Category Archives: Nutrition

Apr
29
2013

Who Says You Can’t Go Back?

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So I took a week off. Nickel and I hopped in his jeep, and headed for the Island….OK, nothing so exotic as the Caribbean and Hawaiian Islands, but it IS a desirable location by many! We were off to visit my folks on the Wild, Wet Coast of Vancouver Island in a small village named Gold River. If you’ve followed me for a while now, the place won’t be unfamiliar to you as I’ve blogged about it before. I don’t think Nickel really believed me when I said there was no cell phone reception…luckily however, iMessage works to a fellow iPhone so I wasn’t cut off completely! *phew* (Hey, I had important stuff to do like keep up to date on friends lives and check on my little man Ben).

The enchanting forest that makes up Peppercorn Park

The enchanting forest that makes up Peppercorn Park

There isn’t much to do in GR but relax….sleep in until 9 am…sit in the glorious sun, eat great food, bask in even better company and battle it out in the evenings playing Saskatchewan Rummy. Yeah. Good times.

I noticed something while I was at my folks house however- about nutrition. I’ve stopped eating anything with the additive ‘carageenan‘ in it. I found it in my soy milk of the past and because of not being able to find a palatable carageenan-free replacement, I opted to go to Almond Milk. Now, at the time, little did I know finding an almond milk without this nasty little ingredient would prove to be JUST AS TOUGH! Anyway, I finally did but at my parents place, they had Almond Breeze in the fridge. (Now Mom, I know you’re reading this and DO NOT FEEL BAD- you didn’t know!) Almond Breeze has carageenan and without realizing it, I began to ingest it again and immediately felt the effects. It wreaks havoc on my digestive system. Maybe there isn’t a whole lot of data to back it up quite yet, but the studies that are out there, and using my own elimination trial- I firmly believe there is no place for this in my personal diet. I’m shocked at all the milk replacements that have it in it, and am saddened by the lack of choice. I’m not alone in this either- there are a ton of other blogs out there talking about the problems carageenan  causes. With so many people not being able to tolerate lactose, and the switch to dairy replacements, something really needs to be done to ensure we’re getting the best possible product. Really, making your own almond milk is the way to go….And contrary to what you may think you DO NOT need a barrel full of almonds! (I like the above recipe best. It’s simple and simple is good).

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Kickin’ back…

Check out what’s in YOUR fridge. If you have any kind of sensitivities or bowel/tummy problems what have you got to lose by simply eliminating carageenan? You might just thank me for it.

I’m afraid that’s it for me. I have a ton of stuff on my mind, unfortunately I need to de-stress from my 1st day back to work and dig deep to remember why exactly I’m fighting the solidarity fight again….

Until next time. Love with all your heart.

 

 

 

Mar
01
2013

Things I’m Excited About #18

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I’m really excited about Polenta these days. I hope I don’t get so excited I get sick of it and never want to see it in my life anymore. Oh sure I’m only buying the pre-made stuff in the tube, but I love it! It’s handy, healthy and ….damn, I can’t think of a cool “H” word. I’ve only been playing with it in my diet for a short time, and I know I have so much else to learn but so far so good! Takes to tomato well, bread crumbs….cheese….and is GREAT the next day for lunch. It’s economical too and won’t break the bank.

I’m done buying veggie ground round. My new thing? Using the Presidents Choice Worlds Best Meatless Burger for whatever I would have used ground round in…chili, spaghetti sauce and tacos for instance. The flavor is 10 x better! One burger is more than enough for me, and when I use it in sauce, it makes 2 servings and is very “meaty”. I wish I could tell you I’m enjoying the meatballs but they’re still off the shelf getting new packaging so I was told. Sure takes PC a loooooooong time to do that. The product better not have changed. Hmmph.

Know what a Growler is? It’s an environmentally focused, refillable, large ‘jug ‘ o beer’ as brought upon by the Craft Beer industry. Sure it’s roots go way back when bottles weren’t so readily available, but bottom line now, is it’s a great way for people to enjoy their fave beer from a local brewer and just keep refilling. The BC government wants to tax them higher now….more pressure on the local, indie businesses….sign the petition here. New kids to the craft brew scene here in Vancouver, Powell Street Craft Brewery, say they won’t be raising Growler prices. I’m sure others will agree…

I have too much on my mind tonight to finish this post. I had intended it to be much longer but recent events have suddenly filled my head with other stuff. No, not visions of sugar plums and fairies either! Just “stuff”.

