Food Revolution Day Update... Events and Petition...

If you have been following my Food Revolution Day posts, our official Food Revolution 2015 site just launched- It looks fantastic and I am super excited! We are a 1300 global ambassador strong network and growing, all passionate about changing the way people eat by educating every child about food, empowering families by arming them with the skills and knowledge to cook again, and inspiring everyone to stand up for their rights to better food, which in turn, will fight the epidemic of diet-related diseases. We’re currently facing a global obesity epidemic, with 42 million children under the age of five either overweight or obese across the world. The bottom line is the next generation will live shorter lives than their parents if nothing is done to rectify these alarming stats.

JAMIE OLIVER NEEDS YOUR HELP FIGHTING FOR FOOD EDUCATION!

Watch Jamie's video and read more at http://www.foodrevolutionday.com/.

Jamie’s global petition will call on the leaders and governments of all G20 countries to make practical food education a compulsory part of every school curriculum. 

So along with Jamie I’m asking that you do two simple things – first, please sign this petition to show your support for compulsory practical food education in schools across the world, then, most importantly, share it via your social networks.

It’s essential that we arm future generations with the life skills they urgently need in order to lead healthier, happier, more productive lives. We passionately believe this is every child’s human right and I hope you agree.

If you can help us get millions of people to sign this petition, we can create a movement powerful enough to force all G20 governments to take action. Food education will make a difference to the lives of the next generations, so please help. We can’t do it without you! Sign the petition here. {UPDATE: Two days into the petition launch and we have 149,053 signatures from 146 countries!- WOO HOOOO!!!}

Our Food Revolution Toronto have been working hard, putting together fun events at our schools and in our community to celebrate the day with great food activities! Here are two free public events we have going: VEGETARIAN CULINARY COMPETITION in late April and a HEALTHY LUNCH COOKING DEMO in May. Scroll down for more info. We hope you join us!

Our amazing Food Revolution Toronto team!!

VEGETARIAN CULINARY COMPETITION
Hosted by Food Revolution Day Ambassador Dorothy Pang

Come support the Food Revolution by participating in a friendly vegetarian cooking challenge. All beginners are welcome.

WHEN: Saturday April 25th from 5 pm – 6:30pm (register for free tickets. Capacity: 30 people)

Twitter @nellacucina
Nella Cucina
876 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON M5R 3G3

HEALTHY LUNCH COOKING DEMO

Hosted by Food Revolution Day Ambassadors Linda Matarasso and Susan Ng

Come learn and support Food Revolution Day at a FREE Healthy Lunch Cooking Demo located @ Hendrix Restaurant Equipment & Supplies.  Learn how to make a Grilled Mediterranean Flatbread Sandwich and Spicy Carrot soup. Lots more surprises and a chance to win some great prizes!

WHEN: Saturday, May 16th from Noon to 3pm (Walk-In)
Sign up on Eventbrite to enter a draw to win some prizes.

Hendrix Restaurant Equipment & Supplies
77 Samor Rd
Toronto ON M6A 1J2
Tel: 416-238-7850

Twitter @FoodRev
@FoodRevToronto
Food Revolution Toronto Facebook

Please join me back for frequent updates on how you can involved on Food Revolution Day May 15th and have some awesome food fun while bringing awareness to an important cause. Whether its at your kids' school, with your colleagues and friends, at home or with your community, there's tons of ways to celebrate with real food! Whether you're from Toronto, US or as far away as Hong Kong, chances are there are ambassadors in your community already organizing activities for this big day. Contact me directly if you want more info or to be connected with a local ambassador in your community/country: (e) s5ng@yahoo.com (twitter) @susanssavourit. Cheers and let the food fun begin!

Fresh Herbs Series... Easy Chives Biscuits...

I love chives for their delicate shallot fragrance and flavour, and is a welcomed touch to soups, eggs, potatoes, salmon and muffins. Chives are extremely versatile and easy to grow. They are inexpensive, hardy, low maintenance, decorative and tasty. What more can we ask for a slender plant? Storage tip: To store fresh chives, wrap in a damp paper towel placed in a plastic bag and into the fridge. To freeze fresh chives, wash, trim and dry thoroughly then place into heavy-duty freezer bags removing the air, or with water in an ice cube tray, then transferred into freezer bags to freeze.

