Newcomer Kids Cooking Program with CultureLink...

What fantastic fun we had over eight weeks getting newcomer kids cooking and learning about healthy food and recipes 🍎🍌🥭🍇🍈!

I ran an eight-week virtual culinary program for newcomer kids 6 to 12 years old at CultureLink funded by IRCC. CultureLink is a prominent settlement and community organization in the west end with over 30 years’ experience in developing and delivering services to meet the needs of our diverse communities. Recipe ingredients were provided weekly in a grocery kit pick up to cook along with me 👩‍🍳👨‍🍳💞! 

Fruit Kebabs with Honey Yogurt Dip highlighted my first kids' cook along workshop. We talked about the beauty of the rainbow of fruits, skewered or made into a fruit salad with the bounty of colours. I loved the kids' engagement and their eagerness to show off their results before happily gobbling them up 🤗.

Then it was oats prepared three ways cooking with kids! Crunchy homemade baked granola to eat by the handfuls as a snack or topped in a yogurt parfait, plus hand-rolled power balls with PB and oats!

No Bake Power Balls or Energy Bites

The following session was on eggs, and asking the question of all time- which came first? The chicken 🐔 or the egg 🥚??

Infinite. The best answer is infinite, because the question loops on end!! And of course, being a chicken and rooster lover, I had to show off my 🐓 wares.

Egg salad and cheese omelets 🍳!! Always a creative and delicious time! We got egg salad cracker sandwiches, omelets studded with sausages and a whole smorgasbord of egg and beyond goodies fit for a restaurant meal. So proud of these cheflings 👩‍🍳👨‍🍳💞!!

Then it was more colour your plate with the rainbow of veggies 🥕🍅🍄🥬🌶...

Take your pick! Pinwheel veggie wraps or veggie pizza baguettes (ok I snuck some pepperoni in there) with simple green salad and jam jar vinaigrette 🍕🥗.

Veggie Pinwheel Wraps

Veggie Loaded Pizza Baguettes

March Break baking fun was had with my revered oatmeal cookies- crispy on the outside, chewy with all the yummy goodness inside 😋. Lots to share with friends!! 🍪🍪🍪 Click for Susan’s Chewy and Crispy Oatmeal Raisin and Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe.

Oodles and oodles of noodles workshop with kids' versions of Chinese veggie lo mein 🥦🥕🍄🍜!

Look at all that fresh colour!!

A Taco Fiesta Contest wraps up my after school culinary program with kids @clink_youth 🌮🌮🌮! Combining cooking and art to introduce families to the new art innovation workshops (also because you eat with your eyes first 👀), kids were put to the challenge of designing their tacos and judged based on creativity, customization and presentation! The last three photos were the 3 winners of 3 cool lunch boxes! Congratulations 👏! But everyone is a winner and got prizes- a tote with safe kid-friendly kitchen tools 🔪🥄! #playwithyourfood

Excellent creativity everyone!!

This says it all... Until next time!

I am waiting to hear back on a similar Spring culinary program with CultureLink-- Stay Tuned!

Championing Fresh Produce Whatever I Do, Wherever I Go...

March is Nutrition Month! 🍎🍄🍅🥒🌶

So proud to share that my partnership with Produce Made Simple continues in 2020. They are a not-for-profit, educational campaign owned by The Ontario Produce Marketing Association (OPMA), whose main objective is to facilitate trade and enhance the marketing and promotion of fresh fruits and vegetables in Ontario 🌈.

Look at this awesome team of food professionals, bloggers, cooks and influencers at our recent cooking event with Ontario apples which I sadly missed! See you and meet new faces at our next event 🤗. In the meanwhile, I am looking forward to bringing in-season delicious recipe inspirations and impart some cool fooducation along the way... 

Three culinary programs underway (with kids, adults and seniors) means more cooking; more food education; more stories and experiences to be shared over food together 🥢🍽🤗💞!

😃 Happy to be back partnering with Produce Made Simple to promote fresh Ontario produce. First up, them apples! We are in the heart of winter ❄ but Ontario still has the heart for local grown apples, to be enjoyed all year long. Take your pick from a range of sweet, semi-sweet to tart. Eat straight, or make into a variety of sweet or savoury dishes.
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Last month, 2020's crew of ambassadors had a fun Iron Chef two team competition event cooking up the not-so-secret ingredient- 🍎🍎🍎! We were all sent half a dozen different apples beforehand to get our apple juices flowing. Unfortunately, I couldn't be there. Both teams' results looked innovative and apple-licious 😍. Well done all 👏! For everyday, I buy different sweet apples to pack for my kids' school snacks and I also like to cook up semi-tart Cortland and McIntosh for homemade apple ketchup. How do you like 'em apples?

