Friday, November 19, 2010

New website!

Hey folks! Thanks to Rebecca, our social media guru, we have an awesome new website. Check it out: hotyam.ca.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Free Tomato Preserving Workshop Tomorrow!

The Hot Yam! and the Dig In! Camps Agriculture Project are holding a couple of FREE tomato-preserving workshops tomorrow at the CIE (formerly ISC!).

When: Saturday, September 11th, 12pm-3pm / 2pm-5pm
Where: CIE Cumberland House (33 St. George Street)
What: A chance to hang out and preserve some beautiful local tomatoes. All materials and equipment will be provided - go home with a jar of your own!

We have space for 15 people per session. RSVP here!: http://www.doodle.com/iwrfsu69nzf3priz

Be sure to include your e-mail in the doodle when you sign up.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

First General Meeting of the Semester

We're having our first general meeting of the semester next Wednesday, September 15th at 6pm at Hart House. We'll be holding elections for the following positions for next year:

* Meal Coordinator
* Volunteer Coordinator
* Secretary
* Treasurer
* Hot Yam! University Liaison
* Kitchen Manager
* Food Orderer
* Inventory Guru
* Equipment Buyer
* Volunteer Outreach Coordinator
* Education Coordinator
* Legal/Policy Guru
* Publicity/Volunteer Recruiter
* Webmaster
* Social Media Guru
* Yam Zine Coordinator

We have 21 applicants for the above 16 positions.

When: Wed Sept 16, 6pm
Where: Hart House Music room (ask at the hub if you don't know where to go)

Hope to see you there! We really encourage everyone to come out. Even if you haven't volunteered yet, you're more than welcome!

Friday, August 27, 2010

Apply for a planning position! Deadline extended to September 1st

Don't forget to submit your application for a Hot Yam! planning position! We've extended the deadline to the end of the day next Wednesday (September 1st).

You may have noticed that a few of the positions require more time than the others. Because of this and because they are so essential for the Yam! to run, the following positions come with an honorarium!

- The Volunteer Co-ordinator
- The Meal Lead Co-ordinator
- The Treasurer
- The Kitchen Manager
- The University Liaison
- The Secretary

Please find the application here: ttp://www.formstack.com/forms/?985922-XCjt330mGK

Love,
Hot Yam!

Friday, August 13, 2010

Want to get more involved in Hot Yam!?

Hello fellow yammers,

Already starting to miss Hot Yam! due to our long hiatus? Well, here's your change to get some more Yam! in your life!

The academic year is quickly approaching and to make sure that Hot Yam! continues running smoothly, we need your help. There are several roles that Hot Yam! needs to function, and we are recruiting people to fill those roles. The most important roles that we have available are:

- The Volunteer Co-ordinator
- The Meal Lead Co-ordinator
- The Treasurer
- The Kitchen Manager
- The University Liaison
- The Secretary

Descriptions of these roles, along with all of the others that we have available can be found at http://tiny.cc/6xfbc

This is a great opportunity to get involved with Hot Yam! Whether you're a young yamling or an old salt of a yam, a great experience awaits you.

If you are interested, please fill out this form by Friday, August 27th: http://www.formstack.com/forms/?985922-XCjt330mGK

Keep in mind that this is a serious commitment that begins at the beginning of the fall term, and will last throughout the fall and winter academic terms (from September 13th, 2010 to April 29th, 2011).

Whether you apply for position or not (but you should), send an email to hottestyam@gmail.com to join the planning list (everyone welcome).

Love,
Hot Yam!

Friday, August 6, 2010

All the recipes I could find!

Several weeks are missing, but hopefully these will tide you over during our search for the missing recipes.

In reverse order of appearance...


August 5, 2010

Carrot & White Bean Salad
Serves 6
  • 1 pound carrots
  • ¼ pound dried white beans
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp chopped parsley or lovage
  • 2 tsp finely chopped mint leaves
  1. Soak the beans over night.
  2. Cook the beans, and then give a cold rinse.
  3. Peel and grate carrots.
  4. Mix the lemon juice with the salt, and then whisk in the oil.
  5. Toss with carrots, beans, parsley and mint and season with pepper to taste.


