January 23

Many apologies for the delayed posting. Here's what we whipped up for sixteen hungry students on January 23rd. We started with a Shredded beet salad with tahini dressing, then some Potato soup with dumplings and a wild rice vegetable bake. We rounded it all off with homemade granola bars using Agora's own recipe (it's a keeper!). The rest of the recipes came from Simply in Season (World Community Cookbooks). The tahini dressing was as easy as it gets and very tasty, I would put it on other veggies too. To be honest, I'm not sure if I'd use the dumpling recipe again but you can find others at allrecipes.com. Bon appetite!

Shredded Beet Salad

(from Simply in Season, tripled to serve 12)

Ingredients

6 cups beets (cooked, peeled and shredded)

1 ½ cups fresh parsley (chopped)

¼ cup olive oil

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/3 cup onion (finely chopped)

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

Pepper to taste

3 cups carrots (shredded)

12 hard boiled eggs (sliced)

1 cup fresh parsley (chopped; optional)

Directions:

Combine everything except beets in a large bowl and gently mix. Garnish with eggs and parsley and serve with tahini dressing.

Tahini Dressing

(doubled from Simply in Season)

1 cup tahini

1 cup vegetable oil

½ cup lemon juice

¼ cup soy sauce or tamari

Water for desired consistency

Add all ingredients to a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake to combine.

Potato Soup with Dumplings

(from Simply in Season, tripled to serve 12)

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter

1 cup onion (chopped)

9 cups potatoes (diced)

6 cups vegetable broth

2 teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1 cup celery with leaves (chopped; optional)

1 ½ cup carrots (diced or shredded; optional)

½ teaspoon seasoning such as ground nutmeg, dried marjoram, celery salt, dried dill weed, or paprika

6 cups milk

½ cup flour

Directions:

1. Melt butter in large saucepan. Add onion. Sauté until translucent

2. Add potatoes, broth, carrots, celery and seasoning. Cover, and cook until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. For a creamier soup, remove some of the cooked potatoes, puree them and return to saucepan.

3. Mix the milk and flour together until smooth. Add to soup and cook until thickened, stirring constantly.

Dumplings

3 large eggs (beaten)

1/3 cup milk

1 1/2 cup flour

Directions:

1. Combine together and drop mixture by teaspoonfuls into simmering soup.

2. Simmer 5 more minutes. Serve with fresh parsley and shredded cheese, if desired.

Wild Rice Vegetable Bake

(from Simply in Season, doubled to serve 12-16)

Ingredients:

2 cups wild rice

4 cups onion (chopped)

2 cups pearl barley

4 cups each sweet potatoes, winter squash, parsnips (peeled and cut in 1 inch pieces)

2 cups cider or apple juice

6 cups chicken or vegetable broth

Directions:

1. Rinse rice in cold water and strain. Boil gently in 8 cups water for 10 minutes. Drain.

*Since some of the nutrients from the rice will have dissolved into the boiling water, save it to mix with bouillon powder for broth.
2. Sauté onion in ¼ cup olive oil or butter.
3. Place barley with onions and wild rice in large casserole dish or two 9 x 13 inch baking pans. Stir.

4. Spread cubbed vegetables on top of grains. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

5. Pour cider and broth on top. Cover tightly with foil or lid. Bake at 375F/ 190C for 1 hour or until veggies are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.

EASY & DELICIOUS GRANOLA BAR RECIPE

(from Agora; doubled to make 48 for lots to take home!)

INGREDIENTS
* 6 cups quick-cooking oats
* 2 (14 ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
* ¼ cup butter, melted
* 2 cups flaked coconut
* 2 cups sliced almonds
* 2 cups miniature semisweet chocolate chips
* 1 cup sweetened dried cranberries

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 2 9x13 inch pans.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, sweetened condensed milk, butter, coconut, almonds, chocolate chips and cranberries with your hands until well blended. Press flat into the prepared pan.

3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, depending on how crunchy you want them. Lightly browned just around the edges will give you moist, chewy bars. Let cool for 5 minutes, cut into squares (makes about 48 squares: 4 x 6) then let cool completely before serving.

