14

Jan

CAUSE / SEE THE GOOD X 20x20x20

SEE THE GOOD / 20x20x20 / tahsin, the good

i made my decision on which cause to support with the proceeds from the soup exchange coming up as well as all the other exchanges planned for this year. i mentioned in this post that i wanted to give back and help those who cannot see or have a hard time with their vision. it’s something that affects me on a daily basis (-7.00 and -7.25 anyone?) and with the aid of glasses, regular optometry visits and care that is so readily available here, i can.

i know this is not the case for so many around the world.

so i set out to research various causes in this realm of giving back and in doing so i came across 20x20x20. it’s a charity that aims to restore vision to blind adults and children in very poor and rural areas. you see, without vision there are so many things you just cannot lean into. be it small things like being invited to play or big things like not being able to provide for your family. and without proper life-essentials education, or a place to learn to live with your disability, it becomes so difficult for many of these people to thrive, let alone survive, in their own ways in their lives. “the WHO reports that 60% of children die within 1-2 years of going blind. whether you are 8 years old or 80 years old, in most developing countries they say a blind person is like a “mouth with no hands.”” - 20x20x20

it’s just bleak. and that is no way to live.

this charity has somehow found a “miracle surgery” that takes as little as 15 minutes and costs $300 to perform. it also aims to empower local doctors and nurses with the tech and training to provide these life-changing procedures. so its like a win win win. it just seems like the right fit.

so since the exchange is $11*, i have upped the number of guests to 30 from 25 so that we can collectively provide one person their sight.

to me, that’s huge.

mother teresa, that bad-ass good girl, said, “if you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one.”

FEED ONE > FEED NONE / tahsin, the good

this is me doing what i can with, what i’ve got, where i am. and i hope you will join me and some friends in doing that. the exchange is on january 24th from 1-4 pm. it’s a ladies only thang. sorry, fellas and kids. it’s our time to connect, share, inspire and most importantly nourish ourselves socially and spiritually and obviously, physically. trust me when i say, there will be much simple, colourful deliciousness that will make your tummy full.

you can buy your tickets here. please, if you are planning on coming, get your tickets sooner than later, because the last day to get them is one week from now. and the earlier we sell out, the earlier we can start preparing for you all! and the more prepared we are…well, you know. it’s just so good to be prepared.

thank you with all my heart!

x

*one dollar from each donation will be going towards admin fees. sorry guys, but i cannot seem to escape that.

1 month ago Short URL Comments

CAUSES/FOOD/LIFE/LIGHT+GOOD/PEOPLE

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05

Nov

EAT / ROASTED CAULIFLOWER & LEEK SOUP

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER + LEEK SOUP / tahsin, the good

my sister and i decided a few weeks ago that we wanted to do a weekly soup exchange. we were making a big batch of soup for the weeks lunches and some dinners anyway, and thought why not just mix it up a bit and share. and we didn’t want to wait for my annual (yes, i’m calling it annual even though i have only had one, it’s the intention that counts!) soup exchange that’s being planned for january, we want soup now. i got sally on board and now we have a threesome! we see each other every wednesday already for family dinner, so the tradeoff can happen without any disruption to our already busy schedules.

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER + LEEK SOUP / tahsin, the goodROASTED CAULIFLOWER + LEEK SOUP / tahsin, the good

these days i finalize my meal plans, that now include a soup, after i go to the market because i’m trying to get inspired by the fresh produce there. and most weeks there is a bit of carryover in my crisper so i take a little of the old and a little of the new and come up with something.

i think my sister was nervous i’d make her an apple based soup since i was going three/four weeks strong on that tip. apple squash, apple zucchini, apple apple apple. i knew i needed to diversify my ingredients and to her luck (and mine) i came across a really delicious soup on jeanine donofrio’s blog, love & lemons, using cauliflower and leeks. i was searching for a soup with leeks, but did not want to use potatoes and voila, this one caught my eye!

it’s creamy, cloud-like and flavourful.

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER + LEEK SOUP / tahsin, the good

come, have a bite.

i didn’t have cashews, marjoram or white wine vinegar like the recipe calls for, so i subbed in sunflower seeds, coriander powder and white rice vinegar. i guess that’s the consequence for my new method of meal planning, but i look at it as being resourceful and a little bit creative in the kitch. isn’t that how the best recipes are developed anyways?

