Dairy Free Blender Chocolate Pudding

Michelle shared this Dairy Free Blender Chocolate Pudding recipe in the South Arm Older Adults Community Kitchen.

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Michelle served the chocolate pudding in the above yogurt jar which she bought from a British lady in a garage sale. Serving dessert in little glass jar makes it more desirable. 125ml mason jar also makes a great vessel to serve dessert in the holiday season.

Ingredients

  • 2 bananas
  • 1 pound (or 349g) package silken tofu
  • 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chocolate
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup sugar

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If you can’t find silken tofu, you can substitute it with soft tofu.

Tofu made from soybean curds:

  • is naturally gluten-free and low calorie, contains no cholesterol and is an excellent source of protein, iron and calcium.
  • it is an important source of protein especially for vegans, vegetarians and those looking to move toward a more plant-based diet.
  • it provides 44% of daily calcium needs, 9% of magnesium, and 40% iron and also contains small amounts of Vitamin K, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, Vitamin B-6, folate, choline, phophorus, manganese and selenium

Source of info: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/278340.php

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Source: Mintgreenapron.blogspot.com

Serves about 6

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Cornbread Muffins

This savory cornbread muffins are best served warm. If you prebake them, warm them slightly in the microwave or oven before serving.

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You can make this muffins in mini muffin tin which will yield 16 to 18 minis. Mini cornbread muffins are great for snacking.

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Michelle introduced the above parchment baking cups for their non-stick property. They are more expensive than regular paper cups but well worth it.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unbleached flour
  • 3/4 cup cornmeal
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into small cubes or grated
  • 1/2 cup shredded (or small dice) sharp cheddar
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 egg

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Source: mintgreenapron. blogspot.com

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Arugula Salad with Shaved Parmesan

Michelle served a side of Arugula Salad with Shaved Parmesan to go with the hearty vegetarian quinoa chili.

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The slightly bitter arugula is a great compliment to the hearty chili.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed on a cutting board with the side of a knife, or more to taste
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 12 ounces fresh arugula, washed and dried
  • 2 ounces shaved Parmesan

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Source: this recipe is adapted from Emeril Legasse, 2004

Cook’s note: this recipe makes approximately 3/4 cup vinaigrette. Any remaining vinaigrette will keep for up to 2 weeks stored in a non-reactive container in the refrigerator.

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Hearty Vegetarian Quinoa Chili

Just an update from the South Arm Community Center Fund Raiser for the Richmond Food Bank on the 15th November 2014; a total of CAD955 was raised and the food were sold out. Thank you for all the volunteers who made another successful fund raiser event.

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Michelle shared a hearty vegetarian quinoa chili in this kitchen.

Quinoa (pronounced as “keen-wah”) is a healthy whole grain that cooks up in 15 to 20 minutes.

  • It is high in protein, perfect balance in all 9 amino acids, rarely found in plant protein
  • It is a good dose of fiber and iron
  • Most quinoa sold in North America is pre-rinsed.

A simple recipe to cook quinoa from eatingwell.com

  • ratio of 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water or broth
  • bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 teaspoons (20ml) olive oil
  • 2 cups (500ml) roughly chopped cremini mushrooms
  • 2 onions, diced
  • 1 jalapeno, de-seed and finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 can (796ml) diced can tomatoes
  • 1 can (540ml) mixed beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 cup dried quinoa

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Source: this recipe is adapted from Presidentschoice.ca

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Raw Baby Kale Salad with Apples, Sunflower Seeds and Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette

The South Arm Older Adults Community Kitchen made a Raw Baby Kale Salad with Apples, Sunflower Seeds, and Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette as a side dish to serve along with the Greek Bean Soup, Fassolada.

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Adding seeds to salad is a great way to add proteins to our diet.

Ingredients

  • 5 oz. mixed baby kale leaves (or use Red Russian Kale leaves, chopped)’
  • 1 large apple (like Honeycrisp)
  • 1/4 cup dry-roasted sunflower seeds

Dressing

  • 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoons honey (or Agave nectar)
  • 1 teaspoon white balsamic vinegar (or any mild white vinegar)
  • 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

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Instructions

  1. If you can’t find the mixed baby kale leaves, Michelle highly recommend Red Russian Kale for this salad instead of other kale varieties. If using Red Kake, cut away the rib in each leaf and chop the kale into bite-sized pieces. The baby kale does not need to be chopped. Whichever kale you use, if it is even a little bit wilted, you can crisp it in a salad spinner with very cold water and then spin dry (or with paper towels, until it’s very dry).
  2. To make the dressing, mix together the white balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and sweetener and then whisk in the olive oil.
  3. Core the apple, cut into slices, and cut each slice into chunks. Put apple pieces in a small bowl and toss with about half the dressing, making sure each piece of the apple is coated with dressing.
  4. Put the kale into a bowl large enough to hold all the salad, add the rest of the dressing and toss to coat. (If you don’t like much dressing, you may not need to use all). Add the apples coated with dressing and sunflower seeds and toss again.