Kale and Rice and Nori
  • 1 head of Kale
  • about 2 cups leftover cold rice
  • 1 or 2 sheets of Nori
  • about 4 tsp rice vinegar
  • about 2 tsp soy sauce
  • white pepper to taste
  1. Wash Kale, chop it into thin strips and wilt it in boiling water/steam it over boiling water for 8 minutes.
  2. Dump the Kale into a colander, run cold water over it, and then press out the excess water.
  3. Break the rice apart so that it's not in big chunks.
  4. Cut the nori into thin strips and mix the rice, kale, and nori together.
  5. Add seasoning.


Borscht
Serves 6
  • 2 bunches beets with greens (about 8-9 medium beets)
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • One-pound can stewed tomatoes
  • 3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup vegan sugar
  • vegan sour cream to taste
  • dill to taste
  • Scrub and clean beets, but don't peel them. Save the greens.
  • Place beets in large pot, add onion and cover with 3 quarts of water.
  • Simmer for one hour, or until beets are very tender. Remove beets from water, but SAVE the water.
  • Discard onions. Finely chop beets and return to water. Wash and chop greens and add to water. Add tomatoes, lemon juice, and sweetener.
  • Cook over medium heat for 30 minutes or until greens are tender. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
  • Add a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle with the chopped dill.


Plum Crisp
  • 3 lbs plums
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • ½ tsp cloves
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ cup rolled oats
  • ½ cup flour
  • 6 tbsp Earth Balance
  1. Chop plums.
  2. Mix with brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
  3. Mix the rolled oats, flour and sugar, and cut in the butter.
  4. Pour the fruit mixture into a buttered baking pan.
  5. Top the fruit mixture with the flour mixture.
  6. Bake at 375°F for 30-45 minutes.




July 29, 2010

Spicy cumin couscous
Serves 4
  • 1 cup couscous
  • ½ tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp salt (start with less than that and add more to taste)
  • 1 cup corn kernels
  • ½ cup red onion, finely chopped
  • ¼ cup fresh cilantro, minced
  • 1 jalapeño, minced
  • 3 Tablespoons roasted garlic olive oil
  • 3 to 4 Tablespoons lime juice
  1. Place couscous, cumin and salt in a in a large heatproof bowl or storage container and pour 1 cup boiling water on top.
  2. Cover tightly and let sit until all the liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes.
  3. If the couscous is not quite tender, add an additional 1/4 cup of boiling water, cover, and let sit for a few minutes longer.
  4. Fluff up with a fork.
  5. Toss in corn, red onion, cilantro, jalapeño, garlic and lime juice.


Hot and Sour Chickpeas
Serves 6
  • 12 oz chickpeas
  • 2 med onions (minced small)
  • 4 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 8 oz tomatoes (peeled and finely chopped)
  • 1 tbsp ground coriander
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground fenugreek
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp onions (minced very small)
  • 2 jalapeños
  • 1 inch cube ginger, grated
  • 4 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp chopped coriander
  1. Soak chickpeas overnight.
  2. Drain, cover with water, and simmer 1¼-ish hours until deliciously tender (reserve cooking liquid).
  3. Fry the two onions vegetable oil till tinged with brown (about 10 min).
  4. Add tomatoes and fry for another 10 minutes at medium low heat, stirring and mashing tomatoes.
  5. Add ground coriander, cumin, fenugreek and cinnamon, and stir and fry for about 30 seconds. ***careful! This is where it will start to stick, keep the heat low and stir like crazy.
  6. Add the chickpeas and 1½ cups of the cooking liquid, and simmer gently for ~20 min (make sure the chickpeas are really soft and delicious. If they are even a little bit crunchy, just keep them going. The more simmering the more delicious they will be. But don't let them fall apart. ***be even more careful! This is where it will want to burn. Don't let it!
  7. Mix separately the 2 tbsp onions, jalapeños, ginger, lemon juice and fresh coriander.


Kachumber (Indian Cucumber Tomato Carrot Salad)
  • 2 carrots, grated
  • 2 firm tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/3 red onion
  • 1 big cucumber finely chopped
  • ¼ cup fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp white vinegar (seriously. White.)
  • 1 tbsp white sugar (yep.)
  • ½ tsp chili powder
  • ½ tsp cumin powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 6 mint leaves, chopped
  1. Mix everything besides the mint and chill overnight.
  2. Garnish with the mint.