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER + LEEK SOUP / tahsin, the good

x

ps. thinking of starting a soup exchange? do it! i’d suggest keeping it to four committed peeps that live close by, or that you know you will see on a regular basis, who you think are good in the kitchen. i mean, you wouldn’t want to trade your awesome soup with a sub-par one right? just kidding. haha ;) check out my soup exchange post for a few guidelines on getting one started.

pps. in case you missed the link to the recipe above, it’s here. and seriously this blog is so good. lots of great easy and seasonal meals, beautiful imagery that makes you want to eat everything up, and a really well-rounded use of vegetables for a non-vegetarian food blog. bookmark that.

 

4 months ago Short URL Comments

FOOD

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03

Oct

EAT / ROASTED ZUCCHINI AND APPLE SOUP

this is not a soup exchange soup, but i’m telling you right now, you are going to want to bookmark this.

i get inspired by what i have in my fridge.

sometimes when i cook i don’t always have a plan as to what i’m going to make and i get inspired by what i have in my fridge. or what’s lying around. the other day, this was the case.

i roasted zucchini the night prior because, well, i like to have roasted veggies around. they are great for adding into sauces for dinners or paninis for lunch. so anyway, i roasted up a bunch, with the intent of adding stock and few spices to make a soup.

then i realized i have a whole bagful of apples from our latest field trip just sitting and waiting to be used.

so i did what i usually do when i have two random ingredients. i type them into google and see if anyone else thought to combine the flavours. like, does it exist, it is a thing. i don’t like to waste good food, so i’m not that experimental in the kitchen. only kind of…

well, lo and behold, apples and zucchini is a very common combination! with that knowledge and boost of confidence I went ahead and played with my ingredients.

the results were a creamy mix of slightly sweet full-bodied flavour.

here’s how you make this soup.

roasted zuchini and apple soup

all you need is

  • 4 zucchini
  • olive oil
  • coarse salt
  • 1 nub of butter
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 nub of fresh ginger, grated or minced
  • 1 apple, i used honeycrisp
  • 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
  • salt and pepper to taste

and all you have to do is

  • roast zucchini. (i’ll go over this quickly, but will make a quick post about how i roast and store a variety of vegetables soon. such a simple and high impact way to add flavour to your meals.) slice the zuchini, lay on a parchment lined baking pan, drizzle with olive oil and grind some coarse salt over top. place in an oven at 350 for 45mins-1hr. you can flip or mix your batch up part of the way through or just leave them be. either way you end up with major flavour with many uses.
  • heat butter in a stock pot.
  • add in onions and ginger and sautee until onions are translucent.
  • add in the apple and continue to sautee for another 7-10 minutes or so.
  • add in the zucchini and continue to mix, mix, mix.
  • add in the stock and let it sit so that all the flavours can inufuse.
  • blend to desired consistency. i wanted a creamy soup, so i blended until there were no chunks left.
  • add salt and pepper to taste
  • serve with your favorite soup toppings such as goat cheese, pepitas, hemp seeds, sundried tomatoes or our new fave, alphabet pretzels!

what i love about this soup is that it was so simple to make and uses seasonal produce. and obviously that it is freaking delicious. i had my oldest friend over for a playdate with our girls and it was ready in a flash and gone in about that much time too!

try it this week will ya?

x

5 months ago Short URL Comments

FOOD

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25

Sep

EAT / BEET SOUP

fall is officially here and that means more soups in our house. and now, since i had a soup exchange a few months back, there’s no shortage of recipes for me to try out. i’ll be sharing the recipes with you guys as i make them, so sit tight and get your stock pots and homemade broth ready! (ps. a post on my stock recipe is coming!)

up first, i tried my friend zehra’s beet soup. i had a surplus of this soups main ingredient suddenly in my kitchen as i was the lucky recipient of some beet carpaccio leftovers from a dinner party.

i know, fancy huh?

they were really good as they were, but i wanted to mix it up a bit and make it easy for my kids to eat as well. as you can imagine, beet carpaccio is not really their flavour!

but this soup is. just be careful when preparing and eating it. no white clothes, ok?

those beets have a mighty pigment.

here’s a fun pic of niyya demonstrating this fact in her first foray into beet territory. she makes it look so yum, no? 🙊

so, here is the recipe. and i promise, it’s quick and easy to make. just chop, drop and stir. well, just about.

zehra’s beet soup

all you need is…

  • 3 medium beets (about 1 pound)
  • 1 tablespoon grapseed oil
  • 1 cup chopped red onion
  • 1 pound carrots, coarsely chopped
  • 2 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • 6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • freshly-ground black pepper to taste
  • 4 teaspoons sour cream (optional)

and all you have to do is…

  • under running water, peel the beets with a vegetable peeler. with a chef’s knife, cut the beets in half, then lay them flat side down and cut them into large chunks.
  • in a stock pot over medium heat, heat the oil. saute the onion until it is translucent. add the carrots, ginger, and garlic. cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
  • add beets, bay leaves and stock. simmer the soup, covered, for 50-60 minutes.
  • add lemon juice and zest and stir well.
  • in a food processor or blender, puree the soup in batches then stir in the salt and pepper. taste the soup, and adjust the seasonings, if you like. serve the soup hot or chilled, garnished with dollops of sour cream or feta and fresh cilantro.
  • this recipe serves 4.

