Today’s menu features fresh salsa and strawberry salad. The group of parents-to-be gather in the kitchen at Abbotsford Community Services (ACS). They are participants in the Best for Babies prenatal program, and today they are learning some healthy new recipes.

Volunteer Cindy Reisig, a mom who has a passion for cooking, leads the class.

She is fond of fresh, healthy ingredients, and soon has participants mincing onion, dicing peppers and tearing lettuce.

It’s all part of the new Community Kitchen, which celebrated its official opening in April, thanks in part to a $20,000 grant from United Way of the Fraser Valley.

Kathy Doerksen, manager of the ACS anti-poverty and advocacy department, said the idea is for participants to concoct healthy recipes in a social setting.

“One of the biggest concerns today is food security – access to good, nutritious food for everybody,” she said.

The kitchen is currently used by ACS program participants, many of whom come from low-income backgrounds and are recipients of the ACS Food Bank.

Doerksen said they don’t always know what to do with the fresh produce and healthy ingredients they receive. People using the kitchen learn to plan and prepare budget-friendly meals that they can later create on their own.

The food used in the sessions is supplied by each program.

The goal is to open the kitchen to the entire community and have interaction between various groups — for example, aboriginal youth cooking with seniors or cultural groups sharing ethnic recipes.

Allison Rickey, a participant in the Best for Babies program, was among those preparing the salsa and the strawberry salad last week. Best for Babies uses the kitchen once a month for a cooking lesson.

She was there with her partner, Rod Harwood. The two are expecting their first child together in September.

“I think it’s awesome. He’s the cook of the relationship, so it’s nice for me to learn,” she said.

Harwood agreed.

“I think it’s great, and I’m glad she’s learning some new ideas,” he said, laughing.

The kitchen formerly served as the Pasta Gallery, a restaurant which generated funds for ACS. In recent times, it was a storage area.

The idea of a community kitchen was discussed, but renovations were required. Funding was accessed from numerous sources, with the United Way being the biggest contributor.

FRESH SALSA

2 or 3 medium-sized fresh tomatoes, stems removed, finely diced

1/2 red onion, finely diced

1/2 sweet red pepper

1/2 sweet yellow pepper

1 or 2 jalapeno peppers (stems, ribs, seeds removed), finely diced

juice of one lime

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

optional: cumin to taste

1. Prepare the chilies. Be careful while handling these hot peppers. If you can, avoid touching them with your hands. Use a fork to cut up the chilies over a small plate or use a paper towel to protect your hands. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling and avoid touching your eyes for several hours. Set aside some of the seeds form the peppers. If the salsa isn’t hot enough, add a few for heat.

2. Start with chopping up the tomatoes. Then chop the onion and cilantro.

3. Combine all the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Taste. If the chilies make the salsa too hot, add some more chopped tomato. If not hot enough, carefully add a few of the seeds from the chilies or add some ground cumin.

4. Let sit for an hour for the flavours to combine. Serve with warm tortilla chips.