GeneralRecipes

Karen House Catholic Worker


	Home About Karen House About the Catholic Worker The Roundtable Get Involved Directions Resources		Karen House Cookbook General Recipes Use the 'find on this page' button under 'edit' to easily get to the recipes below: ♦ Fried Rice and Stir‐fry ♦ Fruit Salad ♦ No Skill Fruit Tart ♦ Mixed Fruit Crisp ♦ Creating Fabulous Salads ♦ Shepherd’s Pie – Meat and Veggie ♦ Frittata ♦ Mexican Casserole ♦ Emergency Casserole ♦ Fruit Smoothie ♦ Three Cream Sauces for Pasta ♦ Chili Two Ways ♦ Easy Veggie Pot Pie		Download Cookbook by clicking image above (large file - it takes a minute!) Check out the Recipes: Table of Contents Donation Guide General Recipes Asparagus - Corn Cucumbers - Peaches Pears - Tomatoes

	Karen House: 1840 Hogan St. Saint Louis, MO 63106 Contact Us: 314.621.4052		Fried Rice and Stir-fry Makes about 2 hotel pans. Ingredients – use any combo of these four main elements: 1. Veggies – chop at least 10 cups of any of these: Broccoli Snow Peas Canned Peas Cauliflower Carrots (shredded, if desired) Cabbage Celery Bell Peppers Zucchini (shredded, if desired) Edamame Mushrooms Pineapple!! 2. Protein – at least 10 cups of any of these, chopped into small pieces: Scrambled Eggs Chicken Chunks or Strips Steak Chunks Salmon Tofu Pork


	3. Carb: 24 Cups of COOKED Rice (brown if we have it) or 2-3 packages of Angel hair pasta 4. Sauce: Easy – plain ole soy sauce, or try: Lemon or Lime Sauce – combine: 2 cup lemon/lime juice 2 cup chicken or veggie broth (or water) ½ Cup soy sauce 1 Cup sugar Fresh Herb Sauce – combine: 2 cup chicken or veggie broth (or water) 2 cup soy sauce 5 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar 1 Tbsp sugar 1 cup shredded basil leaves or minced cilantro leaves Sweet & Sour Sauce – combine: 2 cup chicken or veggie broth(or water) 1 Cup soy sauce 1 Cup cider, balsamic or rice wine vinegar ½ Cup brown sugar 1 Tbsp hot red pepper flakes Directions: Way ahead of time: Prep all ingredients- Chop veggies and protein, cook carb. Stir frying is best done on high heat in small batches, so have everything close and ready. Over high heat, heat the oil in a wok or skillet. Combine small batches of the veggies, protein, and starch into the pan. Add small amount of sauce and stir fry until cooked through. Place small batches in large serving pan into warmed oven (200 degrees). Fruit Salad 1. Chop whatever fresh fruits we have, combine in bowl. Duh! Possible additions: Add some fun canned fruit that people always like (pineapple, mandarin oranges) Marshmallows or whipped cream Nuts, raisins, coconut, or honey Top bowl with pudding (we often have large cans of pudding in basement) Yogurt Creamy Goodness Sauce: 4 1/2 cups cold fat-free milk 1 cup orange juice concentrate 4 (1 ounce) packages *instant* vanilla pudding mix 3 cup fat-free sour cream In a bowl, whisk milk, orange juice concentrate and pudding mix for 2 minutes or until smooth. Add sour cream; mix well with fruit. No Skill Fruit Tart Perfect recipe for any combo of fruit we get. Makes one tart. Ingredients Crust – we have shortening! 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup shortening 1/2 cup cold water Crust – no shortening, we only have butter! 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup butter, chilled and diced 1/4 cup ice watter Fruit! 3 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons cornstarch 3 cups of any fruit we have! Directions 1. Preheat the oven to 450. 2. Make the Shortening Crust: In a medium bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Cut in shortening by rubbing between your fingers until the mixture resembles oatmeal. Gradually stir in water until dough is just wet enough to hold together. Knead briefly, just so the dough holds together without crumbling. Place in the refrigerator while preparing the fruit. OR 2. Make the Butter Crust: 1. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water, a tablespoon at a time, until mixture forms a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Roll dough out to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Place crust in pie plate. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate. 3. Prepare fruit: In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar and cornstarch. Add the fruit, and toss gently to coat. Set aside. 