Fun In The Sun With Fresh From Florida Produce...

Fresh From Florida saves the day giving us the earlier taste of summer when our Ontario produce are not quite ready. Fresh From Florida programs help to connect Florida farmers with consumers both in Canada, US and across the world. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) helps their 47,000 agricultural producers to promote their produce around the world, as individually these farmers do not have the resources to take their goods to market.

Having the pleasure to work with LiveWell Marketing representing Fresh From Florida, this weekend, I was at Sobeys Queensway in Etobicoke to highlight their sweet corn, green peppers, watermelon, zucchini (called summer squash in US) and grape tomatoes in simple recipe ideas to the delight of interested customers. Get Inspired....

Love those zucchini noodle spirals from a hand gadget called the spiralizer! This one's from OXO.

Tossed with watermelon, grape tomatoes and simply dressed with lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper with a touch of fresh basil or mint, you've got an impressive picnic-worthy delicious salad! The sweetness of watermelon nicely balances the tart of the lime juice.

Here's Tamara @theculinarynutritionist, the lead on this project and the developer of these tasty easy recipes.

Credit: LiveWell Marketing

Kids will love these literally cool and cute watermelon zucchini ribbon pops!

Credit: LiveWell Marketing

Try a chunky sauce-less salsa with ingredients you can see. Sweet corn salsa with corn so sweet, no need to cook first, just take them straight off the cob. Or grill first for an extra caramelize char-grilled flavour! Toss in some chopped jalapeno for a spicy kick!

Credit: LiveWell Marketing

Did you know all bell peppers start out green and if left to ripen they turn yellow or orange, and then eventually red? AND a green pepper has twice as much vitamin C as an orange. You learn something new every single day...

Photo Credit: BuzzFeed

So FuN to work with these star ladies Vijaya and Tamara!

Give these recipes a try at your next al fresco gathering...

Perfectly delicious and unique, these flavours will surely bring on the summer fun :D

Appetizer Tasters to Celebrate Thorncliffe's School Achievements...

School is almost finished.... How do we celebrate the achievements of both students and parents in the Thorncliffe Community where I have been teaching culinary classes to moms?... With a wrap party of course! The elementary students at Thorncliffe Public school will be showcasing their fantastic artwork in a photo gallery exhibit- VOICES and my brigade of community kitchen moms will be preparing tasters of assorted appetizers, dips and sips like a cocktail party where you can eat, browse and mingle. What a perfect occasion to share and exchange the pride of work accomplished during this school year, and in anticipation for summer vacation ahead!

We created appetizers as a mini rehearsal to the big event, and also as a staff-appreciation day where teachers and facility members were invited to come give a taste in what's to come. It was also my last cooking class with these wonderful moms and just before Mother's Day weekend, so the kitchen atmosphere was abuzz with lively conversations and laughter. Ashima Suri, the school's AmaZing program facilitator shared in her TDSB article, "Filled with emotion, Afra, a mother of four was eager to let us know that out of all the days of the week, she most looked forward to Thursdays. It was her day to dress up. Her day to spend some time engaging and learning. It was her time for herself – to give her the space to just be. And that was exactly what the experience at TDSB Newcomer Services – Welcoming Communities was all about." I share the same sentiments my dear friend! For more see: TDSB Welcoming Communities: Momma’s Day! Food and New Friends.

How did I select the menu to feature? Drawing back on my entertaining days and love for making appetizers, I wanted to highlight elements from our eight-session cooking classes (Spring dips and Vietnamese cuisine) with an emphasis on fresh herbs, health, colours, textures and variety, and some of my all-time faves!

Inspired by working with real fruit-infused water from another school's health and wellness night, I had to piggy back off on it-- customized mason jars as a take-home gift for Mother's Day for my favourite moms! YAY! Blood oranges and citrus brightens any day, and goes so perfect with steeped bing cherry black tea, cold with mixed berries, pomegranate seeds, cucumber slices and fresh mint!

Love the freshness and vibrant rainbow of colours!

Everyone was gung-ho in creating a spectacular experience for our guests!

Cocktail Shrimps in Lemon Yogurt Dill on Cucumber Rounds

Makes about 40 pieces

2 cucumbers, peeled and sliced 1/2” thick rounds 

Baby cocktail shrimps, cooked, frozen and thawed, drained well, coarsely chopped

Makes 1 cup sauce:
3/4 cup plain natural yogurt (Balkan-style)
1/4 cup mayonnaise or sour cream
fresh dill, chopped
fresh chives, chopped
salt and ground black pepper to taste
Splash of fresh lemon juice
ground paprika

Mix shrimps with some yogurt sauce (just enough to coat well). Spoon shrimp mixture onto the cucumber rounds. Garnish with a sprig of dill and a sprinkle of ground paprika. Extra sauce can be use as a dip with vegetable dippers.