and while i planned on having this batch last me a few days for lunch, i ended up eating a few bowls throughout the day!

what?! i really like this soup! ok?

and i think you will too. enjoy, and listen, if you end up making a batch i’m a quick phone call away. sharing is caring, right? ;)

5 months ago Short URL 2 Comments

FOOD

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11

Jul

SALAD EXCHANGE

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ok everyone! i’m having a salad exchange! well, my friend, zehra and i are hosting one together and we want you to come. this all came about a few months back when i had a few of my friends over for a soup exchange. the soups were all so good and the company was even better. i thought to myself then that i really wanted to do something like it again and what better way to do so than to share salads in the summer.

so here i am inviting you to come and exchange salads with zehra and i. the exchange is going to be held on friday august 1st in richmond hill in the evening. so mark your calendars ladies. yes, sorry this is for the ladies only!

what on earth is a salad exchange, you ask? well basically each person brings jars full of salad to exchange with the others at the party. you’re only making 4 jars so it’s not a huge commitment. you make 4 jars of the same salad and you will be taking home four different jars. so you come with one type and leave with a variety to try out for the week!

salad in a jar, you ask? yes! if you layer your salad into a jar with the heartiest and wettest parts on the bottom and the lightest and dryest parts on the top you will have a salad that stays fresh and crisp for days in the fridge. it’s genius i tell you!

this infographic has been making the rounds on pinterest for a long while now (sadly, i don’t know who it belongs to..) and i have some friends who prepare their salads for the week this way. so don’t fret. it’s tried and true. follow these guidelines for your typical leafy salad and you’ll be good to go, er… share!

i get my mason jars at canadian tire. they always have a good stock. and the size you’ll need for this are the 1L jars. they come in a case, so i plan to split mine with some friends, but can i tell you something? mason jars are so rad, you’ll find uses for your case for sure.

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i’m excited to be doing this with my friend. i love spending time with her and her kiddies. last week we got together and made a big salad for our fams dinner and it was just so nice to catch up, chat and laugh together in the kitchen. time goes by real fast with her around and all that chopping was interspersed with lots of talking. so come with a friend. prep your salads together. i mean, why not?

if you’re not into salads, that’s cool you can still come and hopefully someones concoction will make you a believer. salads are so so good. so fresh and healthy. and with the right dressing, sometimes i prefer my salad to my main! we will be serving a few feature salads made by some of our whiz-in-the-kitchen friends, so we won’t be eating your stash that night, but we will be sharing recipes. if you need some ideas for salads check out my salad pinboard. lots of colour, lots of tasty ones to try out there.

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you can make your salad however you want with whatever ingredients you want. fruits, nuts, greens, veggies, whatever. although, i will say, if you plan to use meat or chicken please make it halal! and no bacon. ok? sorry, but none of that stuff, ok? lol.

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the other part of this exchange as the idea of it all got rolling is that we wanted to use it as a vessel to raise some money and awareness for a group that we have been a part of for the last little bit. it’s called hands 2 hearts and it’s made up of a bunch of like- minded ladies who just want do something productive to give back. to the community locally and worldwide in whatever ways we can. with our hands, to someones hearts. charity and volunteering has been ingrained in us from such a young age, we just all felt this desire to start acting on it in a more organized way. currently we are working on various events to raise funds for the children of zanzibar, a non-profit working towards bettering the lives of zanzibarians through education, food, and health initiatives. for more information on this cause click here. the site is not super updated, as it is a one woman show and that one woman is working tirelessly to make change. we are only here to help her help them. we are planning a few other events in the near future, but this one is the first.

so if you are free and want to hang out, please click here to reserve your spot. and if you can’t make it, but still want to contribute to our cause you can still click on the link above to make a donation.

we are looking forward to it!

kiss.

