Democracy is Delicious

Caffè Corretto

2012-02-10T08:57:00.001-05:00

I will be dedicating the next two posts to my love of the coffee bean! I could write about coffee for pages, but there are a few key topics that I certainly must talk about, so I’ll stick to those. First thing is first!, the beans.

How, where, why I buy my beans?
I try to purchase ethical beans...because I can.

“If it is in our power to prevent something bad from happening, without thereby sacrificing anything of comparable moral importance, we ought, morally, to do it.” ~ Peter Singer

Fair-Trade
You have probably heard of fair trade by now, as many companies have fair trade options. I personally believe that the the fair trade certification was an excellent start, which allowed consumers the option to buy ethical coffee beans. Of course like all processes fair trade has evolved a bit over time, and now has many critics. Fair-trade International is the regulatory body which essentially owns the rights to call something “fair-trade”, which is a good and bad thing depending on how you look at it:

Good because it sets an excellent standard for which consumers can identify and buy ethical products.

Great because it is a third party verified system, akin to peer reviewed science, can't argue with that.

Bad because the standard may not be as high as “fair” would imply.

E.g., if a multinational company known for atrocious records on humans rights and abusive farming practices can get a fraction of their products to be fair trade, consumers may make an assumption that as a whole they’re an ethical company, which they clearly aren't; should they then be allowed to have fair trade products?
A final and important note to consider is that many of the true small independent coffee suppliers/farmers simply do not have the income to pay into having their operation fair-trade certified, as there is a small fee.

Direct Trade

Many third wave coffee companies are moving away from fair-trade, and using a system of fair and direct trade with the farmers themselves, essentially cutting out the middle men. You can identify these methods of direct trade by packaging/labeling (Intelligentsia), or with many small scale roasters through knowing the people who work there and talking to them about their practices. Beware of possible imposters however as this is not a third party verified system, and again probably a must that you know the company well.

Rainforest Alliance
Finally, there is Rainforest Alliance which is also a third party verification system. Their focus is more on environmental stewardship (great!) than fair trade, and they mostly work with small scale farms. It must be noted that a product can contain only 30% Rainforest certified ingredients and still be labelled Rainforest certified.

Final Choice
I personally think fair-trade and direct trade are both above and beyond anything else out there, so either one and I’m happy. That is to say as long as they are organic; how could you possibly call it fair trade if you were still having farmers pollute their environment, etc? (Rainforest is also a good choice, but the 30% minimum seems low to me)

Where
I'm an advocate of supporting the local food economy, so find a local roaster/micro roaster/torréfacteur near you and chances are good that they are following one of these trading methods. I’m currently using this local roasters beans, Happy Goat. Delicious!

Next post we’ll talk roasts; I mostly avoid extra dark roasts if I can…intrigued?, stay tuned.

Delicious Videos – Raj & La Via Campesina

2012-01-24T12:57:00.001-05:00

Hello, Hello!
My apologies for the six month hiatus :(. I still have plenty of info, recipes and rants I want to share!…finding the time to write them down is another story.
As a quick post, I want to give you a taste of the great people/organizations who fight the good fight for food security and food sovereignty, and who deserve more attention.

1. Here is a video with writer and activist Raj Patel (link to his blog is on the right panel). Also included in this video is an excerpt from the trailer for Finding North; I have embedded the full length trailer at the end of the post.

2. In the clip Raj mentions the food sovereignty movement La Via Campesina. La Via Campesina is an international movement which brings together millions of peasants, small and medium-size farmers, landless people, women farmers, indigenous people, migrants and agricultural workers from around the world. Defending small-scale sustainable agriculture as a way to promote social justice and dignity, and strongly opposes corporate driven agriculture and transnational companies who they feel are the main culprits destroying people and nature. Food sovereignty is defined as the "right" of people(s) to define their own food, agriculture, livestock and fisheries systems, in contrast to having food largely subject to international market forces. Please click here if you want to know more about them.

3. Here is the full trailer for Finding North, as promised. “1 in 4 U.S. citizens are currently considered food insecure”, pretty darn disturbing considering the U.S. is one of the richest nations in the world.

I hope you enjoy these clips! See you soon!

Meatless Mondays - Pasta Piselli

2011-08-08T13:41:00.001-04:00

Harvest season is finally here, and fresh green peas are bountiful! Peas are little nutritional power packed veggies; containing an excellent source of vitamin C, folate, thiamine, fiber, and antioxidants.

On an agrarian note, peas are a vital addition to any garden as they are nitrogen-fixers. This means that peas are able to take nitrogen gas from the air and transfer it into the soil, which increases the nitrogen availability in the soil without the need for added fertilizer. As well peas have a very shallow root system, which can help prevent soil erosion.
Finally, when peas are combined with a grain like pasta (semolina) they become a complete protein. What a great plant!

Ingredients

3-4 cups green peas
1/2 onion, white
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh basil & oregano
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1 package of little pasta shells a.k.a. Conchigliette

1. Shuck your fresh peas into a bowl.

2. Chop the onions and sauté them in 2 tbsp of olive oil in a stock pot on med heat until translucent.
3. Add in the garlic, fresh peas, and stock, and cook for 5 minutes.

4. Add your al dente pasta shells to the pot, and throw in your fresh herbs.

5. Finish by adding in the rest of the extra virgin olive oil and grate some Parmigianino on it.
Done! It’s that easy!…but so fresh and delicious!

Eataly - NY

2011-07-20T16:55:00.001-04:00

I had heard many things, good and bad, about this large Italian food market when it opened in Torino in 2007. I’m am not a fan of large big box style grocery stores in general, you know the culprits, because they compromise personal feel, service, and often quality. Eataly promised to be a new style big box grocer, with ethical choices, farmer sourced products, and reasonable prices; I had my doubts. When Eatly New York opened in fall 2010 I knew I had to scope it out for myself, and I got that opportunity this past April.

First things first, this grocery store is in Manhattan so in theory this does not bode well for reasonable prices. I entered the market off 5th Ave, which happened to be their caffe and deluxe espresso bar/roasting area. I was thrilled to find a fair trade bean advertised, unusual in Italian coffee houses; accordingly, I shot an espresso back ($2), good start! I walked through the prosciutto section, yes a section dedicated just to prosciutto, and this is where my scepticism started to fade because many of the cured meats were labelled where they were from and how the animal was raised. Plus the prices were affordable.

I moved into the dairy section and found several 100% grass fed yogurts ($1.50/individual). I’ve never seen yogurt from grass fed animals in any store before, impressed once again.

As I continued through the market I definitely began to notice the menu prices of the in store mall style restaurants, so I decided not to stay for lunch. However, that’s not to say I’m opposed to paying a fair price for quality food; I just prefer to pay for quality not novelty.

“The low cost of food not only devalues food itself, but also hides all the evil we are doing to the earth.” ~ Carlo Petrini

I took this last picture to capture the stores dedication to sourced meat and ethical practices. (Click the image for a better view).

To be honest I came to the store expecting a tourist trap type food porn palace, and was completely amazed at how far off I was. Eataly is by no means perfect, and will never replace the farmers markets and locally owned and operated Italian markets for affordable quality items; still, Eatly’s vision should be applauded. They’re a large grocery store that actually sources their food, and hopefully they’ve started a trend for a more responsible and educated food system.

If nothing else they have increased the demand for small farmers using sustainable practices.

Mangia, Mangia!!

Meatless Monday – Quiche lorraine sans viande

2011-07-12T13:50:00.001-04:00

You love eggs and so do I, but “they” keep saying that you should avoid eggs because they raise your cholesterol, increase your risk of coronary heart disease, and they have too much fat. Hogwash, all of it! Who are “they” anyways, is what I would love to know!
Eating up to 1 egg every day, that means 7 or less eggs a week, does not have any negative effect on your health, in fact in moderation eggs are an excellent source of many essential vitamins and nutrients [1,2,3,4] (*Note that if you are at an increased risk of heart disease this recommendation may be different). If you can afford to buy eggs from pastured hens rather than battery caged hens please do, they are much more humane and can contain up to 2.5-fold more total omega-3 fatty acids, win-win [5]. You’re local farmers market is usually an excellent source!

Quiche lorraine sans viande

Pastry

1 cup flour
1/3 cup butter
1/2 tsp salt
2-3 Tbs cold water

1. Cut the butter into the flour & salt using a fork or any fancy gadget that you may have. Ensure there are no large chunks of butter left.
2. Add 1 tablespoon of cold water at a time in to the flour mixture until you can form it into a ball.
3. Wrap it in plastic, and slam it in the fridge for at least 2 hours. It can stay in the fridge for up to 2 days, or place it in the freezer and use it any time within 3 months.