Peach Cake

(recipe might be found eventually)




July 15, 2010

Young beet salad with lemony-dill vinaigrette
  • 5 young beets, with greens included (average beet diameter 1 inch)
  • 3 beets without greens (average beet diameter 2.5 inches)
  • a few sprigs of dill
  • 10 mL lemon juice
  • 10 mL apple cider vinegar
  • 15 mL olive oil
  1. Trim the stems off the beets, leaving a stub, and set the leaves aside in the refrigerator.
  2. Boil the beetroots; large and small beets must be cooked in separate pots, or added at staggered times, because smaller beets cook faster. Boil until tender.
  3. Once cooked, plunge into cold water. This will loosen the skins.
  4. Remove the skins and taproot with hands, and slice off the remaining stem tops.
  5. Wait until the beets cool, and dice them into cubes smaller than 1 cm.
  6. Wash the dill, and mince finely, leaving out stems.
  7. Mix together with the olive oil, the lemon juice, and the apple cider vinegar. Whisk thoroughly, and set aside for about an hour.
  8. Pour approximately half the dressing over the warm beets.
  9. Wash the leaves, and remove the stems below the leaf.
  10. Slice the leaves into 2cm wide sections.
  11. Steam the leaves for no more than 30 seconds, until just tender.
  12. Mix in with the rest of the salad, and add the remaining dressing.


Parsley pesto pasta salad with beans and sweet peas
  • 50 grams pasta (farfalle or rotini)
  • a small bundle of parsley
  • a small bundle of arugula
  • 6 or 7 cloves of garlic
  • 15 green and yellow beans
  • 15 sweet peas
  • 5 mL rice vinegar
  • 25 mL olive oil
  1. Skin the garlic, and halve.
  2. Wash the parsley and chop coarsely.
  3. Wash the arugula and mince.
  4. Put the garlic and parsley into the food processor until they form a paste, and slowly add the olive oil.
  5. Mix in the arugula and set aside in the fridge.
  6. Wash the beans and peas.
  7. Trim the beans' ends, and chop the peas into 1cm sections.
  8. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add pasta.
  9. Cook for about fifteen minutes or until al dente.
  10. Rinse under cold water.
  11. Sprinkle with the rice vinegar.
  12. Combine the beans, peas, pesto and pasta, mix well, and refrigerate. Serve chilled.


Broasted barbecue tofu with purple mustard leaf
  • 2 pounds, or 1 kg of tofu
  • 2 small cans, or 500 mL, of tomato paste
  • ½ cup tamari or Braggs
  • ¼ cup blackstrap molasses
  • ¼ cup nutritional yeast
  • a few chipotles in adobo
  • 2 heads purple mustard leaf
  • ½ cup olive oil
  1. Whisk together the tomato paste, tamari, molasses, nutritional yeast, adobo chilies, and 1/3 cup of olive oil.
  2. Wash the tofu and slice into 1-cm-thick slabs.
  3. Lightly oil each slab and place into a tub, covering each layer with barbecue sauce.
  4. Preheat the ovens to 400 degrees
  5. Bake/roast/broast the tofu for about 15 minutes, turning occasionally.
  6. Ladle a little of the left-over barbeque sauce over the broasted tofu.
  7. Wash the mustard leaf thoroughly.
  8. Slice into very thin strips, and arrange on top of the broasted tofu.


Apricot cinnamon coffeecake
  • 1½ cup berries or fresh fruit, diced
  • 1 cup soy or rice milk
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
  • 2½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup sucranat sugar
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 8 tablespoons Earth Balance
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1¼ teaspoon baking soda
  1. Wash the fruit.
  2. Slice to remove the stone, and mince into small pieces.
  3. Toss the fruit in 3 tablespoons of flour until coated.
  4. Preheat the over to 350, and use small amount of Earth Balance to grease the pans.
  5. Combine the rice milk and vinegar and set aside.
  6. Grind the flaxseed, and mix with 3 tablespoons of water. Set aside.
  7. Mix together 1/3 cup flour, ¼ cup sugar, and the cinnamon. Cut in ¼ cup cold Earth Balance, until crumbly. Put in cold fridge.
  8. Sift together the rest of the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
  9. In a very large mixing bowl, cream the rest of the Earth Balance with the rest of the sugar. Alternate adding flour and milk, mixing only enough to combine. Fold in the flaxseed mixture, and then the fruit.
  10. Spread the batter into the pans, and cover with crumbly topping.
  11. Bake about 35 minutes or until done.




