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!

My Exciting Partnership with Produce Made Simple (PMS)...

So ExCiTeD 🤗 to share about my partnership with Produce Made Simple, an educational campaign owned by The Ontario Produce Marketing Association (OPMA). They are a not-for-profit, member-funded organization whose main objective is to facilitate trade and enhance the marketing and promotion of fresh fruits and vegetables in Ontario.

Photo Credit: Lisa Eats

My partnership with Produce Made Simple, along with an awesome team of food professionals, bloggers and photographers, is of an ambassador who promotes and educates on local in-season produce from farm and insider tours, share and develop recipes to highlight those for their web-site. See all our introductions.

This is what they've shared about me: As a Culinary Consultant and Real Food & Food Education Advocate, Susan’s passion is to inspire people to cook from scratch and to learn about multiculturalism through trying different foods. She has been a Food Professional for almost 20 years, from catering, to product and recipe development, to writing for food magazines, and currently, her biggest joy- cooking with adults and kids of all ages! Working with schools and communities, she teaches that cooking is a life skill must! It paves for a happy healthier future with smarter food choices and boundless delicious creations – a lifetime of adventure for all your senses! Learn more at Susan’s Savour-It! and follow her on her social channels Instagram  Facebook  Twitter too!

We began our ventures late Spring with a tour at The Ontario Food Terminal, see my Post, and we're heading over to the Niagara peach orchards mid-August. I'm looking forward to bringing you in-season delicious recipe inspirations and impart some cool fooducation along the way to get you and your family to eat more fruits and veggies... 🍑🍄🥔🥒🌶.

#susanssavourit #producemadesimple #partnership #ambassador#ontarioproduce #eatmoreproduce #influencer #foodeducation #eattherainbow #halfyourplate #fruitsandveggies #recipedevelopment #goodthingsgrowninontario 

Summer Cooking with Kids At The Neighbourhood Table...

What d'ya know? Since my first post of The Neighbourhood Table, we've had three more events and half way through, going on to our 5th instalment this Thursday. How fast does time fly...? Apparently, it soars when you're having fun. And indeed, that is what these youngsters are having this hot and sunny summer, once every week for eight weeks. 🌞

The sessions have not been short of gratitude and heart-warming smiles all around! What it's all about, breaking bread together, conversations and community building.

A huge thank you to both Nina from The Arab Community Centre (ACCT) and Sandra Gavinchuk, parents' nutrition program educator for capturing many of these photos, as I never have much pause moments to do so! There's a lot to cover from three sessions, so sit back, scroll and just enjoy the gallery of awesomeness.

The smiles really say it all! (from session Asian Cooking)

Sneaking in a selfie before a storm of kitchen activities!

Breakfast for Dinner, cause it's hearty and delicious for all meals of the day!

Love this berry beautiful platter of sweet ripeness waiting to be prepared and devoured.

Gorgeous bell peppers from the Good Food Market just on outside grounds.

The Good Food Market runs in partnership with Foodshare, and "aims to source and provide fresh, culturally relevant produce at affordable prices," said Victoria Mlynko. "We’re looking forward to experiencing the convenience and flexibility of having the market on church property this year." It was previously held at Capri Park. **June Media Press Release**

Here are some cutting pepper tips from my partner at Produce Made Simple (more about my partnership on the next post): * The skin of a pepper can be tough, which makes it hard to slice thin from the skin side. Instead, slice the pepper from the inside flesh of the pepper (skin side down). * A fun way to de-seed a pepper is to hold it in your hand and smack it on the kitchen counter, stem side down.

I love seeing the kids hands-on in the kitchen. Although our cooking program are for kids between 6 to 12, many little ones can't help but want to help. The younger ones would do simple tasks like desteming herbs and produce like spinach. Skies the limit for the rest depending on what is needed to prepare the menu dishes, although we don't have them handle any raw meats for food safety precautions. Lots of cutting, slicing and dicing fresh produce of vegetables and fruits.

Cooking for a crowd (60) is not an easy feat when you are pressed for time (2 hours) and have to work with your volunteer brigade to safely supervise and teach kids cooking skills. 

Scrambled Egg and DIY Toppings. 

Skillet Sausage, Potatoes and Peppers, a returning star dish at The Neighbourhood Table from last year's Breakfast for Lunch. Using delish spicy beef and lamb merguez sausage, this trio melds so well, there's no point of return. Can also use Italian sausages. See the recipe here.

Skillet Sausage, Potatoes and Peppers

This lovely has been coming to all the sessions, and she brings with her the tenacity to want to learn to cook and try different things. 

Dressing up French Toast with icing sugar and mixed berries.

Oven-Baked Challah French Toasts with Mixed Berries

If you are on Instagram, follow my stories @susanssavourit.

Thank you ACCT for sharing.

