FOOD INC.

It has been a month since my last confession. Food confession. I am in the middle of building a new house, trying to lose weight, and stay true (sane). So, the hobby of blogging about food has not been a priority at all.

Last night, I watched the documentary "Food Inc." This film is about food safety in the US. I learned that Kashi is owned by Kellogg's and Stoneyfield Farms is owned by Danone. I am left with a question - Are companies that produce Organics able to do so on their own?

Though I have been more and more conscious of what I eat, from where the food originates, and who produces it, I wonder how much choice I really have. For example, consumers in some countries, such as those in the EU (European Union) can chose from foods that are properly labelled. Consumers can make the decision whether or not to consume a food that is genetically-modified. In Sweden, some foods that are organic are cheaper than "regular" foods. The Swedish government subsidizes organic farming. Is it too much to ask that North American governments could/would do the same?

Instead, it seems that organics are often promoted through capitalist institutions. Organic food companies seem reliant on BIG business to promote sales. Even small, local companies rely on chain grocery stores to sell a portion of their product.

Coincidentally, I went to Costco yesterday. I purchased a massive bag of trail mix that is a product of Quebec. 1.5 kg for $7.99. Sunrype Fruit Source Bars, Product of BC: 30 for $19.99. VEL fruit & nut bars Product of Canada: 24 bars for $14.99. These are relatively healthy convenience foods. My dilemma is that because I purchased these foods at one of the largest grocery chains in North America, am I fueling an already out-of-whack system in which we acquire our subsistence?

After visiting Costco and watching Food Inc., I am left perplexed. How do I contribute to solving problems rather than contribute to exacerbating problems?

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Dinner at The Reef.

Braised short rib....

The Reef is located on Yates St in Victoria and on Main Street in Vancouver.

Thanksgiving

I give thanks for all the wonderful food I am about to enjoy this weekend!

On Breakfast

As I struggle to waken this morning I remember that I must eat. Oddly enough, on weekend mornings I will start thinking breakfast while still snoozing in bed. But during the week, breakfast truly is a struggle. There is something about the rush to eat that is off-putting.

Rush hour eating. That's what it is - Rush Hour Eating. If I detest driving during rush hour, why would I savour my food during rush hour. Don't misunderstand, I am rarely eating breakfast while driving. Oh, wait I did that yesterday. A banana muffin from a cafe and my coffee in a plastic travel mug. I guess though what I am attempting to articulate is my frustration at being inspired to eat breakfast. Is it what that breakfast symbolizes? Once I "scarf" down my morning meal I will have to dash off to get dressed, pack up and head out the door. Now that I think about it, I also have the TV chirping in the background. I'm up on the morning news. I'm checking my email. Oh no, I'm a modern capitalist who multi-tasks.

Excuse me, I'm going to turn off the TV. "They" are talking murder and murder and muffins don't mix. There. Silence. The fridge is humming. Morning traffic sounds are whooshing. Birds are...where are the birds? Wait, back to breakfast. Will it be shredded wheat 'n bran with banana and soy milk or scrambled egg with herbs or a smoothie of sorts?

I'll keep you posted!

Summer Edibles Gallery

My Summer in/of Food

Fresh Organic Blueberries adorn whole wheat cereal.

Artichokes in a basket at the Penticton Farmer's Market.

I picked salmonberries and made them into a coulis, which perfectly topped this cold dessert.

Transilvania Peasant Bread from West 4th Ave in Vancouver. 

Double Yolkers! Eggs from Free Range Hens made delicious fried eggs. 

Off to the market...
I am very excited as I am off to the Moss Street Market today! I haven't shopped there for quite some time as I was away from Victoria for a whole month this summer. Ah, I can picture it now - the frozen fruit freezies, the buckwheat mini doughnuts, the wonderful array of fruit preserves and jam. Not to mention the children and their parents hopping and bopping to bluegrass tunes.

Today I am making Turkey Burgers and Salad for lunch - for the burgers: I hope to get fresh tomatoes, parsley, and some buns at the market. I already have some baby salad greens, so I just need some toppings for the salad: radishes, cucumber, fruit? There may even be some ground turkey or chicken for the patties.

Unknown prospects at the market today.