Quiche

7-9 free range pastured eggs
2 Leeks
1/2 red onion
1 Tbs butter
dried oregano, basil, thyme, and savory
1/2 cup milk
1 cup grated parmesan cheese (or sharp cheddar)

1. Turn oven on to 350 F. Take the pastry out, leave it for 5 minutes on the counter, then roll it out to fit an average sized pastry plate, and poke holes in it with a fork. place the pie crust in the oven for 5 minutes, pull it out and set it aside.
2. Cut the stalks of the leeks off and dissect in half and clean them (usually tons of dirt inside there). Dice the leeks and the onion and sauté with butter and herbs for 5-10 minutes on low-medium heat.
3. Whip the eggs and milk in a bowl together, and add some more herbs in this mixture.
4. Place the grated cheese evenly on the bottom of the pastry crust, then layer the sautéed leeks and onions over the cheese and pour your egg mixture over everything. Sprinkle some more herbs on the top.
5. Place in the oven 350 F for 30-35 minutes.
:)

Meatless Monday – Black Bean Tostada w/Salsa Verde & Salsa Roja

2011-05-24T19:57:00.001-04:00

I like beans.

The bean, often misunderstood, small, insignificant when alone, but when groups of them join in solidarity with the common goal of feeding your belly they are simply unstoppable. Beware animal proteins, as you have always known the beans’ secrets, more environmentally efficient, more fiber, more vitamins, more humane, more variety; just a little coaxing to action and they will easily topple your illegitimate tyranny over the protein kingdom. How afraid you must be unnamed animal protein, oppressing the bean through blatant lies of vitamin & mineral inadequacy and lack of taste…ohhh you will do anything to make the bean feel inferior; all the while knowing that their day will come!

Black Bean Tostada w/Salsa Verde & Salsa Roja

Black beans (get them started first)

Ingredients

3 cups dried black beans
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 organic stock cube
dried cumin
dried coriander
salt and pepper

1. Dice up the onion and garlic, and wash up them beans.

2. In an excellent stock pot throw in all the ingredients then top off with enough water to submerge the beans with about an inch of water over, (you can always add more water).

3. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and slap the lid on and cook for about 1 hour or longer. Make sure the beans are not drying out.

4. When the beans are cooked get in there and crush a bunch of them with a ladle, create a creamy texture.

Salsa Verde

Ingredients

6 tomatillos
Jalapeño pepper
1/2 white onion
stock
cooking cream (optional)
lime juice
cilantro

1. Unwrap the tomatillos

2. Dice the tomatillos, pepper, onion and place in a sauce pot on medium heat, add a 1/4 cup of stock. cook for 5 minutes.

3. Take off the heat and blend with a hand blender (or in a food processor).

4. Add 2 Tablespoons of cream (off the heat), splash of lime, and tablespoon of fresh cilantro.

Salsa Roja

Ingredients

6 tomatoes
1/2 onion
Red chilli pepper
Stock
2 garlic cloves

1. Place the tomatoes in boiling water until the skin splits. Take them out, place under cold water. Peel the skin off.

2. Dice tomato, onion, pepper, garlic, and place in sauce pan. Add 1/4 cup of stock and cook for 5 minutes.

3. Blend all the ingredients with a hand blender or food processor.

Putting it all together!

Ingredients

Black beans
Salsa Verde
Salsa Roja
Guacamole (Mash up a few avocados with some lime juice and half a tomato. done)
Crispy cabbage ( slice cabbage,red onion, add vinegar, olive oil, cilantro, salt and pepper. done)
Tortillas (Authentic please!… corn!)

1. Toast up the tortilla (Tostada!) on a frying pan, medium heat, both sides.

2. Slap some guacamole as the base, add the beans, then the salsa’s, and finally some cabbage.

ENJOY!!

Canadian Federal Election 2011 – Sustainable Agriculture Policies

2011-04-29T18:16:00.005-04:00

The election is coming up in just a few days, and I encourage everyone in Canada to learn as much about their candidates as they can and make an informed decision. Here is a link to find who your candidates are.
One single candidate may not represent everything that you believe in, and at times it’s hard to believe that they will deliver on all of their promises, however it is important to vote for something rather than voting against something or even worse voting for nothing… Find a common ground in a candidate and vote for them!!

My focus is food and agriculture…obviously. It is not addressed as often as it should be in debates and general campaigning but it is one of the single most important issues for our Canadian economy. Small farms are slowly disappearing, and as the total number of farms decrease and large scale farming operations take over it is important we understand where each party stands on this issue. The Canadian Federation of Agriculture recently held an agriculture leaders debate featuring all the major parties and here are five key progressive topics that were addressed (going local, young farmers,organics, research and development and labelling)

Liberal Party: No young farmer or organic platform. Proposing to allocate $80 million over four years to create a Buy Local Fund. The Fund will promote high-quality, home grown foods produced by local farmers and support a Farmers’ Markets Development Program to market and grow Canada’s farmers’ markets, in cooperation with the provinces and territories. Increase research and innovation as a key to ensuring Canada maintains a strong and vibrant food production system. Develop new, progressive labelling regulations that give clear and simple information to Canadians on the nutritional value of the foods they purchase, improve the regulatory process for new health claims, and clarify Product of Canada labelling

Conservative Party: No local, labelling, organic or young farmer platform. Proposing to invest in a new Agriculture Innovation Initiative to support farm-based research and development projects - $50 million over two-years. Focus is on agriculture in the global market.

NDP: No organic platform. Proposing to increase support to Canadian producers and local food networks by supporting farmers’ markets, agricultural cooperatives and alternative regulation for small-scale operators. Will work to ensure the sustainability of Canada’s agriculture by encouraging young farmers to take up farming and by supporting current farmers with enhanced skill training, mentorship programs and ensuring that arable land is more widely available. Create a Green Bond Fund to allow Canadians to invest in a sustainable future by supporting solutions like green energy research and development and its commercialization and community-scale renewable project. Develop labelling that will help consumers identify healthy foods and genetically modified ingredients.

Green Party: No labelling, or research and development platform. Proposing to expand domestic food production and procurement with “200 kilometer diet” promotion, rooftop gardens, urban agriculture and seed banks. Support a healthy agriculture sector, with support for those who wish to transition to organic farming. Young farmers are increasingly unable to afford land to start farming, changes must be made to increase availability of land.

Bloc Québécois: No local, young farmers, labelling or organics platform. Proposing to increase support for research and development in terms of environment and fighting climate change.

“Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote.”

La festa di San Giuseppe

2011-03-20T16:38:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was la festa di San Giuseppe (St.Joseph`s day). Celebrated mostly by southern Italians, but also many different cultures throughout the world.

During the middle ages when there was a major famine due to drought and crop failure in Southern Italy the people looked to Saint Joseph to end their hardship. It was promised that when the drought ended all the bounty would be shared with the poor. As the story goes rain fell and the crops flourished to end the famine, so a large feast was prepared on March 19th in honour of St. Joe! The offerings at the initial festival were mostly vegetarian with some fish, as meat was scarce and expensive for peasants. A major focus of the meal is beans, and in particular the popular fava bean of the south.

In more recent times the zeppola (pic above) is prepared as a traditional St. Joseph’s day confectionery. In Montréal it is usually only available in Italian boulangeries once a year, so it’s kind of a novelty…and it’s delicious. I sampled the baked and ricotta filled variety, which are healthier but just as good. I’ll attempt to make them in another post, but for now a picture of the one I devoured on Saturday morning is what I offer for your eyes.

As I mentioned, fava beans (broad beans) are used a lot for this festival so here is my take on a pasta fava.

Pasta Fava:

Ingredients:

1 can Fava beans
Butter
1/2 yellow onion
2 garlic cloves
Dried oregano
Paprika
Fresh basil
Extra virgin olive oil
S & P

Sauté the onions and garlic in butter until translucent.
Add the dried oregano, paprika, salt and pepper
Wait until there is some browning on the bottom of the pan, and add some more butter.
Add the fava beans to the pan, and cook for 5 min on medium heat.
Take half of the pan mixture and blend it in a food processor with olive oil.
Add the pureed mix back to the pan, throw some basil, top with parmesan and serve over penne.

FESTA!

Peanut Butter Oatmeal & Egyptian Tea – Meatless Monday

2011-02-12T09:55:00.001-05:00

Viva Egypt!
It’s Saturday morning and I’m feeling pretty good about the human race, so to keep the good times rolling I decide to make a delicious breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it sets the record straight by providing you with the long lasting energy you’ll need to take down corrupt governments. Nutritional tip: Always have a good mix of whole grain carbohydrates, protein, and fat in your breakfast in order to sustain your energy levels.
Peanut Butter Oatmeal

Ingredients:

Hot water
Oats, whole
Peanut butter (100% peanuts, organic)
Honey (local, unpasteurized)
Walnuts, whole

Bring a 1/4-1/2 cup of oats with 1 cup of water to a boil, then let simmer on med for about 5 min; when oats are cooked mix in peanut butter until blended, then add in honey and walnuts. Adjust quantity of each ingredient to your taste. So simple, yet so unbelievably delicious.
Try adding a teaspoon of cocoa powder(fair trade) in for a chocolate morning surprise. I had some dark chocolate so I added a few chunks of it. yum.
Classic Egyptian Mint Tea

Mint tea leaves (local, or if from Egypt fair trade)
Black tea leaves (fair trade)

I know the Egyptian people still have a lot of work to accomplish, but they have definitely passed a massive obstacle; therefore, in honour of them I’m going to enjoy their classic beverage of choice. Mix the two tea leaves together and then steep them in boiling water ( I did so in a French press). Drink in small shot glasses. tasty!

