Sunday, May 31, 2009

Sunday Morning Breakfast - Coyote Pancakes

Once a week or once every two weeks, I really like to do a big breakfast for my husband and myself. Sometimes we invite family over to partake in this tasty ritual.

This weekend, I tried Coyote Pancakes for a crowd! Coyote Pancake mix can be difficult to find in stores but their website lists all the locations that carry the mix.

Why use a pancake mix at all? There are two reasons I really like pancake mixes: 1 - convenience, 2 - good combination of ingredients with NO SUGAR! Most regular pancake mixes you find at the store from large retailers contain a lot of indescribable ingredients and/or lots of sugar so whatever you buy, be sure to read the ingredients. For me, one of the pitfalls I fall into when making pancakes from scratch is that I often add sugar (even though it may be not be required) because part of me thinks that with all these grains, some sugar is required.

Nutritional Information:
each serving contains - 4g of fibre, 130-140 calories (depending on the variety) and no cholesterol or sugar added!

Varieties:
Original, Buttermilk, and Flax Seed

Now the most important - TASTE!

This morning I woke up bright and early and made all three varieties of pancakes for a family crowd. I added 1 cup of milk and 1 egg for each cup of pancake mix. The instructions suggest that you can add 1 tablespoon of sugar but omitted that since we had real maple syrup.

All three varieties cooked up nice and fluffy. The taste and texture was great. I was worried because there was no oil needed but with a non-stick pan, I didn't have any issues.

Everyone loved the pancakes - to be honest, I was worried that that Flax variety would be a flop so I only made a few of these, but I was wrong. Everyone loved the pancakes. I even got my husband to eat the flax pancakes without complaint. My husband hates flax and won't eat anything if I put flax in it so this was a welcome surprise.

But the pancakes, the taste, and breakfast aside, there is something very unique about Coyote Pancakes - their creators. Coyote Pancakes are made by the Hutterite Colony in Alberta, Canada. They are a self sufficient religious colony and information can be found about them here. I think it's very important to support small businesses and the community spirit of the Hutterites is reason enough for me to support Coyote Pancakes. Right now, these pancakes are only available in Canada, but hopefully they will break into the US market. I believe in supporting small businesses so I really hope Coyote Pancakes thrives!

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Hemp - One of Nature's Superfoods

When I think of hemp and hemp seed, the first thing that goes through my mind is hippy movement. Unfortunately, most of the documents I found including those with hemp products are "hippy" in nature.

But don't let this be a deterrent to consuming hemp for nutrition. Hemp has a combination of omega 3's and 6's (essential oils), proteins, enzymes and vitamins. Adding just a few tablespoons of hemp seed to your diet will increase the overall healthfulness of your diet without much thinking and with little effort.

I've incorporated hemp products into my diet for the last several weeks. Anecdotally, I can say that I feel that I have more energy and my overall health feels like its improved. If something makes you feel better with continued use, I think that it's a good idea to keep using it. Therefore, I going to try and keep incorporating hemp into my diet. It's SO easy to do, that if it's providing benefits, there is really no downside.

The availability of hemp products at your average local grocers is limited. The best sources I have found for hemp are online (and due to growing restrictions in the US, largely Canadian sources).

In the next few days, I will be posting reviews for several hemp providers. From this, you can use your own judgement in determining which supplier will meet your hemp needs!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Dreamfields Pasta - Low Carb - High Fibre - Great Taste!!

I'm a pasta lover. Pasta is a such an easy meal to prepare and after a long day at work, it's great to have a bowl of pasta. But alas, despite all the great things about pasta, most of it is very high in carbs and low in fibre. Recently, there have been some attempts at high fibre pastas - I find them all very "grainy" and I don't like the texture of them. Enter Dreamfields Pasta.

I'll admit, when I first heard about Dreamfields pasta, I was skeptical. They advertise 5 grams of net carbs per serving - this is unheard of! Dreamfields uses a special manufacturing process to "protect carbs" - ensuring they are not digested.

Ultimately, it all comes down to taste. Pasta is the ultimate comfort food and it HAS to taste great.

I cooked up a box of Rotini with some veggies and seasoning - I really wanted to TASTE the pasta.

I was amazed. I knew I was eating low-carb, healthful pasta, but my taste buds told a different story. Some how, the pasta tastes just like regular white pasta! My husband is Italian and he hates high-fibre pasta BUT when he tried the Dreamfields pasta, he didn't even realize it was high in fibre. That's a home run in my book.

Right now, this is only available in the United States in stores but it can also be bought online at several online retailers. It does cost a little more than regular pasta, but at about $2.50 a box, it's well worth the price. I hope to see this product in more and more stores and really hope it will be available in Canada soon - in the meantime, Canadians can order online or in stores when visiting our neighbours to the south. I know my shopping list for things to buy next time I'm in the US just increased!

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Superfoods - What's so "super" about these foods anyway?

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to be looking at various "superfoods" and examining what makes them "super". Generally, superfoods are those that are high in nutrients including antioxidants, fiber and phytochemicals such as beta-carotene. There are many naturally occurring superfoods including blueberries and broccoli.

