St.Patrick's Day Green Nachos, Smoothies and Margaritas...

Kids are home for March break, tomorrow is St.Patty's Day... how to give nod to this much beloved and celebrated day of the Irish and everything green! By making fun meat nachos with all the green toppings you can think of- avocado, cilantro, green onions, Kumato green tomatoes, jalapeño, lime juice served with a side of tomatillo salsa sauce. Of course we need some bevies to go with them too, so inspired by my Southwest American friend Amy Baker Wambold, I made her green smoothie using spinach, cucumber and avocado with coconut water/juice and if you want an adult drink to go along, try her refreshing margarita with cucumbers and jalapeño... how's that for a load of green?

Loaded Green Nachos
Makes 8 servings, or cut recipe in half to serve 4

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced
1 lb. lean ground beef

1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

2 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tbsp. water 

2 Kumato green tomatoes, diced
1 whole jalapeño, finely diced
1/2 bunch cilantro leaves, chopped

2 green onions, chopped
Juice of 1/2 lime
salt to taste
1 ripe avocado, diced

Tortilla chips (used blue tortilla chips I had on hand, but you can look for guacamole or jalapeño flavoured chips that are green )
Cheese, shredded- Monterey Jack and/or cheddar (optional)- my kids preferred it without today 

In a skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and half the onion. Cook it until starting to soften, then add the ground beef. Cook the meat until it's totally browned, then drain the fat. Add the chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Add 1/4 cup water, reduce the heat to low and simmer for two minutes. Add cornstarch mixture, stir to thicken.

To make the pico de gallo, combine the tomato, jalapeno (or serve separately), cilantro, lime juice, and salt. Stir it together and set it aside.

To build the nachos, place a layer of tortilla chips on a platter or plate. Top with beef mixture, avocados and pico de gallo. Sprinkle with green onions. If serving with cheese, layer your choice of shredded cheese on top of half of beef mixture over a layer of chips, then repeat again with chips, beef mixture and cheese. Microwave in 45 second increments until the cheese is melted and bubbly. (You may also place the platter into a 325 degree oven if it's heatproof. Just leave it in until the cheese is melted.) Top with avocado, pico de gallo and green onions.

To make the green smoothie, a la my friend Amy Baker Wambold from Arizona's tasty recipe for two, blend the following ingredients in a blender until smooth:

1 cup baby spinach
1/2 ripe avocado 

Juice of 1/2 lemon 

1/2 cup shredded (sweetened) coconut (optional)

1 stalk celery, peeled and cut in half
1/4 cucumber with skin 

2 cups coconut water or juice or add more to desired consistency

Happy St.Patty's Day!

It could have been more green with green tortilla chips served on a green plate :)

And for a green alcoholic drink, also try Amy Baker Wambold's refreshing Cucumber Jalapeño Margaritas to serve four...

NOTE: You may switch out any orange liquor or tequila you prefer.
1 cup Grand Marnier
1 cup Patron Tequila Silver
1 cup lime juice, freshly squeezed
½ cup cucumber, diced
½ jalapeño, diced
optional: margarita salt for glass rim
Lime for garnish

Into a pitcher, add the Grand Marnier, tequila, and lime juice. Recipes are guidelines, so if you want to add more or less of anything that’s fine.

Serve by salting the rim of your glass if you wish. You can do this before you pour that pitcher by filling a shallow bowl with sea salt. Run a piece of lime all around the rim of your glass, then dip into the salt. Add a small amount of fresh diced cucumber and jalapeño to the bottom of the glass, fill with ice, and pour in the fresh margaritas.Add a circular slice or wedge of lime! 

Photo courtesy of Amy Baker Wambold

Creating the Filipino "Kamayan" Eating with Your Hands Experience at Home...

I came across "Kamayan" during my pursuits of discovering Filipino cuisine, and I knew that this was how I wanted to celebrate my birthday dinner with my best friends. Kamayan is the experience of eating with your hands. As Casa Manila restaurant where I had the experience so beautifully describes, "imagine having a picnic in a tropical setting where you're free to taste, touch and savour a feast of textures laid on top of fragrant rice. Picture yourself using your hand to feed yourself from a bed of banana leaves as your plate while quenching your thirst drinking fresh juice from a coconut." And that is the "Mabuhay spirit" of the Filipino islands, which means long live and welcome. Classical family-style home cooking and entertaining is celebrated with unforgettable hospitality and like a fiesta with the freshest quality ingredients.

