Sunday, February 28, 2010

New Items in Store and Recipes

NEW ITEMS IN STORE!

GLUTEN-FREE:
SCHAR Vanilla Wafers and Chocolate-Dipped Cookies . YUM!
MR. SPICE SAUCES: Tangy Bang Hot Sauce and Hot Wing sauce.
Whole Sugars: Organic Raw Golden Cane Sugar and Organic Dark Demerara.
Canned Coconut Milk is now on the shelves. See the recipes below !
GO BIO: Organic Bouillon Cubes:low-sodium Vegetable, and Beef. Each cube makes 2 cups.Great for stock or a quick mug of soup! Just cut one cube in half for a mug of broth!
GOGO QUINOA: Instant Quinoa vegetable Soup is back in! Another great quick soup and full of quinoa protein!
INARI: Organic Pearl Barley. Check the recipes !
SIMPLY ORGANIC: MINI SPICES-Turmeric Root Powder, Thyme Leaf, Dill Weed, and Cumin Seed Powder.Check the Recipes!

REAL TASTY RECIPES:

COCONUT RICE
1 1/2 cups org. Basamati rise
1 can coconut milk (400 ml. )
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. sea salt
juice of one lime
1 1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons Inari org. shredded coconut

Place all ingredients in saucepan. Bring to a boil for two minutes. Reduce heat to low and cover. Let cook for 30 minutes. Great with your favorite stir-fry!

POTATO GRATIN
3 lbs. potatoes cut into 1/8"-thick slices
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
3/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp dried crushed thyme leaves
1 1/2 cups cream
1 cup grated Bothwell smoked gouda
butter

Method:
1. Place rack in the center of oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.
2. Generously butter a 13" x 9" x 2" baking dish.
3. Arrange 1/3 of the potato slice on the bottom of the prepared baking dish, overlapping them
slightly.
4. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp thyme and 1/3 cup grated cheese.
5. Pour 1/2 the cream over the potatoes evenly.
Repeat layering two more times.
6. Bake for 30 mins.
7. Reduce heat to 350F. and continue to bake until potatoes are tender and potatoes are golden
brown, about 25 mins.
8. Cool for 20 mins before serving.

Above recipe is by Lorna Murdoch,fusion grill, as printed in ciao! cooks. It's a wonderful accompaniment to Berkshire pork chops or Bison steaks!

An absolutely delicious and versatile spread we tried that we saw in cioa1 cooks is the following Aioli:

HORSERADISH AIOLI
1 organic egg
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp organic stone-ground mustard
1 tsp organic rice vinegar
1 cup organic canola or safflower oil
3 Tbsp prepared horseradish

METHOD:
1. In a small bowl using a mixer on medium speed, combine egg yolk, garlic, lemon juice, mustard and rice vinegar.
2. While mixer is running, drizzle in oil to emulsify.
3. Fold in horseradish.
Spread Aioli on burger bun or your favourite sandwiches or subs!

BISON BURGERS
2lbs. ground bison
1/4 cup diced white onion
3 cloves chopped garlic
1 organic egg
2 Tbsp organic ketchup
dash Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp hot sauce
pinch paprika
pinch chili flakes
1 tsp pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp sea salt
2 tsp raw organic sugar
1/2 cup bread crumbs
Whole grain hamburger buns
lettuce
1 red onion
1 tomato, sliced
sliced Bothwell smoked gouda

METHOD:
1. In a large bowl, combine onion, garlic, egg, organic ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, cayenne, paprika, chili flakes, pepper, salt, and organic sugar into bison meat.
2. Knead in bread crumbs.
3. Divide and form into 1 1/2" thick patties.
4. Grill over medium heat about 5 mins., flip and top with smoked gouda slices and continue cooking until cooked through, about another 6 mins.

ASSEMBLY:
1. Spoon on desired amount of aioli onto top of bun.
2. Place meat on bottom bun and garnish with lettuce, tomato and red onions. Close burger with top bun.
3. Serve with an ELMAN'S Dill Pickle!

The AIOLI and BISON BURGER recipes are by chef Beth McWilliam, Fresh Cafe.

ABOUT PICKLES: REAL INTERESTING!
According to the website nutritiondata.com, pickles simulate a feeling of being full.
Pickles are low in saturated fat and cholesterol,making them a healthy snack at only 15 calories each.
they also provide a source of nutrient such as vitamin A, iron, potassium, vitamin K and calcium.
Thanks to ciao! magazine for the tip!

WEST AFRICAN PEANUT SOUP:
"Prairie Ink's signature soup has an initial rich peanut flavour that releases an addictive lingering blast of cayenne pepper heat." ciao! mag.

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup diced carrots
3/4 cup diced celery
3/4 diced white onion
3 cups sweet potatoes or winter squash, peeled and chopped
12 cups water
2 cups smooth natural peanut butter
14 oz of whole canned Eden organic tomatoes
1 Tbsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
organic canola or safflower oil

METHOD:
1. In a large pot over medium-high heat, saute carrots, celery and onion in oil for 3-4 mins.
2.Add sweet potato or squash and cover the vegetables with water. Bring to a boil and simmer until potatoes are cooked.
3. Add remaining ingredients and puree with mixer or food processor until smooth.
4. Adjust seasonings to preference.

Here's a hearty , fiber-filled soup to finish off the winter!

