"Spaghetti is love." -Mario Batali

We served more than 2,000 meatballs over the last week mixing meat with grated carrot, herbs from the garden, garlic, onion and breadcrumbs.

They're nestled here in a marinara sauce that makes good use of 700 pounds of donated tomatoes from the generous folks at Delvin Farms. 

The marinara recipe we followed is below (though we omitted wine and made a few other adjustments based on quantities and availability).

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Fresh Tomato Marinara Sauce

Makes about six cups

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 8 cups tomato chunks
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• small bunch of fresh basil
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, saute onion in olive oil over medium heat until softened, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute longer. Add wine and simmer until liquid has evaporated, making sure garlic doesn't burn. Stir in tomatoes and pinch of salt.

2. Add oregano and red pepper flakes. Reduce heat to low and cover for 15 minutes. Covering will help the tomatoes to "sweat" and break down more quickly. Uncover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for about an hour.

3. Use an immersion blender to carefully puree the sauce. Add basil and blend it in with the blender or leave whole. 

4. Continue to simmer another 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

(Recipe from this source.)

Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

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We received many generous donations of sweet potatoes this winter from Delvin Farms and enjoyed making this special main course dish served at many of our meal locations. This recipe feeds 50!

Ingredients:

50 small sweet potatoes, washed

10 lbs of carrots, roughly chop half and grate the other half

5 onions, roughly chopped

5 tomatoes, chopped

10 cloves (1 bulb) of garlic

2 tablespoons cumin

2 tablespoons tumeric

2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons dried oregano

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

Freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste

3/4 cup olive oil

5 lbs ground beef

1 1/2 cups chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

Prick sweet potatoes 2-3 times with a fork. Place on a foil covered baking sheet in a 425 degree oven for 45 minutes. Turn oven off after 45 minutes allowing sweet potatoes to remain in the oven for another 30 minutes.

Combine the chopped carrots, onions, tomatoes, garlic, paprika, tumeric, cumin, oregano, cayenne, salt and black pepper in a food processor; pulse until coarsely chopped. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, add the vegetable mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until dry, 3 to 4 minutes. Add 1 cup of water and cook, scraping up any brown bits with a wooden spoon, until the water evaporates, about 1 minute. Add the ground beef and cook, stirring and breaking it up into smaller chunks, until browned and cooked through. Remove from the heat.  

Split the potatoes in half, scoop out some of the warm flesh and add it to the beef mixture; stir to combine. Generously fill each potato half with the mixture. Toss the shredded carrots with the cilantro, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar and salt. Top each potato with a dollop of the carrot slaw and enjoy!

5 Ingredient Granola Bar

A recent donation of over 400 pounds of oatmeal, left us a bit overwhelmed but we quickly starting including this heart healthy grain in lots of things:

Adding oatmeal (instead of bread crumbs) to our meatloaf, in a streusel topping for our desserts and in our breakfast casseroles headed to the warming shelters were some of the first ways we used the oatmeal. We were looking for other creative ways to incorporate this wonderful gift and experimented with a Healthy 5 Ingredient Granola Bar that is a true winner.  We tried a few different options, but ended up with one we all loved.  We frequently include them in a weekly lunch to our friends at Front Porch Ministry.  

In addition to the oatmeal, we’ll receive donations of ripe fruit from our Food Donation Partners. This fruit often includes bananas, strawberries, grapes and raspberries. The best of the fruit is included in our daily meals, but the extra ripe fruit is sliced and put in our dehydrator. Once this fruit is dried, we include this as a base in our granola bars!

Whenever we discover such a great way to use some of our excess, we just have to share the good news! Enjoy.

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Ingredients

• 3 cups packed dried fruit (bananas, strawberries, grapes and dates work well)
• ¾ cup honey (or maple syrup)
• ¾ cup creamy peanut butter (or almond butter)
• 4 ½ cups rolled oats
• 3 cups roasted almonds, loosely chopped

Directions

1.   Process dried fruit in food processor until small bits remain. It should form a “dough” like consistency.

2.   Toast oats and almonds in 350 degree oven for approximately 15 minutes.

3.   Place toasted oats, almonds and dried fruit in a bowl – set aside.

4.   Warm honey and peanut butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir and pour over oat mixture, then mix, breaking up any fruit to disperse throughout.

5.   Once thoroughly mixed, transfer to a half sheet pan (12X17) sprayed with non-stick spray.

6.   Cover with a piece of parchment paper and press down hard until uniformly flattened. Cover with plastic wrap, and let set in fridge for 15 minutes to slightly harden.

7.   Remove bars from pan and slice into 32 bars. Store in airtight container in the fridge.

No-Bake Dark Chocolate and Oat Clusters

Serves 50

Seasoned volunteer Chester recommended this diabetic-friendly dessert recipe and it's been a hit! This four-ingredient dessert is embarrassingly easy to make, but would look elegant piled high on a nice serving dish. The taste is decadent, but a small serving size keeps each cluster around 80 calories! In our experience with this recipe, we've learned that it is easiest to form the clusters using an ice cream scoop, and then roll them in your hands to form uniform balls. 

