Food Day @ Your Library

Food Day is a nationwide celebration and a movement for healthy, affordable, and sustainable food. This annual celebration is in its second year, and the Dorris Van Doren Library is excited to participate this year! Food Day is officially on Wednesday, October 24, but that happens to be the day of our annual Halloween party for children. The Halloween party will be at 4:30 pm and feature a "spook alley," crafts, and fun!

Our Food Day festivities kickoff this Saturday, October 20 at 2 pm at our monthly Cook the Book Club. We've selected Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything: The Basics. It's one of the cookbooks on the Food Day suggested reading list. If you haven't signed up for the Cook the Book potluck, there's still time if you sign up by Friday! If you're curious about the club, stop in on Saturday to see what it's all about.

On Thursday, October 25, the Vegetarian Society of El Paso is sponsoring a special event during our usual Teen Hangout time, but all ages are welcome to attend. At 4:30 pm we will have a sampling of quick, easy, and healthy snack ideas. At 5:30 pm we will screen the documentary Vegucated. Vegucated is part sociological experiment and part adventure comedy that follows 3 meat- and cheese-loving New Yorkers who agree to adopt a vegan diet for 6 weeks. The movie is 1 hour and 17 minutes.

If you can't make it to either event, stop in the library during the week to view our Food Day display, which will consist of books from the reading list that will be available for check out. Information from various local organizations such as the El Paso Master Gardeners, Mountain View Market, the Vegetarian Society, and more will also be available to take home.

Cook the Book Club: July/August

July

You would think that a cookbook of salads would make for one boring and unfulfilling potluck, but quite the opposite occurred. A medley of fresh and flavorful salads abounded that included leafy greens, legumes, pasta, potatoes, and fruit. You really need to check this cookbook out! Each recipe is accompanied by a beautiful photograph, and the recipes have creative and unlikely flavor combinations. Reserve a copy by clicking here. The only problem that our group encountered was the lengthy amount of preparation time that went into the recipes. Also, some ingredients were expensive, but were easily substituted without compromising any flavors.

Top, left to right: Cooking Light Big Book of Salads, BLT Bread Salad, Candied Walnut, Pear, & Leafy Green Salad.
Middle, left to right: Farmers' Market Potato Salad, Pasta Salad w/Green Beans, Pistachios, & Lemon Thyme, Grilled Peppers & Lentil Salad.
Bottom, left to right: Romano Bean Salad, Romaine Salad w/Balsamic Vinaigrette, Winter Jeweled Salad.

August

We're trying something different this month by allowing participants to vote for this month's featured cookbook. Stop by the information desk to peruse the three selected titles, then vote for your favorite one by August 6.

Cook the Book Club May/June

Last month's Cook the Book Club had a good variety of delicious dishes, and a few new faces! We even had a discussion about organic and raw foods. Did you know that you can order and pick up harvest boxes of regional organic produce from Skarsgard Farms? Check out their website for more info.

Join us on Saturday, June 23 at 2 pm for our next Cook the Club potluck. This month's featured cookbook is Nigella Kitchen. Don't forget to choose a recipe and sign up by Monday, June 18 at the Information Desk.

Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast

The Recipes (click each title to get the recipe):
Chickpea Snack, p. 48
Vegetable Quesadillas with Corn Relish
Kale Salad, p. 120
Pasta with Peas & Ricotta
Quick Navy Bean Stew, p. 97
Teriyaki Tofu
Stuffed Poblanos
Chicken with Tomatoes, Olives, & Cilantro
Creamy Lemon Squares, p. 346

April CBC Recap

This month's Cook the Book Club went vegan when we teamed up with the Vegetarian Society of El Paso. The Vegan Slow Cooker by Kathy Hester is filled with mouthwatering pictures for almost every recipe, and most of the recipes are easy. The book has everything, from stock to pasta to pizza, and even desserts. Everyone had their reservations about cooking a meal in a crock pot, since most use theirs for making beans or chile con queso. Everyone was afraid that their recipe would burn, not cook through, or stick to the pot. None of that happened and the results were delicious! Here's how it went:

Lisa chose to make the Pumpkin & White Bean Lasagna (p. 104). She conducted a test run of the recipe during the week and found the lasagna a bit bland, and thought it desperately needed a topping, whether it be cheese or a bechamel sauce. On the day of the club, she tweaked the recipe by replacing the Italian seasoning with 1 teaspoon of dried sage and added a bit more salt. She also made a vegan alfredo made of cashew cream to top the lasagna with at the very end of the cooking time. You can find the recipe for her sauce here.