Mangiare rivoluzione!

Canines & Carnivores

2011-02-05T11:15:00.001-05:00

I want to start this post by stating that I love dogs.

Recently, A dog sledding company in British Columbia has been all over the news for culling 100 of their dogs because their company wasn’t making enough money and the dogs had become too costly to “care” for. An employee of the company who helped in killing the animals filed a workers compensation grievance, and the story leaked. A certainly disgusting act that is incomprehensible to say the least.

Having said that, this brings up an interesting ethical question for us Westerners. Why is it that such outrage and instant support from voices of those who rarely speak out only arises when a dog is treated unethically? The easy answer may be that most of us have owned dogs and therefore we can call on deeper connections to them when we hear of such acts committed. However, I also think that it is our lack of understanding and maybe more so our Western mentally of “I don’t want to know”… because if I did then I might actually have to start to question and change my/our way of life. A symptom which in my opinion starts to seep into far too many facets of our daily lives, the inability to question the world around us.

What I am referring to is the blatantly unethical treatment and subsequent mass slaughter of animals that takes place in North America every single day, hour, and second. Other than PETA activists this utterly insane activity is not spoken or addressed fairly enough.

To put this topic into perspective. The average factory farm animal (cow, chicken, pig) lives in conditions their entire lives that are less than acceptable; standing knee high in their own shit, unable to turn around, parts of their body maimed, never seeing daylight, trampled to death in their stalls, never breathing fresh air, never feeling soil under them, drugged up, and experiencing stress levels that no dog likely ever does. On top of their dismal and short existence in this world, many of these factory farmed animals are slaughtered in ways which make shooting a dog in the head seem in all honesty quite nice, compared to: chickens thrown live into boiling water baths, cows bled from their throats until their life is painfully drained to nothing, pigs electrically shocked to death… In the U.S. 287 chickens, 3.68 pigs, and 1.12 cows are slaughtered every SECOND!

Excellent Visual

This is not a plea to turn everyone into a vegetarian, but it is one to support more ethical and sustainable choices of meat, as well as to eat meat less often. It is important that we demand (from our government, producers, and suppliers) better practices from our meat industry as we currently have very little choice besides factory farming…an excellent reason to raise your voice for animal welfare every day.

If you are interested in books on this topic, I highly recommend:

Animal Liberation by Peter Singer

Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer

The Ethics of What we Eat by Peter Singer

Tumbleweeds and Food Security

2011-01-16T12:24:00.004-05:00

Happy New Year/ Bonne Année/ Buon Anno!
My first post of the new year is arriving a little late, as the new year has brought me plenty of work.

I was back in my home town for a good month and a half near the end of 2010, which presented me the opportunity to volunteer with an excellent organization, The Kamloops Food Policy Council (KFPC). The KFPC, established in 1995, has emphasized public education on food security issues as well as concrete food system projects, such as the very successful Community Gardens. The KFPC acts as an umbrella, providing an opportunity for project and advocacy groups to co-ordinate their work. The council includes members from a multitude of different backgrounds and disciplines: dieticians, horticulturists, organic farmers, agrologists, chefs, and any concerned citizens interested in food security.

One of the main projects I worked on while in Kamloops was to apply for a social grant from the City of Kamloops to get the author of Public Produce , Darrin Nordahl, to come to Kamloops to help spur the citizens and city council to include edible landscape within public spaces in order to increase the food security in the region. Edible landscaping is an amazing concept of turning unused or underutilized space into free public produce, I highly recommend reading Mr.Nordahl’s book!

The KFPC is an essential part of Kamloops and in my opinion a nessessary part of any city/borough.
Please check out the website we created for more info about the KFPC and food security.

Meatless Mondays – Deck the Halls with Balls of Goodness

2010-12-21T18:36:00.001-05:00

Are you looking for a treat this holiday season that is tasty, easy to make, and good for you? What would you say if I told you I had just the recipe that would meet those requirements?… well I do! So keep your shorts on and grab a food processor because it’s time to get freaking jolly.

Balls of Holiday Goodness

Ingredients

2 cups of almonds (or cashews, hazelnuts, brazil nuts, etc.)
1 cup of sunflower seeds
1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds
1 cup of organic 100% peanut butter (or almond butter, cashew butter, etc.)
1 cup of dates
1/4 cup of local unpasteurized honey
1/2 cup of fair trade cocoa powder
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1. The first step is owning a food processor or perhaps borrowing one from a friend or a family member. I would like to avoid making this an exclusive recipe because food processors can be quite pricey, so if you have a blender you could try them in there (I take no responsibility for broken appliances).

2. Put all ingredients except the shredded coconut into the food processor and pulse until all the nuts are completely crushed and the mixture starts to slightly clump to the side.

3. Grab a small handful of the mixture and form into a ball by pressing it in the palm of your hand. If the mixture is too crumbly at this point you may need to add more peanut butter (or honey) and pulse them again until they are easy to form and bind together.

4. after each ball is formed, place them into a tray of shredded coconut and roll them around.

5. Eat your balls.

Mix and match ingredients with the suggested substitutions to create subtly different flavours.

Happy Holidays!!

Meatless Monday – Chocolate Banana-Date Cookies

2010-12-07T01:14:00.001-05:00

This recipe was adapted from a few different low added sugar and low fat recipes, but not to worry because it is absolutely delicious. I initially made these cookies as an internship project, and I’ll be darned because they are now one of my favourites.
They are high in fiber…and fun?

Chocolate Banana-Date Cookies:

3 cups of oats
3 bananas, fair trade
2 cups of dates, chopped
1/2 cup applesauce
2 cups of dark chocolate chips, fair trade

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Chop up the dates (a food processor really helps here).
3. Using a large bowl smash up the bananas using your hands.
4. Mix in the remaining ingredients with the bananas.
5. Make the batter into balls any size you wish and place them on a buttered (or use parchment paper) cookie sheet.
6. Using a fork press the balls down until they are as thin or thick as you prefer. These cookies will not expand or shrink, so what they look like at this point is what they will look like when they are finished baking.
7. Bake for 20-25 min.
8. Let cool on a drying rack for 20 minutes to help them form a slightly crispy texture.

Enjoy while drinking a slice of coffee.

Homage to Deconstructing Dinner

2010-12-03T19:06:00.002-05:00

The amazing and groundbreaking radio program Deconstructing Dinner is taking an “indefinite” break from its’ one hour weekly radio program. The main reason to discontinue the show seems to be that funding wasn’t sufficient, which is a shame. I became a regular listener of Deconstructing Dinner just over two years ago, but the program has been running from the Kootenay co-op radio station since 2005. Needless to say I have listened to almost every episode, and tried to donate as much as a student can…

Deconstructing Dinner tackled the issue of Food Security/Systems with no filters, and was a massive part of British Columbia’s and Canada’s local and slow food movement. Much respect goes out to Jon Steinman the creator and host of the show, a graduate of the University of Guelph and one of Canada’s premier food activists.
You can download all of Deconstructing Dinner’s episodes as podcasts or simply go to their webpage and listen to episodes there. I highly recommend going back and listening to them as they are a wealth of information and relevant at any time.

My top 3 episodes (although it’s really hard to pick just three).
"THE DISAPPEARANCE OF OMEGA-3s"
"EXPLORING ETHNOBIOLOGY I: PRESERVING TRADITIONAL FOODWAYS AMONG INDIGENOUS YOUTH”
"FERMENTING REVOLUTION / SOIL MATTERS CSA I"

Enjoy :)

Mangia Montréal – Boulangerie Guillaume

2010-11-17T13:58:00.005-05:00

Fresh Baked Goodness.
Boulangerie Guillaume - 17 Avenue Fairmont Est. – Mile End - Montreal

Boulangerie Guilluame is a new bakery located on avenue Fairmont in the Mile End of Montreal; it is locally owned and operated.
I entered the bakery on a quiet Saturday morning in search of a treat to accompany my morning coffee. The first thing I noticed was the open concept of the bakery, I could see the baker (owner) working, the oven blazing, and the bags of flour stacked on the shelf labelled organic. I am a huge advocate of open layouts in a food establishment, it gives them a more social and inviting atmosphere. While waiting in line I started day dreaming about how great it is to have an organic bakery in my neighborhood, and then I was snapped back to reality by the women at the counter “Salute, Que voulez-vous?”…mmmmm.. I’ll have a pain avec chocolat, brioche, and a croissant (not all for me…unfortunately) Merci Beaucoup! ~$7 for all three items...nice!