June 10, 2010

Quinoa Soup with Vegetables and Charmoula sauce
Quinoa was used in place of Couscous for this recipe. Feel free to experiment with different grains.
8 servings
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • ¼ tsp hot red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 1 leek, trimmed and diced
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 1 zucchini, diced
  • 1 sweet red pepper, diced
  • 1 cup diced sweet potato
  • 8 cups vegetable stock
  • 2 cups peas, fresh or frozen
  • Charmoula sauce (recipe follows)
  1. Soak and rinse the quinoa for 10 minutes.
  2. Heat oil in stock pot. Add onion and garlic and cook until tender. Add paprika, cumin and hot pepper flakes. Cook for about 30 seconds, or until fragrant.
  3. Add quinoa and stir to coat well. Do not let it toast for too long.
  4. Add leek, carrot, zucchini, red pepper, sweet potato and stock. Bring to boil. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until quinoa is almost tender.
  5. Add peas. Heat thoroughly. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
  6. Ladle soup into bowls. Swirl spoonfuls of Charmoula into each serving.


Charmoula sauce
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp cayenne
  • ¼ tsp pepper
  • 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  1. Puree garlic in food processor. Add paprika, cumin, salt, cayenne and pepper and combine. Add parsley and blend in. Add lemon juice and olive oil and puree (you should have about 1/3 cup / 75mL).


Vegan Tzatziki Sauce
Makes roughly 2 2/3 cups
  • 1 pkg silken tofu (the firmer the tofu, the more viscous)
  • juice from 1 lemon (about 1/4 cup)
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp canola oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 3 tsp dried dill
  • ¼ tsp paprika
  • pinch of cayenne
  • 1 cup finely chopped cucumber
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
  1. Blend tofu, lemon juice, garlic, oil and spices together in a blender, or with an immersion blender in a container.
  2. Place diced cucumber in a towel and squeeze out excess moisture. Add to sauce along with the parsley. Pulse the blender several times to incorporate. Refrigerate until needed.


Falafel Patties
  • 1 15-oz. can chickpeas, drained
  • 2 gloves garlic
  • ½ small onion
  • 3 tablespoons sesame tahini
  • ½ cup flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
  • ¼ cup quinoa flour, plus more if needed
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
  • olive oil for brushing on patties
  1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
  2. In a food processor, combine all of the ingredients except for the olive oil. Process until smooth and there are no large pieces remaining. Using hands, roll into golf-ball sized pieces. If mixture is too dry, add a bit of oil; if it's too wet, add a bit more quinoa flour. Flatten into patties, and lightly brush both sides with a bit of olive oil.
  3. Arrange falafels on a baking sheet. Oven temperatures will vary, cook for roughly 15-20 minutes, then flip the patties and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Each side should be slightly browned and crispy.
  4. Alternatively, you may pan fry the patties on high-heat, and cook each side until lightly browned. Transfer to a plate with paper towel on it.


Saffron Rice Pudding - (Sholezard)
Shole Zard is a sweet Iranian dessert made of saffron, sugar, and rice.
12 servings
  • 2½ cups of rice
  • 12 cups of water
  • A pinch of salt
  • 2½ cups of sugar
  • 1 cup of rose water (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon of saffron
  • ¾ cup of slivered almonds (optional)
  • ¾ cup of whole/chopped/crushed pistachios (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons of cinnamon
  1. Rinse rice in cold water. Change the water every now and then until the water stays relatively clear. Avoid draining.
  2. Place rice and water mixture in pot and bring to a boil.
  3. Cook for 20-25 minutes, or until rice is tender. When cooking, skim the top occasionally.
  4. Add the sugar while you continue to stir constantly and boil gently. The mixture will thicken, like a custard, and you will not longer be able to see the grains of rice.
  5. Dissolve the saffron in another small bowl or a cup in the hot water and add to the pot.
  6. Optional: Stir in rose water and slivered almonds.
  7. Stir over medium or low heat until mixture becomes thick.
  8. Pour the mixture into a separate bowl, sprinkle the cinnamon and optional toppings on the mixture.
  9. Cool before serving.




May 27, 2010

West Indies Soup
  • 1 medium onion
  • 3 roughly chopped carrots
  • 1 roughly chopped quarter celery root
  • 8 cups of water, broth, beer, or some combination of those
  • 1 large diced yam
  • 1 squash (pick a type)
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • leafy greens
  • dry roasted coriander, cumin, cinnamon
  1. In a large pot fry onion until translucent.
  2. Add carrots and celery root. Sweat them until they begin to caramelize.
  3. Add liquid, yam and squash.
  4. Bring to boil, cover and simmer until yam is cooked and squash is mushy.
  5. Turn to low heat or take off heat.
  6. Add one can coconut milk, leafy greens and spices.
  7. Cover and let sit for ten minutes or so.


