All Entries in the "Snacks" Category
Kale Chips
I had heard of Kale Chips from Arzeena’s facebook posting but had never try it before. Apparently, it is very easy to make. This is a very healthy snack. As a matter of fact, I would even call this a vegetarian chips because it is made of vegetables. I’m glad that Frank and Christina will be making Kale Chips in the South Arm Cooking Club for Seniors.
The Kale Chips have the texture of potato chips and taste like Japanese dried seaweed. It’s amazing what a quick roast in the oven can do to these greens!
Ingredients
- 1 bunch of kale, try to get those with flatter leaves for a crispier texture
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Peanut Summer Rolls
June and Ronald made this refreshing Peanut Summer Rolls in the South Arm Cooking Club for Seniors. Ronald is new to the South Arm Cooking Club for Seniors. June had to slow him down as he did his part like preparing the vegetables and sauce in a jiffy like an expert in the kitchen.
The Peanut Summer Rolls is a vegetarian dish. It uses the translucent rice paper wrap as commonly found in Vietnamese cuisine. It is very refreshing and fragrant with the use of herbs like cilantro, mint and basil. Summer is the time to enjoy all the fresh vegetables and lettuces.
This recipe is adapted from Gourmet and it makes 4 rolls.
Ingredients
For Rolls:
- 2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 2/3 cup coarsely shredded carrot (2 medium), raw
- 4 (8-inch) rice paper rounds
- 2 red-leaf lettuce leaves
- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
Optional Veggies:
- 1/2 cup shredded napa cabbage
- 1/3 cup coarsely shredded zucchini (1 small), raw
- 1/3 cup thinly sliced button mushrooms, raw
- 1/2 English cucumber, sliced into matchsticks
For Peanut Sauce:
- 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
- 2 small garlic cloves, minced
- 3/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 teaspoons tomato paste or ketchup
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
Mini Empanadas
Christina and Stella were assigned to this recipe, Mini Empanadas. However, everyone lends their helping hands when it comes to forming the Mini Empanadas. This recipe is adapted from Southern Living. It yields 36 tiny empanadas.
These little Latin-inspired Mini Empanadas are irresistible right out of the oven. They’re are incredibly low in fat because they’re baked, not deep fried and yet they are crispy. The raisins add a touch of sweetness to these empanadas.
Ingredients
- 8 oz skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/2 small onion, minced (about 1/4 cup)
- 1/2 green bell pepper, minced
- 1/2 tomato, seeded and coarsely chopped
- 4 pimento-stuffed green olives, coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons raisins
- 2 tablespoons chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh cilantro or parsley
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- water
- vegetable cooking spray, or oil
- 1 tablespoon dry breadcrumbs (optional)
- 36 (3-inch) square wonton wrappers
- salt to taste
Taro Cake
Back to the South Arm Community Kitchen, Peggy demonstrated to us how to make Taro Cake. Taro Cake is a common dim sum item. It can be eaten fresh from the steamer or lightly pan fry to give it a crispy outer layer. The Taro Cake can be eaten as a snack or even as a meal.
Peggy made two loaves of Taro Cake in the kitchen. She also brought one which she made earlier as the cake needs to be cooled down before you can slice it up into pieces for frying. The Taro Cake is so good that the group finish all the three loaves of Taro Cake.
Peggy’s Taro Cake is filled with pork and mushroom. However, you can substitute the filings with dried shrimp and Chinese sausage which are more commonly found in Dim Sum places.
Ingredients
- 2 cups grated Taro
- 1/2 cup ground pork
- 1/4 cup chopped shallot
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced dried mushroom
- 2 cups rice flour
- 1 cup cold water
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- soy sauce paste as dipping sauce
Fruity Maple Pecan Granola
June and Carol made a big batch of Fruity Maple Pecan Granola for the seniors kitchen. The granola is used as topping for the Honey Pear Parfaits. Everyone gets to bring home some granola as we made a triple batch of the recipe. The South Arm Cooking Club for seniors always double or triple the recipes. This way the seniors get to bring something home. Stella often reminds the seniors to bring back the reusable containers so that they can bring something home in the next meeting.
I love this Fruity Maple Pecan Granola. It is very nutty and crispy. I munch on it as snacks and it’s a less guilty kind of snack. This is a fiber rich snacks.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 5 cups rolled oats
- 1 1/2 cups pecan pieces
- 1/2 cup hulled pumpkin seeds (I believed we substituted with sun flower seeds)
- 1/2 cup sesame seeds
- 1/2 cup flax seeds
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup dates
- 1/2 cup dried apricots (we substituted the dates and apricot with dried cranberries)
- 1 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as canola or sunflower
Canape
The last dish Minoo made for the seniors Christmas celebration is Canape. Canape is a finger food which often served during cocktail hours. Canape are usually salty or spicy. Traditionally, canape are build on stale while bread but for simplicity, we use baguette as the base and topped with a mixture of olives and nuts.
Minoo made two different flavours of canape, one with black olives and another with green olives. I prefer the one with black olives as it’s milder in taste. For those who love olives, the green one has a more intense olives flavour.
Ingredients
 Green olives Almond slices, toated Lemon zest |
 Black olives Pistachio, shelled Orange zest |
 Baguette Olive oil Freshly ground pepper |
Click on Read More for the instructions.
