Thought for Food

A tasty twist on the summer lemonade stand

Ian McKenzie — Tue, 01 May 2012 17:58:30 +0000

(NC)—Nothing says summer is here more than homemade lemonade stands popping up in neighbourhoods across the country. And for young entrepreneurs looking for a few successful sales, a winning recipe never hurts. That’s why the test kitchen at Canadian Living has developed this convenient, fresh take on traditional lemonade.

Sparkling Grape Lemonade

1 can 295mL Minute Maid Grape Punch frozen concentrate, thawed (undiluted)
1 can 295mL Minute Maid Lemonade frozen concentrate, thawed (undiluted)
3 cups Sprite sparkling beverage
2 cups water
Ice cubes or ice ring

In a large pitcher, stir together grape punch and lemonade concentrates, Sprite and water; mix well. Fill with ice cubes or add an ice ring to keep cold. Makes 8 cups or 8 to 10 servings. For an extra special treat, use grape ice cubes to keep the punch cool. To make, place one red or green seedless grape, quartered, in each cup of ice-cube tray; fill with water and freeze until solid. More recipes can be found online at www.minutemade.ca.

5 Easy Ways to Cut Back on Sodium

Ian McKenzie — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 16:28:59 +0000

(NC)—Eating too much sodium can lead to high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease. The bad news is, most of us are eating more than double the amount of sodium we need. The good news is, you can change that.

Take a look at these five tips from Registered Dietitian Sue Mah to improve your eating habits and your health:

1. Eat more vegetables and fruit. Not only are they packed with nutrition, they are also sodium-free. Frozen and canned produce are good, economical options too as long as you buy the ones with no added salt or sauces. You can also rinse canned vegetables to wash away some of the sodium. Aim for 7-10 servings of vegetables and fruit every day. Are you getting enough? To assist with your efforts, a leading juice brand offers incentives for you to track your fruit and vegetable servings online at www.facebook.com/mottsgardencocktail.

2. Look for “sodium reduced” products. Read food labels and look for the words “sodium reduced,” “low sodium” and “sodium free.” Many foods have been reformulated with a lower sodium content. In the juice section, for example, the new Mott’s Garden Cocktail Original contains 35% less sodium than it did before, and the “low sodium” line has reduced it by another 65%.

3. Compare food labels. Pick up your favourite brand of crackers, bread or soup. Now pick up another brand. Compare the sodium content in the different brands. Buy the ones with the lowest amounts of sodium.

4. Cook from scratch. This practice allows you to control the amount of sodium and salt in your meals. Be creative and experiment with different ways to add flavour without the sodium. Try herbs, spices, ginger, garlic, flavoured vinegars and citrus juices.

5. Eat out on special occasions. It’s easy for the sodium to add up when you eat out. Ask for sauces, salad dressings and condiments to be served on the side. Ask for your meal to be made without salt or monosodium glutamate (MSG).

You win when you up the vegetable ante

Ian McKenzie — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:42:42 +0000

(NC)—It’s not always easy to make sure our meals include the recommended number of vegetable servings on a daily basis. Here are a few simple tips from professional Chef Jérôme Ferrer that will help you add veggies to your diet when meal planning:

Keep the water left over from cooking your vegetables to make broths or to add to your soups and sauces.
The simplest way, and certainly the easiest, is to make a beautiful green salad. A drizzle of olive oil and a few drops of balsamic vinegar and voilà: it’s fully dressed. Add a few cherry tomatoes for colour and to increase your vegetable value even more.
Fill half your plate with vegetables at lunch and dinner. This practice will make counting your vegetable servings so much easier.
Count your servings. Sometimes you may not be aware of how you’re tracking. To assist with tallying, a leading juice brand offers incentives for you to track your fruit and vegetable servings online at www.facebook.com/mottsgardencocktail.
If you’re short on time, try using frozen vegetables. Freezing immediately after harvesting preserves their vitamins and essential minerals. They’re the perfect solution for busy weeknights.
When you’re on-the-go, take single-serve juice along. Read the labels when shopping for nutrition information. The single-serve Mott’s Garden Cocktail Original, for example, is 100% vegetable juice with 35% less sodium. It gives you two full servings of vegetables in every 250 mL serving.
If you crave a little nibble before a meal, snack on a few raw crunchy veggies with your favourite dip.