4. Roll out the crust dough into a rough circle about the size of a dinner plate, and place on a flat baking sheet. Pile the fruit into a level mound in the center of the dough, leaving 1 to 2 inches of exposed dough around the edge. Throw out any juices that may have accumulated in the fruit bowl. Fold the dough up over the fruit - the edges should cover some of the fruit and berries, but not reach the center of the tart. 5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until the fruit is bubbly and the crust is golden brown. Let cool completely before cutting into wedges and serving. Mixed Fruit Crisp From author: "I found this recipe calling for only apples or peaches, but found it worked wonderfully with any fruit you have available. Please experiment! If using primarily apples, try a bit of shredded cheddar cheese, sprinkled on top of crumble topping the last 10 minutes of baking. Tastes wonderful with vanilla ice cream.” Makes one 7x11 pan of crisp. Ingredients Fruit: * 3 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced * 4 fresh peaches - peeled, pitted and sliced * 1 banana, sliced * 1/2 cup raisins * 1/4 cup water Crisp: * 1/2 cup rolled oats * 1/4 cup brown sugar * 1/2 cup all-purpose flour * 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon * 1 pinch salt * 1/4 cup butter Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350. 2. Combine apples, peaches, banana, raisins and water in a 7x11 baking dish. 3. Make “crisp”: In medium bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Cut in butter with two knives or pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over fruit. 4. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until topping starts to brown. Serve warm. Creating Fabulous Salads Great salads have a combination of a fruit, nut and cheese. Karen House guests LOVE eggs and cheese in their salads. Try to sneak in small amounts of the healthiest stuff: cabbage, spinach, or even greens like arugula or kale. Greens We get a good variety of lettuce, such as iceberg, spinach, romaine, and butter. The darker leaves offer more vitamins. Vegetables – chop into bite size morsels! fresh green beans snap peas carrots (shred, if desired) radishes (shred, if desired) broccoli cauliflower zucchini (shred, if desired) avocados (quarter) tomatoes cucumbers (slice) bell peppers mushrooms red/green onions Fruit Blueberries raspberries blackberries apple slices raisins mandarin oranges strawberries pears Meat and Cheese hard-boiled eggs tuna chicken breast ALWAYS grate cheese over the top of your finished salad – you’ll double the takers! Nuts or Croutons Use any nuts we have, or use up some of our ubiquitous bread: Croutons on stovetop: 1. Melt butter or oil in a skillet. 2. Add the cubes of bread and sauté, until golden brown. 3. Season with any of these: salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, dried basil. Croutons in Oven Place cubes of bread onto a cookie sheet. Drizzle oil over the bread to lightly cover, season, and toss. Bake at 400 degrees 5 to 10 minutes or until lightly brown and toasted. Random Salad Combinations Spinach salad #1: mandarin oranges, red onions, nuts and a white cheese #2: strawberries, nuts and cheese #3 apples, raisins and peanuts #4: See ‘celery’ for Waldorf salad recipe Shepherd’s Pie & Veggie Shepherd’s Pie Shepherd's Pie is usually a mixture of meat and vegetables baked, and topped with mashed potatoes. Very versatile – you can use any veggies, and substitute steak or chicken for the beef, if that’s what you have available. Ingredients 12 lbs ground beef or ground turkey 8 onions chopped 10 cups vegetables - chopped carrots, corn, peas – whatever we have! 20 big potatoes – to make the mashed potato topping (substitute instant mashed potatoes, if you want!) Lots of butter 4 cups beef broth, or gravy 3 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce Salt, pepper, other seasonings of choice Directions 1. Peel and quarter potatoes, boil in salted water until tender (about 20 minutes). 2. While the potatoes are cooking, melt 4 Tablespoons butter (1/2 a stick) in large frying pan. 3. Sauté onions in butter until tender over medium heat (10 mins). Add the rest of the veggies and sauté. 4. Add ground beef and sauté until no longer pink. Add salt and pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Add half of the beef broth and cook, uncovered, over low heat for 10 minutes, then the rest as necessary to keep moist. 5. Mash potatoes in bowl with remainder of butter, season to taste. 6. Place beef and veggies in large baking dish. Distribute mashed potatoes on top. Cute tip: Rough up with a fork so that there are peaks that will brown nicely. You can use the fork to make some designs in the potatoes as well. 7. Cook in 400 degree oven until bubbling and brown (about 45 minutes). Turn to 500 for last few minutes to try and brown the top. Veggie Shepherd’s Pie Ingredients 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided 20 cloves garlic, crushed 1/2 cup curry powder 3 tablespoons ground cumin 2-1/2 cups water 2-1/2 cups fat-free half and half (or milk) 2-1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese 5 pinches Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Veggies: 5 large yellow onion, roughly chopped 10 small red or green bell peppers, chopped 15 cups cubed eggplant, with peel 5 (15 ounce) cans diced tomatoes 6-1/4 pounds small red potatoes, halved OPTIONAL VARIATION: Substitute turnips, cauliflower, sweet potatoes for potatoes 5 cups frozen or fresh peas Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 400. