  When Lisa tasted the meal and said “this is better than fried chicken,” my day was truly fulfilled! 

Chili That Takes Your Taste Buds to a Place They Have Never Been

By: Brandon Nichols

 I do not know about you but I love a good chili. On a brisk fall day, very few things can compete with the symphony of flavors found in a chili. Also, the diversity of the chili family makes it a versatile dish. You can mix-and-match ingredients to create the perfect chili for you and your family.

Ok, so while everything that I just mentioned above is true, I have a confession to make – I had my first taste of chili last week. Now, before you ask, no, I have not been living under a rock for my entire life and yes I have ventured outside of my home. However, for some reason, I have never taken it upon myself to try chili. Realizing that this was a travesty and assault on the American Dream, I took it upon myself to make chili for the first time last week and it was DELICIOUS! It took my taste buds to a place they have never been. I think it is safe to say that I will be making more chili in the near feature =-)

What made this chili amazing were two things: 1. the flavor and 2. the ease. I used my handy-dandy slow-cooker for this recipe. If you do not have a slow cooker I suggest that you go out and buy one right now. I purchased mine from Bed, Bath, and Beyond for about $30 and it is, by far, the best purchase I have ever made. The ability to place ingredient into a baking dish, walk away for 6 hours and come back to a delicious meal is unparalleled. We all know that life is busy for everyone, but this does not mean we cannot prepare a healthy dinner from scratch. A slow-cooker helps with this and will help with the recipe below.

This is my favorite chili recipe but, as I said, it was my first chili. What is your favorite chili recipe? Share below. I would love to swap tales from the kitchen =-)

• 1 (11 ounce) can canned black beans in juice
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (16 ounce) can vegetarian baked beans
• 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can chopped tomato puree
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 zucchini, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes and chilies
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried basil

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, saute the onion, bell pepper, zucchini, and celery for about 5 minutes.
2. In a slow cooker, combine black bean soup, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, baked beans, tomatoes, corn, onion, bell pepper, zucchini, chilies, and celery.
3. Season with garlic, chili powder, cumin, parsley, oregano, basil
4. Cook for about 6 hours on low.
5. Serve with tortillas, cornbread, rice, or French bread.

Hungry for Autumn's Harvest

By: Morgan Davis

            On Wednesday morning, I woke up in Williamsburg, VA and spent half of my day in a conference, which was fine because not only was the topic interesting, but also it was wet outside.  The rainy, dreary weather of course meant slow-moving traffic, but I made it back to Food & Friends just in time for our third Cooking Matters class- and what a class it was!  This week’s menu depicted the lovely bounty of fall -- seasonal fruits and vegetables were our inspiration.

            After I failed to include a dessert on the menu last week, the class demanded to be taught how to bake a “light” dessert.  So, with the oven preheating, I taught the class why dry and wet ingredients are mixed separately when making a cake.  This wasn’t just any cake, though.  To once again show off the able knife skills of my class, I had Bridgette, Doug and Renee finely dice some seasonal apples which Mervin then folded into the creamy batter.  And of course, what goes with apples better than cinnamon?  Soon, our delightfully spiced Cinnamon Apple cake was placed in the oven while we moved on to the next culinary feat.

           

            Most of the class had never purchased brussels sprouts on the stalk before.  Leona quite enjoyed the process of removing the buds from the stalk and trimming them of the outer leaves.  To keep things simple and preserve the robust flavor, the sprouts were lightly tossed in olive oil, pepper, parmesan and just a sprinkle of salt, then roasted to develop the natural sweetness.  Delish!  

            And since one vegetable dish is just never enough, Michelle and Ann started off our lip-smacking broccoli soup with some uniformly diced onions, celery and garlic bubbling in a bit of oil.  Broccoli, broth and earthy, sweet thyme were added to simmer.  The soup was pureed and finished off with a bit of milk for a velvety, belly-warming meal-starter. 

            The star of the meal was the hearty squash and sausage pasta.  The roasted butternut squash had to cool enough to handle and then was blended into a mashed potato consistency.  Sara and Tom sliced up some smoky turkey sausage; the savory flavor was developed further as the sausage was sautéed with onions and garlic.  Shariff added our pureed squash and soon a smooth, hearty sauce was ready to top our nutritious whole wheat penne.  Now, this is where comfort food meets healthy eats!  So, while the rain continued outside the windows, we were all quite comfortable inside enjoying the satisfying fruits of our labor and the beautiful bounty of fall!