Chives biscuits were a delicious way to use up chives I've had seen late last week since they don't last long fresh. And with ingredients you probably already have on hand. You can switch out the half-and-half cream in the recipe with the equal amounts of whole milk and 1 Tbsp. of butter which you add along with the butter in the recipe. Serve them with a hearty stew or soup, or with a green salad for a light meal.

Easy Chive Biscuits

Makes 8 biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, diced
3/4 cup half-and-half cream or 3/4 cup whole milk and 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives 

Cook's NOTE: I place the butter in the freezer for seven minutes before using, as it makes the biscuits tender and fluffy!    

Preheat the oven to 400F. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Add the butter and using your finger, work and crumble the butter until the size of peas. (This is a very important step for light, fluffy biscuits.). Mix in the chives. 

Add the cream/milk and stir with a fork until just combined. Dump the dough out on a well-floured board/counter and knead lightly into a rectangle 3/4 inch thick. Cut into eight pieces and if you like them round, just use the space between your thumb and index finger to shape it with your other hand. 

Place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Brush with some cream/milk or if you want a glossy top, make an egg wash using one egg and 1 Tbsp. water; mix and brush-on. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until the tops are browned and the insides are firm. Serve warm.

Oooh, look at that flaky shell, yielding a fluffy tender centre!

Served biscuits with scrambled eggs topped with chives and leftover Green Lentils with Dill Roasted Red Pepper Salsa Verde.

Also try chives in my Fully Loaded Mashed Potatoes and Creamy Yogurt Dip.

This concludes my Fresh Herb Series using cilantro, mint, parsley, dill and chives across cultural cuisines and my plight of going meat-free with the family for one week. Some thoughts on going a week on vegetarian? It is manageable, but I had to make sure I planned dishes that had lots of flavour to feel satisfied and of course, protein-rich alternatives to sustain energy. With spring in the air, eating vegetarian coupled with fresh herbs has me feeling clean inside out. A few of the offerings were new to the kids, so I will admit I cheated by sneaking in some chicken in a few meals to keep the kids happy. But for the most part, I was pleased with their taking to my veggie-centred mains! New and delicious ways to incorporate vegetables, grains, pulses and herbs were inspired this week that has added to my go-to-again recipe repertoire. Going a week meat-free on a regular basis is probably not in the horizons, but adopting a meatless Monday every one or two weeks is! 

I hope you were inspired to enliven your dishes with your favourite herbs to bring a little welcomed fresh spring flavour into your kitchen!

Fresh Herbs Series... Green Lentils with Dill Roasted Pepper Salsa Verde...

Lush fresh dill is definitely on my top five list of all-time favourite herbs. I can't get enough of its heavenly heady aroma, a blend of mint, citrus, and fennel with a hint of sea air. Did you know the ancient Romans regarded dill as a symbol of vitality? Both Romans and Greeks are said to have drifted into a peaceful slumber with fresh aromatic dill leaves wrapped around their heads. Hmm... maybe I should give this a try! Fresh dill is particularly popular in Turkey and Iran to balance cooling vegetables, used in pickling, yogurt dips, cheese pastries and rice dishes. Storage tip: The best way to store dill is like flowers, standing in a container with water to cover their stems, a plastic bag over the leaves and refrigerated.

Try lentils with dill... a super way to get excellent meat-free protein in your diet with the fresh zingy citrusy caraway flavour of dill!

Green Lentils with Dill Roasted Pepper Salsa Verde
Makes 6 to 8 servings

300 g green lentils, rinsed and drained, allot time for sitting in water according to package
4 to 6 roasted red sweet pepper, rinsed, drained and diced, divided
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 green chilies, deseeded and chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2-inch piece of fresh ginger
Large handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Large handful of fresh dill, chopped and divided
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
Juice of 1-1/2 lemons
3 Tbsp. olive oil

Note: Look for Puy lentils- they are small silvery-green coated lentils. They hold their shape better than other lentils and are highly flavourful. Whole Food Market, health food and some bulk stores carry these awesome lentils. I wasn't able to get out to these stores and used green lentils I had on hand. It will definitely make a difference in the resulting dish.

