Neighbourhood Table Rainbow and Magic, and More...

It's pretty crazy to think we are on our homestretch with just two more Neighbourhood Table sessions to go. That means summer is winding down too... Boo :(.  Catching up here with our last two with themes Rainbow and Magic, and Meal In Minutes which have not been short of a brilliant array of fresh colours from vegetables and fruits as the name suggests. The sights, smells and buzz in the kitchen cooking with kids and volunteers have been magical in itself! ✨

With partners Salma and Nina from The Arab Community Centre.

It's bright colours and rainbow indoors and out with the kids' arts and craft activities too!

Did you know you can eat corn straight fresh off the cob? Try it in this refreshing black bean salsa.

Fresh Corn, Black Bean, Peppers and Tomato Salsa (Fresh From Florida Produce)
Serves 6

2 cups corn (about 4 cobs)
1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
1 green pepper, diced
¾ cup black beans, rinsed and drained well
1 lime, juice of
Salt and pepper to taste

Hold one cob vertically down in a medium-sized bowl and slice downwards against core with knife to remove kernels. Repeat with remaining cobs. Toss in same bowl, the corn with tomatoes, peppers and black beans. Squeeze in the lime and season with salt and pepper. Serve with tortilla corn chips.

A colourful skillet of vegetables- crinkle cut zucchini, blistered grape tomatoes and green beans.

Tossed with chicken and bowties to make this lovely hearty pasta dish. See it's similar recipe.

Topped with bread crumbs and parsley

My friend and former fellow Food Revolution Toronto ambassador Aviva joins in the fun with her daughter Talia to help teach kids how to cut up fruits to make the colours of the rainbow.

Aviva is a lunch packing guru. Check out her instagram.

Kids made fruit kebabs to dip in chocolate pots for an after dinner treat.

Wow!

Cheflings are the pot of gold at the end of this rainbow! 🍓🍊🍍🍈🍇🌈💞

Colour your plate with these fresh rainbow veggie pinwheel wraps 🌈. This is a fresh and crunchy idea to get kids munching on vegetables maki-sushi style. Get 'em in the rollin' fun!.

Rainbow Veggie Spiral Wraps (adapted from Side of Sweet)
Makes 24 pieces

3 10-inch spinach (green) tortilla wraps
1 tub (227g) roasted pepper hummus
1 red pepper, cored and thinly sliced
1 yellow pepper, cored and thinly sliced
12 baby carrots, thinly sliced
¼ red cabbage, thinly sliced
1 cup fresh baby spinach.

Divide the dip evenly into three parts and spread a thin layer on one side of each tortilla. Arrange the prepared veggies in rows on the tortilla. Starting at one side, roll the tortilla up over the veggies, pressing it together tightly. Slice the tortilla into 1 inch slices crosswise (about 8). 

These were such a hit with everyone, including my kids when I tested them over the weekend before. What magical kaleidoscope effect when placed together like that!

Rainbow Veggie Spiral Wraps

Vegetables Ceviche... sans fish... say whaaa? Ceviche is seafood-based, fresh raw fish or shellfish cured with citrus and seasonings. But not only, according to Chef Erika @ixiimtoronto.

I had a taste of her delicious concoction as she is set up as a demo vendor alongside The Good Food Market. Laaaaa...🎵🎶 what a revelation!!! 🤗 The pieces of cauliflower yielded a similar texture to shrimp ceviche- incred! The tangy lime juice and savoury salt intermingling with the veggie bits were too tasty, I made it for my twins birthday family gathering! Served with crunchy tortilla chips it was a hit with everyone!! This is a MuST TrY!!!

Vegetables Ceviche (by Chef Erika)

1/2 small cauliflower, boiled for 5 mins.; cut into tiny pieces
2 tomatoes, small diced
1 small cucumber, small diced
1/2 red onion, fine diced
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
4-5 limes, juice of
1 tsp. of papikra
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and adjust seasoning to taste. Let set at least 30 minutes before serving.

Did you know you can sweat it out big time, just slicing up like five crunchy fresh baguettes lol...

Easy Crowd Bruschetta!!! 🍅🍅🍅🌱. Our over deelish Italian appie with a meal of Japanese curry and rice in our next theme- Meal In Minutes, cause why not mix things up?

