Feb 27th Workshop: MENU - Potato Pancakes, Apple Sauce, Cabbage Rolls, and Potato Salad

(Picture from: FreeFoto.com)

There was a decidedly nice and hearty German/Eastern European vibe to this workshop, the menu was definitely dictated by what was in season. A great big thanks to everyone who came out!

Potato Pancakes (12 three inch pancakes)
Wrap in clean dish towel and wring to squeeze out as much moisture as possible:

• 2 cups coarsely grated peeled potatoes

Combine in a bowl with:

• 3 large eggs well beaten
• 1 ½ Tbsp all purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp grated onion
• 1¼ tsp salt

Heat in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat until hot:

• ¼ inch or more of vegetable oil

Place spoonfuls of potato mixture into the skillet in batches, and form them into 3-inch patties about ¼ inch thick. Brown on the bottom, reducing heat to medium if necessary to prevent scorching. Turn and brown the second side until crisp, 3-5 minutes each side. Drain briefly on paper towels.

WITH

Apple Sauce (4-6 servings)
Peel, core and chop:

• 3 lbs apples such as Empire

You should have about 6 cups. Combine the apples in a heavy-bottomed saucepan or pot with:

• ½ cup water
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• (one cinnamon stick)

Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally until the apples are soft and falling apart, 20-30 minutes:

Stir in:

• ½-¾ cup brown sugar

Raise the heat to medium and cook, uncovered stirring frequently, until the apple sauce thickens. If you would like a smooth sauce, puree in a food processor or blender.

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (12 rolls)
Cook rice (boil water 2:1 in a pot, add rice, cover and simmer for 20 minutes)
Cook meat.

Combine in a large bowl:

• 1 lbs ground meat, cooked OR 3 cups of cooked lentils
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup rice, cooked
• 1 large carrot grated
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper

Bring water to a rolling boil in a stock pot. Add: 1½ tbsp salt. Cut out the core with a small, sharp knife, then drop cored slice down in the water.

• 1 savoy or green cabbage - 2 lbs.

Boil 5-10 minutes then remove the pot and carefully remove the softened outer leaves. Return the cabbage to the simmering water and continue to soften as you begin to fill the leaves. (Or freeze whole cabbage 24 hrs. then thaw and separate leaves).

Trim off enough of the centre rib of each leaf to make the leaf supple enough to roll. Wrap the meat (or lentil) mixture in the leaves folding the sides first. Roll up the leaf. Repeat with more leaves until filling is used. Tie rolls with string.

Chop enough of remaining cabbage leaves to make 1 cup. Heat a heavy pot over med-high heat.

• 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Add chopped cabbage along with:

• 1 medium onion chopped

Add:

• 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes and puree

Cover and cook for 30 minutes.

Potato Salad (4-6 large servings)
Quarter and boil for 15-20 minutes:

• 1 lbs. bag of potatoes (red-skinned were used)

When cooked, chop quarters into bite-sized pieces.

Chop and fry:

• 1 pkg of bacon (crisp)
  
• 3 onions (browned)

Save some bacon fat (trust me) for sauce.

For sauce, mix together:

• Bacon fat
• 4 tbsp. stoned ground mustard
• 2 tbsp. apple cidre vinegar
• Cooked bacon and onions
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Combine sauce and potatoes. Serve warm.

Feb. 27th Workshop: GROCERIES

These are the business cards for two of the local, independent stores that we purchased from for our February 27th kitchen workshop. Our budget requirement was to spend no more than $5/participant and we purchased everything from fruits, veggies, and meats, to cleaning supplies.

Dollar Grocers is located on Commercial Dr. at E. 6th Ave. (next to JJ Bean) and sells among other things, organic and non-organic products, as well as local produce and bulk goods at reasonable prices. The Butcher located in West Point Grey is a place to find high quality and specialty meats.

Shopping In Season

One of the goals of The Student Kitchen Project is to share tips on how to shop on measly student budgets, and one of the best ways - not to mention a very eco-friendly one - is to shop in season and shop local.

We're not necessarily talking full-on 100-mile diet, but just consult one of the links below for what's in season in BC before you go grocery shopping next time, and then do a quick price-check. However, important to keep in mind is that what is said to be "in season" is sometimes contentious whatwith hothouse produce, e.g. one of the links has lettuce in season year-round in BC. So, we'd just have to recommend the use of intuition and personal comfort i.e. what are you comfortably willing to wait for?

• Act Now BC - Buy local, in season fruits and vegetables
• BC Association of Farmers' Markets - Seasonal Produce Chart
• Eat BC! - What's in Season

On a final and personal note, we used to enjoy eating avocados and strawberries in winter before realising that not only were they the priciest things on our food bills, but that it was kind of weird to be eating guacamole and drinking strawberry daquiris in front of a roaring fireplace while wearing reindeer sweaters from our dear old aunties. Now, it's kind've nice to wait all year in anticipation for "strawcado season," when these things generally taste better, and the only thing burning is skin with no sunblock.

Feb. 27th

Thanks UBC Student Environment Centre!

After months of excited planning, we are now at the beginning stages and helping the project find its place at UBC. Today will be the first of some scheduled workshops from now until the end of this school year.

Student Health on the Table

Since embarking on this project of ours, we have been learning, or had the pleasure to meet with the organisers, of food-related initiatives on the UBC campus - such as the new Community Eats project; Sprouts, the student food co-op and café; the UBC farm; and the Meal Exchange Programme that teamed up with the AMS Food Bank on Halloween night going door-to-door collecting donations for Trick or Eat - as well as all of the initiatives taking place on campuses across our great nation.

Here is a link to a 2006 Maclean's article by Cameron Ainsworth-Vincze entitled, "Feeding the student body" that discusses the issue of food security on Canadian campuses, and the importance of addressing barriers in order to make available healthy eating choices for university students.

We hope to be a part of the various happenings that want to provide choice while increasing awareness of the issues of hunger, poverty, and health among university students.