Summer Recipes

Sizzling Summer Recipes from ‘Queen West Resiliency Gardens & Recipe Kits’

Over the pandemic, in June of 2020, the Queen Street West BIA did some creative thinking and wanted to do its part to help our community. Queen West is known for a great foodie scene as part of its culture. We thought it would be amazing to provide some households with starter grow kits (aka Resilience Gardens) to be able to grow their own food at home. In addition, we would provide a recipe book with recipes from some of our wonderful chefs. This project was made possible by the City of Toronto BIA Innovation Fund.

Get ready to enjoy this diversity of sizzling summer recipes!

Ingredients: - 5-6 Cobs Fresh Corn on the Cob - 20 oz Can Black Beans, drained and rinse - 1 Cucumber, peeled and diced - 2 Medium Tomatoes diced - 1 Small Red Onion diced - 1 Jalapeno, seeded and diced very small - 1 Lime Squeezed - 1 tsp Sea Salt - 2 Avocados diced - 1/2 cup Cilantro Sprigs - Queso Fresco Crumble (Optional)

Find all the Recipe Kits: www.queenstreettoronto.com/queen-west-resiliency-gardens-recipe-kits.html

Lime Fresh Roasted Corn Summer Salad

Mi Taco Taqueria “We opened our doors on Oct 3, 2015 and our goal was to serve great Tacos, Burritos and Bowls to our community. We strive to always engage and appreciate each customer that visits our restaurant. Over the years we have built a community where customers come in just to say hello or to grab a glass of water; we are family.” Instructions: 1. Roast Corn to your liking and cut corn off the cob and into a bowl. 2. While corn is roasting, prepare all ingredients and chill everything (except the salt) 3. Mix together all chilled ingredients and mix gently 4. Top with Queso Fresco Crumble (optional) 5. Enjoy!

Saffron Spice Kitchen Owners Johnny & Priya Phinehas opened Saffron Spice Kitchen to share their love for Sri Lankan cuisine with Toronto. They’re known for their Kothu Roti which is always made to order, spicy and sizzling off the grill! Ingredients: - 1.5 teaspoon of coconut oil - 1 cup of red split lentils (Masoor dhal) - 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds - 4 curry leaves broken up - 1 medium sliced onion - 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder - 2 garlic glove sliced in half - 2 green chilies sliced (to taste) - 2 cups boiling water - 2 tablespoons of thick coconut milk salt to taste

Instructions: 1. Heat the oil in a pan on high heat, once hot add the mustard and cumin seeds 2. When seeds start to jump around, add sliced onions and torn up curry leaves 3. Once onions turn translucent, turn heat to medium 4. Add in the red split lentils and stir around to absorb the heat evenly. At this time lentils should have a nice shine to them 5. Turn the heat to high and add in 2-3 cups of boiling water 6. Add in the turmeric powder, salt, garlic and green chilies 7. Leave to cook on high heat for 10 minutes 8. Once the lentils have cooked and the curry has thicken, turn the heat to medium and gently add coconut milk 9. Let the coconut milk boil with the lentils for a minute 10. Turn off the heat and serve hot with basmati rice, roti or bread ** optional, you could add fresh cilantro or spinach for some added colour. Enjoy!

Satay Steak

Basil Box Build your own box concept inspired by the bustling street markets of Thailand and Vietnam. Everything on our menu is gluten-friendly and the majority is veganfriendly as well. Ingredients: - Your choice of steak (we use New York Strip and Top Sirloin) (1 lb) - Coriander seeds (1 tsp) - Anise seeds (1 tsp) - Cumin seeds (1 tsp) - Dry chilies (2 pc) - Salt (1/2 tsp) - Black pepper (1 tsp) - Palm sugar (1 tsp) - Ground turmeric (1/2 tsp)

Equipment: blender or mortar and pestle

Instructions: 1. Preheat pan under medium heat 2. Add to pan: coriander seeds, anise seeds, cumin seeds, dry chilies. Roast and stir until fragrant (around 3-5 minutes) 3. Transfer the pan contents to a blender or mortar and pestle. Add salt, black pepper, palm sugar, ground turmeric. Blend or grind into fine powder. 4. Rub the seasoning on all sides of steak and let marinade for at least 2 hours to overnight 5. Cook to desired level, plate with garnishes and enjoy!