Roasted Veggies with Avocado Dressing

The South Arm Multicultural Community Kitchen came together for another cooking session.

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We made Roasted Veggies with Avocado Dressing. This is a vegetarian meal which uses fall vegetables like squash and Brussels srpouts.

Ingredients

  • 3 sweet peppers, multi-colour, roughly chopped
  • 1 pound butternut squash
  • 1 pound Brussels sprouts, hulled and halved if they are big
  • 2 teaspoons dried Oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 ounces mixed greens

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Avocado Dressing Ingredients

  • 3 avocados
  • 3 small garlic cloves
  • Juice of 2 limes or lemons
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

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Source: South Arm Community Kitchen

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Sweet and Savory Swiss Chard

With the Swiss Chard donated by the Richmond Sharing Farm, the South Arm Community Kitchen made a Sweet and Savory Stir Fried Swiss Chard.

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Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 4 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 4 cups stemmed, chopped, rinsed Swiss Chard
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup sliced almonds
  • salt and pepper to taste

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P/S: You can substitute the Swiss Chard with Kale

Source: South Arm Community Kitchen

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Garlic-Parmesan Hasselback Zucchini

The South Arm Community Kitchen made some Garlic-Parmesan Hasselback Zucchini with the zucchini donated by the Richmond Sharing Farm.

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Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried ones
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 4 small zucchini
  • 1/3 cup shaved Parmesan cheese, large pieces broken in half

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Source: this recipe is adapted from Eating Well

Makes 4 servings

Serving size: 1 zucchini

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Baked Zucchini Sticks with Sweet Onion Dip

Michelle served the Chicken Tortilla Soup with a side of Baked Zucchini Sticks with Sweet Onion Dip.

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This is a guilt-free way to enjoy the crunchy outside (and tender inside)  of a restaurant-style zucchini stick.

Ingredients

Dip

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 medium sweet onion, about 1/2 pound, peeled and sliced
  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • salt and pepper to taste

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Zucchini Sticks

  • 3 medium zucchini, unpeeled, cut into 3″ long stick
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 cup coarse, dry bread crumbs (e.g. Panko)
  • scant 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon mixed Italian herbs (we used garlic powder and dried Thyme)
  • 1/2 cup egg substitute or 2 large eggs; or 3 egg whites, lightly beaten
  • Olive oil spray
Source: King Arthur Flour

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Fried Banana Plantain (Makemba)

Marianne served the Roasted Tilapia with a side dish of Fried Banana Plantain at the South Arm Multicultural Community Kitchen.

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These Fried Banana Plantain has the texture that is similar to fried yuka.

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Ingredients

  • plantain
  • salt to taste
  • ginger and garlic paste

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Source: Marianne

Marianne, thank you for sharing in the South Arm Multicultural Community Kitchen.

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Eggplant with Miso Topping (Nasu Dengaku)

The side dish which Michelle picked for the Japanese theme meal is Eggplant with Miso Topping (Nasu Dengaku). It was a last minute addition as Michelle found Asian eggplant on sales while she was groceries shopping for the community kitchen.

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Eggplant with Miso Topping is Michelle’s favourite dish to order at Japanese restaurants.

Ingredients

  • 3 to 4 Chinese or Japanese eggplants
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon canola or any neutral oil
  • sesame seeds to garnish

Miso Topping

  • 5 tablespoons white miso paste
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon mirin
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/2 cup water

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Source: Let’s Cook Japanese Food by A. Kaneko

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Garden Greens Pakora

Michelle prepared an Indian inspired meal for the South Arm Older Adults Cooking Club upon the request of Jeff who comes from UK.

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For appetizer, Michelle shared a baked garden greens pakoras for a healthier version. Serve the garden greens pakora with chutney (next post), yogurt or sour cream.

Ingredients

Batter

  • 1 cup chickpea or besan flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • pinch of cayenne pepper (1/16 to 1/8 teaspoon)
  • 2/3 cup cold water
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, melted butter or coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice + 2 tablespoons water, optional
  • mild-flavoured cooking oil for greasing baking pan or frying

Vegetables

  • 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 russet potato, peeled and grated (or finely chopped)
  • 1 cup mixed, finely chopped greens (kale, chard, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.)

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Source: mintgreenapron.blogspot.com

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Simple Asparagus Soup

The Older Adults Cooking Club met again at the South Arm Kitchen. Michelle prepared four new recipes for this kitchen.

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The first recipe is Asparagus Soup. This non-dairy creamy soup is simple to prepare and can be made a day ahead of time. It freezes well for future use.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
  • approximately 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth or bouillon to make 4 cups of broth
  • 1 pound asparagus, cut into 1″ pieces
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • optional: yogurt, cream or sour cream to drizzle on top

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Asparagus information:

Stem thickness indicates the age of the plant, with the thicker stems coming from older plants. Older, thicker stalks can be woody and peeling the skin at the base will remove the tough layer. Peeled asparagus will poach much faster. The bottom portion of asparagus often contains sand and dirt, so thoroughly cleaning is generally advised before cooking.

Source: this recipe is adapted from epicurious.com.

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Roasted Green Beans with Red Onions and Walnuts

Michelle loves to roast vegetables like cauliflower, kale, green bean, etc as the high heat and short cooking time brings out the caramelization and yet retain the nutrition.

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Michelle shared the above Roasted Green Beans with Red Onion and Walnuts in the South Arm Older Adults Kitchen.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound green beans, stem ends snapped off, rinse and pat dry
  • 1/2 medium red onion, cut into 1/2″ thick wedges
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
  • 2 medium thin-sliced garlic cloves
  • 1/3 cup toasted and chopped walnuts

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Source: Cook’s Illustrated

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