Chow Times » 2009

Orange Poached Pears

Suanne — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:32 +0000

For dessert, Minoo prepared Orange Poached Pears. This dessert is best served chilled. You may served the Orange Poached Pears with some vanilla ice-cream, leave out the syrups. The pears can be cut into smaller pieces and serve with your favourite yogurt along with some granolas for breakfast.

This Orange Poached Pears recipe serves 6.

Ingredients

2 cups orange juice
2 cups water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
zest of 1 orange, cut in strips
3 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
6 ripe but firm pears, peeled, cored, and quartered lengthwise

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Butternut Squash Apple Soup

Suanne — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:00:07 +0000

This Butternut Squash Apple Soup is another great recipe in using winter produce. Cold weather calls for a hot bowl of soup. This creamy soup is flavourful and heart warming.

This soup can be prepared in 40 minutes or less. The trick to a great butternut squash soup is the simple addition of one tart green apple to balance the sweetness of the squash.

One of the better way to prepare the butternut squash is to roast it. Simply cut the squash half lengthwise, lightly brush with vegetable oil and place cut side down on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes in a 350F preheated oven until it is softened. Roasting brings out the sweetness of the squash as the sugar content is caramelized.

Butternut squash is a good source of fiber, vitamin C and A, magnesium, manganese and potassium. This recipe serves 4 to 6.

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© suanne for Chow Times, 2009. | Permalink | No comment
Post tags: Apple, Butternut Squash, Community Kitchen, Recipe, Soup

Moroccan Chicken and Rice

Suanne — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:00:45 +0000

The main dish which Minoo planned for the South Arm Community Kitchen is a Moroccan Chicken and Rice dish. We were surprised with the use of winter squash in this rice dish.

This Moroccan Chicken and Rice dish is a all in a pot dish. It has protein, vegetable and grain in this dish. This recipe is adapted from Alive Magazine and it serves 4.

The butternut squash and raisins add sweetness to this rice dish. This is a good recipe to make use of winter squashes which are in season now. They are cheap and nutritious.

Here is a tip to peel the tough skin butternut squash. Microwave the whole squash, on high, for 2 minutes. This softens the skins, making it easier to peel.
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© suanne for Chow Times, 2009. | Permalink | One comment
Post tags: Chicken, Community Kitchen, Recipe, Rice

Autumn Salad

Suanne — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:00:08 +0000

It’s been a while since the South Arm Community Kitchen meet. The reason is because the coordinator of the Richmond Community Kitchen, Minoo was away on vacation for three weeks. Minoo had a great time in Germany with families and friends. She is fully charged for the coming winter.

Minoo started off the South Arm Community Kitchen with four recipes. The first item is an Autumn Salad featuring pear, cranberries and pumpkin seeds. Here are some tips on buying pears. Buy pears that are unripe to ensure they arrive home without any bruises as ripen pears are soft and easily bruised. An unripe pear can take anywhere from 3 to 7 days to ripen on the counter. To speed up the process, place pears in a paper bag along with an apple. Close tightly and check for ripeness in 1 to 3 days. Store ripened pears in the fridge.

This Autumn Salad is adapted from Alive Magazine and it makes 4 servings. You can easily doubled the recipes to serve 8. The goat cheese lends some saltiness to this lightly tangy salad. It’s a great way to start a meal.
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Post tags: Community Kitchen, Recipe, Salad

Wilted Spinach Salad with Quinoa, Grapes and Tomatoes

Suanne — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:00:56 +0000

Looks like the South Arm Cooking Club for Seniors has a theme in this week’s meeting. One common ingredient in Spinach. Spinach is rich in iron and calcium and it’s Popeye’s energy booster. As fussy as Nanzaro is, I’m glad that he likes spinach.

Sydney and Lorna made this Wilted Spinach Salad with Quinoa, Grapes and Tomatoes. This salad is slightly unusual that it’s served warm. This salad can be varied according to your preference. Instead of grapes, you can try experimenting with dried fruit, like cranberries and raisins. You can sprinkle the salad with toasted nuts, sliced avocados, or drained canned chickpeas before serving.

We were quite surprise that the grapes stained the quinoa purple.

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© suanne for Chow Times, 2009. | Permalink | 4 comments
Post tags: Community Kitchen, Recipe

Roasted Parsnips

Suanne — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:00:35 +0000

Christina and June roasted some parsnips for the South Arm Cooking Club for Seniors. Roasting parsnips really brings out the vegetable’s sweet flavour. This recipe can be multiplied endlessly – just count on about one medium parsnip per person.