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat 1 Tb. oil; add onions, garlic, curry and cumin. Sauté until onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Remove to a bowl. 2. Heat remaining oil in skillet; add peppers, eggplant, tomatoes and 1/2 cup water. Sauté until soft, about 20 minutes. Stir in onions. Place in a shallow 8-by-8- inch baking dish. 3. In a saucepan, boil potatoes until done. Drain and smash. Stir in half and half, peas, salt and pepper. Spread over vegetables and top with Parmesan. 4. Bake 15 minutes. Brown in broiler. Serve. Frittata When we have lots of eggs, a perfect dish! A frittata is basically eggs baked with any combination of veggies and meat, topped with cheese. Serves 32. Ingredients: 2 onions, sliced 1/4 cup vegetable oil 32 eggs, beaten 4-6 Cups milk 3 cups cooked, cubed ham OR chicken OR steak OR sausage 3 cups shredded Cheddar or other shred-able cheese, or 3-4 pkg. of cottage cheese 16 potatoes, peeled and cubed (potatoes optional, substitute other veggies if you don’t have them) 4-6 cups of ANY veggies, especially bell peppers, broccoli, celery, mushrooms, peas, spinach Directions: 1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350. 2. Beat eggs together in large bowl. Add 4-6 cups of milk into mixture. 3. On stove, heat oil, and add onions and cook until soft. Add any veggies you’re using, and sauté. 4. Stir in eggs, drained potatoes, ham, salt and pepper. Cook until eggs are firm on the bottom, about 5 minutes. 5. Combine egg mixture, veggies, and meat into large baking pans – not more that 2 inches deep each, or it will take forever to cook. 6. Bake until a knife comes clean and the eggs are set (about 45-60 min). 7. Remove frittatas and top with shredded cheese. Mexican Casserole The idea is an easy casserole with a Mexican flair – feel free to substitute any of the veggies. Serve with sour cream and avocado, if we have it! Ingredients 5 pounds ground beef or ground turkey 5 onions, chopped 2-1/2 pounds egg noodles OR substitute rice 5 cans chili OR substitute pinto and black beans 5 cans diced tomatoes 5 cans corn, drained 5 packages taco seasoning mix OR combine 1 TB each of: cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, oregano 5 stalks celery, chopped (optional) 1-1/4 cups salsa (optional) Cheddar cheese (to top the casserole) Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Sauté the ground beef, onion and celery over medium heat until the meat is browned and the onion is tender. Drain the fat and set aside. 3. Cook noodles according to package directions and drain. 4. Combine noodles with meat mixture, chili, tomatoes, corn, taco sauce and taco seasoning mix. Place entire mixture into a baking dish. 5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until thoroughly heated. 6. After you pull out of oven, top with cheddar cheese. Emergency Casserole When the cooks cancel and there’s no fresh food around, this is an easy to assemble recipe. Ingredients 5 pounds lean ground beef or ground turkey 15 cups peeled, thinly sliced potatoes 5 cans cream of mushroom soup 3 cups chopped onion 4 cups milk 2 cups shredded cheese Optional: diced bell peppers Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Start a big pot of water boiling. 2. Slice potatoes, add to salted boiling water – remove when they are soft, but not falling apart. 3. Brown the ground beef; drain fat. 3. Combine cream of mushroom soup, onion, milk, salt and pepper to taste in a bowl. 4. Alternately layer the potatoes, soup mixture and meat in a baking dish. 5. Bake for 1 hour, or until potatoes are tender. 6. Top with cheese, and continue baking until cheese is melted. Fruit Smoothies 1. Option #1 : You can’t find a blender. No surprise there. Ingredients Any soft, non-citrus fruit, like strawberries or bananas Milk or juice Ice cream or frozen yogurt Directions Mash up the fruit really well with a fork Slowly add the liquid, Slowly add in the ice cream or frozen yogurt. 2. Option #2: By some miracle of God, we have a blender! Use any combination of fruit we have – blueberries, peaches, strawberries, whatever! This serves 20. Ingredients 20 cups strawberries, hulled 5 bananas, broken into chunks 10 peaches 5 cups of any fruit juice, or divide into part fruit juice, part dairy (milk, ice cream, or yogurt) 10 cups ice Directions In a blender, combine strawberries, banana and peaches. Blend until fruit is pureed. Blend in the juice. Add ice and blend to desired consistency. Pour into glasses and serve. Three Cream Sauces for Pasta Use 2-3 pkg. of pasta to accompany these sauces; they should serve about 30 people. Alfredo Sauce #1 (if we have milk or cream) Ingredients 2 cups butter, room temperature 3 cups grated Parmesan