Love the plump Ontario juicy tomatoes we got on the vine from The Good Food Market selling fresh wares on site. Here are some storing tips for your tomatoes to keep them ultra-fresh from my partner over at Produce Made Simple:

KEEP IT FRESH:
Store them at room temperature in an open basket if they’re ready to eat for up to a week, but if you want them to ripen faster, place them in a paper bag with an apple or an onion.
.
Avoid storing ripe tomatoes in a plastic bag or in the fridge, as the cold causes them to turn mealy and they lose their delicious tomato flavour. They are best enjoyed when served at room temperature.

Easy Crowd Bruschetta!!! 🍅🍅🍅🌱

This is terrific Toni, a store manager from Feed It Forward. She is a vendor alongside The Good Food Market showing families how to make use of salvaged good produce. FIF rescues food from Ontario grocery stores, farmers and growers, bakeries, distributors, and restaurants. Thousands of kilos of food a week that would have been destined to garbage bins, are rescued and made into delicious and healthy soups and healthy snacks for those in need. Read More about their great mission and how they have already made such a difference.

Making blueberry and mango smoothies.

Our main for Meal In Minutes is Japanese Curry. But it doesn't sound exactly Japanese... what's up with Japanese-style curry? When the English version was introduced to the country, it was more of a soup meant to be sopped up with bread. The Japanese adapted it to their taste by thickening it so it could be easily eaten with rice and added familiar ingredients to make it more homey- their classic curry pronounced as karé contains onion, carrots and potatoes and often apples and cantaloupe for sweetness. 

There are some fantastic tasting Japanese brands of curry sauce that meets your meal preparations halfway, but not halfway delicious. Glico and S&B brands package curry sauce come in a dry block format for convenient use. Prep and cook for 15 minutes and dinner is on the table! You can choose from mild, medium to spicy. Serve it with toasted French baguette, ladled over steamed rice or Japanese udon! And add a side of crunchy cabbage slaw tossed with mayo.

Serve with a Side of Coleslaw: thinly slice ¼ small cabbage (stem removed), add 2 carrots (optional), cut into matchsticks and 2 thinly sliced green onions. *Soak cabbage in ice cold water for 10 minutes, drain. Toss all with Japanese kewpie mayonnaise upon serving.

Curry In a Hurry with convenient Japanese curry blocks.

Ahh-- these young ladies are cooking up a curry storm!

I encourage all to try apples and cantaloupe for the real Japanese curry deal!

Everyone loved it and finished to the last drop with leftovers packed to take home! Yum!

See here for my recipe. Also try it with chicken drumsticks.

Awww, I love her extra sweet smile! 

Layered Berries and Cream Angel Food Cake 

Layered Berries and Cream Angel Food Cake

Makes 8 to 10 slices

2 cups whipping cream
3 Tbsp. granulated white sugar
1 tsp. of vanilla extract (optional)
1 prepared angel food cake (284 g)
1/2 cup each: sliced strawberries; raspberries and blueberries
6 whole strawberries, for garnish
1 lemon, zested into long strips for garnish

Place mixer bowl and whisk in freezer for ½ hour. Pour whipping cream, sugar and vanilla into the cold bowl and whisk on high speed until medium to stiff peaks form, about two minutes- do not over beat. (2 cups cream yields 4 cups whipped).

How to Cut Angel Food Cake: Mark cake into 3 layers by inserting toothpicks around side of cake. Use a serrated knife and gentle sawing motion to easily cut the cake.

Cut cake horizontally into 3 layers. Place bottom cake layer, cut-side up, on serving plate; top with ½ the whipped cream; sprinkle with mixed berries. Cover with middle cake layer and whipped cream with more berries. Top with remaining cake layer; spread with remaining whipped cream. Top with whole strawberries, any remaining berries and sprinkle with lemon zest. Refrigerate one hour to set.

Our cool chefling operation. I'm so proud of them.

Meal In Minutes is Served!

Love the creativity in these awesome layered angel cakes. As easy as cake to make!

More colour, freshness and a myriad of fun continues over the next few weeks... Stay Tuned!