Flashback to Session Two: Fresh Herbs, the spread for our comfort menu of Spaghetti Bolognese (oregano, basil and parsley), Beet Carpaccio with Balsamic and Dill, Quinoa Tabbouleh (parsley and mint), Caesar Salad (chives) and garlic bread (oregano and chives). 🌱🌱🌱🥗.Cooking with kids 6 to 12 and volunteers in two hours to serve dinner for 60! 

The parents' nutrition program and kids' activities have been a hit! And we sold out the produce at The Good Food Market. Our guests from ACCT- leaders and families have been only spectacular! A shout out to all my volunteers and friends! I have rekindled with old colleagues, friends (my bestie joins with her fam) and cooking program students who've come to help! A huge thank you so far to Angie, Gordon and Marion for your generosity with time and energy. The success of this program is a culmination of all our efforts! Grateful 🙏💕.

Do you remember Marion and Gordon from my Chinese Cooking Program to Seniors? Gordon's aunt lives just across the street and she's come by to shop at our market.

They offered to help prep whenever my sessions need them. Awwww....

Excellent work kids!

Beet Carpaccio with Balsamic and Dill

Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons

Susan's Caesar Salad
Makes 4 servings (about 1/2 cup dressing)

6-8 cups of romaine lettuce or romaine lettuce hearts, chopped into bite-sized pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp. anchovy paste, or 1/2 anchovy packed in oil, drained and finely chopped
1/2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I like to use Hellmann's)
a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
freshly ground black pepper
a good splash of fresh lemon juice

Mix well the garlic with anchovy paste in olive oil with a fork in a small bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Toss with lettuce and adjust seasonings to taste.

Jazz It Up TIP: Add Parmesan cheese, chopped cooked-until-crisp bacon slices and croutons to your liking.

Make Your Own Croutons: Preheat oven to 400F. Cut day old bread into cubes and place in a large bowl. Drizzle cubes with olive oil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes (optional). Mix well. Spread seasoned bread onto a sheet pan and bake for about 15 minutes.

Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

Session Three with Asian Cooking-- my specialty! Lots to prepare, so I cooked up some things from home to alleviate beforehand on-site kitchen tasks like boiling noodles or big batch chopping so to focus our energy and attention to teaching kids to cook.

Guess what mountain of prep I'm peering over?

The lovelies Nina and Salma (left in group shot)-- leaders from ACCT

Sandra teaching how to prepare fresh shrimps and salad rice rolls in the parents' engagement nutrition workshop. Every week, moms and dads rave about how much they've learned and look forward to it every week. Kids activities- cooking, arts and crafts, outdoor recreation games. Parents learning session. Something for everyone in the family!

Presentation coupled with food demo weekly.

Cooking up chicken for PF Chang's Infamous Chicken Lettuce Wraps.

My beautiful friend and Kraft Kitchen ex-colleague Angie :D

Giovanni brings his energetic spirit every single week!

A popular fun food idea- carving a decorative zig zag rims on hollowed watermelon halves. We freeze the watermelon pieces to fill in one, and cut up mangoes and papayas for the other.

A cold noodle dish I created with Chinese wheat noodles (or use soba buckwheat) tossed with fresh vegetables and a sweet-savoury dressing made with maple syrup and soy sauce. 

Cold Noodles with Samurai Sauce
Serves 4 to 6

400 g dried soba (aka buckwheat noodles) or Chinese wheat noodles
2 to 3 cups baby spinach
1 medium carrot, peeled and shredded or sliced into matchsticks
½ medium cucumber, shredded
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 small pkg. pea shoots

Samurai Sauce: Makes 2 cups (also great as a veggie dip)
1 cup oil (sunflower)
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup light soy sauce
1/3 cup water
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
2 Tbsp. ground flax seeds
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 green onion, minced
1 tsp. paprika
½ tsp. ground ginger

Bring water to a boil in a large pot/skillet. Add the soba noodles and cook about five mins. Swirl the noodles with chopsticks to separate. Remove from heat; place in colander, run and rinse in running cold water. Drain the noodles, refrigerate ½ hour.

Add the water, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, onions, paprika, maple syrup and flax seeds into a blender and combine well. Slowly add the oil and blend until smooth. Serve immediately or refrigerate sealed for up to 10 days.

Toss soba with spinach, carrots and cucumber in a serving bowl or platter. Drizzle over with samurai sauce and top with green onions and pea shoots.

Classic Tomatoes and Eggs (a blurry shot)

Making up for it with this professional one... it's on Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers

Classic Chinese Tomatoes and Eggs

You can serve the chicken lettuce wraps with toppers of thinly sliced carrots, peppers and pea shoots. 

I think the best part of the cooking program is that the kids can see it all come together at dinner, and really appreciate the fruits of their labour with families and friends. ACCT leaders have not been short of consistently congratulating and being proud of all the kids' efforts. So rewarding week after week, and just makes my passion for cooking and teaching kids to cook grow deeper. I feel blessed. I know I am doing exactly what I should be!

Give and you shall receive. Believe it! Achieve it!. 🤜💥🤛

Captivate life with purpose and you won't be distracted by comparison! 💖

The Neighbourhood Table