I'm going to look at some less common superfoods and I'll discuss how to incorporate them seamlessly into your diet. There are so many beneficial natural superfoods such as Salba and Hemp, that are not regarded as common today. But these ancient grains are loaded with nutrients and high in Omega 3 and 6. I'm going to explore these and some others and let you know what I think of the benefits of these foods. I'll incorporate and test out some superfoods and let you know what types of results I see. Taste is also very important to me - I believe that no matter how "good for you" something is, if the taste is not pleasing, people are unlikely to keep it in their diets.

Please let me know what you think of my posts on Superfoods and I'll try to add more content and research links to let you decide which superfoods to incorporate in your diet.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Food Brands Compete to Stretch Your Buck

I was reading this article in the New York Times about how major food brands are competing for your business. Kraft, Oscar Mayer, Lean Cuisine, Del Monte, and Chips Ahoy all have new ads aimed at showing consumers how their products can help you stretch your dollar.

The idea behind the advertising is to show consumers the value of packaged products. With more and more consumers becoming aware of where their money is going, these companies are trying to cash in on the trend by marketing value for money.

I’m all for saving money and getting value for my money. I also see the value in spending more money for better quality. But I don’t buy into this advertising scheme. While it may work for some consumers, it will not work for me! I like to know where my food comes from and I’m willing to pay more for what I consider higher quality.

I’m not a health freak my any means, but I do think that there is value for me to support small businesses who produce quality goods. To really save money, consumers should be more aware of what they are purchasing – who needs 5 bags of chips because they are on sale? Instead of buying those cheap chips, I can take my money and buy a container of Herbamare seasoning to use on the potatoes that I have.  This seasoning is made from sea salt and dehydrated vegetables and tastes great on potatoes. If I slice the potatoes very thinly, I can have my own, home-made chips.

Yes, this takes time, but ultimately, I have spent less than I would have on store bought chips and I have a high quality product. So my advice to you is don’t spend money on big brands who are trying to convince you of a “value” in their products, spend money on quality and you will out!

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Sunday Evening Dinner - Creamy Clam Linguine, Garlic Cheese Rolls

Every Sunday, I try to make sure that I prepare a filling, wholesome meal for myself and my husband. When I make a large meal, the leftovers are great for lunches or dinners through the week when we are both very busy.

Today however, I was exhausted from working in the garden most of the day yesterday and earlier today so I wanted to make a meal that was hearty but no too labour intensive or time consuming. In addition, we've been battling a colony of bumble bees under our deck and I just couldn't bring myself to spend a lot of time on dinner.

Creamy Clam Linguine

2 Tbs chopped garlic with jalapeno
3 Tbs olive oil
1 package Europe's Best Nature's Balance
1 package Catelli Smart Linguine (1lb)
2 cups heavy cream
3 cans clams drained with juices reserved
1 tsp thyme
Herbamare Provencale Aromatic Sea Salt & Pepper to taste
1/3 to 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to directions (but to a slightly firm consistancy).
While pasta is cooking, heat oil in pan and add garlic/jalapeno mix. Heat for about 2 minutes and add Nature's Balance mix and thyme. Keep heat at medium and cook until veggies are heated through. Add clam juice and heavy cream. Turn heat to medium low and slowing heat up sauce (about 5 minutes).
Add clams and cooked pasta - stir well, add Herbamare Provencale Aromatic Sea Salt and pepper to taste, and cook for 4-5 minutes until pasta is fully cooked. Remove from heat, add parmesan cheese, stir and let stand for a few minutes until sauce has thickened slightly.
Serve with a crispy, green salad.

NOTE: I also like to add some white wine to this sauce but I didn't have any on hand today so that got skipped.

I also put the bread maker to work today.

Garlic Cheese Rolls

1 &1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tbs sugar
2 Tbs butter
4 & 1/2 cups white flour
2 tsp yeast

1/3 cup butter
2 Tbs minced garlic
1&1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Add first 6 ingredients in order into bread machine. Run machine on dough setting. When dough is ready, wait 45 minutes - 1 hour for dough to rise. Roll out dough into a rectangle (similar to a baking sheet size).
Melt butter and mix with garlic. Brush on flat dough and sprinkle with 1/2 of the cheese. Roll up the dough like a jelly roll and slice into 1" thick rolls (like cinnimon buns). Brush tops with butter garlic mixture and top with remaining cheese. Wait another 45 minutes - 1 hour until rolls have doubled in size. Cook at 350 for 30-40 minutes or until fully cooked.

ENJOY!

Actifry - "deep fried" without the fat?


I was looking around the Internet today to look for healthful store bought chips - ones that are baked but still taste great. Then I came across what could be the best invention for fryers that I have ever seen - Tefal Actifry.



The premise of this invention is that you can have fried food (crispy, tasty, flavourful) without the oil. In fact, from the promotional materials, apparently only one spoonful of oil is required to "fry" 1kg of food. To me, this sounds too good to be true.

