After much debate and many requests from loyal and hopeful clients, we have decided to restart our weekly meal service. We will be posting a monthly menu with three choices per week on our website and through our Facebook page. If you know anyone who wants to make their lives a little more Simple, then our meals are the way to go. Dinners generally feed two adults with some extras for small children and cost $30 ($25 for Vegetarian, $20 for Soups). Should you want extra portions for children under 10 there is an added cost of $5. As a special bonus if you order all three meals in a week the cost per week is $70.
We offer a wide variety of styles including Indian, French, Italian, Middle Eastern, and Asian dishes. Please advise us of any allergies and we will do our best to give you options that fit your needs. Additionally, we have begun offering event services through B Spoke Montreal. Should you need assistance in creating events from the everyday to the extra special, our event planners are there to create something truly extraordinary. Thank you all for your continued support and for inspiring us to create. We look forward to helping you simplify in 2013.
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I have to say that I milked this summer for all it was worth and getting back into the swing has been more challenging than in past years. But believe it or not we are now in October and the cooking classes for the elementary kids are starting. This year I am sticking with the theme "Colour your Plate." I think that it is the easiest way to insure that you are getting a variety of vitamins and minerals in every meal. After all the most colourful items are the fruits and vegetables so if your plate is colourful it must be full of that food group.
Over the summer the adult cooking classes were quite a hit and the new recipes from those classes will be finding their way into the children's bellies this season. I will be doing more adult classes starting in November so if you have requests now would be the time to send them to me! I will be posting recipes from the classes soon so if you need some inspiration it will be here! Until then, Eat well! Margaret So tasty and fast I didn't even get a chance to take a picture before they were GONE!
Shrimp in Pomegranate Curry Vij’s at Home Serves 6 36-42 shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 ½ tsp salt ½ cup ghee or cooking oil 1 Tbsp cumin seeds 1 ½ cups finely chopped red onion 1 tsp tumeric 1 tsp ground cayenne or black pepper 1 tsp chopped jalapeno 1 Tbsp finely chopped ginger ½ cup pomegranate juice ½ cup chopped cilantro In a large frying pan, heat ghee (or oil) on medium heat for 1 minute. Add onions and saute for 8 minutes or until browned with darker edges. Reduce heat to medium and add tumeric, remaining 1 tsp of salt and cayenne (or black pepper if using). Stir, saute for 1 minute, the add jalapeno and ginger and saute for 1 minute more. Add pomegranate juice and bring to a boil, which should take less than 30 seconds. Add shrimp and stir gently. Saute Shrimp – stir gently stirring- for about 4 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. We are going pescetarian for the summer so I am on the search for awesome vegetarian options to fill in the gaps. I started making rice and lentil burgers when my son was about a year old. They were easy to carry with us, stuff with vegetables, and he loved them. This is a similar concept. Quinoa is a great source of protein and the vegetables add a wonderful mix of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Of course I made a couple changes to the Chatelaine recipe but that is what I love about these. You can change the vegetables or add a new spice and you have an entirely different beast. I give you the original and detail below the changes I made. They are excellent as a side dish or a main just plan to make extras!
Quinoa-veggie burger Published by Chatelaine on 7/1/2011 Preparation time 20 Ingredients
In addition to the vegetables that they used parsnips and turnip. The second time I left out the cornstarch, bulked up the vegetables and added an extra egg. Most importantly I added about a tablespoon of Fleur d'Ail (which gives an amazing garlicy goodness to them!) Also instead of pan frying I baked them in the oven at 350 for about 35 minutes on a oiled sheet pan, flipping about halfway through the cooking time. I also made the White Bean and Walnut Burgers - yummy! We are having so much fun with our cooking classes. We hope that you will join us this summer for some good food and a great time. Moms, Dads, couples, and groups welcome to attend one of our pre-scheduled classes or we will happily schedule something just for you! You prepare some amazing recipes and enjoy a lovely and quiet meal. Best of all we do the clean up! It's the most relaxing time you'll spend in the kitchen this summer. Plus you'll take the recipes with you so it's easy to take the experience with you.