Turkey & Bean Enchiladas

Turkey & Black Bean Enchiladas

From Cooking Smart for a Healthy Heart

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups medium salsa

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 tsp ground cumin

8 corn tortillas

8 oz cooked turkey breast, shredded (I used one large breast, sliced and sauteed)

3/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed & drained

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1 cup shredded cheddar (reduced fat)

How To

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Spray 7 x 11 " baking dish w/ non-stick cooking spray (Personally, I skipped this step and the enchiladas stuck to the pan - oops!)

Combine salsa, cilantro, & cumin in a shallow bowl

Dip tortillas in the salsa mixture

Top each tortilla with 2 tbsp of salsa mix, 1/8 of the turkey, beans, red onion & cheese.

Roll up and place seam-side down in baking dish. * Tip: be careful how much filling you put in the tortilla or it might crack when you roll it.

Spoon remaining salsa mixture over enchiladas and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake until bubbling, about 15 minutes.

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This recipe is really straight-forward and is so fantastically delicious! I would try a variation with beans and zucchini for a meat-free option. 

Summer Food Summer Fun

beachy meal
chickpea salad & homemade tzatziki

Tzatziki
Plain yogurt, 2% fat or higher ("Balkan" Style is best)
Dill, 2-3 tbsp fresh, chopped
Grated Cucumber - 1/2 English Cuke, grated
Garlic - 2 cloves, crushed
Salt & Pepper to taste

Stir the ingredients together in a bowl, cover and refrigerate. Serve with pita, bread, or meat.





backyard picnic
lentil & beet salad with buttery corn on the cob

The lentil & beet salad is from Martha Stewart Living, July 2009. The concept is simple: cooked beets are placed on top of cooked, seasoned lentils. The salad is successful because of the vibrant, savory fresh herbs - mint & cilantro. Personally, I skipped the coriander seeds, and made a couple of substitutions, and the result was a refreshing, sweet, tangy, and nutritious vegetarian dinner.


Please copy & paste the link below if you would like the recipe.

http://www.wholeliving.com/recipe/lentils-with-ginger-golden-beets-and-herbs?autonomy_kw=lentil%20+%20beet%20salad&rsc=header_7

MARKET SEASON IS ON!

JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES & JAPANESE TURNIPS FRESH FROM MOSS ST. MARKET

This Saturday, I visited the Moss Street Market for the first time this year. The vibrant, inclusive, family-oriented vibe of Moss St. Market is insatiable.

I stopped at a booth with Jerusalem artichokes with the intention of finding more about these unfamiliar vegetables. The woman representing her farm booth proceeded to wipe off a dirty knife on her rear end, and cut open a CHOKE for me to sample. The texture of a jerusalem artichoke is much like a radish. The taste like a not-so-starchy potato. The woman recommended roasting the artichokes with olive oil and garlic. Seeing as how I planned to roast a chicken, I picked up 6 small artichokes and a bunch of japanese turnips, in order to roast the vegetables along side the bird. The artichoke lady also had some fresh rhubarb for sale. I paired the rhubarb with sliced strawberries (sadly from California) and baked them in a crumble.

for dinner

A simple herb omelet with sauteed spinach. Satisfying, nutritious, flavourful. The eggs I used in this omelet were incredible. Island Gold free fun brown eggs. Probably not as ethically-sound as Free Range eggs, but delicious nonetheless (and slightly more affordable).

wonton soup

homemade wonton soup ingredients

wontons:

wonton wrappers

ground meat - pork or beef ~ .350 kg

egg - 1 egg + 1 egg white

green onion - 2 greens of the onion sliced thin

ginger - fresh, grated 1 tbsp

sesame oil - 1 tsp

soya sauce - 1 tbsp

optional: dried shrimp - 1/4 Cup

broth:

chicken stock

soya sauce

sesame oil

vegetables:

your choice - broccoli, snow peas, cabbage, bok choi, gai lan

mix together filling ingredients

lay out the wonton wrappers

place a small amount of filling in centre of wrapper

brush egg white on the bottom two sides

fold over top corner diagonally so that it makes a triange and seal the bottom, pinch around the meat and seal all the filling in. fold left side over and seal with egg, fold right side over and seal with egg wash.

heat up the broth until boiling. drop in the wontons and boil until they float and wrinkle ~ 5 mins. add vegetables and cook until desired doneness.

Eggs at Easter

Over the Easter Weekend, I boiled & dyed eggs as per our family tradition.

