Holiday favorites from the Catholic health ministry Six Catholic hospitals shred favorite holiday recipes with Catholic Health World. Bon Appetit! Blood Orange Cranberry Sauce Recipe submitted by Saint Joseph East in Lexington, Ky. Servings: five to seven 3-ounce portions 12 ounces fresh cranberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar or maple syrup to taste
juice from 2 blood oranges
zest from 1 orange
1 teaspoon vanilla extract Combine cranberries, sugar or maple syrup and orange juice in a sauce pan. Bring to a simmer and continue to cook over low heat for 5 minutes or until the cranberries pop and start to soften. Stir in the vanilla and orange zest and cook for 1 minute more. Allow to cool and serve at room temperature or refrigerate. The sauce will thicken as it cools. Nutrition information: 118 calories, 0 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0g trans-fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 1 mg sodium, 30 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 1 g protein. Christmas Ponche (punch) Recipe submitted by The Children's Hospital of San Antonio. The recipe is inspired by a family recipe of Maria Palma, a program director and chef for the hospital's Culinary Health Education for Families program. Servings: 20 6 quarts (24 cups) water
2 cinnamon sticks
6 cloves
3 allspice berries
3 red delicious apples, peeled, cored and cut into small cubes
1 pineapple, peeled and cut into small cubes
8 pitted prunes
1/2 cup brown sugar OR 1/4 cup agave Combine all ingredients, except the sugar, in a medium stock pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer for 10 minutes. Add sugar or agave. Turn the heat off and cover the pot and let sit for at least half an hour. Nutrition information: Serving size = 1 cup, 60 calories; 0 g total fat; 0 g saturated fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 15 mg sodium; 16 g total carbohydrate; 2 g dietary fiber; 12 g sugars; 0 g protein. Famous Pumpkin Bread Recipe submitted by Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, Burbank, Calif. Makes 3 1-3/4 pound loaves. 3 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 1/2 cups white granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs beaten
1 cup oil
2/3 cup water
2 cups canned pumpkin
walnut halves Sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Combine eggs, oil, water and pumpkin and mix well. Stir into dry ingredients. Turn into 3 greased 1 pound loaf pans (8 inches x 4 1/2 inches x 2 1/4 inches) and top with a few walnut halves. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool before slicing. (Tastes best slightly warm, spread with butter.) Maryland Crab Balls Recipe submitted by Mercy Medical Center, Baltimore. Yields about 30 crab balls 1 pound Maryland Blue crabmeat (pasteurized or fresh)
1/2 cup cracker crumbs or bread crumbs
1 large egg
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 lemon
peanut or vegetable oil for frying In a small bowl, beat egg; mix in mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay seasoning, mustard and lemon juice. Remove all cartilage from crabmeat and place crab in large bowl, and then fold in remaining wet ingredients. Add cracker crumbs until mixture can be shaped. Shape into about 30 balls about 1 inch in diameter and chill. Gently drop crab balls one at a time into hot (350 F) oil to cover. Cook until browned; remove and drain. Serve with crackers and cocktail sauce on the side. Melted snowman cookies Recipe submitted by Dignity Health Dominican Hospital, Santa Cruz, Calif. 1 dozen baked sugar cookies
6 marshmallows, halved at a slight angle
white cookie icing, for decorating
black cookie icing or melted chocolate, for decorating
12 orange jimmies, for noses
24 mini M&M's, for buttons
chocolate jimmies, for arms Spread white cookie icing on sugar cookies to resemble melted blobs. Decorate marshmallows with black cookie icing to make dots for eyes and a smile, or expression of surprise. Insert an orange jimmy into the marshmallow for a nose. Place angular cut of marshmallow on white icing puddle adding more icing around the snowman's neck (base of the marshmallow) to secure it. Push mini M&M's into cookie icing for buttons and add chocolate jimmies for arms. Potato latkes Recipe submitted by Eli Stull, executive chef, The Jewish Hospital, Cincinnati. Servings: 10 5 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, grated, and squeezed dry
6 ounces yellow onions, grated, drained
1/4 cup lemon juice
6 large eggs
3 1/2-ounce all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
5 tablespoons whole milk
Vegetable oil, as needed Mix the potatoes, onions, and lemon juice. Set aside. Beat eggs and mix with the flour, salt, pepper, and milk. Stir egg/flour mixture into the potato/onion mixture. Batter should be thick. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. There should be about 1/4 inch of oil in the skillet. Use an ice cream scoop to drop the batter into the pan, pressing down to form patties. Fry latkes until golden brown on both sides. Drain on a paper towel. Serve hot. Traditionally served with applesauce or sour cream. Stuffed Acorn Squash Recipe submitted by Saint Joseph East in Lexington, Ky. Servings: six 3 medium acorn squashes (about 1 1/2 pounds each), halved lengthwise and seeds removed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
4 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
2 cups cooked wild rice mix
2/3 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed Heat the oven to 450 F and arrange a rack in the middle.
Place the squash cut-side up on a baking sheet. Brush 1 tablespoon of the melted butter over the tops and insides of the squash halves. Sprinkle with the brown sugar, and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until just fork tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. While the squash cooks, place 1 tablespoon of the melted butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. When it foams, add the onion, shallots, and celery, season with salt and pepper, and stir to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are just softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in the thyme and cook about 1 minute more. Remove from the heat and stir in the rice, pecans, cranberries, and measured salt and pepper. Divide the rice filling among the roasted squash halves (about 1/2 cup for each) and drizzle the remaining tablespoon of butter over top. Continue roasting until the squash is completely fork tender, the edges have started to brown, and the filling is heated through, about 20 to 25 minutes. Nutrition information, per serving: 367 calories; 4.37 g fat; 4.46 g saturated fat; 0.23 g trans-fat; 60.52 g carbs; 8.88 g fiber; 8.7 g sugar; 6.85 g protein; 15.27 mg cholesterol; 355.77 mg sodium. |