cheese 4 cups heavy cream (half and half or milk will work too) Your choice of cooked veggies (mushrooms, broccoli, onions, peppers are great choices) Your choice of cooked meat or fish (chicken pieces would work well) Directions In a medium bowl, beat butter and Parmesan until fluffy. Add cream, a little at a time, until mixture resembles softly scrambled eggs. Toss with hot pasta to serve. Add any cooked veggies and meat you can find! Alfredo Sauce #2 (if we have cream cheese) Ingredients 2 cups butter 4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese 3 tablespoons garlic powder 8 cups milk 1-1/2 pounds, or a lot, of grated Parmesan cheese 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper Your choice of cooked veggies (mushrooms, broccoli, onions, peppers are great choices) Your choice of cooked meat or fish (chicken pieces would work well) Directions Melt butter over medium heat. Add cream cheese and garlic powder, stirring with wire whisk until smooth. Add milk, a little at a time, whisking to smooth out lumps. Stir in Parmesan and pepper. Remove from heat when sauce reaches desired consistency. Sauce will thicken rapidly, thin with milk if cooked too long. Toss with hot pasta to serve. Add any cooked veggies and meat you can find! Bottom of the Barrel Sauce (but no one will know it!) Cream of Mushroom Soup Milk to thin Seasonings: parsley garlic powder ground pepper 1. Combine all ingredients in bowl, season to taste. Add to cooked pasta, along with any veggies, fish or meat you choose. Chili: Turkey and Veggie Turkey Chili We often have ground turkey around that goes unused. Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil 4 pounds ground turkey 4 onion, chopped 8 cups water 4 (28 ounce) cans canned crushed tomatoes 4 (16 ounce) cans canned kidney beans - drained, rinsed, and mashed Spices 1/4 cup garlic, minced 1/2 cup chili powder 2 teaspoons paprika 2 teaspoons dried oregano 2 teaspoons ground cayenne pepper 2 teaspoons ground cumin 2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons ground black pepper Directions: 1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Place turkey in the pot, and cook until evenly brown. Stir in onion, and cook until tender. 2. Pour water into the pot. Mix in tomatoes, kidney beans, and garlic. Season chili powder, paprika, oregano, cayenne pepper, cumin, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes. (The longer it sits, the better it tastes!) Veggie Chili Ingredients: 2 tablespoons vegetable oil Veggies (substitute at will!) 2 cups chopped onion 2 cups chopped carrots 2 cups chopped green bell pepper 2 cups chopped red bell pepper 3 cups chopped fresh mushrooms 2 cans whole peeled tomatoes or diced tomatoes Beans 2 cans black beans, undrained 2 cans kidney beans, undrained 2 cans pinto beans, undrained 2 cans whole kernel corn, drained Spices 6 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup chili powder 2 tablespoons cumin 3 tablespoons dried oregano 3 tablespoons dried basil 1 tablespoon garlic powder Directions: 1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook and stir the garlic, onion, and carrots in the pot until tender. Mix in the green bell pepper and red bell pepper. Season with chili powder. Continue cooking 5 minutes, or until peppers are tender. 2. Mix the mushrooms into the pot. Stir in the tomatoes with liquid, black beans with liquid, kidney beans with liquid, pinto beans with liquid, and corn. Season with cumin, oregano, basil, and garlic powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Easy Veggie Pot Pie Ingredients: 5 cans condensed cream of potato soup 5 cans mixed vegetables, drained (or fresh veggies if we have them) 2-1/2 cups milk 2-1/2 teaspoons dried thyme 2-1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper 10 (9 inch) frozen prepared pie crusts, thawed (If we don’t have pie crusts, use crust recipe below.) Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). 2. In a medium bowl, combine potato soup, mixed vegetables, milk, thyme, and black pepper. 3. Spoon filling into bottom pie crust. Cover with top crust, and crimp edges to seal. Slit top crust. 4. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from oven, and cool for 10 minutes before serving. Crust Recipe Ingredients for one crust: (if we don’t have shortening, see General Recipes ‘Mixed Fruit Tart’ for a butter crust recipe) 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup shortening 1/2 cup cold water Directions: In a medium bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Cut in shortening by rubbing between your fingers until the mixture resembles oatmeal. Gradually stir in water until dough is just wet enough to hold together. Knead briefly, just so the dough holds together without crumbling. Place in the refrigerator while preparing the fruit.

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