All Entries in the "Community Kitchen" Category
Apple Chutney
Jane had promised to share in the Gilmore Park Church Community Kitchen some chutney recipes. She brought some homemade chutneys to share with everyone some time ago and we are eager to learn how to make it.
Jane made two types of chutneys. The first chutney is Apple Chutney. According to Jane, chutney originated from India. It’s considered poor people’s food. Chutney is also a diet food as people who try to reduce fat intake can have toast with chutney instead of butter. Chutney can be eaten with anything from chicken, pork, etc.
In North America, people usually make chutney in summer and fall when fruits are in abundance. This way, North Americans can still enjoy the taste of summer in the cold winter when fruit is not available.
Sugar and vinegar is the primary preservatives in making chutney. Spices are added according to your own preferences. Here are some of the pointers shared by Jane regarding vinegar:
- Hard cider has very strong alcohol
- Apple cider vinegar is good for arthritis
- White wine vinegar is made from green grapes
- White vinegar is made from chemical, not advised to use in cooking but good for cleaning
Ingredients
- 3 jars 790ml (28 fl oz) apple sauce
- 1/2 to 3/4 litre apple cider vinegar
- 3 cups golden raisins
- 796ml onion puree from 2 lbs onion (boiled and puree)
- 2 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
- 3 cups chopped red and green peppers
- 2 tablespoon grated ginger (amount up to your preference)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 1 teaspoon ground all spice
I was not able to organize the ingredients for a photo shoot as the kitchen is quite havoc with things already started before I arrived. Jane had started off with the cooking of the apple sauce as making chutney needs at least 2 hours to finish cooking.
Crisp Seedy Oatmeal Cookie
For the dessert, Minoo made some Crisp Seedy Oatmeal Cookies in the Gilmore Park Church Community Kitchen.
This Crisp Seedy Oatmeal Cookie will satisfy anyone. It has a variety of seeds like sunflower seed and water melon seeds. The original recipe has pumpkin seeds instead of the water melon seeds.
This cookie is great for snack or lunch box. This recipe yields 42 cookies.
The puffed rice cereal in the cookies make them a bit chewier than my preference. I would leave out the puffed rice cereal in these cookies as I find that the baked rice cereal kind of sticks between my teeth.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (250ml) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (250ml) packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla
- 2 cups (500ml) quick-cooking (not instant) rolled oats
- 1 1/2 cups (375ml) puffed rice cereal (such as Rice Krispies)
- 1/2 cup (125ml) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (125ml) whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup (50ml) unsalted sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup (50ml) water melon seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon (2ml) baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon (2ml) baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon (1ml) salt
Creamy Bow-ties with Broccoli and Ham
In the Gilmore Park Church Community Kitchen, Minoo demonstrated two recipes. The first recipe is Creamy Bow-ties with Brocoli and Ham.
This creamy pasta dish is simple to prepare and it has vegetable and meat in it to make a complete meal. This recipe is taken from eat well and it serves 4.
Ingredients
- 12 oz bow-tie (farfalle) pasta
- 12 oz broccoli (1 bunch), cut into florets
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1/4 teaspoon salt and peppr
- 8 oz cooked ham, cut into cubes
Lemon-Garlic Pita Chips
Sydney and Joyce made some Lemon Garlic Pita Chips to go with the Creamy Hummus. It’s a perfect match.
This recipe is adapted from Cooking Light and it makes 24 pieces Pita Chips.
This Lemon Garlic Pita Chips is super crispy and can be eaten on its own as snack. We just cant stop munching on this crispy chips.
Ingredients
- 3 (6-inch) pita bread rounds
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon pepper (since we do not have lemon pepper, we added lemon juice to the olive oil for brushing)
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Creamy Hummus
Hummus is a popular Greek dip. I must warn you in advance that if you are going for a date, refrain from eating too much hummus as the raw garlic after taste is going to ruin your date.
June and Christina partnered to make this Creamy Hummus in the South Arm Cooking Club for seniors. This recipe is adapted from Cooking Light and it serves 4.
For a truly creamy hummus, it’s important to blend the tahini with water and lemon juice first; this allows it to emulsify, and gives the hummus its fabulous texture. This Creamy Hummus is best served with some pita chips.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
- 1 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 (19oz) can chickpeas
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Carrot Orzo
This is about the only dish that has the least Greek element in it, except for the feta cheese. The only similarity with the other dishes is that it is adapted from the same source, i.e. Bon Appetit. This recipe serves 4.
Karen and Lorna worked together to make this Carrot Orzo side dish.
Orzo is almost like a risotto. This creamy orzo is a quick to make and delicious side-dish. It does not need the laborious stirring in making a risotto.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces peeled baby carrots (about 2 cups)
- 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
- 1 cup orzo (rice-shaped pasta; about 8 ounces)
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
Greek Salad
It is obvious that a Greek menu must have Greek Salad.
This Greek Salad recipe is adapted from Bon Appetit and it makes about 4 1/2 cups. June and Christina made this delightful salad.
The Greek Salad is colourful and is a terrific accompaniment for the Grilled Chicken, Red Onion and Mint Kebabs. The saltiness from the olives and feta cheese gives this salad it’s distinctive taste.
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound tomatoes, seeded, diced (about 2 cups)
- 2 cups diced seeded peeled cucumber (from about 1 large cucumber)
- 1 cup diced red bell pepper (from about 1 large bell pepper)
- 1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives or other brine-cured black olives, halved
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 2 ounces)