At Casa Manila, you choose in advance from their menu when you make reservations- one dish from each meat, seafood and vegetable category to build on top of your choice of steamed or garlic fried rice. Several sauces are served to dip the meats and to enhance their flavours. We were encouraged to eat with our hands with wooden utensils at the table should we choose to use them. After such an enjoyable, unique and enchanting evening, I knew I had to recreate this experience for my family in my home. So here were the wonderful dibs at the restaurant, followed with what I did in my kitchen and at my family table... And only about $50 to prepare my entire meal with tons of leftovers! 

Feasting at Casa Manila Restaurant last week which inspired this fun way to eat tonight with my family!

House-made deep-fried chicken skin (Chicharon) served with spicy mayo and beef vegetable soup (Picadillo) to start.

My longest and dearest best friends ever!

We had Garlic Chicken Soy Vinegar Stew (Adobo Chicken- Philipine's National dish), Grilled Beef Ribs, Crispy Pork Belly (Lechon Kawali)- my favourite, Grilled Squid and Green Mango Salad for our choices served on top of garlic fried rice. 

To create the "Kamayan" experience, there are five elements to make it authentic: rice, meats and seafood, fruits and/or vegetables, table setting and dipping sauces. Because there were a few preparations on hand, I wanted to make the offerings as simple as possible by grilling with little seasoning. I prepared double the meats so that I can have leftovers for the next night.

Vinegar Soy Dip is perfect with grilled meats. I make this first and let chill before marinating the meats. To make about 1/2 cup, mix the following ingredients together:

1/4 onion, minced
1/4 cup cane vinegar, or white or rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
ground black pepper to taste

For beef, I chose boneless beef short ribs, although I would have liked to use Korean thin kalbi ribs. Mix the following ingredients together and let marinate in fridge for at least one hour to four hours.

1 lb. boneless beef short ribs
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup cane vinegar, or white or rice vinegar
1 tsp. brown sugar
salt and ground black pepper

For chicken, I used bone-in chicken thighs, which I deboned and froze the bones to make soup next time. Mix the following ingredients together and let marinate in fridge for at least one hour to four hours.

1 lb. chicken thighs, boneless
1 tsp. oil
1 clove garlic
1 tsp. tumeric
salt and ground black pepper

I used 300 g medium shrimp, shelled, deveined, washed, drained and patted dry and marinated them in 1 Tbsp. lime juice for 30 minutes.

For pork, I bought 1-1/2 lbs. of my favourite lechon crispy pork belly at FV Foods. For the rice, I made garlic fried rice with spinach for an added vegetable. I cooked Jasmine rice in advance using 2-1/2 rice cups measure to yield 4 cups cooked rice. I hear that basmati rice is the rice of choice to make this Filipino fried rice.

1 Tbsp oil
2 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups cooked rice
2 handfuls spinach, chopped
salt to taste
1 green onion, chopped 

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high. Cook garlic until just golden, 1–2 minutes. Add rice to skillet; cook, stirring and breaking up any large clumps, until rice is heated through and slightly crisp in places, 5–7 minutes adding spinach the last two minutes tossing well. Season with salt, add green onions and keep warm in skillet until ready to serve.

You can buy frozen banana leaves at Asian supermarkets. Look for the large packages in the frozen section along with other frozen leaves. You have to let them thaw in the fridge overnight and when you peel the folded leaves, do so carefully as they are wet from thawing and can easily tear. I lay as many leaves I need to cover the family table space we will be eating on. I make sure to take paper towels to wipe the leaves down for debris and moisture.

1 lb. of banana leaves for $1.20 at Al Premium Supermarket in Scarborough.

I cut a large banana leaf in an oval to cover my oval serving platter with two-inches extending on the sides. Again, wiping down the banana leaf to clean it.

In a grill pan over medium-high heat, with 1 Tbsp. oil I cook the beef on both sides until medium done. Then I slice them into thin pieces. The chicken, I cook in 1 Tbsp. coconut oil for added flavour grilling both sides until chicken is cooked and juice runs clear, slicing into small pieces. Shrimps are tossed in 1 Tbsp. oil and 2 minced garlic cloves until cooked about three minutes total and seasoned with salt and pepper.

