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Please visit my new website!
www.jinisethnicgourmet.com
You will find more wonderful recipes there to try out tonight!
Call me old fashioned if you will, but I do believe that home cooked meals are the ultimate labour of love. Family values of cooking and sharing a meal together, apart from being a bonding experience, helps pass on values to the next generation....
Author Jini Aroon (excerpt from Ethnic Gourmet)
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Bits & Bites from Jini
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Jini's backyard vegetable patch -- I had an endless supply of juicy cherry tomatoes and fresh lettuce(which grew into trees!) |
I am always amazed as to how we transition from our slow-motion West Coast summers and shift into high gear no sooner the Labour Day Monday rolls in!
Our calendars get mysteriously filled with appointments, then we face the long lines of traffic, with the back-to-school rush and parents scrambling to put meals on the table after a hectic day at work before rushing the kids off to after-school activities.... Suddenly, picking up a frozen dinner, or turning into the fast-food lane seems like a viable option! Sound familiar? Well, having faced the reality myself during my 9-5 working days, I would still say there is nothing more wonderful than a simple home-cooked meal....much healthier for our body and soul and easier on the wallet!
Helpful Hints
- Stock up on noodles, pasta, pasta sauce, pitas, tortillas, canned salmon or tuna, soup, canned beans, olive oil etc. You will always have something to snack on or to take for lunch.
- Shop weekly for small portions of meats, chicken, fish, veggies like salad greens, peppers, tomatoes, celery, mushrooms, as well as some seasonal fresh fruit for breakfast, or as portable snacks.
- Wash veggies, chop and store in zip lock bags for convenience. Wash and cut chicken into portion sizes and marinate with olive oil and garlic and your favourite herb or spice.
- To prepare when needed, they can be grilled on the barbecue, oven or cooked in a cast iron skillet in about 10 minutes.
For a quick meal, stir-fry strips of meat or chicken with a little olive oil, add chopped onion, garlic, veggies, a little Hoisin sauce or Soy sauce and a teaspoon of cornstarch and chicken or veggie broth. Be sure to cook marinated meats and fish by the 3rd day.
- Start with a couple of recipes a week and prepare them on the weekend. It should take no more than an hour or two, and believe me, this is a life saver when you arrive home from work both tired and hungry!
- Always cook an extra portion and freeze for later use. Be sure to label containers clearly with name of dish and date prepared.
Cooking Classes
For some hands on practice, I offer evening cooking classes at Delta Secondary in Ladner on Monday nights starting September 18. Please see schedule below.
AROUND THE CULINARY WORLD:
MEDITERRANEAN : September 18
MEXICAN: September 25
SRI LANKAN: October 16
THAI: October 23
INDONESIAN: October 30
INDIAN COOKING SERIES
1) NORTH INDIAN STYLE: November 6
2) STREET FOOD OR TAPPAS: November 20
3) MADRAS STYLE: November 27
To register, phone Delta School Board at 604/940-5550 or register on-line at connectandlearn.deltasd.bc.ca
Cook School at the Cook Shop (Cambie and 12th)
Indian street foods - October 19, 6-9 pm
To register, phone the Cook Shop at 604/873-5683
Please visit here for course descriptions on Jini's private classes offered.
Here are some ideas for make-ahead dishes you can do on the weekend. Bon Appetit!
Recipes
| Mediterranean Chicken Casserole |
This easy one-dish casserole is a satisfying meal accompanied with a fresh salad and foccasia bread. It can be made ahead and kept in the fridge.
Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts or 6 thighs, skin removed
1 T. olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
2 T. VE Sun dried tomato mix or 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes chopped fine, and 1 tsp. Basil
4 Roma tomatoes
1 red onion, sliced
1/2 each red, green pepper chopped
1/2 cup black olives
Instructions:
- Wash and pat dry chicken breasts. Season with sun dried tomato and basil.
- Heat oil in a heavy skillet and sauté chicken breasts and place in a casserole.
- Sauté garlic and onion and add to chicken, followed by chopped tomatoes, onion, peppers and olives.
- Cover with a foil and bake for 1/2 hour in a moderate oven; then uncover and bake for another 20 minutes basting sauce over chicken and vegetables.
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| Roasted vegetables |
Ingredients:
1 green pepper, cut into strips
1 red pepper, cut into strips
1 bundle asparagus, touch stems removed
1 Zucchini, cut into wedges
1 crown, broccoli
2 carrots, cut into oblique slices
2 T. Olive oil
2 sprigs fresh rosemary chopped
(or 2-3 tsp. Victorian Epicure Foccasia spice or vegetable seasoning mix)
Instructions:
- Mix vegetables with olive oil and spices and place on a parchment lined tray.
- Bake in a moderate oven for about 20 minutes.
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Want more recipes?
I am very pleased to offer my new cookbook "Ethnic Pleasures" with some mouth-watering South Asian dishes from Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia and Thai land.
My goal is to raise $4,000 from book sales by December 2006 to contribute to a housing project in Sri Lanka in the Tsunami destroyed area. So you will not only be learning new recipes for but also taking pride in contributing to a great cause.
This Cookbook is available in hard copy or available to download immediately in PDF format. Please visit my website to place your order.... thank you!
Until next month... happy cooking!
Jini
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