Friday, August 19, 2011

Grilled Eggplant

Photo source
Eggplant is a great vegetable to grill, especially when it is too hot to stay in the kitchen and barbeques are fired up.  This is a very easy recipe and the results can be used in a variety of ways: as a side dish and with chicken and pasta.  Try layering the individual eggplant slices with slices of beefsteak tomato, mozzarella cheese and red onion on a grilled bun, and garnish with basil leaves.
The recommended time range for grilling 1" slices is 5 minutes per side. If overcooked they become tasteless and if under cooked, spongy.
Cleo, Food Bank volunteer








Ingredients:
  • 1 eggplant, sliced 1″ thick
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 4 cloves of garlic, slivered
  • sea salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
  1. Brush olive oil on both sides of eggplant.
  2. Stuff a couple of slivers of garlic into the eggplant.
  3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  4. Preheat grill to medium heat.
  5. Grill (covered) until cooked through and grill marks are left on each side of the eggplant
Recipe source

Friday, August 12, 2011

Roasted Ratatouille

Photo source
Ratatouille--the hard part is how do you  pronounce it.  According to Wikipedia, ratatouille (rat-ah-TOO-ee) is a traditional vegetable stew originating in France. The easy part is making it. Besides using eggplant, this recipe calls for two other readily available summer veggies--bell peppers and zucchini.  What I like about this recipe, in addition to *roasting the vegetables, is that it makes enough to provide ingredients for two additional meals.  My kind of cooking--especially if one works and/or during the hot summer weather.  Go to the recipe source shown after the directions for the other two recipes--Summer Chicken Stew and open face sandwiches.
Cleo, Food Bank volunteer






Ingredients:

1 medium eggplant, trimmed and cut and cut into one-inch dice
1 large sweet onion, peeled and cut into one-inch dice
1 yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into one-inch dice
2 medium zucchini, trimmed and cut into one-inch dice
12 peeled garlic cloves, halved
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
Salt and ground black pepper
2 cups (1 pint) cherry tomatoes

Directions:

Combine eggplant, onion, pepper, zucchini, and garlic in a large bowl. Add olive oil, thyme, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper; toss to coat. Turn vegetables onto a large-rimmed baking sheet.
Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Set baking sheet in preheating oven; roast until vegetables are golden brown on bottom, about 20 minutes. Remove pan from oven, stir in cherry tomatoes, and then continue to roast, stirring once more, until tomatoes have start to release their juices, about 15 minutes longer. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature, or continue with one of the following recipes. (Can be covered and refrigerated up to 5 days.)

* According to Three Many Cooks, the veggies hold their shape better making the dish look more attractive.

Makes about 5 cups

Recipe source

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

August's Volunteers of the Month: Melanie Goddard and Katherine Laumas

From left: Katherine, Melanie
 For the month of August, we want to give thank two awesome warehouse sorting volunteers, Melanie Goddard and Katherine Laumas. Both ladies have shown dedication to the Food Bank of Yolo County (FBYC) by coming weekly—rain or shine—to help sort food for our variety boxes, which are part of our Rural Food Delivery (RFD) Program. Without the work of exceptional volunteers like Melanie and Katherine, it would be impossible for us to distribute food to the communities and individuals that benefit from the program.

With us since August 2009, Melanie first heard about the Food Bank from her cousin, who is our former grant writer. As a retiree with extra time on her hands, she thought it sounded like a wonderful program with which to volunteer.

When asked about her favorite part of volunteering with FBYC, Melanie said, “I love meeting other volunteers, but I especially love the satisfaction of packing boxes of food and thinking of the meals that will be created...”. She also went on to say, “Volunteering is a satisfying, productive way to use my time to help others”.

Besides volunteering, Melanie’s interests include: traveling with her husband, attending Giants and Rivercats games, kayaking, reading, gardening, and enjoying wine, art, and music.

Katherine, who often works on Tuesday’s with Melanie, has been a volunteer since December of 2010. Though she is a busy student, she thought the Food Bank would be a great place to volunteer because of her passion for food and cooking.

As a volunteer, Katherine appreciates the atmosphere at FBYC, friendly staff and volunteers, and low key vibe that makes her work enjoyable. She said, “When I go home on Tuesdays, I feel like I did something meaningful. It’s a wonderful feeling. Just a little work goes a long way”.

When not volunteering or studying, Katherine enjoys doing Bikram yoga and spending time with her beagle, Emma.

A huge thank you to both Melanie and Katherine for all of your hard work!

Friday, August 5, 2011

Eggplant and Tomato Salad

Photo source
This recipe was recommended to us by Liz, one of our followers on Facebook.  It is quick and easy to make and will make a great salad to accompany anything you wish to barbeque.

Thank you for the link, Liz!  And any one else who has a favorite recipe for the veggie of the month, please feel free to share.

Cleo, Food Bank volunteer


Ingredients
  • 2 globe eggplants, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices
  • 2 beefsteak tomatoes, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  • Ground black pepper
  • 1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/3-inch slices
  • 10 fresh basil leaves

Preparation

  • 1. Prepare the grill for direct cooking over medium heat (350° to 450°F).
  • 2. Brush the eggplant and tomato slices with oil and season evenly with salt and pepper. Brush the cooking grates clean. Grill over direct medium heat, with the lid closed as much as possible, until the vegetables are tender and nicely marked, turning once. The eggplant will take about 8 minutes and the tomatoes will take 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from the grill as they are done.
  • 3. Divide the eggplants, tomatoes, cheese, and basil among four plates. Drizzle with a little more olive oil or your favorite salad dressing, if desired.
Recipe source