The baked goods were immediately taken to a cafe to be eaten; although, I learned on subsequent visits that they do have fair trade organic coffee at the bakery. The croissant was about as good as any I have had in Montreal, light, not too flaky, can't go wrong there. The star of the show was the bread with chocolate inside (can not remember the actual name for this treat for the life of me!), not to be confused with pain au chocolat (croissant with chocolate inside). This bread chocolate combo is amazing, 100% organic bread rolled with 70% chocolat on the inside, not too sweet and excellent with coffee! “Why had I not tried this before?” I thought to myself. I will definitely be coming back for more!
Boulangerie Guillaume also has an excellent selection of artisan made baguettes, loaves, and savoury treats,
I highly recommend this bakery, it’s tasty, environmentally friendly and ethical! What more could you ask for.

Mangiare Bene!

Meatless Monday – Banging Brussel Sprouts

2010-11-09T13:14:00.003-05:00

Bienvenue!
Brussel sprouts, you either love 'em or hate 'em; this recipe is all about the love. Brussel sprouts are both healthy and delicious, so the next time you end up with some brussel sprouts staring you in the face, smile, because you are minutes away from the time of your life.
The variety of cheese and the vinegar in this recipe can be easily changed to created completely different flavours.

Ingredients

1 lb Local brussel sprouts, easy to find at this time of the year.
3 Tbs Butter
1 Medium onion, you choose the variety
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano – or switch with any cheese you like
4 Tbs Balsamic vinegar – or any flavoured vinegar you like (I used apple cider in this one :0 )
2 Tbs Local unpasteurized honey

1. Blanch the Brussel sprouts in boiling water for about 3 min.

2. Slice onion into rings and sauté in butter until translucent (~6 min.) in a frying pan.

2. Slice the Brussel Sprouts and sauté with the onions in the frying pan until they begin to brown and stick to the pan.

3. Deglaze the frying pan with the vinegar and let most of the liquid cook off.

4. Add the cheese and honey, and serve immediately!

Eat them. All!
Brussel sprouts have amazing health benefits:

cancer prevention
high in vitamins A, C, K
high in omega-3 fatty acids

Delicious Videos

2010-10-24T10:46:00.001-04:00

Hello!

I ran across these videos on the weekend, and I really must share them. Please watch and enjoy.

1) Here is a short clip of Carlo Petrini, the founder of Slow Food, speaking about how we currently value food. Carlo Petrini is a pioneer in the sustainable food movement and a food activist.

2). This second short doc like film is from Jessica Theroux who recently wrote a book titled Cooking with Italian Grandmothers. In this clip she follows an Italian grandmother around her small farm and kitchen, while preparing a meal. Maybe it’s just because the women reminded me of my grandmother in Italy, especially when she puts on her headscarf, but this video puts me at peace. Enjoy.

Cooking with Italian Grandmothers from Welcome Books on Vimeo.

Meatless Mondays – Simple Squash Soup

2010-10-18T21:54:00.002-04:00

Fall!
I am very partial to the Fall season, probably because it is the season I was born, but mostly because it is the best. Fall = harvest time, pumpkin and apple EVERYTHING, illuminated leaves changing color, crisp air, and the return of soup season! We will begin with my favorite: butternut squash soup! As a bonus, this recipe is very quick to make and excellent for a limited budget! So head out to the market, and grab some local squash and get down with Fall!

Butternut Squash Soup:
Ingredients

1 butternut squash
1 large onion, yellow
4 Tbsp butter
2 vegetable bouillon cubes

1. Dice the onions and then sauté them in butter in a large stock pot on low-medium heat until translucent.

2. Peel, core, and seed the butternut squash then rough chop into cubes and add to the pot.

3. Add the bouillon cubes to the pot and add enough water to cover the squash completely.

4. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium and cover with a lid.

5. Cook for roughly 20 minutes, or until the squash is tender and falling apart.

6. Take the pot off the heat and puree the soup with a hand blender.

7.. Serve with some crusty bread. Garnish with chives/green onion to get fancy.

Breathe it in!

Mangia Montréal – Le Panthére Verte/The Green Panther

2010-10-03T10:13:00.005-04:00

I have decided to start a series on eating out in Montreal. Searching for quality and affordable food made by passionate people is past time that I take seriously, and hopefully these posts can be of help to those who find themselves hungry in Montreal.
My criteria for eating out is simply that the restaurant/café/fromagerie/boulangerie/charcuterie/etc. must be:

Locally owned (no chains*)
Hopefully have many locally sourced items
Reasonably priced
Darn tasty

*Small is beautiful....and Milton Friedman is not.

This series will commence starting……now!

The Green Panther – 66 rue St-Viateur west – Mile end – Montreal

The Green Panther, is located on one of my favourite streets in Montreal- St.Viateur. The layout is very simple and to the point, as is their menu. In my opinion a small menu is the first sign of a potentially good restaurant , do a few things BUT do them well! They have in total 4 sandwiches/pitas and 3 salads, all vegetarian, as well as fresh made drinks. All items are organic and locally sourced (when possible) with an environmental conscious. I went with the falafel (golden balls) pita and mixed greens w/sprouted grains and a kombucha drink! (will soon talk about kombucha in an upcoming post) for 12 bucks. The price is well worth it because it is among the best falafel in town, and that is saying a lot considering the vast amount of middle eastern resto’s here in Montreal . I highly recommend eating at Le Panthére Verte for lunch; it is a friendly place for your guts, cash flow, and the environment.

Mangiare bene!

Meatless Mondays - Uova al Purgatorio

2010-09-26T16:27:00.004-04:00

Hello!
I was going to call this recipe eggs in tomato sauce, but after describing it to my pa, he remarked “Oh!, no no that’s uova al purgatorio, I used to make it all the time back home.”
Eggs in purgatory, nice!
Since these eggs are going through purgatory it would be fitting to use the battery variety…but we’ll use free range and pretend.

Ingredients:

Free Range eggs
1 bottle of crushed tomatoes
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 medium red onion
1 hot pepper (you choose the variety)
1/2 cup red table wine (or substitute with red wine vinegar, cheaper)
Parmigiano reggiano
Feta cheese
Butter
Paprika
fresh parsley
Salt & pepper

In a sauce pot sauté the onions, garlic, paprika and hot pepper in a small amount of butter, and cook until onions are translucent.

De-glaze the pan with a splash of wine/vinegar, and add your tomatoes and tomato paste.

Bring the sauce to a boil, then turn down to a med heat (simmer) add some salt and pepper and cook for 15 minutes.

At this point follow the same steps as though you were poaching eggs.

Once all the eggs are in the pot, cover them with a lid so the steam can cook the top of the eggs.

When the eggs are cooked take the pot off the heat and sprinkle with some feta, parmesan and parsley.

Serve with a few hunks of crusty bread and enjoy!

“L' anima mia gustava di quel cibo, che saziando di se, di se s' asseta.”
“My soul tasted that food, which gives new appetite while it satiates.”
~ Dante

Meatless Mondays – Tomato.Basil.Pasta.

2010-09-07T20:27:00.001-04:00

Bon freaking journo!
This is the perfect time of the year for one of the simplest yet freshest dishes know to humans. Why? because tomatoes and basil are both in season right now!! So grab some Roma’s an onion and a bunch of fresh basil and get down!

Ingredients:

Fresh basil (as much as you think is necessary…so a lot)
2 Tbsp dried basil
4 cups Roma tomato’s, blanched, peeled
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 medium white onion
1/2 cup red table wine (or substitute with red wine vinegar, cheaper)
Pasta, I used rigatoni here, but you can use any one you like
Parmigiano reggiano
Butter, from a nice cow
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper

1. Put a pot of water on for your pasta, and by the time it is boiling you should almost be finished your sauce.

2. Dice the onion and sauté it in butter and dried basil in a sauce pan until translucent, ~6 min

3. While the onion is cooking, take your blanched and peeled Roma’s and blend in a food processor or blender until no large chunks remain.

4. When the onion is starting to brown and slightly sticking to the pan, add the wine in and deglaze the pan.

5. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste in the pan, along with a few sprigs of basil (include the stem so you can remove later), bring to a boil, then simmer for ~10 minutes to thicken and reduce the sauce.

6. To serve. Take the sauce off the heat and throw in as much chopped basil in as you like, add the pasta to the pan, plate it, then slice/shred some Parmigiano over it, and finally drizzle some olive oil on it.

