They Deserve the Very Best!

Quinoa Surprise Salad

Parents always want to make sure that their kids have the best of everything. The coolest running shoes, the most high-tech video games, the trendiest clothing etc...So why skimp when it comes to their nutrition? I can't stress how important it is to make sure that kids are fueled with the right nutrients as early on in their life as possible. It becomes more difficult the older they get, as they begin to form unchanging and differing opions in their life - and when it comes to food, there is no shortage of personal preferences and aversions to foods that they just don't want to try because "I don't feel like it"!

If you train their palates to adapt to delicious foods then there should be any hesitation but to want to gobble up everything and anything you make for them. They won't even know the amazing nutritional benefits they are getting until they grow up and thank you for their good health and well being!

So the trick is to make sure that the foods you are preparing, taste just as good if not better than anything else they are eating. Even if that means sneaking in healthy ingredients into tasty recipes, they will never know the difference. Especially if you are making recipes from fresh whole foods, there should absolutely be no problem. Most recipes depending on what they are can be sweetened wih natural alternatives, bulked up with healthy fiber from natural sources and provide interesting textures and flavours that they have never experienced.

If you want to have delectable recipes like "Everything Cookies" and "Quinoa Surprise Salad" in your home then come and learn how to make a difference in your child's nutrition. You can guarentee that they will be saying "Mummy That's Sooo Yummy!"

Sweet Pleasures

I can't describe to you how much I love each and everyone of my cooking classes. It is so rewarding and gratifying to have a group of people come over to your house, talk about food, nutrition and healthy ingredients and then make some amazingly delicious recipes. Well last nights class was just that. I had seven wonderful girls come and join me in making some healthy and tasty desserts. In this class everyone learned about the natural alternatives that can be used to make your desserts more nutritious. I mean what could be better than making scrumptious desserts without guilt?

Yes, of course these dessert still have calories. They are foods....and all food has calories. But what is nice to know is that the calories in these desserts also come along with some nutrients - something you don't get with commercially baked products with white flour, processed dairy and refined sugars!

The other best part of hosting a cooking class is watching the group interact and connect together as they team up and make the recipe that interests them most and if not just helped along with a recipe to learn new techniques or how to use alternative ingredients.

So the end result was great, everyone's sweet tooth was fulfilled. How could they not be with "the best brownies I have ever tasted"?

It was truly the sweetest pleasure seeing everyone create these dessert recipes and enjoy each and every decadent bite. Is not only rewarding for me to have recipes that are successful in a cooking class but more importantly the gratification that is felt among my participants when they feel nourished with knowledge and wholesome foods all at once!

Delicious Desserts without Guilt!

How you ask?

Well all it takes is some education and a little planning. You just have to fill your kitchen with the right ingredients if you want to make simple substitutions to your dessert favourites. And guess what ...I can teach you how.

In this cooking class I will be outlining the different sugar alternatives that are available to you to use with ease. Not to mention their individual sweetness and subtle flavours. I will also be discussing whole grain flours flours that can be used rather than traditional white or now more commonly used whole wheat. These new whole grain alternative flours that can be used in your baked recipes, have some incredible health benefits and you can't even taste the difference!

Most importantly I will cover how baking can be done without any dairy. That means no milk, cream, butter or eggs. Baking can be done without these timely staples. It is really that simple!

You will now have more fun than ever while baking your favourite recipes!

So come and join me on Wednesday August 20th for a wonderful and delicious exploration of healthy baking at it's best.

Here is a recipe just to get your taste buds going....

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

3/4 cup spelt flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (you can do more...I always do!)

1/2 sucanat (natural form of sugar)

1/4 cup maple sugar

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1/4 cup applesauce

1/4 cup sunflower oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350 F

2. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpats.

3. Mix together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

4. Mix sugars, maple syrup, apple sauce, oil and vanilla together in bowl. Add flour mixture and stir until blended. Stir in the oats and raisins.

5. Let it sit for 10 minutes.

6. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto the cookies sheets.

7. Bake for 12-14 minutes and let them cool for 5-8 minutes on cookie sheets then scoop onto a cooling rack.

8. Enjoy them with a glass a cold glass of Vanilla Rice Milk.!

Homemade Granola Goodness

Wouldn't it be nice to sit down to a bowl of delicious granola in the morning knowing you made it and that it tasted better than anything you bought in a store....well you can.

You could have come to my Breakfast Cooking Class to learn how, or you could simply find a recipe that suits your needs to make a batch of this golden toasted goodness.

But I will give you some quick tips to get started with.

