Boys and Girls Club members participating in the cooking program at the Club.
Submitted photo
Each Friday afternoon in the Charles E. Williams kitchen at the Boys & Girls Club, “Cookbook with Brooke” is underway. A dozen Club members, led by staff member Brooke Padgett, meet in the kitchen to prepare tasty and kid-friendly snacks and meals such as tostada roll-ups, pizza rolls and seven-year-old Taylor’s favorite, homemade vanilla ice cream.
An additional class, focusing on healthful and nutritional foods, is led by volunteer Jodi Alward every other Wednesday. Alward has been making “Oprah’s Outtasight Salad” – a favorite with the kids – for years, here’s the recipe so you can try it at home.
According to Alward, “The thing the kids enjoy the most is cutting up the vegetables and greens. Whenever we make this at the Boys & Girls Club, we prepare a huge bowlful so that lots of kids can try it out. Even some ‘green-phobics’ think it is really good.”
The Boys & Girls Club is extremely grateful for recent kitchen upgrades that were donated by local businesses and service clubs. Whole Foods Market donated a brand new commercial refrigerator, and the Rotary Club of Sonoma Valley donated funds to purchase a new commercial freezer. Cooking class leaders are especially excited about the new exhaust system installed by Peterson Mechanical.
The Club serves over 22,000 free snacks and more than 9,000 free meals annually, thanks to the Redwood Empire Food Bank and Kids Café.
Oprah’s Outtasight Salad
Kids…Get Cooking! California Children’s 5-a-Day Power Play!
2 cups salad greens of your choice
1 cup chopped vegetables of your choice (tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, green beans)
1 cup fresh orange segments or canned pineapple chunks drained
1/4 cup Dynamite Dressing
2 tablespoons raisins or dried cranberries
2 tablespoons chopped nuts, any kind
Dynamite Dressing
1/4 cup fruit-flavored nonfat yogurt
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Preparation:
1. Put mixed salad greens on a large platter or in a bowl.
2. In a large bowl, mix chopped vegetables and orange segments. Add dressing and stir. Spoon mixture over salad greens.
3. Top with raisins and nuts.
Preparation time 20 minutes, makes 4 1-cup servings.