....Mangia!

How I Got Here

2010-09-05T13:43:00.001-04:00

Good day,
I was back in my home town for a slice of the summer, which meant I had the pleasure of eating my mama’s home cooked meals and play in my dad’s vegetable garden!

One day I was in the back yard of my parents house, where the garden is, getting some fresh air after being cooped up in the house recovering from oral surgery (wisdom teeth, gone!), and that’s when just the right mix of nostalgia and pain killers led me down a wonderful path.
I thought of how I spent most of my life running by this garden on the way to and from school, completely uninterested in it. From time to time I would “help” with the watering, which I hated, but excluding that you wouldn't see me back there unless there were ants to kill. Evidently, my lack of interest did not stop this magical garden from having a major influence on my life. For instance, I’ve spent the last five plus years trying to identify, understand and participate in local food movements/sustainable food and here my dad has been doing it since I was a child, when he would provide our family with fruits and vegetables for the entire summer and tomato sauce for the winter.

My mother played a major part in our families local food movement, as she would effortlessly (or it always seemed like it) incorporate these food items in to our meals…radicchio & romaine salad (most summer days!), cucumber salad, tomato salad, pasta piselli, pasta marinara, pasta fava, peach/plum/cherry crumble, and the list goes on. I had it made!…...and I didn’t even know it.

So there I was kneeling in front of the patch of strawberries just in front of the raspberry bushes which line the fence, almost in tears (post-surgery medication?) for the gratitude I felt for this 1/4 acre vegetable garden, and more importantly for my parents. Where I grew up is physically and literally a part of who I am.

Growing food addresses many issues such as food sovereignty, the environment, organics, food security, etc.; however, maybe the most important aspect of growing food is that it promotes greater social connections and strengthens our connection to the land...wherever we are.

If we are so closely connected to something then we will fight for its' survival, I'm sure of it.

Gardens & Family = happiness.

Meatless Monday - Lenticchie

2010-08-03T23:25:00.002-04:00

Hi.
Lentils! One of my all time favourite foods. This is a recipe that has sort of evolved over time, it started as a soup and eventually turned into a dish served over rice. It is inspired by Italian, Mexican, and Indian lentil dishes.

Lenticchie w/basmati rice:
Ingredients:

3 cups dry lentils (soaked over night in water) or from a can
2 shallots (or 1 medium onion)
2 garlic cloves
1 tomato
3-4 cups broth (or enough to cover lentils)
2 Tbs oil (coconut) or butter (grass fed cows please)
3 Tbs cumin (or more to taste)
1 Tbs coriander
1 Tbs turmeric
Bunch of cilantro
Lime
Avocado
Basmati rice

Dice shallots and place in a saucepan, sauté over medium heat with oil..

Add minced garlic, cumin, coriander, and turmeric after about 3 minutes, and continue cooking for another 5 minutes

Add diced tomato and lentils. Stir in with onions and cook for 1 minute

Add stock (enough to cover the lentils) and turn heat to high.

Bring to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer. Simmer until liquid has evaporated about 30 minutes.

While lentils are cooking start Basmati rice. Ratio is 1 cup basmati to 2 cups water.

Finish the dish by scooping lentils over rice, and adding some avocado slices and fresh chopped cilantro. Finally, to top it off, squeeze a fresh lime over it all…the more the better!

Love lentils.

Salt.eh.

2010-07-29T13:59:00.000-04:00

Guten tag.

Health Canada has just sent out a memo discussing future guidelines to help decrease the salt consumption of Canadians, you can read about it in this article from the Globe and Mail. One way they hope to accomplish this is that they are going to try and get food companies to adhere to strict sodium guidelines, by setting maximum allowable amounts in one serving of a food product. This is great news....but let's look into this issue a little further.

The only reason why Health Canada feels the need to use these drastic measures is that processed food has enormous amounts of sodium in it.why? for taste (to mask the utter lack of it?) and for preservation.

I have a simpler solution. Do not eat processed food. what? yes! It is that simple. Then you can add salt to your homemade dishes until your heart is content, and I guarantee you will never come close to the amount in processed food....well, if you are reasonable about it.... and you are, I can tell.

The next time you want frozen pizza/hot pockets!(click for funnies), fish sticks, t.v. dinners, canned meals, cereal type bars, etc., just say no!....these items are PACKED with sodium.
As well, these processed foods can be very expensive ($15 for 6 hot pockets...what a deal!?), not to mention their complete lack of any significant nutrients. why/how companies think this is food is beyond me?

An interesting point to consider is that one can eat an organic whole food diet for roughly the same price as a conventional processed one.

Stay tuned for more recipes using whole foods!

yum.

Meatless Mondays: Cucumber Insalata

2010-07-20T12:31:00.001-04:00

Hi!

I will be posting a recipe every other week for Meatless Mondays, and today is the debut!

Cucumber Salad: a very simple and satisfying addition to a summer meal, or a salad to enjoy just on its’ own.

It is a classic Italian dish, passed down from my mother (thanks mama!), in the sense that it is ALL about the ingredients, a fresh and crispy cucumber!

Needless to say, good cuc. --> great salad, bad cuc. --> not so great salad.

Just in time for cucumber season! (In Canada anyway).

Ingredients:

1 Cucumber
1/4 Red Onion
2 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 Tbs White Vinegar
Dried Oregano
Sea Salt & Pepper

1) Peel cucumber.

2) Cut down the middle, length wise.

3) Slice fairly thin.

4) Slice red onion as thin as you can, always thinner than the cucumber.

5) Add vinegar

5) Add olive oil

6) Add oregano and sea salt & pepper to taste.

And enjoy!………every day!, until out of season :)

Meatless Monday Beef Dreams

2010-07-05T16:29:00.000-04:00

Hello!!

It has been awhile!...let me reacquaint myself. I'm the guy who likes eggs. hello.

It is my pleasure to introduce y'all to a concept coined "Meatless Mondays"! ..if you're a vegetarian already, keep up the good work and please do read on and bask in your glory.
For the rest of us, "Meatless Mondays" is essentially a movement started with the intention of having at least one day a week dedicated to consuming no meat. Monday was chosen arbitrarily, and the day is not important here it is essentially just the act that matters.

Why meatless days? There are a whole slough of reasons, some of which get into some serious ethical questions, but I'll leave the animal ethics for my talk and blog report with Peter Singer (I'll await your call Mr.Singer).
For now, the most important reason is that it is an excellent way to save our world! yaaay!

1) Livestock production emits more CO2 than all of the combined vehicle emission's in the world. Needless to say it is an often overlooked polluter, as compared to cars, coal plants, etc. I have personally stopped driving my Hummer to pick up my meat at the factory farm slaughter house everyday. no need to thank me in person...cards are fine.

2) Raising cattle in massive numbers (as is usually the case in North America) degrades the soil and in many instances the water supply, leaving prime agricultural land virtually useless for anything else...suburban developments anyone!;/
*The exception to this degradation is when sustainable livestock practices are employed; where cattle are grass fed and integrated into a full circle type system.
e.g.
- cattle are fed on pasture.
- once grass is becoming scarce, the cattle are moved to fresh pasture.
- chickens can be brought in to the used pasture to feed on manure (bugs in the manure) etc.
- manure helps fertilize the used pasture.
- grass on used pasture grows back lush and healthy.
- cows are eventually moved back on to the patch of used pasture.
- and the cycle continues..all with zero waste and no external input.
- The soil remains healthy and rich with nutrients.

Let's compare this full cycle system to a conventional feeding lot where cattle are sent to fatten up in the last 3-4 months of their life. Cows are stationary, fed grains and antibiotics, and their manure has to be scooped up and disposed (to prevent illness). The external input is enormous and the waste is....well... piles and piles of shit that can eventually get in to the water supply. Clearly not as good.

Not eating meat one day a week is another great example of voting with your dollars and not to mention saving some of your dollars too, as meat is one of the most expensive grocery items. In my experience, if one chooses to eat meat only ~2-3 days a week, free range sustainable meat is easily affordable ...with money left to spare!
Eating meat every day, 2-3 meals a day is absolutely NOT necessary for good health contrary to what you may have heard or seen. In fact it can actually be detrimental to health as vegetarians have been shown to live longer than regular meat eaters.[1,2]. Plus there are endless amounts of delicious meals one can make without the use of meat, which I feel makes dinner more exiting and creative on a day to day basis.

