Indian Naan Bread

We made Indian Naan Bread to serve with the Butter Cashew Chicken at the South Arm Community Kitchen.

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Our naan did not rise as much because we do not have enough time for the bread to proof in the session.

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon active dry yeast (not instant active dry yeast or rapid rise yeast)
  • 3 teaspoons sugar, divided
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off with a knife, plus more for rolling
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • heaping 1/2 teaspoon anise seeds (we used cumin seeds), optional
  • 3 tablespoons plain yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons melted salted butter or extra virgin olive oil for brushing on finished naans

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Source: South Arm Community Kitchen

Serves 6 naans

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Minoo shared the above food safe tips at the kitchen.

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Easy Butter Cashew Chicken

The South Arm Community Kitchen made Indian food as per some of the participants’ request.

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The first dish is Easy Butter Cashew Chicken. We toned down the chili powder and cayenne pepper as one of the participant cannot eat spicy food.

We served the butter cashew chicken with brown basmati rice. You can click on the link here to check how to cook basmati brown rice.

Ingredients

Marinate

  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trim fat and cut into bite size
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon garam masala
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Sauce

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1-inch piece ginger, grated
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 cup crushed tomatoes
  • 1 cup half-and-half
  • 1/4 cup cashew nuts, roughly chopped

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Source: South Arm Community Kitchen

Serves 6

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Zucchini and Sweet Potato Slice

The last dish we made in the South Arm Community Kitchen is a nourishing slice of Zucchini and Sweet Potato Loaf.

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This Zucchini and Sweet Potato Loaf can be made in bulk, freeze and reheat for later consumption. It makes a great lunchbox item. The vegetables will fool the fussiest eaters.

Ingredients

  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
  • 2 cups grated zucchini (squeezed out excess liquid)
  • 1 cup grated sweet potato (peeled)
  • 1 cup almond meal
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste
  • 5 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup grated cheddar or Parmesan cheese
  • cherry tomatoes for garnish

Extra Optional Ingredients

  • 4 slices of dried tomatoes, rehydrated and chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen peas
  • 2 tablespoons pesto
  • 1 cup baby spinach

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Source: this recipe is adapted from Food Matters

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Beer Bread

The South Arm Community Kitchen made a Beer Bread to go with the Green Peas Soup.

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This Beer Bread is adapted from http://mintgreenapron.blogspot.com.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour (up to 1/2 can be substituted with whole wheat or spelt)
  • 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
  • 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
  • 4 tablespoons melted butter, divided
  • 1 can beer
  • optional customizations: grated cheese, ground pepper, chopped chives or chopped dried fruit

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Source: mintgreenapron.blogspot.com

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Green Peas Soup

The South Arm Community Kitchen met again on a Wednesday. We made three recipes as usual.

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The first recipe is Green Peas Soup. A dollop of sour cream adds creaminess to the soup.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, or more to coat the bottom of pan
  • 1 medium leek, whites and light green parts only, halved and sliced thin
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 large potato, peeled, cut into small cubes
  • 2 cups (16 oz) frozen peas
  • 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth (we used 4 teaspoons of organic chicken powder to make the chicken broth)
  • a couple sprigs of fresh thyme, tied in a bundle (or 1 tablespoon of dried thyme)
  • 1/3 cup sour cream, plus more for serving

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Source: South Arm Community Kitchen

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Lemon Pudding Cake

The South Arm Multicultural Community Kitchen made a Lemon Pudding Cake for dessert.

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The Lemon Pudding Cake was soft and moist. The lemon flavour was lovely.

Ingredients

  • 2 large lemons
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 3 large eggs, separated
  • 1 1/3 cups milk

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Source: South Arm Community Kitchen

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Home Baked Fries

We served the Chicken Strips with some homemade Baked Fries and Sweet Potatoes.

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You can substitute sweet potatoes with yam.

Ingredients

  • 4 medium potatoes or sweet potatoes
  • Salt
  • Black pepper
  • Paprika
  • Rosemary
  • Chopped garlic
  • 1 tablespoon of Olive oil (we used grapeseed oil)

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Source: South Arm Community Kitchen

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Chicken Strips

The South Arm Multicultural Community Kitchen met again on a Wednesday. We made three healthy dishes from scratch.

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The main dish is Chicken Strips. The baked chicken strip is a healthy version of finger food. Making chicken strips at home can help control salt content compared to buying ready made ones from grocery store or restaurant.

These baked chicken strips are lower in fat because they are baked and not deep fried.

You can freeze leftover chicken strips for another meal.

You can substitute chicken with fish.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 cup bread crumbs
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • optional dipping sauce: honey mustard, Sriracha

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Source: Food Skills for Families: Active Seniors

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Almond Cookies

We made almond cookies in the South Arm Multicultural Community Kitchen for Chinese New Year celebration.

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Ingredients

  • 2 egg whites
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 1/2 cups ground almond
  • slice almond and extra sugar for decorating

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Source: South Arm Community Kitchen

Yield about 24 cookies

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Peanut Noodle Pasta Salad

The second Thai theme recipe which Minoo shared in the South Arm Multicultural Community Kitchen is a cold pasta noodle.

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This Peanut Noodle Pasta Salad is great for potluck. It is a vegetarian pasta salad with a lot of fresh and raw vegetables.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons Sriracha
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 box whole grain linguine (or any pasta you desired)
  • 1 cup matchsticks carrots
  • 2 cups matchsticks cucumbers
  • 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1 green or yellow pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup chopped green onion
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1/4 cup chopped peanuts

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Source: this recipe is adapted from Tasty recipes

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