I tumble for ya' 🍎... right into classic Japanese curry which is more sweet than savoury. Pronounced as karé, this chicken curry contains onions, carrots, broccoli and potatoes, with the apples added in just before serving. Gala, Fuji and Red Delicious apple varieties are that perfect signature sweet crunchy addition.

Japanese Curry (Karé)

Serve with rice or Vietnamese baguette or thinned out in a broth with hearty udon!

My go-to curry in a hurry... Itadakimasu! 

Thrilled to be back cooking with these lovely moms in our new winter term at Fraser Mustard community kitchen's Parent Engagement Culinary Program thanks to funds from Sun Life to Michael Garron Hospital's Pediatric Kinesiology department. The emphasis is always on healthier, family-friendly, affordable and approachable dishes through a diverse multicultural lens. The best parts in each session are the conversations, stories and new learnings!

Had to share my Japanese curry and apple love with these lovely ladies to make for their families. They cook up South Asian curry such as biryani which is more savoury and can be super spicy. They really enjoyed this creamy, mild and sweeter curry profile. And was surprised at the convenient curry blocks that help turn over meal times faster with delicious curry seasonings and thickeners already in them. See more in this post. Them apples and cantaloupe was a unique complementary and welcomed touch to add more fruits to their families' eating regime. YaYaya!

If you've never tried Japanese curry, give it a whirl. It’s thicker and has a milder flavour than its popular Indian counterpart, and the real secret is … using a curry sauce from a box! Japanese people like to make a lot of dishes from scratch; however, when it comes to curry, there are not too many people that do. Add a simple green salad, and you have a tasty complete meal for you and your family! OISHI!!!

We actually started our first session back with Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup with all da fixins' and easy Korean Egg Dumplings that paired up for a comfort brunch on that cold morning ❄.

So much more to share and experience together as we continue to focus on nutritional & healthy cooking as well as adding a healthy living component advocating fitness and exercise 🧘‍♀️🤸‍♀️!

Egg Dumplings Korean-Style

Do you get sad in the winter? Try this colourful and festive Mexican chicken tortilla soup with black beans and corn to quell your winter blues.

Seasonal Affective Disorder, (SAD), is a mood disorder that people of normal mental health suffer from in the form of depression during the winter months. With the cold weather, being less active by staying indoors combined with less day light, it's no wonder. Read more about it on this post.

My mood is instantly picked up when I eat something nourishing such as this comfort hearty soup with warming spices of cumin and chili powder plus chopped jalapenos, the zestiness of cilantro and tang of fresh lime. I cheated with a good cantina thin tortilla chip crushed instead of frying my own strips for crunchy goodness. My kids are going to love loading up from the bar of toppings: red onions, avocado, green onions, cilantro, shredded cheese, lime wedges and hot sauce.

Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup

My kids love the zesty flavours and warm spices. And the crunchy tortilla topping...Yum!

At this recent session, we addressed moms' concerns of providing a more balanced meal for their children as they tend to gravitate towards the carbohydrates. Sounds like a case of picky eaters. We delivered on three recipes- showcased zucchini two ways and beets in another. 

Other delicious ideas with zucchini- Zucchini noodles made with a spiralizer to replace pasta are cooked then topped with a simple tomato sauce. I also add shredded zucchini in my meat bolognese for pasta, in my meat mixture for tacos, homemade meatballs and noodle soups. And of course zucchini bread. 

The other side of the "picky eaters" coin is to highlight healthy grains in meals to replace carbs such as quinoa, farro, wheat berries or brown rice, which we will cover in a later session.

Zucchini Fritters (Korean-Style)
Makes about 12 fritters

1-1/2 lbs. zucchini (about 3 medium), grated
1/2 tsp. salt plus more for seasoning
1 large egg
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp. chopped green onions, fresh chives or Korean chives
1 Tbsp. potato starch (adds crispiness)
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup oil, divided for cooking in two batches

3 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1-1/2 tsp. sugar
crushed red pepper flakes

Place zucchini in a colander set in the sink and toss with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Let stand ten minutes, then wring zucchini dry in a clean towel/paper towels. Meanwhile, mix vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and a pinch of red pepper flakes in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved.