Finally, "Meatless Mondays" can hopefully symbolize an even more important movement away from our incessant need for cheap meat. Due to the fact that if we are to eat meat two or more times a day then most of us can only afford to buy cheap, subsidized, industrial, grain finished, unhealthy meat.... otherwise you'd go bankrupt trying to buy grass fed products everyday. This is a excellent breaking point!..We don't need to eat meat everyday, we can get protein from nuts, or legumes (lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans), and oh yeah!.. free range eggs.
Save your money and buy ethical free range meat every other day, and you will most undoubtedly be supporting a local farmer, supporting the local economy, supporting small farms, improving your health, and reducing carbon emissions to the greatest extent one individual act can do so.

not bad:)

Mc Shtick

2010-05-10T17:19:00.000-04:00

Hi.
I'm fed up.
Mcfreaking Happy Day!?:(
What?
Apparently McDonald's has set aside one day of the year to give some of their profits to children's hospitals....ohhh welllll isn't that great!!... I also heard news of a serial killer who volunteers every Monday at the cemetery..what a grrreat guy!..ohhh sure he has killed few people, but he's really helping out the community!:/

Hopefully we can all see the shameful irony of this situation!
If not, let me cleary point it out.

1) Fast food restaurants which include McDonalds have some of the highest per meal fat, sugar, and sodium content...... contributing to an obese and diabetic population. This is now a commonly accepted association: CARDIA 15year study, Proximity study, systematic review...etc.

2) The primary target of these fast food companies advertising campaigns are children: affecting children as young as 3 years old, who recognize their products, and their images are even shown to affect taste preferences...probably why the scientific community are calling for a serious inquiry on these ethics. It's not like parents have it hard enough, now they have to convince a crying child that they have been brainwashed.
Raj Patel sums it up nicely in his blog post, Down on the Clown.

So I think we may be getting somewhere now...Recap!
Fast food has been correlated with obesity and diabetes, and is primarily advertised to kids/teens. Thus more and more kids/teens eat or have a preference to these meals, and then may need hospitalization for complications due to obesity and diabetes. Adding an unimaginable cost to the health care system now and in the future. Last year happy day raised 2.8 million dollars. By 2020 in Canada, diabetes healthcare costs are expected to reach 17 BILLION a year!

3) Last but not least all fast food chains drive, McDonald's being the main player, our industrial food system, just because of their sheer size. From their industrial corn fed beef, chicken, and pork to their industrial corn fed drinks..etc,etc. It is the key to their success! it's cheap! but it's also subsidized by the government.
Here's why industrial ag. is wrong.
- First and foremost concerning this blog, their meat products are nutritionally inferior to sustainable grass fed products. having a less omega 3:6 ratio. Omega 3's have been linked to brain, eye, cardiovascular health, and as well as obesity....how ironic:/
Second, industrial agriculture:
- Means monocultures, and degradation of the soil for future generations, and thus needs chemical fertilizers to be placed back in the soil.....chemical run off?
- usually requires/demands pesticides, fungicides which ensure monocultures aren't wiped out by one disease.
- supports Genetically Modified (GM) products, which in my opinion have not been proven safe.
- Helps agribusiness and their CEO's get rich while the actual farmers struggle to survive.
- Requires obsessive antibiotic use on the animals who are more prone to disease when fed corn and in confined spaces.......yummm!, drugged up hamburgers.

These industrial agriculture practices are subsidized by our government! and small scale farming is not. So in effect we are paying for McDonald's to be cheap....which is quite funny becasue I don't remember being asked to support the destruction of our food system?

That is why I think it is important to uncover the real costs of fast food companies, and their little publicity schemes that are laughable.

So here is my plea to McDonald's: Replace all of your chains meat to local sustainable grass fed products and stop selling pop..... and I will become a customer!
DEAL?

Bread Crustata

2010-05-01T14:07:00.000-04:00

Hey there!

I've been busy preparing for my thesis defense, and have not had time to write here in a while.... so to tide all of my readers over (mom?), I will give out one of my favorite recipes.

Crusty Bread!
This recipe is basically the result of taking bits and pieces of my favorite bread recipes in search of that authentic fluffy but crusty rustic style bread. This simple no-knead recipe is amazing!
Please try it. I guarantee it will satisfy!
Be warned that this bread is at least a 20 hour process, so timing is key!
If you want to have it with dinner you need to start it the night before.

Ingredients
3 cups organic bread flour
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons fine sea salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran (optional)

Directions
In a large bowl combine flour, yeast, salt, and mix. Add 1 1/2 cups water, and stir until blended.

Dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature.

Dough is ready when its surface bubbly.

Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to everything, quickly shape dough into a ball with out working it too much. Place back in bowl, cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 1-2 more
hours...again the longer the better.

Before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 F degrees. Put a heavy covered pot (cast iron or clay works best(very crusty))...I'm using just a cheapo stainless steel one) in oven as it heats to 450 F. When dough is ready, remove pot from oven without burning yourself. If you are using stainless steel you are going to have to put some oil in the pot, and cornmeal as well to make sure it doesn't stick! Now Take bowl with dough and flip the dough in to the bottom of the pot.

Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes.

Then remove lid and bake another 20 to 30 minutes, until loaf is browned. Cool on a rack.

Voila!

Crusty!...... and fluff city!

Slap some butter on it...and enjoy life!

Delicious Dispatches- New York

2010-04-08T12:00:00.000-04:00

Spring!

I went and visited my wonderful famiglia this past weekend for Easter.....two words: buffalo mozzarella!
On top of all the great homemade cooking I was devouring I got out to visit a few interesting spots while I was in the city.

Stop # 1: Dirty Bird in Greenwich Village.
I had heard that it was easy to find restaurants in NY that had free-range options, so I looked into it and found just the place I was looking for...Dirty Bird.

I stopped in at lunch time and the first thing I noticed was that this was not a sit down kind of place (Its' full name is actually dirty bird to-go...made sense after I walked in:0), but I was in luck because there was a bar window seat open so I threw my bag down on it and went to order. If you have ever been to Romados in Montreal, this place is very familiar, but guess what, the Dirty Birds are free range! I got the special which was a 1/4 chicken, roasted potatoes, and two homemade cookies for 8 bucks, which is pretty darn good considering 1). It's in Manhattan where you can easily spend 13 bucks on a inedible sandwich and 2). It was free-range chicken!
Well let me tell you, it was GOOD chicken...potatoes were also excellent.

Very impressed!..One reason why I think this city is so great is because ideas like free-range can easily be adopted and make some serious progress due to the concentrated population and demand. Without the concern of being stamped out by unethical companies....like K.F.disgusting.

Stop #2: Free Range Egg Farm Glen Cove, NY

I was searching for a farmers market on Saturday afternoon around the Queens area, but unfortunately most of them don't start up until mid April-May, but I did stumble across a free range chicken farm 20 minutes away! Somehow I convinced my cousins that checking this place out was a good idea and after promising to make everyone poached eggs for breakfast we headed out there hoping we would find something:/ Ohhh we found something alright, Mr. Armstrong and his chickens!:)

This is what free-range is! These chickens could literally go anywhere we soon found out while dodging them as we pulled in the driveway.

We poked around for a bit, talked to Mr. Armstrong, and then bought three dozen eggs @ 5 dollars a pop. We didn't hesitate to buy them at this price because it was pretty obvious that these eggs were for REAL! now having said that I usually pay around 4$ a dozen for free range eggs , but when you're the only one offering this quality product in the area you can definitely charge 5 bucks

for them, heck he could have even have gotten away with 6 bucks. I know some people are thinking "well shit, I can get a dozen eggs for 2 bucks at the grocer", but I would argue that those aren't even the same product. and these are FRESH eggs, so fresh that you can not hard boil them because the membrane surrounding the egg (just inside the shell) is so strong that you cannot peel the shell.....ya that fresh. and to quote a knowledgeable farmer Joel Salatin "Some customers complain about how I charge 3.50 a dozen for free range eggs, while drinking a can of soda that cost them $1.50!" or I would say while drinking a latte that cost them 4$.
Having said that: If we want to pay a lower price for free-range eggs we need to get the government to subsidize organic sustainable farms, and not only industrial agribusiness's (which by the way receive subsidies in the billions!)
What a great thing you got going here we all said to Mr. Armstrong. He replied "Yeeeahh it's pretty darn good, but unfortunately not too many people know about it."
.....well let's try and change that.

Kefir a.k.a buddies!

2010-03-28T11:37:00.000-04:00

HEY!

A few weeks ago I received a letter, and in that letter was a pouch full of bacteria.....no this was not an act of bioterroism, it was my new kefir culture arriving by mail from an organic farm in Ontario. hahahahaha
ooohhhh wow!, even I have to laugh at that one:)

I described in a previous post what kefir is, and why I think it's great. So I took it upon myself to actually make my own kefir from my own bacteria....as one would naturally do?
I ordered some of my own little kefir babies online, they arrived in no less than 4 days, and I accepted them in to my home as if they were my own.

They are actually called kefir grains because they look like a little grain, but in fact they are not a grain at all just a cluster of beneficial bacteria. Basically the goal is to keep them alive by providing them with milk and in turn they will transform your milk into a delicious fermented goodness. One of the wonders of the world really! I'm semi-lactose intolerant, so drinking kefir is a great way for me to be able to get some good ole pasture fed milk(raw if/when I can get it) in me without my insides exploding.