Cocktail Shrimps in Lemon Yogurt Dill on Cucumber Rounds

Spicy Shrimps with Avocado on Rice Crackers
Makes 20 pieces (double the recipe to make twice the savouries)

1 Tbsp. olive oil
20 large shrimps, shelled (300 g frozen shrimps count 16/20)
1 Tbsp. chilli garlic paste (such as sambal oelek), adjust according to spice levels
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 ripe avocados, finely diced
1 green onion, sliced
1/2 lemon, juice and its zest
20 sesame or plain rice crackers
20 cilantro leaves

Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Cook shrimps for two minutes per side until they turn bright orange and opaque. Add 1 tsp. to 1 Tbsp. chili paste and stir to coat, continuing to cook for 30 seconds more. Remove from heat and set aside.

Combine cilantro, avocados, green onion, lemon juice and zest in a bowl. Top each cracker with 1 Tbsp. avocado spread and a shrimp. Garnish with a cilantro leaf. Serve immediately.

Spicy Shrimps with Avocado on Rice Crackers

Shredded Chicken and Herbs Vietnamese-Style on Endive Leaves
Makes about 25 endive boats

1-1/4 lbs. skinless, boneless chicken breast, cooked and finely shredded
½ cucumber, small dice
1/4 cup chopped mint leaves
1/4 cup chopped Thai basil leaves
Endives, leaves separated into boats

Sauce:
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/3 cup warm water
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp. fish sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1 red bird’s eye chilli, minced (optional)

Combine chicken, cucumber and herbs. Mix sauce together and add to chicken. Spoon 1 Tbsp. chicken mixture onto the rounded end of an endive leave. Top each with finely shredded mint as a garnish. Serve on a platter.

TIP: Shred cooked chicken meat easily with your fingers when it is cooled.

Check out my Vietnamese-Style Shredded Chicken and Herbs Salad 

Endive leaves make perfect edible spoons! The presentation is so inviting...

Love these ladies touch with cucumber skin roses :D

Make-Ahead Curry Mushroom Palmiers
Makes 40 pieces

1 Tbsp. oil
1-1/2 lbs. mushrooms, chopped
1 Tbsp ground curry
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
½ cup finely chopped green onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 sheets (375-g pkg.) frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, lightly beaten, and add 1 Tbsp. water

Heat oil in skillet on medium-high heat. Cook mushrooms and garlic for 2 minutes. Add curry, oyster sauce and onions; cook and stir 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Roll puff pastry sheet on lightly floured surface to 10 “ X 14” rectangle. Spread half of mushroom mixture on 1 sheet of pastry, leaving 3-inch lengthwise border on 2 sides. Fold in lengthwise sides to meet in centre. Flatten slightly. Brush top and seam with egg. Fold in half again; press sides together. Again brush top and seam with egg; cover with wrap. Freeze 30 minutes.

Cut rolls into 1/2-inch slices. Place cut-side up, on lightly greased baking sheets. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until browned.

Make Ahead- Palmier logs can be made 2 days ahead, covered in plastic wrap and refrigerated. Slice and bake when ready.  Note: Leftover baked palmiers can be stored in resealable plastic bag in freezer for up to 1 month. Reheat at 375°F 8 to 10 minutes.

Substitute mushrooms with 1 lb. of ground beef.

Other parents visit us in session as we highlight our program in hopes they will join us next school year.

Super gorgeous plating ladies...

Our staff guests have arrived... and they ooohed and aaahed through sights and bites...

I was so happy to see the pride in these moms as they serve this and that...

A lovely trio of appetizers right there...

And of course, a nice refreshing cool finish with my favourite Southeast Asian-Style dessert... 

Coconut Jackfruit Tapioca.

Coconut Jackfruit Tapioca

We can't wait for the Thorncliffe community to savour more of our goodies!

Flippin' For Filipino Palabok...

You know when you taste something that completely knocks your socks off, and you don't know why you didn't respond this way the other times you had it?... could it be that the chef at this place prepared it better, was there a secret agreeable ingredient or the dish just connected with you this time, but whatever it is, you are super happy for it! Cause it just expanded yet another territory in your cooking and eating repertoire. An impact so strong, you just have to pull your sources together to replicate it for your family and friends so they can experience the wonders you did (plus I was dreaming about it all weekend when other moms swooned over flowers and their kids' mother's day crafts)... And for me, it's expanding my knowledge of nuances in different cuisines and further spreads that love of learning and teaching in what I do-- at home and in my culinary profession.

