Green Bites Cooking Workshops

Every Second Thursday
January 12–June 28, 2012
7–9pm

Join us for a new season of hands-on cooking workshops exploring the flavours, foods and issues in your communities. Each workshop is led by a chef, producer or expert in their field of food—deepening your knowledge and understanding of seasonal, regional and craft cooking.

Stay tuned to this page for more classes and information!

Workshop Fees

Individual class: $55 per person
Any five classes: $225 per person
All ten classes: $450 per person

Schedule

Workshop Descriptions

January 12: Indian Cuisine
Facilitators: Arvinda and Preena Chauhan
Spend an evening with mother-and-daughter veterans of teaching Indian cuisine to unravel the secrets of creating mouth-watering classic Indian vegetarian dishes. You’ll learn the basic techniques to start any Indian dish and how to source local ingredients with exotic flavour. The workshop includes:

• Masoor Dal Soup, Red Lentil and Carrot Curried soup, served with Pappadum Wafers
• Mattar Paneer, Indian cheese with Peas OR Channa Masala with Leeks
• Warm Indian Salad: Cabbage & Carrot Sambar
• Mushroom Basmati Rice Pullao
• Perfumed Authentic Masala Chai

Arvinda and Preena Chauhan have been teaching healthy, home-style Indian cooking classes for the last 17 years and are makers of Arvinda’s natural, artisanal spice blends.

January 26: Mexican Cuisine
Facilitators: Gabriela Ituarte and Iván Wadgymar
Learn the art of the corn tortilla. This workshop is based in the ancient growing and cooking traditions of indigenous Mexican people, including the use of traditional tools along with some new inventions that will make for a truly fun and unique cooking experience. The workshop includes:

• Education behind corn, Mexican traditions and sustainable farming
• Explanation of different techniques to grind the corn
• Preparation of the masa and cooking tortillas
• Tortilla samples filled with black beans, salsa and organic greens

Gabriela is a project animator at ChocoSol championing traditional food and pedal-powered production and working with local farmers to support and encourage sustainable farming, purchasing and transporting techniques.
Iván has traveled the world in his work on sustainable agriculture and the politics of trade. Inspired by his travels, he also has a small-scale plot of heirloom corn in a polyculture setting (known as a milpa).

February 9: Food is Love
Facilitator: Shayma Saadat
This workshop will teach you how to make no-fuss traditional Persian- and Pakistani-spiced plates with a modern twist for your loved ones along with a fancy, colourful cocktail to enjoy together! The workshop includes:

• Chickpea Blinis with Cumin-Potatoes and Herbed Sour Cream
• Saffron Chicken and Roasted Red Bell Pepper Brochette with a Cucumber Yoghurt Dip
• Farmer's Cheese, Dried Cranberry, Walnut and Tarragon Tartine
• Pomegranate & Rosewater Essence Sparkling Wine Cocktail

Shayma’s cooking philosophy is rooted in her international heritage and from recipes passed down through the women in her family. She is also the author of the food-memoir-style blog The Spice Spoon: Cooking Without Borders.

February 23: Winter Shellfish
Facilitator: Kristin Donovan
Learn the who, what, where, when and why of selecting and cooking the best cold-season fish and shellfish. The workshop includes:

• Oysters and Accompanying Sauces
• Clams with Kale and Chorizo
• Mussels with Coconut Green Curry Broth
• Maritime Butter Poached Lobster

Kristin found her passion for cooking in the back woods of Northern Ontario. Currently, she is co-owner of Hooked, Inc., a sustainable fish supply shop, started in March 2011 with her husband Dan.

March 8: Cold Weather Cooking
Facilitator: Kate Leinweber
Create delicious, warm winter meals along with a discussion on winter nutrition. The workshop includes:

• How to support warmth and health through the thermal properties of whole foods, herbs, spices and beverages
• What to eat to help you battle the physical, emotional and psychological challenges the Canadian winter brings
• How local and seasonal foods add extra support to the mind and body during those colder months

Kate is a microbiologist, a registered holistic nutritionist and a passionate preserver and home lacto-fermenter. Her goal is to spread her knowledge and love of traditional foods and their incredible ability to guide the body to its natural state of healing.

March 22: Cut the Mustard
Facilitators: Risa Stone and Noah Kessler
Learn the magic of mustard from the experts at Kozlik’s Mustard. You’ll come away with renewed passion for this diverse condiment. The workshop includes a demonstration of how to make mustard-fried chickpeas as well as a recipe card and a take home sample of the finished product.