Note: feel free to play with what kind of nuts and dried fruit you add, depending on what's on hand.

November 2008 Menu

It's finally here! The menu for our delicious November dinner, including the much anticipated corn bread recipe. All of the recipes come from Simply in Season except the cornbread which is from allrecipes.com. We chose not to peel most of the veggies since that's more nutritious and less work. Read on, hungry students:

Apple Lentil Salad, Vegetarian Chili, Corn Bread, Upside-down Pear Gingerbread


Apple Lentil Salad
Serves 6-8. We doubled it to serve a crowd.

Ingredients
1 cup lentils
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
2 tart apples (cored and diced)
1/4 cup lemon juice or cider vinegar
2 potatoes (cooked, cooled, and chopped)
1 small onion (thinly sliced)
handful fresh or frozen parsley (chopped)

Directions
1. Soak lentils in a large amount of hot water for 15 minutes.
2. In large saucepan heat oil. Add salt and curry powder and heat until bubbly. Drain lentils, add to saucepan, and fry briefly.
3. Add the 2 cups water and cook until absorbed (adding more water if needed to cook lentils until tender), about 20 minutes. Drain any excess water. Cool.
4. Combine apples with lemon juice to prevent browning. Add to lentils when cooled.
5. Add remaining ingredients and salt to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.


Vegetarian Chili
Serves about 12.

Ingredients
2 pounds any combination of dried beans such as pink, pinto, kidney, navy, soy, black or chickpeas
1 cup sweet red pepper (chopped)
1 cup green pepper (chopped)
1 onion (chopped)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
8 cups tomatoes (canned or fresh; chopped)
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon honey or molasses
1 butternut squash (peeled, seeded and shopped into 1/2 in cubes)
1 chipotle or jalepeno pepper (minced, seeds removed)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions
1. Rinse and soak beans overnight. Drain water. Cook in fresh water until soft, 45 - 60 minutes or longer, depending on the beans used.
*to save time, we used 6 cans of beans and a can of corn
2. In a large soup pot, saute onions, garlic and sweet peppers in a tablespoon of olive oil.
3. Add tomatoes, salt and honey or molasses. Add beans, squash and spices. Simmer for 45 minutes.

Grandmother's Buttermilk Cornbread

Serves 9. We doubled it and it went fast!

Ingredients

• 1/4 pound butter
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8 inch square pan.
2. Melt butter in large skillet. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Upside-Down Pear Gingerbread
Serves 8. We doubled it (who doesn't love desert?).

Syrup

Ingredients
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon water
2 ripe pears (peeled, cored and sliced)

Directions
1. Combine first four ingredients in an ovenproof, microwaveable casserole dish. Microwave on low until butter melts. Stir.
*We made our syrup on the stove in a small saucepan and poured it into baking dishes.
2. Arrange pear slices on top of syrup.

Gingerbread

Ingredients
1 cup flour
1/cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon each ground nutmeg, allspice and salt

1/3 cup butter (softened)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup molasses or honey
1/2 cup buttermilk

Directions
1. Combine dry ingredients and set aside.
2. Beat together butter and brown sugar in a mixing bowl until light an fluffy. Add egg and beat another minute.
3. Alternately add molasses and buttermilk with dry ingredients to creamed mixture. Spoon over pears in baking dish. Bake in preheated oven at 350 F/ 180C until toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. Remove from oven and cool about three minutes. Turn onto a platter. Serve warm or cold with whipped cream if desired.
*We had to bake ours a little longer, it turned out a bit messy on the first try :)

October 30th - Invite

April 9th Workshop: MENU - Lemon Lentil Soup, Soba Noodle Salad, Buttermilk Biscuits w/Goat Cheese and Chives, Ratatouille, Apple Rhubarb Crumble

HOLY R@%B!RB!!!