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Fassolada (Greek Bean Soup)

For today’s South Arm Older Adults Community Kitchen, we made cookies for the annual South Arm Fund Raiser for the Richmond Food Bank. Of course, we also whipped up a simple meal of soup and salad for the participants.

Michelle shared a quick and easy Greek Soup recipe called Fassolada.

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This soup can be versatile in a way that you can add more broth for an extra helping. Some crusty bread and a side salad will made it a complete meal.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 stalks celery, chopped
  • 3 carrots, chopped
  • 3 cups of diced tomatoes, can or preesrved
  • 2 cups of vegetable broth (we used an organic bouillon cub dissoved in water)
  • 2 to 3 cups pre-cooked or can white beans (if using can beans, rinse and drain)
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon dillweed, or 2 tablespoons fresh dillweed
  • 1 large bay leaf
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • chooped parsley for garnishing

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Source: South Arm Older Adults Community Kitchen

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Spiced Apple Bars

For dessert, Michelle shared a Spiced Apple Bars from the Joy of Cooking in the South Arm Older Adults Community Kitchen.

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Fall is the season for apples. If you can get organic apples, leave the peel on the apples as you grate them for additional fiber. You can reduce the sugar by about half but it will result in a less firm bar that is still delicious, but must be refrigerated.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 2/3 cups flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger
  • 2 1/2 cups grated apples (approximately 5 apples)
  • 1 1/2 cups raisins

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Source: this recipe is adapted from Joy of Cooking: Cookies

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Baked Penne with Cauliflower and Cheese

The main dish for this South Arm Older Adults Community Kitchen is Baked Penne with Cauliflower and Cheese.

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The cream sauce for this baked penne recipe is made with cauliflower. It’s a great way to incorporate vegetables in dishes for picky eaters.

Ingredients

  • 4 cups 1.5 inch cauliflower florets (about 1 pound from 1/2 head)
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled
  • Fine sea salt or table salt
  • 12 oz. dried penne
  • 2 cups 1% milk
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
  • 2 oz. coarsely grated sharp white Cheddar (about 1/2 cup)
  • 1.5 oz. finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1.5 cups using a grater)

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Source: from Fine Cooking Online

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Red Cabbage Salad with Dates and Mandarin Oranges

The theme for this South Arm Older Adults Community Kitchen is to incorporate more vegetables and fruits into our diets.

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The dates adds sweetness to the salad while the Mandarin oranges add juiciness to it. The original recipe uses Kumquat but since Michelle could not find them in the groceries store, she replaced it with Mandarin oranges. Kumquat will gives it a more citrusy taste as you consumed the peel too.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon red vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt or heavy cream
  • 1 small red cabbage
  • 4 dates (medjool are great) or a handful of raisins
  • 4 kumquats or orange segments
  • handful of minced parsley

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Source: this recipe is adapted from The Art of Simple Food II

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How to Boost Your Intake of Fruit and Veggies

Michelle, the facilitator of the South Arm Older Adults Community Kitchen shared the following tips on how to boost your intake of fruit and veggies in the recent session.

  • Grate carrot or beet into your salad
  • Add dried fruit, like raisins or dried cranberries to salads
  • Make a smoothie with fruit and veg!
  • Have cut up veggies in the fridge to snack on like baby carrots
  • Have a fruit salad prepared ahead of time to have for dessert with yogurt if desired
  • Add sliced fresh fruit to oatmeal or cereal
  • Add cut up sauteed vegetables to omelettes or scrambled eggs (e.g. mushrooms, spinach, onion, zucchini)
  • Add blueberries or diced banana to pancake batter
  • Make soup with whatever vegetables you have in your fridge and cook in a broth with or without pasta or rice
  • Make mini pizzas out of English Muffins or Pitas and load on the veggies
  • Have a stirfry and use up fresh or frozen veg and serve over rice (e.g. peas, beans, carrots, onions, broccoli, etc); Asian likes to stir fry greens like bok choy, A choy, choy sum, water spinach, etc.
  • Throw in grated or chopped vegetables into prepared pasta sauces (chopped spinach, grated zucchini, grated carrots, etc.)

Here is a food guide on serving of vegetables or fruit

Adults 51+ need 7 servings of vegetables or fruit a day

1 serving is equivalent to:

  • size of a tennis ball for fresh vegetable or fruit
  • 1/2 cup (125ml) of raw or cooked vegetables or fruits or roughly the size of a hockey puck
  • 1 cup (250ml) of leafy vegetables or salad or roughly the size of a baseball
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) of dried fruit, or roughly the size of two golf balls
  • 1/2 cup (125ml) of 100% vegetable or fruit juice

A general guide line for a meal is:

  • 1/2 of the plate to be filled with vegetables
  • 1/4 of the plate for grains
  • 1/4 of the plate for meat

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