Help to feed the hungry here at home

March is Minnesota FoodShare Month.

The annual March campaign is the largest food drive in the state — uniting corporations, faith communities, schools and civic groups to raise money and food for the state’s food shelves. More than 510,000 Minnesotans receive food support. Between 2008 and 2010, statewide visits to food shelves increased 62 percent.

“Catholic Charities Emergency Services Food Shelf usage has doubled in the last five years,” said Trina Dietz, communications specialist for Catholic Charities in the St. Cloud Diocese. “People using the food shelf currently tell us that, in previous years, they were among those who used to donate.”

“Pack the Porch at Pioneer Place,” a community-wide food drive to benefit Catholic Charities Emergency Services Food Shelf, takes place Friday, March 30, from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Pioneer Place on Fifth, 22 5th Ave. S, St. Cloud.

The goal of this unique drive is to fill the entire veranda at Pioneer Place with food. Please consider donating shelf-stable food items or money to assist with this important effort — you can even drop off items without getting out of your car. Most food shelves have the ability to purchase four to nine times as much as the average consumer at the grocery store so money is greatly appreciated as well. (And, all participants will be treated to a cup of coffee.)

Minnesota FoodShare, an interfaith collaboration that fights hunger, gathers donations from corporations to use as incentive funds for Minnesota food shelves. The more food and cash an agency collects at events such as this one, the more incentive funds they receive and the more hungry families they can feed. US Bank will be providing a $2,500 matching gift donation for this event.

Please add the date to your calendar and do what you can to help “pack the porch” at Pioneer Place next Friday.

In the upcoming video, Sara Nelson-Pallmeyer, director of the Minnesota FoodShare, discusses the widespread problem of food insecurity in Minnesota and how the situation differs from hunger issues in the rest of the world. CJK

Maple Salmon

The Salmon Collection — Day 4

Sweet maple syrup, piquant aromatic garlic and the distinctive taste of salmon create a sophisticated balance of flavor in this unique recipe. It’s so simple it could be prepared on any day of the week but elegant enough to serve to company — absolutely “fishlicious!”

My friend Sheila Ballweg-Pulju found the original version on Allrecipes.com a number of years ago. We’ve both enjoyed making it ever since. CJK

Maple Salmon

(Sheila Ballweg-Pulju)

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 tbsp. soy sauce

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

1 lb. salmon

In a small bowl, mix the maple syrup, soy sauce, garlic, garlic powder and pepper.

Spray a shallow baking dish with no-stick spray. Place the salmon in the dish and coat with the maple syrup mixture. Cover the dish and marinate the salmon in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, turning once.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake the salmon for 15 to 20 minutes, or until it easily flakes with a fork.

Yield: 4 servings

A note from Sheila: This easy recipe been a family dinner favorite since the day I discovered it. I’ve served the salmon the next day as an appetizer, on crackers and in salads but it’s so good that we rarely have any left over. 

A note from Carol: I wanted to prepare this special recipe for dinner recently but found that there was no time to marinate the fish. So, I prepared the marinade and put it in a baking dish, placed the salmon (skin side down) in the marinade, poured several spoonfuls of it over the topside of the fish and set the dish in the preheated oven. When it was finished baking I again poured several spoonfuls of the marinade — which had reduced beautifully — over the salmon again. I served the fish and the rich-tasting marinade, which I then called a “sauce,” together and it was fabulous!

Be sure to check out Sheila’s other recipes on “Food, Faith and Fellowship.” They include a scrumptious bittersweet chocolate truffle tart, enticing red velvet cake and her mother’s unique recipe for lemon bars.

Pecan Crusted Salmon

The Salmon Collection — Day 3

“Salmon is good by itself but add brown sugar and pecans and it’s really, really good,” Amy Klaphake told me when I called her about this recipe. “It melts in your mouth and it’s so easy to make.”

I tried it a few days ago and couldn’t agree more with everything Amy said. CJK

Pecan Crusted Salmon

(Amy Klaphake)

4 (about 6 oz.) salmon fillets

2 cups milk

1 cup finely chopped pecans

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 tsp. seasoned salt

2 tsp. pepper

3 tbsp. oil

Place salmon fillets in a large resealable plastic bag; add the milk. Seal the bag and turn to coat. Let stand for 10 minutes; drain.

Meanwhile, in a shallow bowl, combine the pecans, flour, brown sugar, seasoned salt and pepper. Coat fillets with pecan mixture, gently pressing into the fish. In a large skillet, brown the salmon in oil over medium-high heat. Transfer to a 15x10x1-inch baking pan coated with no-stick cooking spray. Bake at 400°F for 8 to 10 minutes until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Yield: 4 servings

A note from Amy: I usually don’t soak the fish in as much milk or for as long as the recipe calls for. I put it upside down (skin side up) in a glass pan, pour in a little milk, let it soak for about 10 minutes and then pour it off.

I’ve found that the pecan crust mixture makes a lot so I usually freeze half of it and it’s ready to go when I want to make the recipe again.

The first time I made it I browned the fish as directed but since then I’ve skipped that step and put it straight into the oven after I’ve dipped it in the crust mixture. I’ve also put it in a greased aluminum pan and placed it on the grill. It’s turns out great that way as well.

A note from Carol: Amy and I compared notes after I tried this recipe so I did things a little differently. I, too, felt that there was an abundance of the pecan mixture and so I peeled the skin off and covered both sides of the fish with it. (Next time I likely would make half the amount of this crust mixture.)