Avon Foundation for Women's 2011 Breast Cancer Global Congress

By: Pamela Giller, Development Associate


 This past Friday, October 14th, Food & Friends had the honor of hosting 100 participants of the 2011 Breast Cancer Global Congress. Organized by the Avon Foundation for Women and the U.S. Department of State, the Congress was intended as a venue for sharing best practices for breast cancer outreach, treatment and screening being used across the world. Guests hailed from approximately 40 countries around the globe and included health policy experts, physicians, scientists, advocates and NGO leaders.

As a 10-year beneficiary of The Avon Foundation for Women, Food & Friends was invited to give our international guests a taste of the kind of services a U.S. nonprofit might offer to breast cancer clients. Our Program staff collaborated on a presentation and tour that illustrated both the need for specialized nutrition and our methods of delivering nearly 450,000 meals annually to our clients facing breast cancer.

The interest in the scope and quality of services was palpable as our dietitians answered numerous questions about where all of our food comes from and how we manage to attract 11,000 volunteers to aid in service delivery each year. Our guests had a real “taste” of our program as they enjoyed a delicious and healthy lunch freshly prepared by our Executive Chef, Mark Locraft, in our own Food & Friends kitchen.

In the end, the event marked the beginning of an important dialogue that Food & Friends plans to continue via email with breast cancer experts and service providers around the world. As our Executive Director, Craig Shniderman, so aptly told our guests, “The people you serve may be many miles away, but we think of them as part of our community.” Although our services may only be available in the DC Metro area, it was inspiring to see that our model includes practices that have the potential to benefit people facing breast cancer around the world.

A Feast Worthy of the Mediterranean

By: Morgan Davis

            The rain couldn’t keep all of the participants away during our second Cooking Matters cooking class last Wednesday, October 12^th.  Just minutes into this lesson, everyone was discussing what dishes they had cooked in their own kitchens this past week.  We definitely have some budding home-chefs in this class!!

Any great meal should have a great theme.  After observing how capable this particular group was during the first class, I knew it would be safe to give them a little more of a challenge.  So this week’s menu was inspired by the flavors and techniques of the Mediterranean.  It’s no secret that the Mediterranean diet has been touted for the wonderful health benefits gained from consuming whole grains, fruits and vegetables, beans and legumes and the healthy fats found in olive oil and fish.

I was like a proud parent watching as my participants jumped right in and used the skills they learned last week-- they expertly chopped the veggies that went into the baked falafel patties.  Shariff learned the difference between whisking and stirring as he whipped up a cool cucumber yogurt sauce for the delicious, protein and fiber-packed falafel.  Next, Janell introduced the group to bulgur -- a hearty and healthy whole grain that was used in our tabouleh.  Tart lemon juice and fresh parsley were the finishing touches for this refreshing cold salad. 

Smoky smelling roasted eggplants were removed from the oven just in time to make baba gahnoush.  The soft, flavorful eggplant pulp was blended with tahini, onion and garlic -- the perfect dip for our spiced pita chips.  Our last dish was something you might find in any Greek household.  We prepared Horta (warm greens) by two different methods.  I showed the class the more traditional way of lightly sautéing both mild chard and bitter turnip greens in olive oil and sprinkling it with lemon juice while Janell had everyone roll up their sleeves to try another method.  Sharrif, Sara, Bridgette and Doug each took some earthy kale or collards and learned how to literally massage the leafy greens until they were tender enough to enjoy in an invigorating salad complete with honey vinaigrette.

Everyone felt pretty good about digging in to our anti-oxidant packed bounty.  I can’t wait to see what kind of culinary challenges our cooking class participants will step up to next week!

In Memory of Darrell Vail

By: Jane Yamaykin


 

Last Wednesday, October 5^th, about forty people gathered in the Food & Friends’ garden for the memorial service of long-time volunteer Darrell Vail. Several of us agreed that the warm, breezy weather after several cold, miserable days was a gift somehow sent by Darrell. Food & Friends volunteers, staff, and other guests gathered to commemorate the 22 years of service and countless hours Darrell devoted to preparing meals in the kitchen and also supporting staff and volunteers on the Wednesday morning shift. As one volunteer put it, “Darrell was one of the good guys.” In addition to Food & Friends, Darrell and his partner, Dick, volunteered with other community organizations such as Prime Timers whose members were also present at the service.

A number of those in attendance chose to share their memories of Darrell and the ways in which he touched their lives. Darrell had a way of making one’s day better with simple gestures. He brightly greeted each person who walked into the kitchen and made sure to wish everyone a good week as they left. He organized the Wednesday morning crew and kept track of birthdays and special events in other volunteers’ lives.  Designated the Wednesday morning team captain, he was also really a personal cheerleader, cruise director, sheep herder, and trip planner all rolled into one kind-hearted person.