(pic on the left: kefir grains)

Here are the steps I used to make my kefir:

1) Rinse the kefir grains with non-chlorinated water, not tap water. I use a Brita filter for this. Chlorine can possibly kill the bacteria, so avoid it. Use a plastic strainer (the slots on this one below are a little too wide), metal or wire strainers can kill the bacteria as well, so plastic only.

2). After your little kefir buddies are clean, get a clean jar, and some room temperature milk.

3) Spoon the kefir grains into the jar, again using a plastic spoon not a metal one (see step 1).

4). Pour in your room temperature milk.

4). Place a cloth over the jar, or just place the lid on loosely depending on the jar you are using. The key here is that you need the the jar to breath (burp?) without completely exposing it to the air, where it could possibly pick up unwanted bacteria.

5) Leave it at room temperature in a dark place (like a cupboard) ensuring it is not exposed to light.Let it sit there for at least 24 hours and up to 3 days or more depending on how sour you want it to taste.

6). After it it has cultured (1-4 days) Strain out the kefir grains through a plastic strainer as in Step 1 and start again. The milk will now have a consistency just slightly more fluid than yogurt.

Place the finished jar in the fridge where it will continue to develop. Best case scenario: you will have one jar fermenting, and one ready to consume in the fridge, and continue on this cycle. If you do not feel like consuming a liter of kefir per week, then you can leave the kefir grains in some water in the fridge for when you need them, change the water(not chlorinated) every couple of weeks, and rinse the kefir grains in the process.

If you have never tried kefir, it is a fizzy sour but slightly sweet tasting milk. Delicious! One thing to remember about fermenting is that it is done to make foods taste better, so if what you just fermented tastes awful, it probably didn't work.

I use kefir to make muesli, or in a smoothie, or in a dressing.

YUM!

Cucinare Per Uno:(?.... :)

2010-03-04T15:31:00.000-05:00

Bonjourno,

Here is the deal. Most of the time I cook a meal it is for one. sad? maybe.
My fiance lives on one side of Canada, I live on the other...so right now cooking for two is on the horizon, but will have to wait.

This does NOT however stop me from cooking; in fact far from it, as I cook very often. I say this because I frequently hear the excuse that cooking for oneself is just not worth it...?! For me nothing could be more worth it! I mean we are talking about the most important person in your life here (yourself), so what could be a better excuse than to make the most absolutely delicious (nutritious?) meal you can?! I do understand the need to show off a little in the kitchen and to cook for others, but don't let vanity get in the way of your health. Plus, what's stopping you from bragging about the meal you cooked for yourself last night to your co-workers/friends/etc?.." Hey Sally I made the most amazing pasta last night, it blew my F*$king mind!, this is what was in it...."
Talking about food (for me) is a part of life, you can inspire people to start cooking for themselves, to try new recipes, get new recipes, and in truth it's actually stimulating conversation. I have a lot of experience with people getting together and talking about food.....I'm Italian. When I was younger I actually used to say to my family "can you people stop talking about food for one second!, yesh"... Seriously, we're sitting down eating dinner with family and over half of the conversation is about what they had for breakfast/lunch and what they are going to make for dinner tomorrow night, hahaha.
As I get older...I get it.
something like this.... :/

..And let's be honest here, those who cook there own meals will be much healthier because you can then control your ingredients; and if you have read any of my previous posts you'll know that it is ALL about the ingredients!

As well, nothing in my opinion is more satisfying than cooking for yourself/others so the more often you do it the better, right? In this 24 hour a day, non-stop, make as much money until you don't know your kids names (or your own) world, most people are being robbed of the very right to actually have time to cook.
Reclaim your kitchen!

This post actually came to me (no lies!) when I was cooking for myself. I was making pasta carbonara, which doesn't sound healthy, but when you are using pasture fed eggs (helloo!..last post!), free range pork and parmigiano... and only eat it once and a while (every other day?) I would challenge any dietitian to question its health in moderation! Trust me, it is FAR better than using some preserved cream shit sauce in a can, and by far I mean there is NO comparison.

pic on the right:
Smelling the parmigiano reggiano cheese I used for the carbonara......I highly recommend doing this any time you pass by your fridge.

anyways...
When I finished making my carbonara and then tasted it, it made me do two things:
1) Smile. Is there anything wrong with that?
2) Yell out "CHE BELLO!, CHE e CARBONARA!"

Bravo
:)

Oeufs Pochés

2010-02-28T23:21:00.000-05:00

I have a confession to make, I eat eggs. Let me clarify that a bit, I eat A lot of eggs... from free range (hopefully primarily pasture fed) chickens only. It’s a funny subject because there was a point not long ago when eggs were kind of demonized as a sort of unhealthy indulgence. Nothing could be further from the truth....they are a healthy indulgence:)

“Nutritionists” could not make up their minds about eggs;"eat them, don't eat them, eat the whites only, only eat them on Tuesday's when there is a full moon"?? I say we SHOULD eat them all the time!(in moderation of course). Be forewarned that I can only make that recommendation for free range eggs (mostly pasture fed) with no exceptions, and when I say free range I don’t mean 1000 chickens free to roam a 20x20 square foot chicken coup. This is where I think so much of the confusion surrounding eggs comes from; the nutritional scientists were testing the egg, but never questioning how that egg was produced. To give you an idea of the choices you have in the local grocery store, and hopefully you DO have choices (democracy anyone?), I’ll run down my rankings of egg quality.

1) Pasture fed eggs - The best eggs are from pasture fed chickens, period. To be honest, these are really difficult to find. These chickens are raised on pasture, as opposed to being kept in confinement and fed primarily grains. The chicken’s primary source of nutrition is from scratching in the soil for worms, bugs, insects, sometimes even in cow manure after the cows having finished grazing in the area :0 This is the correct way to feed a chicken, makes them genuinely happy and healthy, and as a result produces the healthiest eggs to eat. In Canada this can only be done for 8 months of the year (with the exception of the coastal areas where there is rarely snow cover) as chickens generally do not like snow. In my opinion this is the only way chickens should be raised. Taste wise they are the most delicious, and health wise they have less fat, more vitamin A, more Omega-3 fatty acids and less cholesterol than eggs from factory farms. You’ll find these eggs predominantly at farmers markets...or the actual farm:)

2) Free range eggs- This is the next best thing to pasture fed, and in some cases it could actually be the same thing. The reason why I put free range in its own category outside of pasture fed is that the regulations for free range eggs in Canada and the U.S. are not very inspiring. To be able to call your chicken’s free range you only have to let them out to roam (on pavement? doesn’t specify) for roughly 20 minutes per day, and the rest of the time they can be encaged or stuffed in barns and fed grain. So although this is sometimes the best choice in the grocery store, it really pays to look into how your eggs are raised.

3) Battery eggs- This is the common practice used to raise chickens for eggs or otherwise. Encaged and packed into areas not suitable for any living organism to be considered healthy; then fed strictly grain which is “enriched” with a slew of antibiotics to keep the chickens from getting sick. (Why are the chickens getting sick?mmm..). I do NOT recommend these eggs, for soooo many reasons...the taste, your health, the ecological impact, animal welfare and ethical issues to mention a few.

Cooking your eggs!
The day I learned how to make a somewhat edible poached egg is the day my whole world changed..... There is no better way to enjoy an egg than poached in my opinion. When you poach an egg and leave the yolk slightly intact with all of its creamy goodness (not too runny) it is one of the 7 wonders of the cuisine world (when I figure out what the other 6 are I’ll let you know). When one thinks of poaching an egg it seems like such a simple task, but it is truly an art because you can never make the same poached egg twice, that is if you make it the classic way (saucepan.water.vinegar). It takes a lot of guts just to toss a raw egg into a pot of boiling water, the water just waiting to rip that egg into pieces. The possibilities of what will happen to your egg are frightening, but when you get it right you WILL know...trust me.

So I will do my best to take you step by step on how to poach an egg.

1-Obtain a medium sized saucepan and fill that sucker half full with water.

2-Pour about 2 tablespoons of regluar white vinegar in the saucepan (as you can see it’s not nessesary to measure it exactly).

3-Bring the water to a rolling boil.

4-This is where you have to act fast.Turn the heat down to low (1-3 on the dial), so you stop the rolling boil....you can even take the saucepan off the heat for 2 seconds to stop the rolling boil quicker. The reason, you want the water to be extremely hot but not at a rolling boil, or it will just rip apart the egg.

5-Quickly grab your egg(s) and crack them into the saucepan. Release them in slowly.

6- In the first few seconds they’re in you can go around the edges and push the egg white slightly over the center by pushing the water that way...as Julia Child would...but you don’t have to.