Canada’s Food Guide recommends adults between the ages of 19 and 50 should get seven to 10 servings of vegetables and fruit every day. Do it to up the ante for a healthier you.

Teach your kids how to make a pita pizza

Ian McKenzie — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 15:59:49 +0000

(NC)—This Pita Pizza recipe – from Breakfast for Learning, a national charity dedicated to child nutrition programs – is one fun way to get the whole family involved in meal making. Prepare all of the ingredients in advance and then let everyone build their own pizza

Pita Pizza

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 100% whole wheat pita
2 chicken breasts, cut in strips
3 cups vegetables of your choice
1 small can pizza sauce
1 cup partly skim mozzarella cheese, grated
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350˚F
Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add chicken and cook until centre is no longer pink.
Provide each family member with their own pita for the base of their pizza.
Spread 1 to 2 tablespoons of pizza sauce over each pita.
Place chicken on top the sauce.
Pile each pizza high with vegetables.
Sprinkle each pizza with ¼ cup of grated cheese.

Place pizzas in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Serve and enjoy.

Tip: to make a vegetarian version of this recipe switch black beans for chicken.

More information and recipe ideas can be found online at www.breakfastforlearning.ca.

ActiFry Recipes from T-Fal

Ian McKenzie — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:06:33 +0000

Lower in fat than regular fries, these Tex-Mex fries are a healthier option

(NC)— Now, you can eat healthy and have your fries too. Innovations today allow us to make all those favourite high calorie and high fat foods with only 1 tablespoon of oil. The product developers at T-fal have created innovative appliances for healthier living that decrease the average fat intake of pub-style meals by as much as 70%. Here are some recipes using the new ActiFry:

Tex-Mex Fries

Ingredients:

3 lb (1.5kg) of potatoes, peeled and washed

1 tbsp of vegetable oil

2 tbsp of Tex-mex or fajitas spice mix

2 tbsp of tabasco sauce to taste

Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Cut the potatoes into ½ inch (1 cm) thick fries, wash well and dry carefully.

2. Mix the Tex-Mex powder with the vegetable oil in a small bowl. Put the fries in the ActiFry pan and pour the spice mixture evenly over them. Cook for 45 minutes.

3. Open the Actifry, add salt and pour the Tabasco over the fries. Cook for another 10 minutes.

Recipe serves 6. Nutritional information per serving: 199 cal, protein: 5.3g, fat: 2.5g, carbohydrate: 41.5g, sodium: 0.04g. Compare: regular fries can have more than 380 calories and more than 20 g of fat per serving.

BBQ Chicken wings

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken or more chicken wings, tips cut offSea salt & ground pepper

Directions:

Toss the wings in barbecue sauce enough to coat them. This can be done the night before so the meat absorbs some of the sauce. Set the ActiFry for 25 minutes and turn on (*check for doneness after 20 minutes, depending on the size of the wings).

Note: Fried pub chicken wings can have more than 1500 cal and more than 100 g of fat for only 10 wings, more than an entire day worth of calories. Cooking wings in this new appliance makes this snack a healthier treat on game day or family night.

Chinese Style Ribs

Ingredients:

1 rack of pork spare ribs

1/3 tsp baking soda, 1tbs water, 1/2 tsp salt, 1tsp sugar, 1tbs soya sauce, 1tbs cornstarch, -1/4tsp sesame seed oil, 1tbs minced garlic, 1tsp five spice powder (optional)

Preparation:

1. Cut ribs into single rib sections and place in a bowl.

2. In a small bowl mix together the rest of the ingredients and add to ribs, mix well to coat the ribs evenly.

3. Marinate for a least 1 hour. Add ribs to the ActiFry and cook for 25-30 min. (depending on how meaty the ribs are)

Pulled Pork Sandwich in minutes

Succulant pulled pork in less than half an hour.

The newest Nutricook appliance (by T-fal) can save hours of preparation for pulled pork. You can make this tasty dish in less than a half hour:

Ingredients:

4 tsp of olive oil

1 shallot finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 (500 g) pork tenderloin, trimmed

1 bottle of your favourite barbecue sauce

6 whole wheat buns

Preparation:

1. Coat the pork tenderloin evenly with the barbecue sauce.

2. Heat the olive oil in the Nutricook pan and brown the pork on all sides.

3. Take the pork out and rinse the pan. Place the pork in the steaming basket.

4. Put the basket with the pork loin in the pan.

5. Program 18 minutes on the timer and select the meat cooking program.

6. After 18 minutes steam will appear, at which point you need to turn off the heat and turn the program selector to steam.