He personified hospitality and leadership -- was quick to welcome a newcomer and was never seen without a smile. Darrell was always cheerful in the kitchen, and you’d never know he awoke every Wednesday early enough to catch the first metro train in to Food & Friends. It was a blue moon when Darrell missed a Wednesday morning. The team of volunteers who worked with him all said they felt like his family, and Darrell was at the center of it all -- sharing stories while making meals for those in need in the community.

In honor of Darrell, the Wednesday morning volunteers donated a holly tree which has been planted in the Food & Friends garden. Some say the holly berries are a reminder of the pink “I Love Lucy” hat Darrell wore every shift.  Many people associated Darrell with his favorite show.

The moment of the service that was most touching for me was when the Wednesday volunteers hung 22 leaves on the Friendship Wall with names of 22 clients – one for each year of Darrell’s unwavering service. Each leaf actually represents thousands of lives touched by Darrell’s gentleness and dedication -- knowingly or unknowingly. It broke my heart to once again remember the world and all of us had lost Darrell forever.

Afterwards, refreshments were served including Darrell’s favorite German chocolate cake (recipe from Darrell's mom below). It was another connection to Darrell. The cake was made by fellow long-time volunteer and close friend, Karen Fitzgerald. Everyone knew he would have loved it. As keenly as Darrell’s absence was felt, his presence could also be sensed in the garden that sunny afternoon. A lemon yellow butterfly continuously lingered landing time and time again on the memorial bouquet. It just had to be Darrell.

Find Your Flavor... in This Fall's Cooking Class

By: Morgan Davis

            Fall cooking class began with a bang on Wednesday, October 5th… the bang being the sound of a knife smashing open fresh cloves of garlic.  Michelle learned that this is a quick method to remove the peel from the garlic.  Sara learned an easy trick for making a buttermilk substitute and Christy learned one of the important reasons for soaking dried beans.  These are just a few of the many new techniques participants of the Fall Cooking Matters class will now be using in their own kitchens. 

            With introductions and the quintessential paperwork out of the way, fifteen minutes into class the kitchen was filled with the aroma of garlic and onion tenderizing in oil over the portable burners.  16 participants, including 4 volunteers and 2 dietetic chefs, were appreciating the scent of diced chicken being added to the translucent garlicky-onion mixture.  With Chef Janell leading the way, we were busy using the knife skills we were just taught to slice and dice green peppers, jalapenos, celery and cilantro.  As the chicken turned a beautiful golden brown, fragrant cumin, earthy oregano and fiery pepper were stirred in.  The chopped veggies were then added to the pot along with some white beans, corn and chicken broth -- low sodium chicken broth of course!  The white bean chicken chili was set aside to simmer so the flavors could marinate as the group moved on to the next task. 

            Just as peanut butter goes with jelly, and food goes with friends, we all know that chili goes with cornbread!  But since this cooking class was all about taking it to the next level, there were no jiffy cornbread mixes to be seen!  I showed participants how to make fresh cornbread from whole wheat flour (more nutritious than white flour!) and a little lemon juice and milk (mixed together this is a great substitute for buttermilk).  To add some extra flavor, we threw in some canned chilies and popped the confetti cornbread into the oven. 

            Some people believe that no meal is complete without dessert.  While the dietitian in me says, “sweets in moderation,” I knew that the perfect ending to this meal would be a sweet one.  Doug and many of the participants had never worked with a Japanese pear.  But this was a night for firsts!  So we all, armed with a spoon in hand, scooped the core from each pear half.  Bridgette and Leona filled the pears with the sweet-smelling cinnamon streusel filling while the rest of us mixed a creamy, dreamy yogurt-honey drizzle to add once our spiced pears were baked!

            While cooking class started with a bang, it ended with sated tummies and knowledge-filled minds.  I was happy to hear that all participants are looking forward to returning next week to learn some more new recipes and tried-and-true cooking techniques.  Stay tuned to hear what new skills are attained in next Wednesday’s class!

Unseasonably Warm

By: Brandon Nichols
 

I am not sure if you have noticed but it is unseasonably warm. This weekend I was able to walk down to the National Mall in shorts and lay out on a blanket. That is not okay. Actually, that is very okay. In fact, I would not mind if this weather stayed around a little bit longer, aka forever. While I am enjoying the nice weather it is putting a damper on my Fall cooking. At this point, I should be baking up a storm. Whipping out Apple Cobbler and pumpkin-related treats almost on a daily basis. Sadly, the warm weather does not justify it. I mean, how can I justify taking in that many calories when I am not yet able to wear a sweater? (Please see related photo). However, I know that it is coming!