13 Minute Hard-Boiled Egg:

1. Place eggs in a pot of salted water and put on high heat

2. Once the water starts boiling set a timer for 13 minutes

3. Drain and rinse in cold water

4. Place in refrigerator and let cool thoroughly

MARCH GALLERY - EDIBLES

Latte - Habit Coffee, Pandora St., Victoria





Burger & Salad - Mole Restaurant, Pandora St. Victoria



Pop Rocks Candy - Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal


Teriyaki Chicken Noodle Dinner - Spirit Of British Columbia - BC Ferries enroute to Victoria


Kitchenette Cookery - Weigh West Marine Resort, Tofino BC



Saltspring Island Mussells with Spring Greens Salad, Tofino




Squash Soup Starter - Prix Fixe Menu - Spotted Bear Bistro, Tofino



Salad Starter - Spotted Bear Bistro, Tofino





Duck main course - Spotted Bear Bistro





Tempura Banana w/ Chocolate Ganache, Spotted Bear Bistro



Vintage Moffat Range - Maple Bay, BC


Sockeye Salmon Butchered with an old, dull antler-handled knife

Tropical Fruit Pleasures

PAPAYA

This Papaya was so fresh and fragrant. Fruity and floral is how I would describe the taste of papaya. I ate the whole thing for breakfast yesterday. It was perfect. I was reminded of a trip to Fiji, where papayas could be purchased in a heap for 2 Fijian dollars. This one was on sale for $2 Canadian at Save on Foods. I had to wait a week for a it to ripen, but it was sweet and succulent.

WHOLE WHEAT PANCAKES

Adaptation of Basic Pancakes, Joy of Cooking

Changes I made: substitute in 1 cup of Whole Wheat Flour for the regular flour

: reduce the sugar

: use canola oil instead of butter

Prepare and preheat your griddle.

Whisk together in a large bowl:

1/2 cup All Purpose (unbleached) flour

1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour

1 tbsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Whisk Together in a smaller bowl:

1 1/2 Cups milk

3 tablespoons of canola oil

2 large eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and gently whisk them together. I found that the whole wheat flour can appear pretty lumpy at this point, so I like to just a fork and whisk it a little more vigorously.

Drop onto a hot skillet or fry pan. Flip over the pancakes when the edges of the cake is firm and bubbles appear on the top. Once flipped, cook on the bottom side for 1-2 minutes until risen up and firm to the touch. Place in a pan or on a plate in a pre-heated oven until ready to serve.

Enjoy with Maple Syrup. The real kind. No Aunt Jamima allowed!

Jam or peanut butter would be acceptable as well.

Meinhardt Fine Foods

Meinhardt Fine Foods in Vancouver, BC
Located in the South Granville Rise neighborhood in Vancouver, Meinhardt is a destination for foodies. Recently I enjoyed a wrap w/ salad lunch and hot apple cider at Meinhardt's cafe.

www.meinhardt.com

brown rice pudding

HEALTHY RICE PUDDING


Tonight I made brown rice pudding. I found that the custard part curdled a bit. Maybe I didn't temper the egg enough, so that caused the curdling. This recipe is from the Bob Greene Best Life Diet Cookbook.




Here is the recipe:


2 cups cooked brown rice


2 cups milk


2 tbsp sugar


1 tsp vanilla


1/2 tsp cinnamon


2 eggs


1/4 C raisins


1/4 C ground flax seed (I omitted this, did not have any)





Bring the milk and sugar/seasoning to a boil and stir. Add two whisked eggs & stir in. Add the cooked rice and raisins, stir and cook for 15 mins.

Name That Fish!

My friend Maria & I stopped for a snack at the Cinderella Bakery recently. We shared the spring rolls and a piece of caramel pecan cake. The spring rolls were delicious & chock-full of vegetables - 2 / $4. Rolls were topped with a vinegar sauce adding a sour element to their flavour. The caramel cake was super sweet like a butter tart.

Cinderella Bakery & Asian Cuisine in Vancouver BC (@ Broadway near Granville).

CHEERS!

Festive Drinkable Gallery

Classic Egg Nog w/ Rum (light eggnog topped w/ grated nutmeg)

Cassis & Quebecois Sparkling Cider (Kir Royale)

Christmas Morning Mimosa (OJ & Champagne)

When in Salmon Arm do not expect the lamb souvlaki to taste like lamb.

Just about the only good thing from the Minos Greek Restaurant in Salmon Arm was the wine.