Photo Credit: kelliesfoodtoglow.com

Follow preparation directions on lentil package. Drain them and place into a bowl. 

To make the salsa, place all the remaining ingredients apart from the oil in a food processor, adding 1/4 roasted peppers and 1/4 dill and process with short bursts until a particulate consistency. Add the olive oil, drizzling into the running machine until well blended. Season to taste.

Add remaining 3/4 of the red peppers and 3/4 bunch of dill, and salsa verde; mix well. Adjust seasoning to taste. Add more lemon juice, and olive oil to your preference.

Simply a gorgeous dish, full of protein, low in fat and high in minerals!

My kids liked the citrusy flavours but not too keen on the lentils, so they only took one bite. However, I was happy to see that they were not reluctant to try it. My husband took some of it for a light lunch and will serve it with a piece of bread. I've served lentils masquerade in Blueberry Oatmeal Lentil Scones and was met with success. Never give up and think creatively to get your kids to try new foods!

If you adore dill like me, give these other dilly recipes a try- all thumbs up dishes from my family: Butternut Squash Apple Soup with Dill, Lemony Dill Yogurt Dip, Creamy Dill Apple Salad, Greek Quinoa Salad, Pan-Fried Whole Trout with Lemon and Dill and Fish and Shrimp in Dill Garlic White Wine.

Next up are chives, giving a light fine shallot fragrance and flavour to chive biscuits and scrambled eggs...

Fresh Herbs Series... Roasted Zucchini with Mint Salsa Verde...

Mint comes in a super vast variety of enticing scents and flavours with can you believe- more than 30 species and 600 varieties! The most common in culinary uses would be peppermint and spearmint, and my personal favourite is peppermint. It adds a cool refreshing fabulous minty citrus zing to just about everything- cooked in dishes, fresh as an ingredient or garnish, in beverages- it just elevates all the senses! Storage tip: Lay mint leaves on a slightly damp paper towel. Wrap up and place into a plastic bag; seal and place in your fridge crisper set on high humidity.

I was in awe when I came across this roast zucchini recipe in my Mediterranean cookbook. Roasting zucchini transforms their flavour, making it more concentrated and sweeter. Made it more inviting to try as I had a bunch of mint on hand to use and it was a perfect veggie side to complement a meal of falafels, pitas and a combination of Middle Eastern dips. Their result heavenly with tender sweet zucchini batons dressed in citrus mint and parsley sauce. It truly made my family's taste buds sing...

Roasted Zucchini with Mint Salsa Verde
Makes 4 to 6 servings

4 medium-sized firm zucchinis, trimmed but kept whole
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
large handful of flat-leaf parsley
small handful of mint leaves, reserving a sprig for garnish
juice of 1/2 lemon
3 Tbsp. olive oil
kosher/sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375F. Slightly oil foil-lined baking tray and arrange zucchinis on top. Drizzle or brush their tops with oil and roast for 50 minutes.

Meanwhile prepare the salsa: place all the ingredients apart from the olive oil in a food processor with salt and pepper to taste and process into a smooth paste. Add the olive oil slowly and blend to a thick pesto-like sauce.

After the zucchinis are done roasting, let cool before slicing them into batons. There could be quite a bit of juice emitted, so slightly press on the zucchini to release and drain.

Just before serving, add the sauce to the zucchini and toss gently to coat.

Our Middle Eastern spread for dinner with falafels, pitas, assorted dips and roast mint zucchini.

Check out my post of Falafel to make it an easy do-it-yourself from home!

Polished my plate, saving the zucchini for last!!