As always our focus is on whole ingredients, freshly prepared with simple techniques. You will be impressed with how Simple good food can be and how easily you can incorporate delicious recipes into your life. Value, nutrition, flavour and simplicity are our priorities. Sharing that will you is our passion. Here is a list of our offerings! June 9th - Vegetarian and Vegan I've been having so much fun exploring vegetables that I thought you should join me. We all know that we need to incorporate 5 servings of fruits and vegetables into our daily meals but the question is how and will my family eat it? Well having found some amazing recipes along the way the answer is a resounding yes they will eat and they may even start asking for it! From dips and snacks to meals you can add to your monthly rotation this class will be packed with colours and flavours for the entire family to enjoy. We will make a few and I will send you home with more! June 23rd - Middle Eastern There is so much more to Middle Eastern cooking than just hummus. This class will give you a fresh perspective on a cuisine that is both healthy and delicious. And it is so easy to fit into summer eating. You will taste soon to be favorite recipes and of course get a few more to explore in your own kitchen. July 7th - Indian Indian food is always delicious but can be a little daunting for the home cook to explore. Once you start playing with all those spices, I promise you that you'll want to keep experimenting. From spice dips, chutneys, and rubs to curries and salads you will be able to try the full range of this cuisine. August 11th - Market Fresh There is nothing like a trip to the market to inspire my culinary creativity. August is nearly the peak of the season for so many vegetables and the market reflects that bounty. But what do you do with all those lovelies you bring home? This class will give you some ideas and techniques on how to best show off those market fresh ingredients. August 25th - Whole Grains So often we get stuck. We buy the same vegetables and meats and pair them with a rotation of starches. This class will explore grains and take you beyond bread, potatoes, and pasta. Once you are familiar with how to prepare new grains the flavouring options are endless. I warn you though, you may not have pasta for dinner for a while after this one! September 15th - Canning and Preserving OK this is the time of year I love! We have gotten into the tradition of buying ridiculous amounts of basil and making enough pesto for the entire year. But that is just one of the ways to enjoy summer all year round. Come and learn the best ways to preserve fruits and vegetables Each class is $30 per person or $50 for a couple. Space is limited but if you have a group that is interested we are delighted to host a special night just for you. Classes are from 7pm until 10pm in Saint Lambert. Specific information will be given at the time of registration. To reserve your space email us at [email protected] See you there! Margaret Optimal nutrition for your infant and toddler$22 per person
When:Wednesday, June first, 2011; 19 :30 to 21 :30 Where: La Soleillerie, 20 av. Fort, St-Lambert Presented by Sandra Power, Holistic Nutritional Consultant and Margaret Kassab, Chef/Owner of Simple Gourmet.
Sandra Power, RHN, NNCP, is a registered holistic nutritional consultant, graduate of the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition and member of the Canadian Association of Natural Nutritional Practitioners. Sandra maintains a private practice in St. Lambert and NDG, specializing in digestive health for both adults and children. She is regularly invited to speak on a wide variety of health topics and is particularly keen to provide parents with strategies that work to improve the overall health of their children. Margaret Kassab is a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute and the Chef/Owner of Simple Gourmet. In addition to the prepared meals and catering that she does through Simple Gourmet, Margaret teaches cooking classes at Saint Lambert Elementary and at Centennial Regional High School as well as private classes for adults. To sign up go to http://www.lasoleillerie.com/ Last week with the High School class, we made curry and one of my students said to me this week, "My mother wouldn't even try it. Adults think kids are so picky but I tried it and she won't!" How true! I think that as adults and parents it is so easy to get stuck in the familiar. We go to the store and buy the same things we always buy because we know the kids love bananas or pizza or whatever it is. It's easy and we don't have to think about it. But how much time do we spend worrying about our Children's health only to make the easy choice at the grocery store?
I have been working on my personal aversion to leafy greens. Of course, I eat lettuces and spinach. But those dark greens that are supposed to be really good for you like Kale or Swiss Chard I tend to pass by because they look a little to scary. I might find them bitter and the kids probably won't like them, right? Well as it turns out.... This week's class at the High School was Tomato Salad with 2 kinds of Risotto - Kale with Bacon or Pea with Thyme. The winner? The Kale Risotto won hands down. With 2 pieces of bacon for 14 people it wasn't the bacon that won them over. They all wanted to try the kale in other recipes. But how will their parents react to the prospect of bringing kale home? We'll see! My mother likes to tell people that when I went to university I only knew how to make fudge, which was nearly true. But I started cooking and realized that there are so many things I thought I would never like that I now love. We as parents can teach our kids how to be open to new foods. We are looking at going vegetarian for the summer but instead of starting cold turkey we plan to add a new recipe each week until the summer. The key to success I think (I hope) will be getting the kids into the kitchen and stressing that we are all trying something new. One dinner a week is doable and not nearly as scary as jumping into a complete change. So in our house Thursdays are the days that we Try Something New. Tomorrow I tackle this beautiful multi-colored swiss chard. My Challenge to you? Try something new. Anything new. I would love to hear what you tried and what you thought! Granola Bars
2 cups Rolled Oats 2 Tbsp Flax seeds ground 1/4 cup currents 1/2 cup toasted coconut 2 Tbsp chopped Crystallized Ginger 1 tsp cinnamon 1/4 cup apple juice or applesauce 1/4 cup canola oil 1/2 cup agave syrup, maple syrup, or honey Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or up to 45 minutes for crunchier bars. Allow to cool completely and cut into squares. Store in air tight container for up to 1 week. I was so lucky to have the ladies from the Mums and Tots of Brossard come play in my kitchen. The ladies did a fabulous job of making the South American inspired dishes. And more importantly they got to enjoy all of their hard work, while relaxing in the company of adults and without the clean up duty afterwards. Sounds dreamy to me!
Now that I've had a taste of this kind of entertaining I am so hooked! So get your groups together, up to 10 people and we'll set up a cooking night for you too. I can't wait to do the next one. |
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