7. Set the steam program for 10 minutes. This is the soft steam that makes sure the meat is cooked inside on the inside as well as the outside.

8. After the end of the soft steam phase, take out the pork at which point it should peel apart easily.

9. Lightly toast your whole-wheat bun, add your pork and any other desired condiments.

Find more heart healthy recipes at www.t-fal.ca

Polpette di Fungi

Ian McKenzie — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 12:14:39 +0000

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking soda

50g freshly grated Parmesan

50g Panko breadcrumbs, plus extra for rolling

1/4 cup chopped plain parsley

1/2 cup finely diced fresh mushrooms (crimini, button, whatever you like)

Pinch sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil for frying

One jar (about 700mls) of your favourite pasta sauce

Method

1. Beat the eggs and the baking soda with a whisk.

2. Slowly add the cheese, the breadcrumbs, the parsley and mushrooms to the egg mix. Season with sea salt and pepper and fold gently until all ingredients are combined.

3. Using a teaspoon form small balls of the mixture, then roll them in the extra Panko crumbs.

4. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the egg balls 2-3 at a time and fry over medium heat until golden brown all round. You will need to turn them to make sure they brown evenly.

5. Drain on a paper towel and continue until all balls are fried up.

6. Heat your pasta sauce over medium heat and then add the balls when the sauce is bubbling. Turn the heat down to low and partially cover the saucepan. Continue to heat for about 7 minutes - the balls will be warm through and will have absorbed some of the sauce.

7. Serve topped with fresh basil.

Makes 10

Mardi Michels is a well-known food blogger who resides in Toronto, Ontario. In “real life,” Mardi is a full-time elementary school French teacher. She also moonlights as a part-time PhD student, and is halfway through the Food & Media certificate at George Brown College, in Toronto. You can find her travels and recipes documented on her blog, www.eatlivetravelwrite.com.

Working class diner

Ian McKenzie — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 12:13:16 +0000

(NC)—Dining in the workplace is often reduced to a quick inhalation of a soggy sandwich at the desk. Hunched over, many conclude lunch hour within minutes. Some meals are shortened, while others are eliminated altogether.

“When you eat less often, it does not mean you are eating healthier,” says Carol Dombrow, Heart and Stroke Foundation registered dietitian. “Check the nutrition information and pay attention to serving sizes to help you make healthy choices.”

The fast paced office environment oftentimes places food in the sidebar of the day, more as an afterthought than the main act. One-quarter of Canadians report visiting a fast food restaurant on a daily basis to save precious minutes of their days.

As Carol explains, Canada’s Food Guide is a great tool for following a healthy diet—at home or at work.

To keep up with an active and healthy lifestyle at work, Carol suggests following these tips:

• Have breakfast. Coffee alone does not constitute breakfast. Remember that it is the most important meal of the day. People who eat breakfast are more likely to meet their daily nutrient needs and maintain a healthy body weight. Aim to include three food groups, e.g., whole grain cereal, milk and orange wedges or a poached egg on whole grain toast and sliced tomatoes.

• Have healthy snacks on hand for your morning or afternoon breaks.

• Change your midday coffee break to a juice or fresh fruit break. If you choose juice, make it 100% fruit juice.

• Prepare healthy lunches at home so you are not faced with an empty lunch bag, an empty stomach and the temptation to pop out for a convenient burger and fries as a quick fix lunch.

• Bring a bag of baby spinach leaves, peppers, carrots and other veggies and leave them in the fridge at work, so you can prepare fresh salads at lunch.

• Bring fruits and veggies to work to snack on during the day.

• Make your lunch hour a sit down occasion and enjoy every bite.

More tips and ideas on planning healthy snacks while on the run are available online at healthcheck.org or you can download the Health Check Recipe Helper app. The free app—available in English or French—can be downloaded at the Apple, Android, and BlackBerry app stores or at www.heartandstroke.ca/mobileapps.

Savour autumn’s harvest with chicken cacciatore

Ian McKenzie — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 12:11:33 +0000

(NC)—As the trees begin to don their bright fall colours and the crisp autumn air moves in, embrace the changing season’s bounty with a hearty home-cooked chicken cacciatore recipe. Loaded with tender chicken breast, tomatoes bursting with flavour, and crispy vegetables served over a bed of fluffy rice, this tasty dish is the perfect new recipe to keep your family warm as the weather cools off.