 

 

 

7 months ago Short URL 3 Comments

FOOD

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03

Jul

EAT / BANANA BREAD GRANOLA

do you have a pin that you keep revisiting? or a recipe that you seem to be making every other week? well i for sure do. if pinterest had a tracking system, which i’m sure they do, they’d see that i am forever returning to what i now call my favourite pin aka “favorite granola”. it’s actually called banana bread granola and it’s by the minimalist baker. it’s soo. bloody. good. and addictive.

i made a batch for daani’s teachers for the end of the school year a few weeks ago, and then a day later another batch for us (read: me) to snack on during our jaunt to mexico. and then, a few days ago made another few batches to give out to my friends as a small treat to welcome ramadhan.

i told you, it’s my favourite pin. my favourite granola.

it’s pretty standard fare in my community to give out baked treats on eid, although i not really been active in this tradition other than receiving and eating the goodies. and since we all get so much at that time i thought it would be nice to usher in the month with something fun. so daani and i whipped up about four batches and packed them up in small mason jars. i used watercolour to paint some ramadhan kareem tags and just tucked them into the two piece lids. simple and no fuss!

i had a few made for certain people, but the rest i gave out liberally to those i saw in the halls or during the toddler program. anyone i talked to that night got a jar before my stash was done.

true, there’s less chance in the day to eat this treat now that we are fasting, but it’s the perfect snack for pre-bedtime or suhoor. the oats and flax go a long way during our 19 hour fasts, and the nuts, cinnamon, vanilla and banana flavour taste so yummy. i love it by the handful (seriously I stuff my face with it) or with milk in a bowl. it makes the milk so yummy to drink after!

so like I said before, this recipe isn’t mine, but you can find it here. you can also find some other really awesome recipes that are simple, quick to make and delicious to eat. that’s dana shultz‘s (aka the minimalist baker’s) m.o. ten ingredients or less, one bowl, and thirty minutes. a woman after my own heart (in the kitchen!) check out her blog and go, make this granola.

and if you wanna, share!

muah.

8 months ago Short URL 3 Comments

FOOD

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10

Jun

EAT / BREADED CHICKEN OR FISH PATTIES

on monday i was in a bind. i had a full house of kids and a hungry husband and nothing really prepared for dinner. so i looked in my fridge to see what i had to work with. sometimes my most favorite meals come from moments like this where i have to be resourceful and creative. i remember one of my cooking muses talking about how this patty, with a few adjustments, is a family favourite and decided to give it a try in my own way.

you’re going to make fun of me, but i don’t care. i used restaurant and weekend bbq leftovers because that’s how i roll on mondays. i had an excess of some chicken tikka, grilled fish and french fries, but not enough to make a meal. so i chopped up and mashed a few other stock items (chickpeas, onion, parsley..), mixed everything up (i kept the fish and chicken separate, relax!), molded the mixture into patties, coated them with bread crumbs, baked the bunch and voila - chicken and fish patties for a quick weeknight meal.

i’m a fan of these because i hate it when food goes to waste, and also because it’s a reinvention of food i already had. some people in my household prefer new “fresh” food everyday. in this case, i was able to oblige! check the recipe and make this next week.

breaded chicken or fish patties

all you need is…

  • 1 cup chopped grilled chicken or fish (whatever amount you have works!)
  • 1 cup of potato, any way you can swing it - boiled and mashed, fries chopped and mashed. just mash it!
  • 1 cup of canned chickpeas, rinsed and mashed
  • a handful of parsley, chopped
  • 1/2 spanish onion, chopped
  • juice of half a lemon
  • 1/2 tbsp garlic, minced (you can put more or less depending on your taste)
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • bread crumbs or panko

and all you have to do is…

  • pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
  • mix the chicken or fish, potato, chick peas, parsley, onion, lemon and garlic together in a bowl with a spoon.
  • add in the salt and pepper to taste
  • form the mashed mixture into patties. i used a 1/2 cup measuring spoon to ensure using the same amount of mixture each time. roll and squeeze the mixture in your hand, make it into a ball and then press to flatten.
  • beat your egg in a bowl big enough to fit one patty at a time. coat your patty.
  • dredge coated patty in bread crumbs.
  • lay each coated patty onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
  • bake in the oven for 20 minutes flipping once, until the coating is crispy.

serve burger style, with all the fixings or for a lighter meal, serve with a salad and grilled veggies.

this recipe yields about 4-6 patties depending on how big or small you make yours. also, this recipe is a guide only. you can add more meat, more chick peas and potatoes, if you like. you can also add in chopped sun dried tomatoes, swap out parsley for cilantro, or use whatever else you have in the fridge. just keep the ratios so that you can easily form your patties. so, get creative and enjoy!

ps. im going to be at the halal food fest this sunday afternoon, and you can be sure i’m going to get more food than i can eat in one go. i just may make these or a version of them again next week! who’s with me?

 

 

 

8 months ago Short URL Comments

FOOD

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