Right now, Actifry seems to only be in the UK and Australia, but I'm eager to see when it will be offered in Canada. I will keep you updated on Actifry so watch this spot to see when it will be available in Canada. I'm still skeptical that this invention will really work, but if it does, Actifry will be a revolution in deep fried foods.

CBC - The Great Food Revolution - Part 3

Yesterday I saw part 3 of The Great Food Revolution. The focus of this part of the series was on how New York produces food. With a city of over 8 million people in a land covered in pavement, it was fascinating to see the people behind the scenes in food production.



The documentary took a look at the night workers who toil through the night to feed new york - these include food distributors, bakers, farmers, and fish wholesalers. The competition at the food terminal and fish market is cut-throat - buyers who know how to negotiate and sellers who know their competition.

It's amazing to see the night activity in the quest to feed New York City.

I encourage all foodies out there to go to cbc.ca and check out The Great Food Revolution - it's a good look at the other side of food. I feel like watching this series gives me an inside look at how the food industry works - I can't wait to see part 4 next week.

Friday, May 8, 2009

Tasty Rice with Veggies

Yesterday, I made some rice with veggies. There really wasn't much special about the rice except that I didn't use oil in ANY of the preparation but I preferred this recipe to many types of fried rice I've had at many restaurants.

What you'll need:

1 bag Europe's Best Zen Garden Veggies
2 & 1/2 cups uncooked par-boiled rice
2 Tbs chopped garlic with jalapenos
2 cubes chicken stock (I used one made with vegetables)
5 cups water
2 Tbs lemon juice
salt & pepper to taste

Bring water, stock cubes, lemon juice and rice to a boil. The lemon juice really gives the rice a nice freshness and works well with the garlic jalapenos and the stock cubes. Once the mixture starts boiling, add in the garlic, stir, cover with pot and let cook (about 15 minutes covered). Do not touch the rice during this time - it can be tempting to look under the lid and stir things around but this is a bad idea - your rice will be ruined!
While the rice is cooking, heat a pan and add about 1 Tbs of water and the bag of veggies. Cook on medium-low heat and add salt & pepper to taste.
Once the rice is cooked, remove from heat, fluff with a fork and cover for 5 minutes.
Open the rice pot and add in the veggies and you're done!

The reason I use Europe's best veggies is because they are so convenient and tasty - often I find that they taste better than fresh veggies and I like the mixes they offer. In reality, you can make this type of a dish with any type of veggies (frozen or fresh) but I really like these ones!

Happy Cooking!

Sunday, May 3, 2009

The Great Food Revolution - CBC documentary

I just finished watching a documentary on television called "The Great Food Revolution" on the CBC. I watched the second of four episodes of this series - The Battle to Get on Your Plate!

The documentary started out in Jungle Jim's - a gigantic grocery store just outside Cincinnati. I had the pleasure of visiting Jungle Jim's when I visited my sister in Cincinnati a couple of years ago. I have to say that I was overwhelmed with the sheer variety in the store. It was like being in an amusement park where you buy groceries. I was pleasantly surprised that the doc started with this food store.

At the heart of this episode was how brands and companies battle to get consumers to spend money on their products. Watching the episode, we got to see a glimpse into the process of developing new products for Loblaws. I have to say, watching this process unfold - from traveling the globe, to tasting products at home, to developing and pitching new recipes, to having the recipes produced for the market - I was mesmerized. I wonder if I could apply to be a product tester at Loblaws? I would love to try potential new products and provide my feedback. I think I have a fairly good palate and a good idea of what people generally like and dis-like.

The marketing of new foods was also discussed. In this case, Toscano pizza. I have to say, I think the best way to get someone to buy a new food product is to give them a free sample. This is what Toscano Pizza did at GO stations in Toronto. It doesn't surprise me that techniques like this would work - after all, if I try something and like it, I am more likely to purchase that when I go shopping because I believe in the taste.

Next we move to Hard Bite Potato Chips. I have personally tried these chips (after seeing them on The Dragon's Den) and I have to say, these are not bad! I was actually a little concerned about the name because I thought they would be too hard, but they are great! I like the fact that I'm buying something from a small Canadian company and I like the way they are manufactured. It's interesting to hear how hard the fight was for Hard Bite to get on the shelves of grocery stores. Companies pay for space on the shelves and the better the placement, the more the cost to the food manufacturer.

Watching this documentary really made me wish I could be part of the food industry. I'm not sure I want to try and beat the odds of getting a personal product on the shelf (I make a mean breakfast cookie and people have suggested I sell my healthful butternut squash brownies). But wouldn't it be fascinating to have a say in what goes on the shelf in grocery stores?

The show ended with a segment about local produce and local foods (something I blogged about recently). I know there has been some controversy about the whole "eat local" movement. I agree with supporting local industries but I'm still not sold this way of eating results in a smaller carbon footprint. Right now, I'm ready to generally keep my shopping the same, but if I see something grown locally, I will usually select that over an import.

I can't wait to see next week's episode. If anyone from Loblaws reads this and has an inside scoop on getting an invite to try out the new Loblaws foods, please drop me a line!