I am big on using mint in Vietnamese and Mediterranean cuisines, try Vietnamese Stuffed Crepes, Vietnamese Pork Loaf and Noodle Salad, Vietnamese Shrimp and Pork Salad Rolls, Quinoa Tabbouleh, Beef Kaftas with Tahini-Lime Sauce, and Jamie's Rainbow Beet Wrap!

So happy to be using up all those great herbs in my fridge and challenging myself to do so while making vegetarian dishes during meat-free week! Join me for my next post on aromatic lush dill when I use them with green lentils in a roasted pepper salsa verde...

Fresh Herbs Series... Mexican Quinoa with Cilantro and Pepitas...

One of the great aspects of being a Jamie Oliver Food Rev ambassador is that we get to share our unique culture, passion for food and cooking with our fellow ambassadors around the world. It is always amazing to see what others are doing half way around the world in their homes and communities. We are given various food challenges to complete every month, and for March, the team in U.K. have challenged us to make a meat free meal in celebration of Australia and U.K.s' global Meat Free Week campaign. I had a bunch of herbs leftover from my kids' cooking class I hosted a few days ago, and I thought why not make it a week-long vegetarian challenge doubled with a personal one of using up those fabulous fresh herbs! So to kick-off my duo challenge, I first present to you cilantro! Cilantro also known as Chinese parsley and coriander offers two distinct tastes in one- the lemon peel, cumin and sage taste of the leaves as well as the citrus flavour of the seeds- coriander. Storage Tip: The best way to store cilantro is in a container with just enough water to cover the washed cilantro stems, a plastic bag over the cilantro leaves and refrigerated- keeps fresh for about four weeks, although mine would be long gone before then.

I absolutely love using cilantro in Asian cooking such as Chinese and Vietnamese, in Mediterranean and also Mexican and Southwest dishes. If you love cilantro, give this tasty high-protein, high-mineral quinoa recipe with the addition of healthy pumpkin seeds a try with a Mexican flair!

Mexican Quinoa with Cilantro and Pepitas
Makes 4 to 6 servings

1 cup quinoa
1/2 cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1 cup cilantro leaves, saving 2 Tbsp. for garnish
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/2 jalapeño chile, chopped (optional)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. lime juice
1/2 coloured bell pepper, chopped
1 cup spinach leaves, chopped
2 green onions, chopped

Prepare quinoa according to package directions and fluff when ready with a fork. Heat skillet over high heat, dry-toast the pepitas, shaking the skillet over the heat until they begin to pop. 

Place into a blender along with cilantro, garlic, jalapeño, salt and cumin and process, scraping the sides down frequently until all is well minced. Add the olive oil and lime juice, processing until smooth.

Stir the cilantro mixture, pepper, spinach and green onions into the quinoa while still warm. Or cool before adding remaining ingredients. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, a splash of lime and top with cilantro leaves upon serving.

I love eating it warm with all the nutty cumin flavours and crunchy texture of the vegetables and herbs intermingling beautifully with piquant bite!

Try some of my other favourite dishes that uses cilantro: Vietnamese Summer Shrimp and Pork Rolls, Vietnamese Curry Chicken Wings, Steamed Chinese Whole Fish, Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup with Cilantro Pesto, Persian Kotlet Meat Patties, Beef, Bean and Rice Burritos and any of my other Mexican recipes using cilantro as a topping such as Tacos and Chicken Fajitas.

Join me back on my next post on refreshing mint used in a sauce to dress roasted zucchini...

A Spring Fling with Fresh Herbs...

Spring is officially here... Spring air is crisp and fresh signalling something new ahead. It's the time when our neighbours seem to emerge after months being tucked behind closed doors and windows. Suddenly the streets come alive where children come out to play, and people start to reconnect with a wave, a smile and a hello! When it comes to eating, nothing comes foremost to mind than vibrant green fresh and fragrant herbs! I love using the myriad of varieties in cooking and as toppings to finish a dish. Sharing an article on creating your own garden of herbs and recipes I developed using popular Asian herbs for Asian Gourmet Magazine. Join me back on a week of discovering culinary usages of herbs in specifically meatless dishes across cultural cuisines...