7- leave them in the water no longer than 2 minutes, and you can check if the egg is ready by gently pressing down on the yolk with your slotted ladle. It should give a little, and not be hard.

8- Scoop and drain the egg(s) in a slotted ladle.

9- Finito!..at this point if you think they are to runny, then let them sit for 2 minutes, and they will continue to cook..this is also a good rule to use in general, as it cooks the yolk much slower so it’s a good trick to achieve a really creamy yolk...Take out early, and let them sit if you have time!

Finally just to show you the consistency of the yolk....DElicious.

And then I would probably recommend eating them...

Enjoy.

Norge

2010-02-12T11:07:00.000-05:00

Howdy!

I'm in Norway (hva?) so I thought I should do a homage to Norwegian food while I'm here. ja?

Well....... keeping form from my last post, guess what Norwegians love? Dairy!! Excited!?...I thought so:)
I looked into the dairy farming industry in Norway, and it seems to be pretty good from what I gathered in the short period of time I've been here. Up until recently most dairy came from small farms where cows are pasture fed, I think it has started to change a bit, but as far as I know there is no large factory farms for dairy production. (You have to take in to account that it is a very small country: total population ~4.5 million).
Here is a link to the largest producer of milk products in Norway if you're curious (which you are and should be?), they claim to have an average herd of 18 cows per farm.
CheeseLINK!

The breakfast that I have devoured almost every mourning since I've been here consists of:
Muesli soaked in kefir overnight, then combined with yogurt, 100% cocoa, berries, and a banana in the morning. SOOO GOOD! please try it for yourself!

Kefir is milk fermented with kefir grains, which produces a sort of yogurt like product. It is an acquired taste, as it can be quite sour, which is why it is usually mixed with fruit. It is also very good for you, as most fermented products are! Kefir contains a variety of beneficial bacteria that are known to break down lactose....so bonus for people who are deficient in the natural lactase enzyme. It is very high in B vitamins, calcium, and magnesium:)....AND it has been shown to be effective in the prevention and treatment of breast cancer, Here is the link to the abstract

De-licious!

Check out the picture on the carton...I mean, it pretty much sells it self.

Norwegians also LOVE fish!....a lot:)
I've been eating my fair share since I've been here,so I looked in to the situation...naturally. I was sad to find out by some friendly locals that the Norwegian fish industry has gone seriously awry for some time now. Most of the fish is farmed, not wild, but when you are producing/exporting as much fish as Norway I guess one can only expect this would be the eventual outcome.
Farmed raised fish:
-Contains more PCB's (Polychlorinated biphenyls) than wild fish.
-Lower levels/less healthier ratio of Omega-3 fatty acids (see my last link for info on Omega-3's).
- They also have a lot of other baggage concerning environmental and biodiversity issues, which I will have to get into some other time.
My two bits: If you you really like fish, try and find its source and look for sustainable practices.

ha det,
ja?
:)

"Dairy-part one"

2010-02-05T11:47:00.000-05:00

Hallo!

Cheese!!
To those lactose intolerant people who just had a horrible image of explosive diarrhea please keep reading, as there are lactose free cheeses available!

*Disclaimer*: Please do not take my comments personally, if you happen to consume a food product that I mention I don't like (or agree with), I don't mean it as an attack on you. My goal is to inform, and to hopefully have more people eating healthy, conscious, sustainable food.

Why am I bringing this up? because I live in a province (Quebec) where there is an abundant source of the most delicious, creamy, and local cheeses available in North America, yet when I go to the grocery store I still manage to find the majority of customers (yes, I sometimes watch what people buy) purchasing bland mass produced cheese. This hurts my soul. I understand that it is usually cheaper, but I personally think that 2 extra dollars are definitely worth it, for your health and the health of your community......not to mention your taste buds.

I'll give you the reasons why I think everyone should buy local artisan cheese, at least more often then they buy the "other" cheeses:)
- The variety is absolutely amazing....Oka anyone?
- It's LOCAL! which means it's fresher, it has less of an environmental impact than cheese that has traveled 2000 km, and it supports the local economy!
- There is a seriously good chance it's from happy cows (not factory farmed), and maybe even organic pasture fed cows!!....hello!!bonus.
- IT.TASTES.BETTER! Invest in the simple pleasures of life, daily!

My personal favorite cheese is that from raw milk and from organic pasture fed cows.

(pic on the left: lactose free cheese from raw milk, from L'Ancetre in Quebec).
Unpasteurized milk is ILLEGAL to sell in Canada and only available for cheese in Quebec (The Quebecois were willing to fight for their right to freely choose what they eat), and in the U.S. it depends on the state, but most do allow it. I'll have to leave the unpasteurized milk talk for another post.

Dairy from organic pasture fed cows compared to grain(corn) fed cows contains:
- More omega-3 fatty acids (or a better ratio of Omega 3 to 6) than grain feed dairy.
--> Omega 3-fatty acids have been shown to benefit brain function and cardiovascular health and have even been shown to be an effective cancer preventative.
- More Conjucated Linoleic Acid (CLA)
--> The debate is still out on this fat (CLA), but is has been shown to be a cancer preventative.
-No antibiotics, fertilizers, or pesticides.
Here is a good peer-reviewed article on grass-fed animals

Go get some tasty cheese!!!YAAAY!
http://www.farmersmarketscanada.ca/Links.cfm
http://www.fromagesdici.com/www/repertoire_carte.asp
http://www.localharvest.org/

p.s. I've added some links to my favorite books about food! Please check them out, they're on the right hand side of the page:)

KEFIR!

What to Eat

2010-02-02T18:05:00.000-05:00

Hello! I'm actually doing this!

Well, well, well. The eternal question that eventually crosses many minds, and one that every dietitian or nutritionist will probably get asked is "tell me what I should eat, so I can be healthy."
Usually by healthy they mean skinny, and by skinny I mean one of those anorexic models on all the women's magazines (and more increasingly men's magazines too).

The truth is that the majority of people who ask this question know what healthy food is and isn't.....but confirmation is always nice.

If I can quote an excellent food writer, Michael Pollan, who summed it up best when he wrote: "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants."
Now, if I could change that just a bit to "Eat whole foods, not too much, mostly plants." then I think it would be an even better statement that easily answers the eternal question, but that's really what he meant to say. Right Mr.Pollan?, I think it was. (Am I wrong in assuming that he is reading this?, I mean he would be crazy not to!)

Let's breakdown this statement, to see why it is such an ideal answer.

1). It is extremely short and simple, which instantly destroys the myth that eating healthy is so confusing and difficult and involves counting calories with logarithmic equations.... it's NOT!...I apologize for yelling, but it's really not.

2). "Eat whole foods": Food that is found in it's original form or very close to it. This means the fruits, veggies, meats, dairy, grains. Why eat whole foods, well because they have more nutrients, enzymes, and antioxidants in them then the other option (if it can be called that), which is processed foods. We have become addicted to nutrient dead foods that have paragraphs of ingredients you've never heard of. However, this addiction is not an accident because these processed foods are engineered to taste better making it a difficult choice for the consumer...that is, if you aren't informed. To sum it up, you should always be eating more whole foods than processed foods.

3). Not too much: I think that most people will find that if they eat whole foods it is extremely hard to eat too much. The theory behind this not eating too much business comes from studies conducted in mice, and more recently in monkeys, that showed eating less resulted in a longer life. For me, the basic idea to get from "not too much" is: go for seconds if you're hungry (remember you're eating mostly whole foods) but it might not be a good idea to have fourths or fifths or sixths....

4). Mostly Plants (Vegetables & Fruits): This one is more or less obvious. Vegetables & Fruits are whole foods and have extremely high amounts of nutrients, antioxidants, and fiber...they are the original superfood (yes, I'm a nerd). It is an undisputed fact that if you eat more vegetables you will live a longer healthier life. As an added bonus they also help to fill you up due to their high fiber & nutrient content...which goes nicely with #3.

If you're goal is to eat healthy, this is a very good starting point.

Broccoli!

2010-01-31T21:50:00.002-05:00

Well.....
After a few months of contemplating whether or not I should start a blog, here I am.yAy! I did it on the advice from a couple of friends who thought it would be an excellent use of my time;) because people are always asking my opinions about food...or am I just telling them without them asking?... Regardless I have a lot to say about food, and where it comes from, and why it's good/bad for you and why (real) democracy is an essential component for having "good" food.
*It will become obvious as to what I think good food is as time goes on.

I'm currently finishing my M.Sc. in Human Nutrition, so I will try and post as often as I can (twice a week?) when I'm not busy writing my thesis.....I'll do my best.

I started this blog because "real" healthy and nutritious food is not as available as you may think it is, and my goal is to fight back against the forces that are undermining our food security with information......yes, it's that dramatic.

That's all for now:)

Stay tuned for my first real post: "what to eat?"