I followed the recipe and browned the fish — on both sides — since there was crust mixture on both. I made it in an ovenproof skillet and then put that pan directly in the oven rather than using another baking dish.

Amy and her husband, Ron, and their sons, Sammy (4) and Luke (18 mos.) are members of Our Lady of Angels Parish in Sauk Centre.

Amy found the recipe a few years ago in a “Taste of Home” cookbook and has shared it several times since then including in the “Fruit of the Spirit” cookbook, published by St. Donatus Parish in Brooten, where she grew up. To order the cookbook, contact the St. Donatus Parish office at stdonatus@tds.net or 320-346-2431. They are on sale for $15 each. (Shipping and handling is $5 for one book or $7 for two.) 

Honey-Orange Marinated Salmon

The Salmon Collection — Day 2

What a delightful dilemma! About five years ago Dan Durant, his brother, Aaron, and their dad, Roger, ended up with two large coolers full of salmon from Lake Michigan — the result of a very successful fishing trip for their family.

This led to a whole new “can of worms” for Dan’s wife, Sandy — she needed to “net” some new salmon recipes. Her family fell “hook, line and sinker” for this one from her friend, Jan. With its zippy ingredients, you’ll likely think it’s a “great catch” as well. “Reel” it in during this Lenten season and perhaps it will “spawn” an idea for preparing it all year long.  CJK

Honey-Orange Marinated Salmon

(Sandy Durant)

1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup honey

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. sherry (or apple juice)

1 tbsp. minced fresh ginger root

1 (1 lb.) salmon fillet

In large resealable bag, combine the first seven ingredients. Add the salmon. Seal the bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least one hour, turning several times.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square baking dish with foil. Coat the foil with no-stick cooking spray. Place salmon in prepared baking dish and discard the marinade. Bake at 350°F for 30 to 40 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Yield: 4 servings

A note from Sandy: We’ve had lots of compliments on this recipe, which can easily be adapted to suit your own tastes. Make it sweeter by adding more honey or sassier by upping the amount of orange juice and ginger root.

A note from Carol: The ingredients in this marinade sound so refreshing and delicious! I can’t wait to give the recipe a try!

Sandy shared this recipe in “A Tradition of Good Taste and Grace,” the cookbook celebrating the 125th anniversary of Immaculate Conception Parish in Rice, where she and Dan and their sons Jared (12) and Derek (10) are members. Roger and his wife, Terri, and Aaron are members of Holy Spirit Parish in St. Cloud.  

Copies of “A Tradition of Good Taste and Grace” cookbooks can be ordered from the Immaculate Conception Parish office (320-393-2725) for $15, plus $5 shipping and handling.

One fish, two fish, red fish …

The Salmon Collection — Day 1

When you hear the words “king,” “dog,” and “humpback” what do you think of? Here’s a hint — substitute the words “chinook,” “chum,” and “pink.” For a final clue, add the words “sockeye” and “coho” to the list.

By now you’ve probably guessed that I’m talking about salmon, which is the common name for several species of fish in the Salmonidae family that includes trout.

It’s no secret that highly unsaturated oils, called omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, are unique to fatty fish, like salmon. Salmon also contains protein and an abundance of vitamins, including B vitamins, and the antioxidant vitamin E. It’s no wonder that the American Heart Association suggests eating at least two servings a week of baked, broiled or grilled fish, especially those high in omega-3.

In the next few days “Food, Faith and Fellowship” features a trio of recipes for this flavorful firm-fleshed fish including “Honey-Orange Marinated Salmon,” Pecan Crusted Salmon” and “Maple Salmon.” They’re perfect for this Lenten season. But once you’ve tasted how delicious they are, I predict you’ll be inclined to serve them year-round. CJK

VIDEO: El Salvadoran Casamiento

El Salvadoran Casamiento

I don’t speak Spanish but after a little research, I learned that the word “casamiento” means both “marriage” and “a dish of rice and beans fried together.” It makes sense to me — the simple union of those two ingredients provides solid nourishment in many homes throughout the world. Add the flavor and health benefits of onion, garlic and pepper and it’s even more of a winning combination.

Like those I’ve recently shared from Vietnam, Zambia and Madagascar, this Operation Rice Bowl recipe provides an opportunity to relate to the common people in El Salvador through preparing a meal that many of them eat regularly. CJK

El Salvadoran Casamiento

(Operation Rice Bowl)

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

Photo by Philip Laubner/CRS

1 onion, finely chopped

1 bell pepper, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 can black beans, drained, liquid reserved

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 cups cooked rice

Heat oil in a large pot. Add the onions, bell pepper and garlic and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes or until tender. Add the drained beans, some of the reserved bean liquid and salt and pepper. Gently stir in the rice. Cook mixture over low to medium heat until warmed through. Adjust seasonings and add a little more liquid from the beans, if necessary. Serve hot.

Yield: 4 to 5 servings

A note from Carol: Operation Rice Bowl is Catholic Relief Services’ Lenten program. Since 1975 it has connected Catholics in the United States with those in need around the world. ORB encourages participants to put the money they save from eating modest, meatless meals during Lent into a symbolic “rice bowl” to be donated to Catholic Relief Services to help members of our global family live better lives.

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Visit FFF tomorrow to see a video of Mary Gibbs, administrative manager at the Catholic Spirit, demonstrating how to make casamiento.