BARLEY AND LENTIL SOUP WITH SWISS CHARD

INGREDIENTS:
1 tbsp Inari organic olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 1/2 chopped peeled carrots
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tsps Simply Organic ground cumin
10 cups (or more0 GoBIO low-sodium vegetable broth or IMAGINE FOODS organic chicken broth
2/3 cup INARI organic pearl barley
1 4 1/2 -ounce canned EDEN organic diced tomatoes
2/3 cup INARI organic french lentils
4 cups (packed coarsely) chopped swiss chard or spinach
1 Tbsp SIMPLY ORGANIC dill

METHOD:
Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onions and carrots; saute until onions are golden brown, about 10 min. Add garlic and stir 1 min. Mix in cumin; stir 30 seconds. Add 10 cups broth and barley, bring to boil. Reduce heat; partially cover and simmer 25 mins.. Stir in tomatoes with juice and lentils; cover and simmer until barley and lentils are tender, about 30 mins.
Add chard, or spinach, and dill to soup; cover and simmer about 5 mins. Season soup with salt and pepper. Thin with more broth,if desired.

Thanks, to our distributor, PURESOURCE, for the above recipe!

REAL SMART TIP FOR LEFTOVER COOKED QUINOA;
Our friend, Anita, told us that she adds cooked Quinoa to her crepes batter for extra protein and fiber,and a great texture! We suggest you use the HEMPOLA pancake mix for the added benefits of spelt and hemp seed flours, which contain all your essential amino acids (protein) and omegas.
Extra crepes can be saved in air-tight containers in the fridge for about a week, or freeze them for later. A nice light and nutritious meal can quickly be put together by layering the crepes, with canned crab meat and white sauce and parmesan cheese. Cover the top layer with the white sauce and cheese and bake at 300 degrees for about 20 minutes. Serve with a salad .

HAPPY EATING !!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

ORGANIC / DeRuyck Farms

Walking the aisles of the Roseisle Grocery Coop store you'll notice the many little"shelf talker" flags bearing the word ORGANIC. In fact, by now you've probably heard and seen it popping up all around,in both the news and in advertising. This buzzword has become part of the common vocabulary, however the definition or meaning of the word hasn't been clearly made and is often misused. In fairly recent history, this important adjective has been applied primarily to food and farming, but its use is not restricted to this, as it has even been used to describe society itself, in the industrial revolution, as "everything that industrial was not"! It has also been called more a philosophy than a science, though the real science is experiencing ever-increasing research on a worldwide scale at the same time as the philosophy has for many become a way of life. Actually,it was Sir Albert Howard (1873-1947) an English agronomist, knighted after his thirty years of research in India , who provided the philosophical foundations for organic agriculture. He published THE SOIL AND HEALTH and AN AGRICULTURAL TESTAMENT(1940), which can be thought of as the movement's bible. Though he never used the word organic, he outlined the connection beween soil health and fertility and and the health of plant, animal and man, even right up to the health of the nation.

Put simply, the term we know, actually became applied to food and farming in the 1940s in the pages of J.I.Rodale's "Organic Gardening and Farming" magazine, (still publishing in the U.S.A. to many thousands of subscribers), devoted to the agricultural methods and health benefits of growing food without synthetic chemicals-"organically".

For our purposes, we will begin by taking this more or less as a definition, but of a process, rather than the product. Since the beginning of the use of this word, it has gone through many permutations.... there is "organic" and there is "organic". Lets begin by thinking of it describing foods grown specifically without the use of synthetic chemical pesticides and fertilizers.
We can go on in future postings to examine the "organic" process and how it is practiced, certified, marketed, celebrated and often misrepresented.

For the benefit of our customers' choice, we have included high quality food products produced with this"organic" process where we think it works best, on small family farms. In this case, in our local area.
Probably the best example of such a farm is

DERUYCK ORGANIC FARMS of Swan Lake.

Gerry and Marie DeRuyck have been supplying us with high quality organic flax and whole grains and flours since we opened five years ago, and have recently added organic sunflower birdseed to our inventory this year.
The exceptional fact about their operation is that they produce their foods all the way from seed to milled finished product right on their farm. They also deliver it themselves to their customers, who include some of the most popular bakeries and food stores in Winnipeg, and they supply oats to the bakers at INTEGRITY FOODS (whose baking we "import" from Riverton). Customers even drive to their farm from Ontario to pick up their produce, the list of which includes Millet, Rye, Sunflowers, Flax, Buckwheat, Oats, Spelt, Barley, Forage Peas, Flours, Flakes, Buckwheat Hulls, and Sunflower Oil.

In October 2009 Gerry and Marie DeRuyck were presented with the 2009 "GOLDEN CARROT" Award at the Manitoba Legislature as part of WORLD FOOD DAY events hosted by the Manitoba Food Charter. The awards honour individuals or groups who are working toward a more just and sustainable food system for all Manitobans. The awards shine the spotlight on Manitobans doing inspiring things with food for communities. Gerry and Marie were reported to be two of the most committed organic producers in Manitoba!
Also nominated in the Rural Communities Food category was Lisa DeRuyck, granddaughter, who works on her family's organic farm at Treherne, involved in pasture poultry and pork.
(see the Treherne Times, Treherne Manitoba, Oct. 19, 2009)

We add our congratulations to the DeRuyck family, all three generations hard at work to provide so many of us with quality foods, independently!


Any questions or thoughts to share on this ?
Click on "comments" below , and away you go.