Place zucchini in a large bowl and gently mix in egg, flour, onions/chives, and cornstarch; season with salt and pepper.

Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cooking in two batches, drop 1/4 cup zucchini mixture into skillet, flattening slightly; cook until golden and crisp, about three min. per side. Transfer fritters to a paper towel–lined plate. Serve with soy dipping sauce.

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Zucchini Fries

2 zucchinis
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
½ cup grated parmesan cheese (optional)
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. dried oregano or basil
1 tsp. each salt and ground black pepper
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Cut zucchini into thin fries, pat dry and set aside.

In a large bowl combine panko, parmesan, garlic powder, dried herbs, salt, and pepper.

Whisk eggs in a shallow bowl. Dip zucchini in eggs, coating evenly, and then toss in crumb mixture (double coat for crispier results). Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 25 to 30 min. flipping halfway.

Zucchini Fritters and Zucchini Fries

Then we baked up beets in chocolate cake? You beetcha'...

Inherently sweet, beets cooked then pureed complement chocolate so well especially dark. And did I mention how gorgeous it turns when mixed together to a bright fuchsia colour, and bakes up just like red velvet ❤. As Produce Made Simple suggests, 1/4 cup puree replaces one egg in baking ✌.

I love Gwillimdale Farms beets 💞. Since you have to roast or boil beets until soft for an hour, cook up and puree more as it is perfectly freezable for the next few times you are craving this moist luscious with 🚫 guilt. My kids went gaga over it and admittedly so did I 😛!

Thank you to the inspiration of Simple Bites for her Chocolate Beet Snack Cake recipe. So timely, while on the topic of getting fruits and veggies in for fussier eaters during this week's cooking program with moms to make for their kids. Not only is this loaf perfect in sneaking in nutritious beets undetected, it is also a #zerowaste recipe- peels, trims and all. Double 🔥🔥.

Chocolate Beet Snack Cake or Loaf

I dropped a new word when I had my first bite-- IMPECCULOUS aka Impeccably Ridiculous!!

And more fresh produce at my 5th installment of my Asian Cooking Program with seniors. Filipino cuisine!

Tangy Chicken Asado is a tomato based variation of Philippines' likely national dish Adobo Chicken with both Chinese and Spanish influences. Cane vinegar, soy sauce and garlic is the signature flavour profile with the addition of bay leaves and black pepper for seasoning. Served over garlic fried rice, a simple side of lettuce and onions salad (with just salt and pepper), and some lovely Turon (traditional snack)- fried spring roll with plantain/banana and jackfruit filling drizzled with caramelized sugar... it was an appetizing comfort feast for our bellies and senses 🤗.

Filipino Tangy Chicken Asado

Enjoy my friends...

This week my second son Sebastien comes home asking to go Ovo Pescatarian for 40 days. He naturally gravitates to vegetables and fresh produce but wanted to make a meatless commitment ode to Lent. This requires a little forethought when preparing mealtimes, and one that should be readily adapted by me so that he sticks to his plan with us along the ride as an option. Seems like we will be riding a good ride  🤗.

Admiring the twisty curvy sweet green peppers!

Culinary And Food Ed Learning- A Deconstructed Approach at OFSHEEA...

It's been a while since I posted- I have been super busy with my cooking programs, new food projects, home renos and oh yeah- I went away for a week with the fam bam (Disney cruise to Nassau, Bahamas, then Disney World in Orlando). Day before heading out to warmer weather, I brought in some colour and sunshine facilitating a food and culinary skills workshop at a food educators' conference I have been excitedly preparing for. 🤗👩‍🍳👨‍🍳🍴🌈🥕🥦🍆🍅

When I was in grades 7 & 8 family studies was mandatory- we learned basic cooking skills, sewing and wood working. Raise your hands if you remember how great these lessons were! In particular, Food Skills which are Life Skills! Across Canada, home economics got cut and the increasingly fast paced lifestyle caved in to the influx of processed food, convenient take out and the microwave. Cooking skills, very sadly fell by the wayside. Food education courses are being taught in high schools- but they are elective. And with the education funding cuts, compulsory classes would be the first to go 😔.

There are some great Home Economics Associations that tirelessly champion real food, food education and getting kids and people in the kitchen to cook by providing resources and tools to members who are food industry leaders, educators, teachers, parents and the community. I was so thrilled to join the Ontario Family Studies Home Economics Educators' Association at their OFSHEEA CONFERENCE 2019 to facilitate a hands-on workshop Food and Culinary Skills: A Deconstructed Approach with Family Studies Educators, sharing a culmination of experiences I have had food educating and cooking with kids of all ages, and youths. And it was a huge success 🤗! 