Asian Gourmet Magazine Spring 2008 pp.70 to 78. Penned as Susan Vuong.

March Break Kids Cooking Class at My Place...

I have been planning a hands-on cooking class with my twins' old classmates from their previous school for the March break. Kept it small for the first time hosting such a session at my place, although I had invited a few more, but it turned out fantastic with two guests! My youngest one was well-behaved through it all which I worried about for not being able to participate as much. He was fine just observing for the most part :) On the lunch menu: breaded chicken strips to serve in tortilla wraps, lemony dill yogurt dip, a smoothie and cookies for a mid-day snack.

One of the key things I wanted the kids to experience was how to use their five senses to examine and taste what's in front of them, such as herbs and vegetables for the dip. Then together, we could customize what they would like to put in it and serve as dippers.

The kids were able to identify two of the four herbs I presented. They were more than willing to smell and give each a taste. Looks like fresh dill and chives were winning ingredients for the yogurt dip! I asked them how to describe the smells and taste of the herbs, "grassy" for dill, "good" for mint, "oniony" for chives, but the overall comment was "fresh"! Indeed they are.. I like that!

Taking a whiff of a sprig of fresh peppermint! 

Snap peas were seen new as dippers and they gave it a try! Now they know why they are called "snap" peas by the sound when you break or snap one. They were generally keen veggie eaters with different favourites!

Lemony dill yogurt dip with an assortment of vegetables. 

Onto breaded chicken strips... first zesting a whole lemon to use in the breadcrumb coating mixture.

Such a pro!

Next up, breading station... one plate filled with the lemony dill yogurt to marinate the chicken fillets I already seasoned with salt and pepper, and into another plate with breadcrumbs mixed with lemon zest to coat. I loved seeing the kids work in teams.

Disposable plastic gloves makes it sanitary when children work with raw meat!

Laying the breaded chicken fillets on a slightly greased baking tray with olive oil. Giving the chicken a quick spray of cooking oil before popping it in the oven at 375F for 15 to 20 minutes until cooked through. 

The breaded chicken came out golden and aromatic! Lunch is ready to be served! 

I encouraged the kids to try one of my favourite summer wraps, tortilla wrapped in spinach leaves, chicken, mango slices and coloured bell pepper strips with a helping of the yogurt dip for sauce. One of my sons' gave it a go while the rest preferred a plain chicken wrap with the dip as sauce.

Worked up an appetite- enjoying the fruits of their fun-filled labour...

After lunch and a round of strawberry-banana-nectarine-mango-pear smoothie, a few hours later we were ready for some good ol' fashion cookie baking!! I really love the Big-Batch Kris Kringle Cookies I made over the holidays as a cookie base to customize their own add-ins. The yield was perfect as I wanted to send cookies to our guests' home so they can share with their families what they baked, although they made them slightly bigger we still ended up with 30! Divided the batter into two for the kids to work in teams to create their own cookie!

I am always thrilled to see kids get hands-on in the kitchen! 

Taking turns smashing pecans in a ziplock bag with a mallet!

Team Green chooses the works: chocolate chips, cranberries, pecans and marshmallows.

Team White and Green chooses simply chocolate and marshmallows.

One base, two different cookies!

Voila- yummy! The cookies looked holely due to the marshmallows melting into the cookie creating craters, and caramelizing into bits around the edges while giving the cookie a chewy texture. If you like marshmallows and chocolate, give my S'mores Cookie Crisps a try.

Packing cookies for the kids to take home...

Enjoying a bit of Wii gaming, homemade cookies and bonding time... can't get better than that!

Organizing a hands-on cooking class for your family can be a lot of fun and a chance to whip up something new together! Invite a few family members or friends over to make it even merrier! You can have the kids take part in some element in the preparation process, or just assembling at the table to create their own meal... whatever it is, the greater chance they will eat it when they have taken part in making it. Here are some DIY Kids Can Cook themes that worked successfully with mine. Pizza Mania, Chicken Fajitas, Tacos, Korean BBQ, Chinese Hot Potting.