I'm a city rat but I won't be fooled,
that could just be a novelty tiny chair.
Picture from: Veggie Gardening Tips

Lemon-Lentil Soup (Serves 12-16)

Ingredients:

2 cups dry red lentils
2 kg spinach
4 onions, cut in half then sliced thinly
8 Tbsp olive oil
12 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp flour
3 lemons, juice of

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1) Wash and drain the lentils, place them in a pan with water to cover and simmer for 30 minutes
or until they are very tender, adding salt and pepper, to taste, towards the end of the cooking time

2) Wash the spinach thoroughly, remove the stems, chop the leaves coarsely, and add them to the lentils.

3) Sauté the onions and garlic in oil until soft, add the flour and stir well.

4) Add a cup of water and stir until soft, add the flour and stir well.

5) Add lemon juice and more water, if necessary, and simmer until the soup is thick.

6) Serve very hot.


Soba Noodle Salad With Cucumber and Shitake (Serves 12)

Ingredients:

3 pound shitake mushrooms, stems discarded
24 scallions
9 Tbsp peanut oil
Salt and pepper
12 Tbsp light soy sauce
6 tsp minced garlic
6 tsp freshly grated ginger
3 tsp sesame oil
1½ tsp rice vinegar
1½ tsp chili oil
Approximately 600 grams soba noodles
3 carrots peeled and cut into thick matchsticks (OR 3 cucumbers halved, seeded, and cut into thick matchsticks)
sesame seeds (optional)

Directions:

1) In a large bowl, toss the mushrooms and scallions with the peanut oil and season with salt and pepper.

3) Grill the mushrooms over moderate heat, turning once, until cooked through and tender, about 4 minutes; transfer to a plate.

4) Grill the scallions, turning once, until softened and blackened in spots, about 2 minutes; add to the mushrooms.

5) Let the mushrooms and scallions cool, then thinly slice them.

6) In a small bowl, whisk the soy sauce with the ginger, garlic, sesame oil, rice vinegar and chili oil.

7) In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the soba noodles until al dente, about 4 minutes; drain.

8) Transfer the noodles to a large bowl.

9) Add the mushrooms, scallions, carrots (or cucumber) and dressing and toss well.

10) Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

Recipe from: Food & Wine


Buttermilk Biscuits with Goat Cheese and Chives (Makes about 12-14 biscuits)
Best eaten just baked and warm, with a little butter.

Ingredients:

4 cups all purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup (1/2 stick) chilled butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup to 1 cup of freshly chopped chives (can also use chopped green onions)
2 5-ounce log soft fresh goat cheese, crumbled
2 cup buttermilk (plus an extra tablespoon for finish)

Preparation:

1) Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 2 heavy baking sheets with silpat or parchment paper.

2) Whisk flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Using fingertips, rub butter into dry ingredients until coarse meal forms. Stir in the chives. Add cheese and buttermilk; stir with fork just until a sticky dough forms (bits of cheese will be visible in dough).

3) Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently 8 times with floured hands. Do not over-knead! Form into a round, about 3/4-inch to an inch thick. Cut the round into 8 wedges. Use a pastry brush to brush on some extra buttermilk over the surface of the wedges.

4) Arrange wedges about 1/2 inch apart on an ungreased large baking sheet and bake in middle of oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Recipe from: Simple Recipes


Ratatouille (Makes 12 servings)

Ingredients:

9 tbsp olive oil
3 onions, peeled and diced (½ in.)
6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
6 cans (14½ oz. each) diced tomatoes
1½ lbs Asian eggplant, rinsed and diced (3/4 in.)
About 1½ tsp salt
About ¾ tsp pepper
1 lbs red, yellow, and/or orange bell peppers, rinsed, stemmed, seeded, and diced (½ in.)
1½ lbs zucchini, rinsed, ends trimmed, and diced (½ in.)
¾ cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Preparation:

1) In a 12-inch frying pan with sides at least 2 inches tall, heat 1½ tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and stir frequently until onion is limp, about 5 minutes

2) Add tomatoes (with juice), eggplant, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper, and ½ cup water and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is soft when pierced, about 10 minutes.

3) Stir in bell peppers and zucchini. Return to a simmer, cover, and cook until squash is tender when pierced, 8 to 10 minutes longer.

4) Stir in basil and remaining 1½ tbsp olive o8il. Add more salt and pepper to taste.