Now goes the fun part- ASSEMBLY! Place the warm rice in the banana leaf-lined serving platter in the centre and on goes the bevy of meats, fruits and vegetables. I sliced Fuji apples for crunch, cubed juicy mangos for colour and tropical flavour and sliced kumato tomatoes for sweetness!

Feast your eyes on my finished feast for the family! Don't forget to serve crunchy pork rinds on the side.

Serve with dipping sauces homemade vinegar soy and sriracha lime and take-out liver sauce for lechon.

KAMAYAN! Let's Eat!

To make it even more special and to feel you are on the tropical island of the Philippines, serve your meal with coconut juice straight from young coconuts with a straw. Turn on some Caribbean music, eat and sway to the vibe, and let your mind escape to the tropics...

Place your rice and selection of food on the fragrant banana leaves- no plates and no utensils if you like too! Eating with your hands is one sensory experience- to feel the texture in your hands and placing it in your mouth is a very custom way to eat in a lot of cultures. My son decided he would like to eat with a disposable plastic glove! Why not?

YUMMY! Usually I don't allow beverages during dinner but in this experience it's a must!

Halo-Halo is a great way to end a Kamayan meal. This unique dessert is typically made with shaved ice, milk, pandan syrup under layers of assorted fruit, beans, custard and topped with ice cream. I didn't plan to make it tonight and we were totally stuffed anyway. Here is my version of this dessert in my recipe development for Summer 2008 Asian Gourmet Magazine:

Halo Halo at Casa Manila.

One of the best parts, is that cleaning up is a cinch! Remove all your hardware, leave all the table scraps where they are, then wrap, roll and fold. That's it, that's all, and goes right into the compost.

We had such an awesome time trying something new and discovering different foods and serving them in unique ways. I am now more intrigued with Filipino food and will definitely be giving their other dishes a try! Here's to more exploratory eating!

Let's Bring Back Food Literacy to Our School Curriculum...

Do you remember family studies in school? I recall being taught food and nutrition along with basic cooking skills and even sewing in grade seven. But that's long gone, since 20 years ago... family studies was slashed from the school curriculum due to budget cuts...

Ontario does have a new high school Food and Nutrition curriculum in place, but since it's an optional class only a small percentage of students benefit. Ontario Home Economics Association (OHEA) has an ongoing on-line Care2 petition since mid-last year with now over 2400 signatures to urge our government to make one food and nutrition course compulsory to obtain a high school diploma. A letter has been sent and the Ontario Premier has given this topic a warm reception, but will need more support from like-minded groups and to consider including elementary schools in the equation. It's definitely a promising prospect, and the more strength in signatures, the more attention for a stronger call for action to food literacy!

So many people don't understand food labels, make a meal at home or know how to stick to a food budget. That's why it's necessary for students in Ontario to have to take a food and nutrition course as part of the Family Studies curriculum! I just signed the Care2 petition asking the government of Ontario to make such a course mandatory. Will you sign too? Here's a link to the petition:http://www.thepetitionsite.com/.../urge-the-governement.../

As an ambassador for Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, I can tell you each one of our 1200 ambassador strong and growing network around the world all believe that Food Literacy is an important and a necessary right for every child! This year we are making a stand to putting food education back on the school curriculum as the advocacy message for Food Revolution Day May 15th! Later in March, we will be launching our global petition with change.org where Jamie will be calling on the leaders and governments of all G20 countries to make food education a compulsory part of every school curriculum. 

"It's time to take action! We need every child to understand where food comes from, how to cook it, and how it affects their body. This is about setting kids up with the knowledge they need to make better food choices for life" - Jamie Oliver.

This year I will be approaching as many schools from elementary to high schools as possible to get teachers and students excited about doing an event for Food Revolution Day! Please join me back on my blog for updates and connect with me on my social media channels to see what I and our Food Revolution Toronto team is up to with our individual events and advocacy efforts around Toronto! I will also be bringing lots of great ideas and resources for you to host a food event with your family, friends, workplace or community. Check out our rolled out Food Revolution Day official site to see how you can get involved... Thank you for sticking around to listen and stay tuned for more!