xo

 

 

Feb
19
2013

Everything is Better in Crumbs

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I love my toast and PB every morning. The more grains and nuts the bread has, all the better. I also admit to enjoying the crusts; but sometimes I confess, I let them pile up in the freezer. Why it NEVER once occurred to me to make my own bread crumbs I’ll never know. Its seems so bloody obvious. And what doesn’t taste better breaded and baked or fried? NOTHING! Everything is better in crumbs…

So I toasted up all my end slices in a 300 degree F oven, about 7-8 minutes a side. Then I broke them up, tossed in my trusty food processor and pulsed away. I spiced things up a bit too with Parmesan cheese, S & P and Italian seasoning….yeah, it got pretty wild in the kitchen you might say.

Then I had about 2 cups of amazingly flavorful toasted bread crumb goodness and fairly bare cupboards. Before I had embarked on this culinary odyssey I neglected to see if I had anything to bread and cook. Lo and behold: the mighty tube o’ Polenta greeted me when I opened the fridge. OK, OK so it’s not home-made polenta; I’m not ready for that sort of thing yet…I need to ease into it, maybe find myself a nice little Italian lady to take me under her wing and show me how it’s made…

Anyway, I sliced up some fairly decent sized pieces, coated them in my delicious crumbs and put in a hot oven. Once the crumbs had started to brown I topped them with a good dollop of tomato and veggie sauce, and a heaping of good ‘ol mozza cheese…

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I baked another little bit (sorry I don’t really time this stuff. I just watch it like a hawk through the oven window, salivating) until cheese was nice and melted…

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Bloody hell if this wasn’t a damn tasty little thing. Only thing missing? Fresh basil on top. Serve with a salad, cold beer and you’re good to go. My belly was so happy :-)

And to make this Tuesday even better- had a great run with NO PAIN from my knee. Of course I know when to stop now and don’t overdo things, but usually I feel some twinges. Tonight was great. The air was clear, I could see the stars and I was alone with my thoughts. Worked out some frustrations and rejoiced in the quiet…

It’s good.

 

 

Feb
13
2013

Behold the Chickpea Fry…

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There is one little pub in Vancouver I go to for their chickpea fries…OK, I also go there ’cause it’s not pretentious and it’s called a “nerd” bar. And, I’m kinda a nerd….

Point is, I can’t keep going there when I want chickpea fries. It’s not only expensive but not so good for my waistline too since those bad boys are deep fried! I decided to look online and attempted the first recipe I found. I have two little requirements in a chickpea fry: preferably done in the oven and EASY. This recipe is basic and the good thing is, you can add spices to tailor them to whatever your tastes are. I went with basic garlic, S & P and some seasoning salt…

The first step involves adding the chana (chickpea) flour mixed into COLD water and whisked over medium heat…warning: keep stirring because as it heats up the flour mixture will become thick- FAST.

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After coming to a gentle boil for 1 minute…

Then, as the recipe states, pour the mixture into a pan, and put in the fridge….the longer the better. I chose overnight. I came home today and flipped it out…

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Turned out, nice and firm….

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Cut and ready to go…

At this point you could fry, bake, deep fry or freeze to use later. I opted to try both pan-frying and baking in the oven. Something to take note- these fries STICK BADLY….so if you have parchment paper for the oven I highly recommend it. I didn’t and it resulted in not-so-attractive fries but damn, did they taste fine! If you’re frying, make sure and not fiddle with them; let them develop a ‘crust’- if you move them too soon that yummy part will get ripped off and you’ll be crying.

While I gobbled up the pan fried ones, I loved the oven-baked ones even more. They almost “puff’ up in the oven and I was in pure food heaven.

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A quick pesto-mayo dip completed the plate…

This recipe is basic but that’s what I like about it. There is room to play and experiment with flavor. I’m pretty damn excited about this discovery and looking forward to the possibilities. Storm Crow, does this mean I won’t be by anymore? HELL NO. It means I’ll have a little bit of you, here at home with me…and maybe a little more room for another beer there :-) Besides, the chickpea fries at Storm Crow are a million times better than mine….

 

 

 

Sep
23
2012

I’m in Love Again…

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All over again…with my food processor. It’s been such a happy weekend between the two of us I’m almost giddy. It’s not that were in a bad way before; I think I just lost sight of what was good about it. Dare I say, I thought I had no time for it? I didn’t need it? I’m ashamed at how I acted and why it took me so long to discover the pure, honest-to-goodness ease it can bring to my life.