Chicken Cacciatore with Rice

Total preparation time: 30 minutes

1 cup long-grain white rice, uncooked

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 cup onion, diced

2 cups mushrooms, sliced

2 cups zucchini, cut diagonally into 1/4″ (1/2 cm) slices

1 lb chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, cut into 1″ (2 cm) pieces

1 can Hunt’s Chunky Tomatoes, green pepper, celery and onion, undrained

1/4 cup Hunt’s Tomato Paste

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Cook rice according to package directions.

1 Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat while preparing rice. Add onion, mushroom and zucchini; cook three to five minutes, or until vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally.

2 Add chicken; cook five to seven minutes, or until chicken pieces are no longer pink inside, stirring occasionally.

3 Add diced tomatoes with their liquid, the tomato paste, salt and pepper; stir. Cook for ten minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally.

4 Serve over the rice.

Serves 4.

Additional recipe ideas can be found online at www.huntstomatoes.ca.

Chicken with mushrooms and black bean sauce

Ian McKenzie — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 12:09:38 +0000

Prep: 10 mins

Cooking: 10-15 mins

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 chicken breast fillets, sliced

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

5cm piece root ginger, peeled and grated

350g portabella mushrooms, halved

4 green onions, trimmed

200g baby bok choy, trimmed

4 tbsp Chinese cooking wine

4 tbsp black bean sauce

rice or noodles to serve

Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan, add the chicken and stir fry over a high heat for 5 mins or until pale golden. Add the garlic, ginger and mushrooms and stir fry for 3-4 mins.

Cut the spring onions in half lengthways then each into 4cm lengths; cut the pak choy in half lengthways. Add the onions and bok choy to the pan along with the wine and black beans sauce. Stir fry for 2-3 mins or until the bok choy stems are tender. Serve immediately with rice or noodles.

Calories 174, Protein 20.7g, Carbohydrate 4.5g, Fat 7.2g, Saturated Fat 1.1g, Fibre 1.5g, Salt 1.34g

For more recipe ideas visit Mushrooms Canada at www.mushrooms.ca.

Easy as [Pizza] Pie

Ian McKenzie — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 12:07:58 +0000

(NC)—Homemade pizzas may make mom a hero in her kids’ eyes, but let’s face it, it’s often hard to find the time on a busy weeknight.

One way to get a personalized pizza experience is to start with a prepared cheese pizza and layer up from there. President’s Choice Quattro Formaggi Wood-Fired Thin Crust Pizza, straight from the freezer, is a perfect base and family members can top it with any of their favourites. Toppings can even be prepared the evening before.

Try these fun, fast pizzas that will please everyone around the dinner table:

1. For the burger fanatic: Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza

Burger lovers will flip if you put together mouthwatering toppings like ground beef, dill pickle, tomatoes and crumbled bacon.

2. For the health conscious: Confetti Pizza

Treat the kids to a delicious multi-coloured pizza by topping the crust with red and yellow peppers and broccoli.

3. For the family foodie: Garden Fresh Pancetta Pizza

Try a combination of fresh baby arugula and basil with savoury pancetta and sweet red peppers.

4. For the vegetarian: Antipasto Pizza

Go to the spirit of Italy when you top the crust with traditional antipasto ingredients like mushrooms, artichoke hearts and sundried tomatoes.

If you have a bit of spare time, try your hand at this easy and delicious yeast-free pizza dough recipe that’s ready in no time:

Quick No-Yeast Pizza Dough – Makes two 12 inch crusts

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp fine sea salt

¾ cup warm water

¼ c + 1 Tbsp olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).

2. In large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt; using wooden spoon stir in water and ¼ cup (50 mL) oil until mixture comes together. Using hands, form dough into a ball. Knead gently 8 to 10 times in the bowl until smooth. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into 12-inch (30 cm) round. Place each on pizza pan. Fold ½ inch (1 cm) border up and press to form a raised edge. Brush crusts with remaining 1 tbsp (15 mL) oil. Top with your favourite toppings.

3. Bake on bottom rack of oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until edges are golden.

For more time saving tips and pizza recipes visit pc.ca.