Jenn and her daughter Zoey made the Split Pea & Lentil Soup (p. 55). Jenn had to cook the lentils longer and still didn't think they were cooked enough (Lisa thought they were cooked through perfectly). She said that she would probably precook her lentils next time. In place of the chickeny bouillon (recipe included in the book), she used No Chicken broth, which can be found at Sprouts. She also thought that the soup was a bit bland, so she added more spices.

Lizzie made the Texas Style Tofu Tacos (p. 150). She thought it was really easy, and was surprised that all of the liquid had evaporated without the tofu didn't sticking to the pot (she made sure to keep checking it and stirring it).

Phyllis made the Smoky Bean Dip (p. 180). This recipe introduced Phyllis to two ingredients she had never cooked with before. She was surprised that this recipe asked for liquid smoke. Phyllis tried Daiya brand's Pepper Jack Shreds (vegan cheese), and found that it took awhile for the shreds to melt.

Luciano and his sister made the Chile-Chocolate Black Bean Brownies (p. 205). If you'll recall from last month's recap, Luciano is only 11 years old and already a proficient chef at home. Luciano was also going to make the Turkish Delight Tapioca (p. 210), but he wasn't able to find rose water. Lisa said that you can find rose water at Jerusalem International Foods Grocery Store, but she wasn't sure of the cost. Luciano omitted the chile so that his sister could enjoy them, too. He said that next time he would not add as much chocolate so that you could taste the banana more.

More discussion took place about vegetarianism and cooking tips. The group agreed that the media has sensationalized the need for protein and how a vegetarian diet lacks enough protein and essential vitamins. Vegetarians and vegans actually don't really worry about getting enough protein or vitamins, since they eat a variety of foods that include beans, grains, and vegetables. Jenn shared a great tip for preventing freezer burn: she places a piece of wax paper over the food in the container before freezing it.

Make the recipes pictured below and more, from Kathy Hester's The Vegan Slow Cooker. Click here to request the book @ your library.

We hope you'll join us next month on Saturday, May 19 @ 2 pm when we cook from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast.
Please note that the potluck may not necessarily be vegan/vegetarian, but Lisa will always bring a vegetarian dish.  

March CBC Recap

We held our first ever cookbook club potluck this past Saturday, and it was a deliciously fun time! The club began with everyone serving themselves a little bit of everything. After a few bites, each of us introduced ourselves and talked about the recipe that we chose to make. Here's how it went:

Lisa started the introductions since she is the librarian at Dorris Van Doren who coordinated the club. She made shortbread with lime zest, and was surprised to find that these cookies took 45 minutes to bake (she took them out of the oven 15 minutes early when they started to brown). She thought that the recipe was a little vague when the exact size of the baking pan wasn't mentioned. She decided to use a 13x9 glass Pyrex pan. Lisa liked the simplicity of the ingredients and ease of the recipe.

Luciano introduced himself next. He was the most ambitious of the bunch, taking on the Dr. Pepper Ribs. He was also the youngest. Luciano has been cooking since he was 3 years old, and this is his third time making ribs at the ripe old age of 11. Seriously though, his parents (which he brought with him) bought all of the ingredients and he cooked the ribs on his own. Luciano said the recipe took a long time to make when you combine the marinating and cooking times. He said there were a lot of spices in the recipe, two of which he didn't have on hand- mustard powder and allspice. Everyone loved the ribs!

Erika, who also works at the library made the cactus salad. She took the smart shortcut by using jarred nopales (cactus). For some participants, this was their first time trying nopales, and found that they actually liked them.

Dawn recently moved to El Paso from Ohio. She made the poblano mac & cheese, and said that it was an easy recipe that she would make again. The most time consuming part was roasting the poblanos and waiting for them to cool down. She also forgot to grease the pan, but this didn't make any difference. The recipe also recommended additional add-ins, such as chorizo, chicken, squash, or corn.

Lizzie is an intern at our library, and she made the Texas caviar. This was her first time completely following a recipe. She likes to cook without recipes or make changes to them. She also thought it was an easy recipe that she would make again. Prepping and chopping the ingredients were the only time consuming parts. She thought this might make a good base for a soup.

More discussion took place about food and cooking tips. Everyone agreed they loved pasta, and would like to see a pasta cookbook selected for an upcoming potluck. All left contently full and excited for the next Cook the Book Club potluck.

Make the recipes pictured below and more, from Lisa Fain's The Homesick Texan Cookbook. Click here to request the book @ your library.

We hope you'll join us in April for our next Cook the Book Club potluck and discussion. Save the date for Saturday, April 21! Details at the information desk.