Tonight, with the processors help I attempted MY version of the Veggie Shepherds Pie I literally swooned over at Portland Craft. I braised the lentils for about 60 minutes today and ended up with a super flavorful, richly spiced base for my “pie”. I sautéed shallots, carrots, celery and garlic (all of course finely chopped in my love interest, the processor) and added green lentils along with some veggie broth. I personally love McCormicks bouillon cubes because they’re vegetarian of course! I used the “chicken” but next time, will do the “beef” cubes for a darker broth. Added some sage, S & P, rosemary, oregano, dash of chili pepper…and let them slow cook. Nice and easy. Nothing quick about it.

I used a full head of cauliflower for my “mash” because I am planning on freezing some of this glorious stuff for lunches and dinners later! I cooked up the florets and stems in veg broth water, added some bay leaves and more rosemary. While the cauliflower was cooking I roasted a head of garlic in the oven and grated a bit ‘o white cheddar. Sharp of course.

Again, it was my food processors time to shine. I filled it up with a wee dollop of butter, the cooked cauliflower, roasted garlic and a bit of S & P and let ‘er whip. Here is where I made a small error: I added a bit too much of the cooking liquid to the processor. In my head I was thinking of mashed potatoes and how to make them creamy, forgetting I was working in new territory here. I added the cheese at last-minute and gave a couple more pulses. Voila. Ambrosia. I was eating the stuff before it even made it on top of my lentils!

Once the lentils had a nice thick layer of mash, into a 350 degree oven it went. 40 minutes later I topped with some roasted broccoli and onion bits and let it brown for about 10 more minutes.

This is good. Really, really, soul satisfying, comfort-food, like a hug GOOD. I need that about now.  (PICS TO COME)

Sep
07
2012

What’s Going On?

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Ahh, I’m writing this and looking at my beautifully painted living room. I no longer feel like I’ve got a bordello going on in my suite. The red walls are history my friends…now to tackle the bright orange kitchen. (thanks Mom!!) The teal bedroom is growing on me though.

So what’s going on you ask? Well only 2 MORE DAYS to donate to my fundraising effort for the SPCA Paws for a Cause walk. I would like to thank the amazing and generous Clients of Capilano Pet Hospital have opened their hearts (and wallets) to support both me and my colleague, Tania. It means the world to us! Got a few dollars to spare?

Apparently McDonald’s is finally going vegetarian. In India. Of course beef and pork aren’t served in the Indian locations but they’re taking it to another level. Here is yet another reason for me to visit this country; I need a McAloo Tikki Burger!

I’ve been meaning to write about a couple of recent visits I had to the somewhat new Tap & Barrel restaurant located in Olympic Village here in Vancouver. The craft beer menu (the TAP part) is impressive and I personally favoured the R & B Sun God Wheat Ale. OK, I REALLY LIKED IT. In fact, I loved it…to the tune of several pints…but what a refreshing summer beer! If you look at Tap & Barrel on Yelp, or even just Google it, you’ll find a gazillion people talking about the fantastic patio. Believe them. It’s truly a spectacular patio and it’s split up into an upper and a lower, complete with tables and couches too. It looks like several heaters are lined up outside as well for those soon-to-be-here fall days…no reason you still can’t enjoy a Vancouver patio with stellar views of the ocean and downtown once summer is over *sob, sob* But what about the food you ask? First visit I did the Veggie Burger because I’m always on the hunt for an awesome burger I can really sink my teeth into when I’m downing a beer. This one was fairly good. Only complaint? The bun couldn’t take it; it simply couldn’t handle the bulk of the burger and all the fixings. Yes, bulk is a good thing here. It was a tasty burger served up with the most amazing fries I’ve had in ages, and the best part? The deep-fried pickle! Oh man, pure ambrosia. Second visit, my dining partner opted for the deep-fried pickle appetizer and was equally stunned. Now she also got the Poutine which was MASSIVE. Do not get this if you think it’s a little starter size. It was huge with apparently “delicious gravy” (I opted out since its not vegetarian). Overall impression? Obviously I liked it enough to go back 2 times, and will try it again I’m sure. I just really dig that patio and the location is a bonus.