Today I am talking about Filipino palabok-- noodles smothered in shrimp gravy topped with cooked shrimp, pork, boiled eggs, crushed chicharon fried pork rind, fish flakes, green onions, and fried garlic.  I've had it before but it really hit home the other day, a take-out box from a casual eatery for lunch-- hearty, noodles soft and slightly sticky, saucy and flavours seafoody and comfy under a bevy of textural chicharon, onions, and garlic. As I am exploring, there are so many versions and presentation-- thin or thick clear noodles, noodles cooked in the sauce, or ladled over top like gravy, ground pork in the sauce, or cooked pork pieces and served on top, sliced eggs or wedged eggs, fish flakes sprinkled or not, addition of other seafoods... and the list goes on...

I like to do things from scratch as much as possible, but I read the merits of Mama Sita's palabok seasoning mix-- shrimp based and flavourings to make the instant sauce, and thought I'd give it a go. I cooked the shrimp shells, and used that broth for more flavour on flavour. And the resulting dish was so-O deelish, and definitely a keeper for another home meal or potluck event. So presentable, appetizing and hearty, and economical too! Some things I may do different next time (like make the noodles more passed al dente, my own shrimp gravy, add fish flakes and cook cubed pork belly in soy and vinegar), but as a first attempt which my kids can attest to... like WoW!

Such a big hearty platter, to serve a small army!

Filipino Pancit Palabok
Serves 8 to 10 as a meal (reduce ingredients in half to serve 4 to 6)

1 pack (454 g) thin or thick rice noodles (I used Super Q brand's thick cornstarch noodles), cook according to package instructions
2 Tbsp. cooking oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

4 hard boiled eggs, peeled and sliced

1 lb. shell-on shrimps, peeled, shells reserved for broth (if includes heads, even better for broth-making)

1 large red onion, chopped
1 lb. lean ground pork

2 pkgs. (57 g) Mama Sita's Palabok seasoning mix, cook according to package instructions 

½ tsp. ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. annatto seeds, sizzled in 3 Tbsp. hot oil

Topping ingredients:
chicharon (fried pork rind), crushed to small bits
green onion or scallions, finely chopped
fried garlic
wedges of lemon, lime or the authentic accompaniment sour calamansi

I love this spread of ingredients- so much flavour and textures!

Cornstarch sticks!! The first I've worked with, in my lifetime of much noodle-cooking... soak first and cook after and drain according to package instructions. 

Clear and springy...

Don't waste those flavourful shells-- too bad I didn't have shrimp heads which would have added much more flavour to the broth. Cook for about 10 minutes on medium boil and strain shells for a clear broth.

Crush those tasty chicharon fried pork rinds (comes in so many flavours- I picked up garlic and spicy with vinegar). You can make your own fried garlic by sauteing chopped garlic in some oil or buy a container.

Pat dry those shrimps after shelling, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and saute in a little oil over medium-high heat until orange and opaque, which indicates they have been cooked through. Set aside.

Follow instructions on the seasoning package, which is basically dissolving the mix in your choice of liquid-- mine would be the shrimp broth. Need about 2-1/2 cups of water for one package. I used two.

Heat your wok/skillet over medium-high heat with oil. Saute onions and garlic for about two minutes and add the pork. Cook, stirring occasionally until pork is 80% done, around three minutes.

Look at the lay of ingredients that is ready for topping and serving on palabok!

Add the sauce mix and ground black pepper into the skillet and cook for a few minutes, until boiling and thickened like gravy.

Since I used the Mama Sita seasoning, I didn't have to make the additional annatto oil for the red colouring, but I did it anyway, cooking 1 Tbsp. annatto seeds sizzled in 3 Tbsp. oil for a minute (no longer otherwise, the oil will be bitter). After adding the noodles into the gravy and coated thoroughly, I drizzled the red oil on top for a slick sheen.

  

Nummy! Now onto a huge serving vessel...

Getting ready for the bevy of colourful and crunchy toppings!

Wahhhh.... Voila!!!

I so want to call this Palabok Paella, especially in this ceramic Portuguese dish.

You can also serve the shrimp sauce ladled over top like gravy for a colour contrast against the white noodles. Pretty and tasty either way!

Photo Credit: www.PanlasangPinoy.com

I happened to buy a bunch of cool schmool coolers at the wine and beer store. Blood Orange Mango one night...

And Pineapple Lemon the next with even tastier leftovers.... with a nose of smoky bacon.

In love with the flavours right boys? Mama' will indeed make this again...

Hair here, and hair gone the next... lol!