So what have I been up to? Well, this past weekend was Yom Kippur and the weekend before it was Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year). In honor of these important High Holydays, I have created a few Jewish dishes. Today, I would like to share the recipe I use for Challah, an egg-based bread used for many Jewish holidays and Shabbat.

I know what you are thinking: bread? I cannot make bread! That is not true – everyone cane make bread. It is one of those tasks that seem daunting at first, such as riding a bike, but it gets easier each time you do it. This particular type of bread is a pleasure to work with while you are kneading (a gentle folding technique).

This recipe is from the King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion Cookbook. If you do not own that cookbook go out and buy it the moment you are done making this bread.

Ingredients

Sponge

• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup water
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast

 Dough

• 3 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 ¾ teaspoons salt
• 1/3 cup sugar
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs plus 1 yolk (save 1 egg white for the wash, below)

Wash

• 1 egg white
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon water

Directions

• Mix the ingredients for the sponge together in a large bowl and let if sit for about 45 minutes.
• Add the dough ingredients to the starter and mix and knead together – by hand, mixer or bread machine – until a smooth supple dough is formed.
• Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning it over once to coat it lightly with oil.
• Cover with a clean dish cloth and let rise for 1½  hours, or until doubled in size.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold it once or twice to gently deflate. Divide the dough into four pieces and roll each piece into an 18 inch log. On a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, braid a four-strand braid
• In a small bowl, mix together reserved egg white, sugar, and water. Brush the loaf with this mixture, reserving some for a second wash. Cover the loaf with lightly greased plastic wrap and let it rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Brush the loaf with remaining egg wash and bake for 35-40 minutes. Remove it from the oven and cool completely before slicing.

Cupcake Craze: It's Not Just for Kids Anymore!

By: Brandon Nichols
 

If you have spent anytime walking the mean streets of DC, you have, most likely, noticed a cupcake place…or a few. Hello Cupcake. Georgetown Cupcake. Red Velvet Cupcakery. Sprinkles. The list goes on and on. It is enough to make anyone’s head spin. Everyone seems to have chosen a side in this battle for cupcake glory. However, some are left wondering: what is the preoccupation with cupcakes?

Since we were young, cake has been a cornerstone of our upbringing. For any celebration, there was most likely a delicious cake involved. Wedding. Birthdays. You name it, there was cake. Now, a cupcake allows us to experience this same rush of sugary, joy in an easy-to-handle travel size – assuming your cupcake makes it out the door of the store (mine usually does not). Everyone wants experience childhood every day once in a while. Count me amongst them!

Below you will find a heart-breakingly delicious recipe for red velvet cupcakes. Make them and see if you can keep them around for more than a few hours ;-)

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 (1 ounce) bottle McCormick® Red Food Color
• 2 teaspoons McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract 
• Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting:
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 2 teaspoons McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 (16 ounce) box confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside.
2. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix in sour cream, milk, food color and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until just blended. Do not overbeat. Spoon batter into 30 paper-lined muffin cups, filling each cup 2/3 full.
3. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely. Frost with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting.
4. Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat cream cheese, softened, butter, sour cream and McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract in large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth.

A Happy Birthday Moment!

By: Eliza Yoder

 Unlike our drivers, our client service coordinators, or our dietitians, those of us in Food & Friends’ Development Department don’t have a lot of direct contact with the individuals who receive our services. It can be easy to get bogged down in the minutiae of office work, budget goals and data entry, forgetting the stories and faces of the clients who give meaning and purpose to the work we do.

To combat this disconnect, as a department, we adopted our own delivery route. Each Thursday morning two of us collect the groceries and prepared meals packed in Food & Friends red bags and head off to deliver literally to our neighbors –clients who live near our facility in Fort Totten.

After three years delivering to individuals on this route I feel a connection to the area and to our neighbors in North East DC. I know the streets and houses of clients whose doors I have knocked on, and who I’ve stopped to chat with and had the privilege of being thanked by. Each delivery outing reconnects me to the mission of Food & Friends and reinvigorates the time I spend at my desk.

I was fortunate enough to experience earlier this month what I consider a quintessential Food & Friends moment while on deliveries. One of our clients was receiving a birthday cake in her meal delivery that day. I noticed the label on her bag as I walked up the steps to her door. When she opened the screen and greeted me, I asked, "Do you have a birthday coming up?" She looked at me with surprise and replied "Today. How did you know?" Her eyes welled up when I let her know we had baked a birthday cake for her and it was in with her meals. I don’t know how old she was turning – 65?…70? - I wish I had asked, but as I wished her a happy birthday on the first sunny day in weeks, she smiled at me and said, “I am just happy to still be here.” And at that moment I was so thankful to be even just a small part of making that birthday wish come true.