Cheers, Susan
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Kimchi Making Class... White Whole Cabbage Kimchi...

I was excited to attend a kimchi making class held at the York Mills location of Toronto's Galleria Korean Supermarket. Note this is mainly a demo class with potential to get hands-on briefly during the process. They were holding it free every other Tuesday starting in January until March, and their cultural class schedule including kimchi-making will change for spring. My family loves kimchi- sour yet sweet, spicy, and savoury with a sparkling carbonated tang and slightly crunchy texture, and it's often served as a side to our Asian meals. According to my most trusted Korean cookbook, Growing Up in a Korean Kitchen- A Cookbook by Hi Soo Shin Hepinstall, Korean kitchens produce more than one hundred kinds of kimchi, using everything from cabbage to watermelon skin and pumpkin blossoms in summer. 

Scientific studies indicate that kimchi is incredibly nutritious- a source of protein and vitamins A and B- and is low in calories. It is also a digestive, due to its fibrous texture and lactic acid content. Fermented foods are high on the trending radar this year, along with fermented tea such as kombucha and fermented black garlic as a condiment. The elaborate Korean way of pickling can be made simpler by  preserving vegetables in heavily salted water without spices such as soy sauce, fish sauce, fermented red pepper or bean paste. One such pickle is White Cabbage Kimchi (Paek Kimchi). It is made the same as regular whole cabbage kimchi but without the hot red pepper powder, resulting in a pale colour with seasoning toned down providing a more delicate flavour. This kind of kimchi may be a good introduction for the curious to the vast world of kimchi. 

Galleria's spread of kimchi offerings from seasoned radish, to the beloved ponytail cabbage kimchi. Pre-salted and drained whole cabbage ready for you to add your own seasoning and spices for a halfway homemade kimchi without the upfront time-consuming preparations.

White Whole Cabbage Kimchi (Paek Kimchi)

3 lb. napa cabbage
1 cup fine salt or table salt
1/4 medium white radish
1 small carrot
3 green onions
8 Asian chives
1/4 red pepper
3 chestnuts
3 ju jube dried dates
1 L cold water and 1 Tbsp. salt
1 Korean pear, minced with juice (use 1/2 cup)
1 onion, minced with juice (use 1/4 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1-inch knob ginger, finely grated or minced

First off, cut down only the hard centre stem of whole cabbage, then use your hands to rip open into halves. Teacher says this produces nicer leaves rather than slicing through them and its the traditional preparation method. 

Hold cabbage half in a basin and pull down layers of leaves at a time to heavily salt the stems rather than the leaves to help soften and draw out moisture. Do this until you reach the top, and repeat with other cabbage half. Add a cup of cold water to the cabbage halves and let sit for one and a half hours flipping every 20 minutes or so. The stem with be soft and the leaves will be limp. Afterwards, rinse in cold water three times, and let drain completely and dry by facing the cut side down with leaves spread on its sides over two colanders.

Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables that will be placed between the leaves. Thinly slice all your vegetables and place into a large plate or basin for mixing. Peel the chestnuts and pit the dates. Then thinly slice and add to vegetable plate and mix well.

Now we will make the pickling marinade. In a large bowl or container, set a cheesecloth bag in 1L cold water with 1 Tbsp. salt dissolved in it. Place pear, onion, garlic and ginger in the bag and using a gloved hand, press the contents to squeeze the juice into the water with no particulates emitted in the pickling liquid.

Holding one prepared salted and drained cabbage half upright, pull down one layer of leaves at a time and place the mixed vegetables between keeping them concentrated near the stems. Repeat until cabbage is layered and do the same with the other cabbage half.

Wrap your hands tightly around the cabbage bundle, removing the outer cabbage leaf as a belt to bind the cut layer to keep everything intact. Place into a container that would hold two compactly.

Pour the marinating liquid over top to cover 3/4 of cabbage, seal and refrigerate undisturbed for two days. 

When ready, cut cabbage in half lengthwise and into three or four pieces to set onto a plate to serve. You can add marinating juice to make it more refreshing, and you can drink it too.

And there you have it, beautiful, delicious, clean white kimchi without all the fiery spices and seasoning!