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1.5 cups peanut butter
• 1.5 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1.5 cups low-fat milk

DIRECTIONS:

• 1. Place oats into large mixing bowl.
• 2. Heat peanut butter, milk, and chocolate chips in a saucepan over low heat until chips melt.
• 3. Pour chocolate mixture over oats and stir to combine.

4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a small ice cream scoop, form ball-shaped portions. Roll in your hands if necessary to make sure clusters stay intact. Place the clusters onto the baking sheet where they are not touching. Let set in fridge for 10 minutes before serving. 

NUTRITION (serving size: 2 clusters)

• Calories: 160
• Fat: 8g (sat 3g, mono 3.5 g, poly 1.5 g)
• Cholesterol: 0 mg
• Protein: 5g
• Carbohydrates: 19g
• Sugars: 7g
• Fiber: 3g
• Sodium: 40 mg

Orange-Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry

One of our most frequent donations comes from the lovely people at Chipotle, who regularly donate their naturally raised, hormone-free grilled chicken and beef. It is easy to turn this meat into Mexican-inspired dishes, but we love finding ways to transform it into something totally new! We made this Orange-Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry by layering cooked rice, Chipotle chicken, roasted vegetables, and sauteed bok choy and topping it all with a homemade stir-fry sauce. We then baked it in covered pans to seal in all the flavors. A sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds makes this dish truly special.

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Orange-Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry

Serves 50

• 18 cups cooked brown rice
• 18 cups cubed grilled chicken
• 4 cups snap peas
• 6 cups carrots, chopped into coins
• 4 cups onions, chopped (divided)
• 6 cups cauliflower, chopped into small florets
• 16 cups fresh bok choy, diced
• 10 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 oz. soy sauce ½ cup orange juice zest of 1 orange
• 4 tsp powdered ginger
• 8 oz. honey
• 2 Tbl chili oil ¼ cup corn starch
• 32 oz. chicken broth toasted sesame seeds, for garnish EVOO, for cooking

Prep: Preheat oven to 375. Cook rice according to package instructions and divide among three large serving pans. Toss vegetables (reserve half of the onions to use with bok choy) in EVOO and place in pan. Do not add salt! (The soy in the sauce provides plenty of sodium.) Divide cooked chicken into pans over rice. Roast vegetables for 20 minutes in the oven..

Bok Choy: To cook the bok choy, heat EVOO in a large saucepan. Add 1 tbl of the minced garlic and cook until fragrant. Add remaining 2 cups onions and cook until translucent. Add a couple of dashes of soy sauce. Finally, add the bok choy to the pan, stirring continuously until leaves wilt. This is easiest when done in batches.

Sauce: Meanwhile, whisk the cornstarch and chicken broth together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine 1 cup soy sauce, orange juice, honey, ginger, chili oil, and orange zest. In a large pot, cook garlic in EVOO until fragrant. Add soy sauce mixture and heat until boiling. Pour in the cornstarch slurry and stir continuously until desired thickness is attained. If the sauce gets too thick, thin it with equal parts orange juice and chicken broth.

Thanks to volunteer Lloyd for helping us prepare this week's Cook for a Crowd!

Judy's Mom's Meatloaf

Thanks to loyal volunteer and board member, Judy Wright, for passing on this recipe from her mom! It's become an old-reliable in our kitchen, and is always a crowd-pleaser.

Serves 50

• 12 cups bread crumbs
• 4 cups milk
• 6 envelopes onion soup mix
• 12 eggs
• 6 cups ketchup
• 3/4 cup mustard
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 12 lbs. ground beef

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Mix meat with bread crumbs. In separate bowl, mix eggs, soup mix, ketchup, mustard, and brown sugar. Using your hands, mix meat and bread crumbs with ingredients in bowl. Divide mixture equally among 2, full-size catering pans. Bake for 1 hour or until internal temperature reaches 155. Drain any excess fat from the pan and let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Turkey Pot Pie

A great recipe to use up the last of that Thanksgiving turkey! Serves 50.

Filling:

• 2 turkeys ~ 12 lbs turkeys or 12 cups
• pulled meat
• 10 cups mixed vegetables (carrots, peas, onions, green beans, corn)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup flour
• 10 cups turkey or chicken broth
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tbl pepper
• 1 Tbl thyme
• 1 Tbl sage

Pastry Topping

• 8 cups biscuit mix
• 4 cups milk (can use water if desired)
• 1 Tbl thyme
• 1 Tbl sage

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Layer turkey meat in bottom of 2 full size catering pans. Melt Butter over low heat and slowly add flour, mixing and stirring for 5-7 minutes. Gradually add broth until sauce is thickened. Add mixed vegetables (if using frozen vegetables, reduce broth by 1 cup). Season to taste with salt, pepper, thyme and sage. Pour vegetable sauce mix over both pans

Note: liquid used can be increased or decreased to desired consistency

To prepare topping: Combine biscuit mix, milk, and herbs, and mix until “doughy." Place 1/4 cup “dollops” of dough mixture on top of entire pot pie, until mixture is gone. Bake at 350 for approximately 30 minutes until biscuits are brown.