I had the opportunity to attend the Caring Place Community Kitchen in the month of August. I had not been to this kitchen for a long time.

This kitchen started with a Greek Salad. The dressing was really nice.
Ingredients

• 6 firm ripe tomatoes cut into 1″ chunks
• 1 large red onion, coarsely diced
• 2 long cucumbers, unpeel, cut into 1/2″ cubes
• 2 each green and red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and cut into 1/2″ squares
• 6 to 8 oz feta cheese coarsely crumbled
• 1/2 cup Greek Kalamata olives, seeded, half
• 4 tablespoons minced fresh mint leaves or parsley
• a few heads of Romaine lettuce, torn to bite size pieces, washed and spin dried or towel dried

Greek Salad Vinaigrette

• 1 large clove of garlic, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 small bunch fresh mint leaves lightly packed (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3/4 cup fruity extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Source: Caring Place Community Kitchen
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The South Arm Community Kitchen made an Italian Tossed Salad to complement the Spaghetti with Bolognese Sauce.

Ingredients

• 8 cups torn or roughly chopped Romaine lettuce (or a standard 10oz bag of lettuce greens)
• 1/2 cup quartered artichoke hearts (half of 14oz can), drained
• 1/4 cup diced pimentos or roasted red peppers, drained
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Dressing

• Olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar
• Salt
• Pepper

For dessert, we made Gingered Rhubarb Apple Crisp as rhubarb is in season. You can find the recipe here.

The Gingered Rhubarb Apple Crisp is best to be served warm with a scoop of ice-cream.
Source: South Arm Community Kitchen
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The South Arm Community Kitchen resumed on the 17th January. We started off with a Corn and Crab Salad. You can find the recipe here. This is a great appetizer…

The South Arm Kitchen met at Gilmore Park Church for another cooking session.

We made a Green Pea Salad to go with some Chicken Strips.

You can find the recipe of this healthy homemade Chicken Strips recipe here.
Ingredients

• 3 cups frozen peas
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (we used dried ones)
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 2 tablespoons Mayonnaise
• 2 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1-2 drops Tabasco sauce

Source: South Arm Community Kitchen
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The South Arm Community Kitchen met up on the Summer Solstice for another cooking session.

For the starter, we made a Waldorf Salad. The classic Woldorf Salad includes apples, celery, nuts and grapes. In this recipe, we added Romaine lettuce for a more voluminous salad.
Ingredients

• 2 red apples (Honey Crisp or Red Delicious), un-peel and chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 3 ribs celery, diced
• 1 cup red seedless grapes, halved
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• one head Romaine lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin or more
• 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 4 tablespoons yogurt
• juice from 1 lemon
• salt and pepper to taste

Source: this recipe is adapted from Add a Pinch
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The South Arm Community Kitchen made another scrumptious meal for this meet.

We made a Reduced Fat Caesar Salad with homemade croutons.
Ingredients

• 1 hard-boiled egg
• 1/2 cup light mayo
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 large head of Romaine lettuce
• a few slices of toasted bread

Sauce: South Arm Community Kitchen
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The menu for the South Arm Community Kitchen in this session include a salad, a chicken dish and a dessert.

We made a Green Bean Salad which is great for potluck.

We served the salad with some sticky chicken thighs baked in the oven. You can view the recipe of the Sticky Chicken Thighs here.

Ingredients

• 10 cups green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch length
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 large tomatoes, cubed
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 eggs, hard boiled
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (or wine vinegar)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Source: South Arm Community Kitchen

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The South Arm Community Kitchen met up for another session.

We made three dishes; a salad, a pasta and a cake.

The salad we made is Spinach Salad with Mushrooms and Feta

Ingredients

• 1 pound baby spinach
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 2 hard boil eggs, sliced
• 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 large carrot, grated
• feta cheese
• olives, optional

Dressing

• juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• pinch of sugar

Source: South Arm Community Kitchen

Serves 4 to 6

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I returned to the South Arm Community Kitchen after a long break. As usual, we whipped up three recipes for this meeting.

The first recipe is a Carrot Cumin Slaw. It is crunchy with a refreshing dressing with a spicy kick.

Ingredients

• 2 cups shredded cored green cabbage
• 1 cup shredded cored purple cabbage
• 3 carrots, peeled and coarsely grated (about 1 3/4 cups)
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice
• 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• a large pinch of sugar

Source: this recipe is adapted from Martha Stewart

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