Broccoli Salad with Feta

I’m back in the Gilmore Park Church Community Kitchen. For today’s kitchen, Minoo prepared a salad recipe. a pesto recipe, a pasta dish with the pesto recipe and a refreshing summer mint drink.

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The salad recipe is Broccoli Salad with Feta. The saltiness from the feta adds a different dimension to the creamy and tangy salad dressing.

Nutritional values and benefits from broccoli include:

  • rich in Vitamin C
  • high in dietary fiber
  • has modest amount of beta carotene
  • reduces risk of prostate cancer
  • prevents heart disease

Ingredients

  • 1 to 2 cups broccoli flowerets
  • 1/2 cup chopped red onion
  • 1/2 cup currants or raisins
  • 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
  • 1/4 cup sun flower seeds
Dressing
  • 1/2 cup yogurt (we used Greek yogurt) or sour cream
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • salt and pepper to taste

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Source: via Minoo

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Swiss Turkey Broccoli Bake

This is the first time I return to the South Arm Seniors Kitchen after the summer break and South Arm kitchen renovation. I think I missed at least one kitchen due to my trip to Beijing. The new senior kitchen facilitator is Michelle Li.

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Stella, the South Arm seniors program coordinator decorated the table with a Christmas theme since this is the last kitchen in December. Michelle also prepared some festive recipes which can utilize leftover food from the holiday feast.

Here is some tips that Michelle shared with the seniors on food safe regarding leftovers. The excerpt is adapted from dietitian Heather McColl.

  • Ensure the fridge is at the correct temperature, 4 degrees Celsius or colder; a fridge thermometer is a great tool to have.
  • Refrigerate leftovers immediately after dinner or within 2 hours of cooking
  • Cool food quickly by storing in shallow containers on your refrigerator’s wire shelves to promote maximum airflow and even cooling.
  • Quickly cool a large pot of hot food like soup or stew by chilling in an ice bath and stirring frequently before storing in the refrigerator or freezer
  • Chill large  pieces of mat or poultry quickly and safely by deboning and dividing into small portions before storing in the refrigerator.
  • Date your leftovers and use within 3 to 4 days or store in the freezer for up to 6 months
  • When heating leftovers, be sure to heat foods to an internal temperature of 74 degrees Celsius or bring liquids like soup to a rolling boil
  • Since you cant tell the safety of food by its look, smell or taste, a good rule of thumb is “when in doubt, throw it out”.

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The main course for this kitchen is Swiss Turkey Broccoli Bake. This is a good recipe to encourage kids to eat vegetables with the incorporation of a cheesy creamed sauce.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken or turkey
  • 3 cups broccoli florets or asparagus, cut into 1″ pieces, steamed
  • 1/2 cup grated swiss, chesddar or parmesan cheese
Cream Sauce
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 1/2 cups milk, half and half or light cream
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • pinch of nutmeg

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This recipe is a great way to use up leftover chicken or turkey and already cooked vegetables. Leftover can be packaged into individual portions and freeze for enjoyment later.

Source: via Michelle Li

Serve 4 to 6

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Ian Lai’s Healthy Asian Cooking: Broccoli and Beef Stir Fry

Are you overwhelmed when you shop at the sauces aisle in Chinese groceries? I am. There are so many types of sauces that even as a Chinese I have not try all of them.

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Ian Lai shared some of the more common sauces that he uses in the Healthy Asian Cooking workshop. They include soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, hot bean sauce,  etc.

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One of the sauces that stands out is the Korean Gochujang Hot Pepper Paste because Ian Lai said it is MSG free. As for soy sauce, the Japanese Tamari is also MSG free.

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The last recipe in the Healthy Asian Cooking is Broccoli and Beef. Ian’s Lai take for the popular Broccoli and Beef you find in Chinese restaurants is very different. He cooks the beef separately and he added multigrains and goji berries into this dish.

Ingredients

  • 1 flank steak
  • 1 head of broccoli, cut into flowerets, slice stem to same bite size so that they cook evenly
  • 1 package of snow peas
  • 1 bunch of cilantro, rough chopped
  • 1 bunch of green onions, chopped
  • 1 bunch of water crest, rough chopped
  • 1 handful of goji berries, re-hydrated in cold water for a few minutes until plump
  • 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 1 whole garlic clove
  • 2 slices of ginger

Marinate for flank steak

  • salt to taste
  • 1 tablespoon of sesame oil
  • 1 big tablespoon Gochujang
  • 1 big  tablespoon of oyster sauce
  • 1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar

Sauce

  • 2 red bell peppers
  • 1/2 block of soft tofu
  • 1/4 teaspoon of togarashi (Japanese spice mix)
  • salt to taste

Grains

  • 2 cups of multigrains
  • 3 cups of water

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The above is the package of multigrains that Ian used. You can get them from T&T or Osaka Supermarket. The 2 kg package costs around $1o to $12.

It’s a very cultural thing for Chinese to eat steamed white rice with dishes. The rice is usually washed a number of times until the water runs clear. Ian shared with us that their family gradually changed to not washing the rice as it’s his daughter’s responsibility to cook rice. After much complaints, they forgo the washing of the rice. Nowadays, they try to eat other grains instead of white rice. White rice has the least nutrients as all the good nutrients have been polished away.

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Cream of Broccoli Soup

Minoo and Tanni teamed up to demonstrate in the Gilmore Park Church community kitchen. Two person demo makes the job lighter and less stressful. This is a good way to encourage participation.

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Minoo made a Cream of Brocolli Soup. The recipe calls for evaporated skim milk which makes this creamy soup low fat. However, Minoo did not have evaporated milk on hand and she replaced it with half and half.

Here are some nutritional facts of broccoli:

  • high in Vitamin C
  • rich in soluble fiber
  • contains multiple nutrients with potent anti-cancer, anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties
  • high in Vitamin K

Broccoli can be eaten raw in salad or hor-d’oeuvre. It can be boiled or steamed but boiling reduces the levels of anticancer compounds. Preferred preparation methods which will not reduce the presence of anticancer compounds are steaming, microwaving and stir-frying.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 large cloves garlic, pressed
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 head broccoli, broken into florets
  • 1 celery rib, coarsely chopped
  • 2 carrots, coarsely chopped
  • 2 medium all purpose potatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1 12oz can evaporated milk
  • a teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
  • salt and pepper to taste

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Click on the link below for the instructions.

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