Fiesta Vegetable Soup🍲 and Strawberry Cookies🍪

At our upcoming Food & Community session, we’re serving up cozy, vibrant flavors with Fiesta Vegetable Soup and sweet, summery Strawberry Cookies. One’s perfect for a hearty, warming meal—and the other is a light, fruity treat to end on a sweet note!

🌶 Fiesta Vegetable Soup (Serves 8)

Adapted from Foodland Ontario

Retreived from Foodland Ontario

A hearty, flavour-packed soup with protein, veggies, and a kick of spice—great for meal prep or sharing with friends.

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp vegetable oil

• 8 oz extra-lean ground turkey

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 Ontario onion, chopped

• 1 tbsp chili powder

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• ½ tsp each salt and pepper

• 1½ cups chopped Ontario sweet yellow peppers

• 1 cup chopped Ontario carrots

• 4 cups no-salt-added chicken broth

• 1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes

• 1 can (19 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed

• ½ cup frozen corn

• 1 cup shredded Ontario cheddar cheese

• 1½ cups diced Ontario greenhouse tomatoes

• Optional toppings: sour cream, fresh coriander

Instructions:

1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat.

2. Add ground turkey, garlic, onion, and spices. Cook for ~5 minutes, breaking up turkey until no longer pink.

3. Add peppers, carrots, broth, 1 cup water, and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

4. Add black beans and corn, simmer for 3 minutes more.

5. Ladle into bowls and top with cheese and diced tomatoes. Add optional toppings if desired!

🍓 Strawberry Cookies (Yields ~24 cookies)

Adapted from allrecipes

Retreived from allrecipes

Soft, chewy, and naturally flavored with real strawberries—these cookies are bright, sweet, and perfect for early summer.

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups white sugar

• 1 cup butter, softened

• 1 large egg

• 3 tbsp fresh strawberry purée

• 2¾ cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• ½ tsp baking powder

• ½ tsp salt

• ½ cup white sugar (for coating)

• 1 tsp red sugar (optional, for color)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a bowl, cream 1½ cups sugar and butter until fluffy (~3 mins).

3. Beat in egg and strawberry purée.

4. Stir in flour, vanilla, baking powder, and salt until dough forms.

5. In a separate bowl, mix the remaining white sugar with red sugar (if using).

6. Roll dough into walnut-sized balls, coat in sugar mixture, and flatten slightly on baking sheet.

7. Bake 10–15 minutes until lightly golden. Cool on wire racks.

These recipes are easy to recreate at home and bring both comfort and joy. 🍽️🍓 See you at the next Food & Community session!