Caribbean Rice with Red Beans and Chiles
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small red onion, minced
  • 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 1 or 2 small, fresh hot chilis, seeded and minced
  • 2 garlic gloves, minced
  • ½ teaspoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
  • ½ teaspoon brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground allspice
  • ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 cup couscous
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 15 oz. can dark red kidney beans
  1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Add the onion, bell pepper, chiles, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, salt, allspice, thyme, and nutmeg.
  3. Cover and cook, stirring, until the bell pepper has softened, about 10 minutes.
  4. Stir in the couscous to coat with the oil.
  5. Stir in the water, cover, and let stand for five minutes.
  6. Stir in the beans and cook until hot, about five minutes.
  7. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
  8. Serve hot.


Turkish Tomato Salad
  • 2 large tomatoes (or 4 medium), chopped
  • ½ large cucumber, peeled and diced
  • ½ yellow pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ cup parsley, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons Spicy V-8 (or tomato juice)
  • generous grating black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon cumin
  • salt to taste (optional)
  1. Combine all ingredients and mix well.
  2. Serve immediately or chill for an hour.
  3. Try it in a pita with hummus or on top of a green salad.


Chai Latte Cupcakes
  • 1 cup soy or rice milk
  • 4 black teabags or 2 tablespoons loose black tea
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • ½ cup plain or vanilla soy yogurt
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • pinch of ground white or black pepper
  • ½ cup confectioners sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  1. Preheat oven to 375 and line tin with cupcake liners. In a small saucepan heat soy milk till almost boiling, add tea bags, cover and remove from heat. Let sit for 10 minutes.When ready to use stir teabags and thoroughly squeeze to insure as much tea is dissolved in milk as possible.
  2. In a large bowl whisk together oil, yogurt, sugar, vanilla and tea mixture until all yogurt lumps disappear. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cardamom,
  3. ginger, cloves, and pepper into wet ingredients. Mix until large lumps disappear; some small lumps are okay. Fill tins full and bake about 20 to 22 minutes until a sharp knife inserted comes out clean.
  4. Make sure cupcakes are completely cooled before adding topping, or the sugar will melt.
  5. To assemble, sift confectioners sugar over cooled cupcakes first, then mix cinnamon and nutmeg together and sift onto each cupcake.




Thanks as always to our wonderful photographer Jono.

Happy cooking and hope to see you next Thursday!

Love,
Giovannayam.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Recipe for June 3rd

Creamy leek and mushroom soup (contains soy)
1) Chop onions and leeks, slice mushrooms, dice potatoes (~ 3/4 inch chunks)
2) Heat oil on medium in pot, add onions and saute until slightly translucent
3) Add leeks and saute 2-3 minutes
4) Add mushrooms and a bit of salt, saute until mushrooms are tender and have released their juices
5) Add stock and potatoes, cover and cook until potatoes are tender
6) Turn heat down to low
7) Add almond/soy milk
8) Temper in flour (remove some soup from the pot into a separate bowl, whisk in flour until smooth, whisk flour mixture back into the soup
9) Let cook until soup thickens slightly
10) Season with salt and pepper

Chocolate Brownies(contains soy and gluten)
Ingredients
1/3 cup flour
2/3 cup cold water
12 oz silken tofu
1 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1.5 cup flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1.75 cups sugar
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup oil
Instructions
1) In a blender puree the tofu, flour and water until smooth.
2) Pour it into a sauce pan, and whisk constantly over low heat until it thickens (it should not boil, if it starts to turn the heat down). This takes about 10 minutes.
3) Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate chips, salt, vanilla and sugar. Stir occasionally until the chocolate is melted. Put mixture in fridge to cool completely. (20-30 minutes)
4) Preheat your oven to 350.
5) When mixture is cool enough mix in the oil.
6) Sift the 1 1/2 cups of flour, the cocoa and the baking powder together.
7) Fold in the tofu mixture until well combined and smooth.
8) Spread evenly in a greased baking pan for 35-40 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean.

Stay tuned for more recipes! Coming soon:
Saute of baby Asian greens (contains sesame oil)
Potato and chickpea salad with fresh herbs