Apple Rhubarb Crumble (Serves 12-16)
Preparation time: 15 minutes or less

Ingredients:

20 stalks of rhubarb
8 cooking apples
1 cup sugar

Crumble topping
½ cup melted butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/3 cup oats
1 1/3 cup flour

Preparation:

1) String rhubarb and cut into pieces 3 cm long

2) Peel, core and slice apples.

3) Place fruit into a large enough saucepan

4) Add sugar and water to cover and cook until soft.

5) Drain some of the water and spoon fruit into a 4L baking dish

6) Crumble topping: Place all ingredients into a bowl and mix well.

7) Sprinkle topping over fruit and pat down firmly.

8) Bake in a moderate oven for 25 minutes.

How to Bake a Camel

Picture from "camel sexes woman to death"
from the weblog tk-421 copied.

Bryanna is going to South Africa this summer, so this is why her mom got her a cookbook entitled: Focus on Africa Cookbook. This recipe caught her eye and probably not just because it was oddly sandwiched in between recipes for burgundy beef and cabbage rolls...

Ingredients:

• 1 large camel
• 2 sheep
• 4 turkeys
• 20 fish
• 200 seagull eggs
• 400 large dates
• banana & palm leaves

Preparation time: 1 week
Cooking time: 2 - 3 days
Serving size: Whole village

Cook eggs and peel. Scale fish. Fill fish with eggs and dates. De-feather turkeys. (Cut off head and feet to use later in soup.) Stuff fish inside turkeys. Shear sheep and set aside wool. (Card and spin wool. Weave into place mats.) Fill sheep with turkeys, and place inside camel. Wrap camel in wet banana and palm leaves. Dig a big hole in the sand. Fill with 500 kilos of charcoal. Let burn until white. Carefully place stuffed camel in hole and cover with sand. Bake 2-3 days. Serve with rice.

APRIL!!!

Even though the spring snow is kind of a bummer, come get warm with some seasonal cooking!

With the stress and time strains of exams in mind, The Student Kitchen Project will be hosting three cooking sessions for the month of April*, which means one each week until the end of school!

Drop by for some educational good times, a free dinner, and tons of leftovers to take home, so you can actually forget about cooking for a few days while you try and cram an entire semester's worth of reading into two weeks.

*APRIL 24th Cook-off: For the last few sessions, Bryanna and I have planned the menus beforehand, but April 24th will be a special "cook-off" where we'll organise a little cooking competition of some sort. Details TBA

March 26th Workshop: MENU - Thai Snapper, Seven-Vegetable Cous Cous, Frittata, Cabbage Salad, Warm Apple Rice Flour Crepes

Tonight's star ingredient: I'm pretty sure is B - The Red Snapper.
(Picture from: Florida Museum of Natural History)

Charlie's Thai Snapper* (Serves 12)
(I don't know who this Charlie is but s/he sure makes a mean fish recipe!)

• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
  
• 12 garlic cloves, minced
  
• 3 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
  
• 3 small onions, diced
  
• 1 Tbsp. red curry paste
  
• 2 Tbsp. curry powder
  
• 1½ lbs. fresh red snapper fillet, cut into large cubes
  
• 1½ cans coconut milk
  
• 6 stalks lemon grass, cut into 1-inch pieces
  
• 3 red bell peppers, seeded and finely diced
• salt
  

In a large frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring until golden. Add ginger, onion, curry paste and curry powder. Stir to combine. Place the fish in a single layer in the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. Add the coconut milk and lemon grass, bring to a boil. Pour the coconut milk over the fish in the pan. Add the peppers and simmer for 5 more minutes. Season to taste.

*Recipe from the Vancouver Community Kitchen Project's cookbook Many Hands: Community Kitchens Share Their Best.