Next pub planned? Portland Craft. Yeah, I’m psyched about this gem…

 

Aug
28
2012

Seed Sharing- An Ancient Practice

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I haven’t been this excited about something so SIMPLE in a long time. Maybe its because it’s summer, maybe it’s because I’m feeling slightly sad for having to leave and/or uproot my own garden, I don’t know. But check this out people- a seed sharing station could be somewhere near you! I love this concept- leave some seeds you have harvested or take some seeds you would like to grow. It’s all give and take, equal and sustainable. Its perfect for all those community gardens where neighbors may have an excess of seeds and don’t really have the room to grow more, so why not share the love?

I still have to check if this will allow Canadians to ‘adopt’ a seed sharing center, but if not, how hard could it be to make your own? NOT HARD AT ALL. Think about it. Know somewhere in your community this would work?

Aug
21
2012

Death of the Meatball

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I have finally received an answer from the all mighty powers that be over at Presidents Choice as to why the meatless meatballs disappeared.

Here is their tweet, in reply to my question:

@PresChoice: @chere_michelle We’re so sorry but our Meatless Meatballs are no longer available. We’ll be sure to share your comments with our team.

Share my comments? Thanks but will that put another vegetarian option on the shelf? Or fall on deaf ears?

I fully expect the rest of the meatless line to vanish.

UPDATE: This tweet just in

@PresChoice: @chere_michelle Our Meatless Meatballs will be re-launching in Summer of 2013

Takes a year to re-launch an already fabulous product with a loyal following?

ONE MORE UPDATE STRAIGHT FROM A 9 YEAR OLDS MOUTH:  “Why do they need to fix it? It’s already great.”

Well said kid.

Aug
07
2012

So You’re a Vegetarian?

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Well guess what? Yeah, there’s an app for that…

I have 5 apps for Vegetarians so listen up!

- Happy Cow VeginOut: For those of you that know the Happy Cow Site (searchable vegetarian and vegan restaurants all over the world) this app is straight from them!

- Vegetarian How to Cook Everything for the iPhone: Man, this is a HUGE claim. How to cook everything? It’s based on the book by the best-selling NY Times Columnist and author Mark Bittman. I’ve heard some pretty great things about that little book…

- Veggie Passport: This is great. With this app you will ALWAYS be able to order veggie or vegan food no matter where you travel. The apps page states “Express your veggie lifestyle in 33 languages.” Cool.

- Whole Foods Market Recipes: OK who doesn’t love Whole Foods? Who wishes it wasn’t quite so damn expensive? Aside from that, they have some pretty great recipes that I receive in my inbox weekly, so I’m confident this app will prove to be just as good.

- Locavore: (not sure if available in Canada) Find local. Find organic. Support area farmers. Apparently all with this app. Very cool.

Tried any? Love to hear about them!

Jul
12
2012

Does ‘Meatless Monday” Really Make A Difference?

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I think the idea of going meatless ONE day a week is a great way to introduce vegetarian food to people who may otherwise never try it. I have loved the idea of this campaign since I first heard of it a few years back. Looking through the Meatless Monday website however, I learned the US government actually urged families to reduce their consumption of key food staples during World War I by introducing Meatless Monday and Wheatless Wednesday! This seemingly small effort put forth back then, has turned into a global movement that is celebrated everywhere from private homes to public schools to senior residences today.

Someone may ask: “Yeah but does going meatless ONE DAY A WEEK really make a difference?”

One site, Wannaveg.com lists the following stats for going meatless one day a week for ONE year by ONE individual:

- Save 84,000 gallons of water. It takes approximately 2,400 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef. (The Meatless Monday site states, soy grown in California uses 220 gallons of water per pound)

- Save 245 pounds of grain. Did you know 1/3 of the world’s grain is used to feed livestock? I’m thinking that grain is needed badly elsewhere…

- Save 7,700 square feet of rainforest. Enough said. We all know how important this is.

- Save a few of the 10 billion animals slaughtered for food every year.

- Reduce your contribution to global warming. I didn’t know this fact, but emissions from animal agriculture contributes to more greenhouse gases than all the cars and trucks on the planet COMBINED.

Don’t believe me? Check out Wannaveg.com’s reference page. They’ve done the research, so we can all see the benefits.

Of course I’d love everyone to eat a plant-based diet 7 days a week, but I’m also a realistic person. I don’t really believe in preaching too hard or forcing my beliefs down others throats, but rather provide them with the info and hope they make an educated decision.

Meatless Monday is just ONE DAY A WEEK, it’s not the end of the world and it’s not a major life changing event. It’s one day to experiment; maybe try something new…be creative…step outside your comfort zone.

Judging by those stats up there, I can only see the positive effects of it…