Roasted Parsnips have a strong aroma to it. Not everyone will like it. Paul just tried one and said no thank you. This is the first time Paul tried parsnip. This recipe is for 1 serving.

Ingredients

1 parsnip

1 teaspoon olive oil

pinch of salt

Parsnip is a root vegetable related to the carrot. Parsnips look like carrots, but are white (or pale yellow) instead of orange in colour. It has a stronger flavor.

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Post tags: Community Kitchen, Parsnip, Recipe

Creamy Bean Soup with Fresh Herbs and Spinach

Suanne — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:00:51 +0000

The next dish which the South Arm Cooking Club for Seniors made is a bean soup. Soup is comfort food especially in the colder fall and winter. This bean soup is adapted from Cara Brunetti Hillyard and it serves 6. Chris and Paul made this soup.

Chris and Paul made two versions of this bean soup. One is the creamy version while another is the broth version. The creamy version is smooth while the broth version has more texture to it. The soup is very filing too with the beans as a source of protein.

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© suanne for Chow Times, 2009. | Permalink | 4 comments
Post tags: Community Kitchen, Garbanzo Bean, Recipe, Soup, Spinach, White Bean

Spiced Pumpkin Bread

Suanne — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:00:48 +0000

Under normal circumstances, I will end a series of the community kitchen meet up with the dessert but for this week’s South Arm Cooking Club for Seniors, I will start with dessert. The reason is, Charlene started off the day’s cooking with a quick briefing on baking. Charlene observed some very common mistakes in her several seniors kitchens and she decided to share them with this kitchen.

Baking is unlike other cooking that you can estimate the ingredients and more or less in fine. Baking is science as the right amount of ingredients are crucial for the reaction of the of the processes to achieve the right texture in the baking goods. Here is a summary of the briefing.

One must use a dry ingredient measuring cup to measure dry ingredients. To measure flour, use a spoon to scoop flour into the measuring cup until it overflows. Then, use a knife or spatula to level the flour. Do not tap the measurement cup as this will compact the flour and yield more flour than needed. Do not scoop the floor directly into the measuring cup and try to level the flour by pressing against the wall of the flour container as this will also compact the flour.

One exception in measuring dry ingredient is measuring brown sugar. You have to pack the brown sugar and the brown sugar should take on the shape of the measuring cup when you turn it out.

When measuring liquid, place the cup on a flat surface and check the liquid amount at eye level.

So, with the above fresh in mind, Ken and Frank started working on the Spiced Pumpkin Bread recipe.

This Pumpkin Bread recipe is adapted from Vern Bertana and it makes 2 loaves. This bread freezes well. Wrap the loaf with saran wrap and place in a ziplock back and store it in the freezer until you have company.

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© suanne for Chow Times, 2009. | Permalink | One comment
Post tags: Bread, Community Kitchen, Pumpkin, Recipe

Toffee Apple Cake

Suanne — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:00:19 +0000

Chris shared this Toffee Apple Cake recipe with the South Arm Cooking Club for Seniors as dessert. According to Chris, this cake is tops. The best part is we can make most out the local apples in the fall.

This Toffee Apple Cake is very moist and almost custard like. The toffee bits topping add some crunch to it. This is certainly not a dietary kind of dessert. Well, it’s ok to let ourselves indulge for a treat once in a while.

Chris and Paul worked on this dessert. This recipe serves 24.

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Post tags: Apple, Cake, Community Kitchen, Recipe, Toffee

Mashed Cauliflower

Suanne — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:00:42 +0000

The South Arm Cooking Club for Seniors served Mashed Cauliflower as the side dish for the Turkey Meatloaf instead of the regular mashed potatoes. Mashed Cauliflower is popular among dieters, who crave for mashed potatoes but with lesser carbohydrates.

The Mashed Cauliflower is delicious, diet or no. It has the texture of mashed potatoes and the taste of cauliflower. Being Chinese, we seldom have mashed up food except food for baby.

Ingredients

1 medium head cauliflower, cut into small florets (about 6 to 7 cups)

2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or butter

2 to 4 tablespoons water or broth

sea salt to taste

This recipe is adapted from Whole Foods Market and it serves 4. Helmut and Lorna made this very simple side dish.

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Post tags: Cauliflower, Community Kitchen, Recipe