All Entries in the "Vegetable" Category
Ecuadorian Vegetable Salad
The second dish which Colleen prepared for the South Arm Seniors’ Kitchen is a simple and colourful salad.
I enjoy this Ecuadorian Vegetable Salad which has a combination of raw lettuce and cooked beets and carrots.
Ingredients
- 5 beets, peeled and quartered
- 8 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
- 3 green onions, sliced
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- 6 large romaine lettuce leaves, thinly sliced
- juice from 2 lemons
- salt and pepper to taste
Source: via Colleen
Serves 6 to 8
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Spinach Ashitashi
For starter or appetizer, Kazuko prepared a cold spinach dish called Spinach Ashitashi.
You can garnish the Spinach Ashitashi with bonito flakes or sesame seeds. This is another very simple side dish to make.
Coincidentally, this recipe reminded me of a recipe in a cook book by Michelle Tchea with the title “Building A Perfect Meal”. I came to know Michelle T through chowtimes. Michelle T wrote to me one day asking me where to get sao bing in Vancouver out of the blue.
During the 2010 Winter Olympic Game in Vancouver, Michelle T was in town for the games. We met up a couple of times at Gingeri Chinese Cuisine and Red Star Seafood Restaurant for dim sum.
Last month, I received an email from Michelle T asking me if I’m interested to share her newly published cookbook on chowtimes. I was trilled to hear that she had published a cook book.
Building A Perfect Meal is about how to create quick and simple meals at home. It’s a collection of basic recipes like creamy mashed potatoes, hand pulled noodles, pickled vegetables and fried rice with a jazz up version to create a more elaborate dish. The cook book also comes with valuable cooking tips from her experience in the kitchen.
While I was browsing through Michelle’s cook book, I came across a very similar recipe to the Spinach Ashitashi. It’s called Japanese Soy Spinach. Michelle T”s recipe uses beetroot leaves and stalks instead. In the cook book, Michelle T featured a Versatile Soy Stock and Dipping Sauce as seasoning for the spinach. I will share the recipe at the end of this post.
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 bunches spinach
- soy sauce to taste
- bonito flakes
- sesame seeds
- salt
Source: Kazuko
Serves 4
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Tabbouleh with Baked Pita Chips
This is the second last kitchen for the South Arm Cooking Club for Seniors for this season. Colleen prepared a theme of Middle Eastern flavours with recipe like Tabbouleh and recipes with ingredients like walnuts and dates that are common in the middle east.
Colleen got the inspiration from a request from a participant who wanted to learn how to use bulgur wheat.
Bulgur is a whole grain with equal calcium and protein as found in brown rice but has fewer calories, less fat and more fiber and folate. It is found in various grinds or sizes. The above which Colleen bought from the Real Canadian Superstore is of a larger grain. Bulgur can be used in soups and bread.
Tabbouleh is best served after chilling in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight for the flavour to mellow.
Colleen served the Tabbouleh with some crispy Baked Pita Chips.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups bulgur wheat
- 3 cups boiling water
- 2 pounds tomatoes, diced
- 1 cup fresh chopped parsley
- 3 green onions, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Source: via Colleen
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Quinoa Vegetable Salad
I had to accompany Ben to the Chinese Visa Office to apply his visa for his next business trip to Beijing. So, I only managed to get to the South Arm Seniors Kitchen just after 11:00AM.
I was so surprised that the group had finished cooking and had started to eat already. I managed to take some photos of the food before I sat down to savour the food.
Quinoa is said to have more calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc and Vitamin E than any other grain. Technically, quinoa is not a grain but a seed. It is very similar to animal-based protein, as it contains all 8 essential amino acids.
Ingredients
- 2 cups quinoa
- 4 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- pinch of pepper
- 2 tablespoons red wine or balsamic vinegar
- 1 large red pepper, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, shredded
- 1 stalk celery, finely diced
- 4 green onions, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh, chopped cilantro
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
Source: via Colleen
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Tuna Salad with Cannellini Beans, Red Onion and Tomatoes
Minoo served a Tuna Salad along the dips and chips at the South Arm Community Kitchen.
Cannellini beans go well with tuna in this salad. This is an easy to make salad with canned tuna and cannellini beans from the pantry.
Ingredients
- 1 x 6-ounce can tuna, drained
- 4 small tomatoes, cut into wedges
- 1 1/4 cups cooked cannellini beans or canned beans (rinsed if canned)
- 1 small red onion, peeled, halved and very thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Source: via Minoo
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Jicama Salad
This is the first kitchen led by Colleen in the South Arm Seniors Kitchen. Colleen will facilitate the kitchen for a couple of months until it breaks for the summer.
Colleen planned a Mexican theme for this kitchen. She said the meal is Mexican flavoured and may not be authentic.
The first recipe is Jicama Salad which is crunchy and colourful.
Jicama (pronounced he-cah-mah), is the root of a vine native to Mexico and Central America. In Mexico it is usually served with fruit covered in lime juice and seasoned with salt and chili pepper. Jicama is crunchy, juicy and has the texture that is similar to Asian pear.
Jicama is a great source of dietary fiber (6.4g per cup) and Vitamin C (1 cup provides 40% of daily value recommended). It also contains calcium, iron, Vitamin A and potassium.
You can get jicama from Real Canadian Superstore and most Chinese groceries stores.
Ingredients
- 1 large jicama (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 1/2 of each of red, green and yellow pepper, finely diced
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 1 navel orange, cut away peel, sliced crosswise, then quarter each round
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/3 cup lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- pinch of paprika
Source: via Colleen
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Mixed Green Salad
Minoo complements the Classic Lasagna with a simple Mixed Green Salad.
The Mixed Green Salad is dressed with olive oil and red wine vinegar. I would add a touch of honey to cut the acidity of the vinegar.
Ingredients
- 1 head romaine lettuce
- 1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
- 15 to 20 cherry tomatoes
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- olive oil and red wine vinegar to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
Source: via Minoo
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Spiced Carrot and Celery Soup
Minoo prepared four recipes for the South Arm Community Kitchen for this meet.
We started with a simple, colourful, lively and warming soup.
The simple carrot and celery is spiced up with curry powder. You can add any leftover food like ham or roasted chicken shreds into the soup to make it more appealing to kids. The addition of potatoes or grains will make it more creamy and hearty.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 6 medium carrots, diced
- 4 large sticks of celery, diced
- 4 cups water or vegetable stock
- salt and pepper to taste
Source: this recipe is adapted from Vegan Family House (UK)
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