Seven-Vegetable Cous Cous* (Serves 8)

• 1 lb. carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
  
• 1 lb. parsnips, cut into 1-inch cubes
  
• 4 medium onions, peeled and cut into quarters
  
• 1 small green cabbage, cored and cut into eights
  
• 5 tomatoes, chopped
  
• 16 cups of water
  
• ½ tsp. turmeric
  
• 1 tsp. sweet paprika
  
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
  
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• ¼ cup chopped parsley
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• 1 lb. zucchini, cut into 1-inch pieces
• ½ lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch strips
• 2 red peppers, seeded and cut into 1-inch strips
• salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to tast
• 1 19 oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 4 cups cous cous
• 2 Tbsp. olive or vegetable oil
• 4 cups boiling water
• lemon wedges

In a large pot, combine the carrots, turnips, onions, cabbage, tomatoes, water, tumeric, sweet paprika, cumin, cinnamon, parsley, and cilantro. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add the zucchini, sweet potatoes, red peppers, salt, pepper, cayenne, and chickpeas. Simmer until the vegetables are tender, 15-20 minutes.

While the vegetables are cooking, work the oil into the cous cous with your fingertips. Stir in the boiling water and cover tightly. Let stand until tender, 15-20 minutes.

Fluff up the cous cous and serve with the vegetable stew and lemon wedges.

*Recipe from the Vancouver Community Kitchen Project's cookbook Many Hands: Community Kitchens Share Their Best.


"Hakuna Frittata" (Mixed Vegetables and Feta Frittata)
On the 26th, the recipe was x3 to serve 12

• 2 tsp olive oil
  
• ½ cup diced red onions
• 1 tsp minced garlic
  
• ½ cup each diced red bell pepper, thinly sliced zucchini, and chopped mushrooms
  
• 1 Tbsp. minced fresh oregano leaves, or 1 tsp dried
  
• 1½ tsp minced fresh thyme, or ½ tsp dried
  
• 8 whole eggs, lightly beaten
  
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• ½ cup crumbled light feta cheese (2 oz/57 g)
  

1) Heat olive oil over medium heat in a 10-inch, non-stick skillet. Add onions and garlic. Cook
and stir until onions begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add red pepper, zucchini, and
mushrooms. Cook and stir until vegetables are tender, about 5 more minutes. Stir in oregano
and thyme. Cook for 30 more seconds.

2) Reduce heat to low. Pour eggs over vegetables, making sure that vegetables are evenly
distributed in skillet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle feta cheese evenly over egg
mixture.

3) Cover skillet with a tight-fitting lid and let cook until eggs are completely set, about 12
minutes. Slice into 4 servings and serve hot.


Thai Red Cabbage Slaw (Serves 12)*

• 2 lbs. red cabbage, cored and finely shredded
  
• 1 cup coarsely chopped mint
  
• 1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
  
• 8 greens onions, thinly sliced
  
• 4 cloves garlic
  
• 6 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• ¼ cup fish sauce
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup coarsely chopped peanuts
  
• ½ cup sesame seeds, toasted
  

Combined the cabbage, mint, cilantro and green onion. Stir the garlic, lemon juice, sugar, salt, pepper and fish sauce together. Slowly beat in the oil. Pour over the cabbage mixture and toss well. Toss in the peanuts and sesame seeds just before serving.

*Recipe from the Vancouver Community Kitchen Project's cookbook Many Hands: Community Kitchens Share Their Best.


Warm Apple Rice Flour Crepes (Serves 12)*

Apple filling:

• 10 braeburn apples, cored, peeled, and chopped
  
• Cinnamon

Warm apples with cinnamon in a sauce pan over medium heat with some water. Let boil and reduce heat to low and let simmer until apples are soft enough to mash.

Crepes:

• 2 cups milk
• 4 eggs
  
• 4 Tbsp melted butter
  
• 1 cup rice flour
  
• 2 Tbsp cane sugar
  
• pinch of salt
• Serve with vanilla yogurt or soyogurt
  

Mix dry ingredients together. In separate bowl, whisk eggs, milk and melted butter. Then, whisk into dry ingredients. Heat crepe pan over medium heat. Use 1/3 cup batter per crepe. Cook for 2 minutes per side. Remove from pan and set on a plate. Separate crepes with parchment or wax paper to prevent sticking. Crepes can be prepared up to this point and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days or the freezer for up to a month.

*This recipe is a variation of the one found at 5 to 10 a day - Recipes - Warm Apple Crepes