A huge thank you goes to OFSHEEA's organization committee Nahid Mawji and Mrs. Hucal for capturing and sharing with me many of these great photos to use in my post and social media!

The final spread of four insta-worthy fresh and colourful dishes!

A fun visual and take-home exercise for younger kids to share "what's in their home pantry?"

The Pantry includes spices, condiments, wet and dried packaged goods
that are stored in the cupboards, fridge and freezer. "What's in yours?"

I love seeing people of all ages get hands-on and work those knife skills!

You can cook with the bare bone basics such as a sink and running water, flat surface area and a cutting board & knife. I was inspired to do no-cook recipes while working with refugee youths two summers ago who were living in hotels and had no access to a fridge or stove. I showcased a series of fresh healthy recipes they could do in their hotel room with vegetables and fruits they could eat as a snack, or make and take for on outdoor picnic or BBQ. No-cook recipes are great for young kids at home making it safer without working with heat.

Easy and delicious recipes can be simply made with a cutting board and knife- no heat cooking!

So fresh and aromatic!

Crowd-Pleasing Bruschetta

A Deconstructed Approach encompasses Culinary, Food Education, and Team Work.

Let Kids Lead! Agree on a final dish, break down the recipe to focus on one ingredient each time over the course of the sessions, building up to the culminated constructed final dish. Taste the ingredient. Create a dish. Have a group conversation.

I interweave these elements into each lesson:

Culinary: Fresh produce, local, healthy/ age appropriate learning /integrate multicultural foods and dishes /Choose recipes that lend to customization (DIY spread)

Food Ed: 1. Food history (dish origin, how food is grown or produced, food varieties)
2. Food conversations (family stories- cultural customs / celebrations / experiences)
3. Sensory exploring with our five senses

Team Work: Food etiquette and safety / Hygienic work environment / team work & fairness

Part participants being hands-on- I love showcasing how everything comes together
at my finale demo! Fresh ingredients are great. Together they are magical!

These lovely ladies who teaches Family Studies to high school students prepared four fresh and healthy multicultural dishes as part of my Deconstructed Approach to culinary and food education learning! In under an hour, we made Italian Bruschetta, Caribbean Black Bean Mango and Papaya Salad, Mediterranean Yogurt Herb Dip and Mexican Taco Salad. And a vibrant feast for our eyes and senses they were 🍅🥕🥑🍴🧀🥗 made under one hour!

The culminated constructed dish is the Mexican Taco Salad. We got tomatoes (discussion point on fresh produce) from Italian bruschetta, black beans from the Caribbean salad (discuss pantry) and chives (discuss herbs) from the Mediterranean dip.

Taco Salad (Mexican)
Serves 6 to 8

1/2 head medium romaine lettuce, leaves washed and chopped into bite-size pieces
1 can (540 mL) or 2 cups black beans, drained, rinsed and drained well
4 firm ripe tomatoes, chopped
2 ripe avocados, chopped
2 cups shredded cheese
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
2 limes, juice of
Handfuls of tortilla chips, crushed
2 green onions or chives, chopped and/or cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

Lay the lettuce pieces on a platter to cover. In rows, arrange the black beans, tomatoes, avocados and cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Squeeze lime all over. Scatter crushed tortillas and fresh herbs over top to finish. Toss altogether to serve.

Great Add-Ins: Corn niblets, red onions, sour cream, salsa, jalapeno, hot sauce

Caribbean Black Bean Mango and Papaya Salad, Mediterranean Yogurt Herb Dip,
Italian Bruschetta and Mexican Taco Salad

Let's together #feedinggreatfutures 💕🙏 #keepfoodskillsalive 

Thank you to keynote speaker and my pal chef Sang Kim for connecting me to OFSHEEA President Derek Wun and @ofsheea for all the amazing preparations to make it such an enjoyable conference! I heard the participants loved my workshop- they found it most valuable and fitting for this year's food-centric conference. YAY! Hope to be back again! 

OFSHEEA President Derek Wun and Chef Sang Kim

I am so grateful for the wonderful people I have met, partner with and the incredible opportunities I have been given to do my life's passion. Thank you all and to the universe that has been so good to me. 💕🙏 

"We must be the change we wish to see in the world."-- Gandhi