Risa and Noah are part of the Kozlik’s Mustard team. They have been selling mustard at the Evergreen Farmers' Market for several seasons.

April 5: Mushroom Madness
Facilitator: Bruno Pretto
Bruno Pretto, owner and operator of Fun Guy Farms, will demonstrate various techniques of mushroom cooking and share his knowledge on growing and using this delicious and versatile ingredient. The workshop includes:

• Presentation of mushroom classification, ecological role and cultivation
• Display of various forms of cultivation
• Demonstration of shiitake log inoculation

Bruno Pretto is the owner/operator of Fun Guy Farms, focusing on the sustainable, organic production and sale of shiitake and oyster mushrooms in the GTA.

April 19: Vegan Baking
Facilitator: Lesia Kohut
Baker and vegan expert, Lesia Kohut, will teach you to prepare three simple baked vegan treats using seasonal, certified organic, and certified local sustainable ingredients, along with ingredients from various Brick Works artisanal producers. Students will learn it is possible to make delicious vegan (some gluten-free!) desserts and snacks which have just as much flavour, and are just as satisfying, as their traditional counterparts.

Lesia Kohut is founder of the popular Toronto bakery LPK's Culinary Groove, which specializes in desserts and snacks using organic, fair-trade and locally-sourced ingredients.

May 3: Vegetarian Flexitarian
Facilitator: Nettie Cronish
Learn to prepare a flexitarian meal that offers your family lots of choice and flavour. The workshop includes:

• Rice Paper Rolls with Sweet Red Chile Sauce
• Spinach with Tofu and Tahina Dip
• Hot and Sour Soba Noodle Salad
• Red Inca Quinoa Chili with Japanesse Eggplant
• Black Bean Burritos with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Salsa
• Organic Almond Apricot Biscotti

Nettie Cronish is a food writer, recipe developer, and instructor of health and wellness seminars focusing on natural foods. She has been teaching vegetarian cooking classes for the past 20 years and is chair of the Women's Culinary Network in Toronto and a board member of Cuisine Canada. She is also the author of three vegetarian cookbooks.

May 17: Foraged Foods
Facilitator: Jon Forbes
Join Jon Forbes of Forbes Wild Foods for an evening of wild eating. Indulge in local, season foods including fiddleheads, wild leeks and wild garlic as well as morel and pheasant-back mushrooms. Other foods such as cedar tea, labrador tea and cattail shoots will also be prepared. Take part in a discussion of ethical and sustainable issues surrounding the harvesting of wild foods. You'll walk away armed with the tools you need to begin your own foraging adventures.

Jon Forbes lives in the Noisy River Valley, where he has been harvesting wild foods for over 50 years. He started Forbes Wild Foods in 1998 and currently spends his time writing, training and helping to build awareness for a sustainable and ecologically sound approach to non-timber forest products.

June 14: First Nations Food Ways
Facilitators: John Croutch and John Doran
Long before the term “locavore” was coined, First Nations people were growing and harvesting the indigenous foods of this area to nourish their families. Participants of this workshop will learn the spiritual connection First Nations people have to the land and its bounty as we prepare several examples of First Nations dishes made from locally sourced ingredients. The workshop includes:

• Traditional teas and their health benefits
• Three Sisters Soup and a discussion on the importance of corn, beans, and squash to First Nations peoples
• Wild Rice Cakes and discussion on wild rice harvesting

John Croutch is Anishinaabe and German and has been in the food industry for numerous years owning both his own restaurant and catering company. John considers himself a ‘food advocate’ and is interested in the health consequences to Aboriginal peoples as they transition from a traditional diet to a modern diet.
John Doran is Mi'kmaq (Turtle Clan) and grew up with Old Order Amish, learning 17th and 18th century ways of harvesting, drying, smoking, salting, pickling and preserving. John teaches food awareness and is interested in saving and sharing what he learned growing up.

June 28: First Nations Cuisine
Facilitator: Kai Zyganiuk
This class will focus on traditional stable foods of the native people, and how and why they were important throughout the year. Curing, smoking and open-fire cooking are just some of the techniques you will explore while creating traditional dishes with a modern twist. Participants will learn about simplified foods made glam!

Kai Zyganiuk is a 14-year culinary veteran who has trained under top local chefs such as Jonathan Gushue and Frank Dodd. Kai is a proud Band Member and long-time resident of Wasauksing First Nation. As a member of (ANDPVA), he is recognized for his dedication to working with the Native community.

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