First of all get yourself some good quality organic whole rolled oats. This will be your basis and substance to the recipe. Use sweeteners such as maple syrup, agave nectar, honey. Oils such as sunflower oil, coconut oil or organic canola oil. Then comes the fun part adding such things as almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, coconut flakes, apricots, raisins, goji berries....whatever you want! It's yours to enjoy. Just store it in a glass jar and it will keep for a good couple of months.

So really it is that easy to make granola at home. Then you don't have to worry that it is loaded with trans fats, processed sugars and other preservatives.

The Hidden Truth about Calcium!

Who needs a calcium supplement when you can get it from food! No, not from dairy ... but from plant based whole foods!

Learning about which foods have significant levels of calcium is crucial especially if you are concerened about your bones or current calcium intake levels. Unfortunately, I hate to break the news to you, but the Calcium that you think you are getting from a glass of milk, a cup of "low fat" yogurt or slice of cheese is not being absorbed into your body in a usable or beneficial form. In fact it is doing quite the opposite.

The truth is, dairy (especially commercially processed dairy) is extremely acidic to the body and especially to the bones. So when you consume any form of processed dairy, it is actually stripping calcium away from your bones rather than building on to it. So most individuals in North America, predominantly women could be responsible for thier own weakening bone conditions as a result of overconsuming commercial dairy. But not to fret, this can be taken care of and quite possibly reversed.

All you have to do is start consuming adequate amounts of Non-Dairy Sources of Calcium. These sources which come from plant based foods, are extremely bioavailable to the body and they taste great too!

So get your daily dose of greens in (chard, kale, beet greens, collards, broccoli and bok choy). You can steam them, blanch them, saute them, add them to soups, salads or grain dishes--you can even hide them in a smoothie. Consume nuts and seeds such as sesame seeds, almonds, pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds, all great sources of calcium, iron, protein and essential fatty acids. Other hidden but rich sources of calcium include tempeh, avocado, parsley, figs, carob, beans and legumes, salmon and quinoa.
So do what you will, but you can avoid taking expensive supplements and consuming commercial dairy and simply get your calcium from nature. Your body and your taste buds will thank you!

Recipe:

Parsley and Scallion "Butter" with Steamed Greens
This recipe is inspired by Anne Gentry owner of Real Food Daily (Vegan Restaurant in Los Angeles)


Ingredients:

1 bunch of greens such as kale, beet greens, collards, swiss chard, bok choy or spinach

1 ½ cup fresh scallions, chopped
1/2 cup tahini
1/3 cup fresh parsley
3 tbsp lemon juice (1 lemon)
1 tablespoons umeboshi paste
1 teaspoons minced peeled fresh garlic

Procedure:

Steam greens and rinse with cold water to maintain brightness.
Combine all ingredients of "butter" in a food processor and blend until creamy and smooth.
Transfer the spread to a small bowl.
Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours and allow flavors to blend and the spread will become slightly firm.

The Humid Effect on Baking

Well it is true, you will never get the result you want in a baked recipe when there is moisture in the air.

I was preparing my weekly batch of Spelt Blueberry Banana muffins, same ingredients each week in their proper amounts but the outcome... not the same. They just didn't want to rise. They normally have this nice little peak in the very center, but not this time. I must mention however, that the slight moisture in the air, brought about a very moist and tender muffin. So the taste, was delicious---they were just a little flatter and smaller than my usual batch. So really you can't beat the heat, when an order comes in, its got to be done. Just be aware that your muffins may not "muff" up like they usually do when the air is wet.

Who knew rolling sushi could be so simple?

Everybody loves going out to eat Sushi. But wouldn't it be nice to make Sushi at home? Well those participants who came to join me last night for the AMAZING ASIAN cooking class, had the chance to do just that.

There is such fear around making sushi. People seem to think that it is so difficult and tell themselves, "I can't do that"! Well I will tell you what, you can! Also nobody thinks that sushi can taste that good if it's made out of brown rice...wrong again!

So let's go through the steps and simplify this for you.

All you need is a Bamboo sushi mat (approximately $2.00), some short grain brown rice, thinly sliced veggies of your choice (carrots, cucumber, avocado, scallions, mushrooms etc...) Nori (seaweed) sheets, water to dip your fingers in and a sharp knife. You can even add your own condiments such as yellow pickled ginger and wasabi.

There really is no skillful technique, just some practice. All you need to do is place the nori sheet on the bamboo mat vertically, spread the rice out on the nori filling it out abot half way or more, place your veggie strips in a line across the middle ...and then get ready to roll. Wrap the bottom layer over itself with the bamboo and give it a tight press on each turn and go all the way through until you have one rolled up sushi log. Then sliced it up into 8 little bit sized pieces.

And there you have it, Sushi at home. This was definitely the highlight of last nights class. Everyone was amazed at how simple it really is to make healthy vegetarian sushi at home.