Friday's Recipe of the Week

Grilled Ratatouille Salad
~Vegetarian Times Magazine

3/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1 medium eggplant, sliced lengthwise into 1/2 inch pieces
3 large bell peppers, cut into quarters
3 medium zucchini, sliced in half
1 medium onion, sliced into 1/2 inch rings
1/4 c. parsley, chopped
1/4 c. basil, chopped
1/4 c. pine nuts

Pour balsamic vinegar into a small saucepan, bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook 12 mins or until it becomes syrup-like and reduces to 1/4 c. Remove from heat and set aside.
Place sliced eggplant, zucchini, and onion into a large bowl;season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and let stand for 30 mins at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator. Drain any liquid that accumulates.
Heat grill to medium high, toss veggies with olive oil and grill 2-3 mins per side or until tender and cooked through. Remove from grill and cool slightly and chop into 1 inch pieces. Combine vegetable chunks with herbs and pine nuts. Toss with balsamic syrup and serve.


This recipe was quite easy to make, although a little time consuming but that was due to the small size of my grill. This salad can be served warm or cold, although I must say I preferred it warm. I also toasted my pine nuts, as I enjoy the smokey flavour. Lastly, I would add that next time I would include a little less eggplant as this tends to go a little soggy after it's grilled and can bring down the over all texture of the salad. Enjoy!!

Raw Milk Case Settled in Ontario

Some good news, for those of you who are on the raw milk bandwagon: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/01/21/raw-milk-trial.html


It seems as though a farmer in Ontario accused of selling raw milk has been acquitted of the charge after proving that he sells only shares in his cows rather than the milk itself. This is an imaginative method of circumventing the law since it is not illegal to consume raw milk from a cow that you own, only to sell it to others. It is fortunate that in this case the courts agree.


Raw milk has gotten a very bad reputation based on outdated information. It is true that when pasteurization came into use in the 1860's, it reduced the number of deaths caused by food born pathogens that were in the milk. BUT, there are many factors to consider about farming practices employed in the 1800s versus those employed today. For one, the levels of hygiene were abysmal in those days and the cleanliness of the cows themselves and of the tools and vessels used to extract and store the milk was much poorer than it is today. There were no food boards or agriculture regulations in place to control the methods used by farmers, exposing many people to bacteria in the milk. Another factor is the absence of widespread use of refrigeration in the 1800s allowing faster growth of bacteria in milk at warmer temperatures. Thirdly, the level of nutrition of the cow has an effect on the level of bacteria in the milk. Cows that are pasture fed produce milk that has beneficial bacteria growing in it that actually impairs the growth of pathogenic bacteria keeping milk safer, longer. In the 1800s cows were often fed the mash byproduct of distilleries within the cities, which is where the majority of deaths occurred. On this inadequate diet the milk being produced was of inferior quality and did not have the built in protection that healthy milk does.

Meanwhile there are many benefits in drinking raw milk, beyond the argument of whether or not you'll die by drinking it. The nutritional benefits of raw milk, provided you get it from pasture fed cows (I wouldn't bother with anything else) is far superior to that of the pasteurized and homogenized milk you can buy in the grocery store. The levels of healthy Omega-3 fats are naturally much higher as well as the quantities of vitamins and minerals present. There are also many enzymes (lactases) present that aid in the digestion of the milk sugar lactose. The presence of these enzymes may help those people who have difficulty digesting milk because they lack these enzymes. Milk that has been pasteurized however, has been heated which destroys any enzymes that are present. Thirdly, people who are allergic to dairy may also be able to consume raw milk without digestive difficulty. This is because most allergies are due to a reaction to the proteins in a food. Proteins are unique 3D molecules that appear to be 'twisted' into a knot. Each knot is recognized by the body as something helpful or something that is invading. Because pasteurization and homogenization both require high levels of heat, the proteins literally become cooked and lose their shape. This causes the body to flag them as invaders and thus mount an immune (or allergic) response. Thus, people with milk allergies may find they have no reaction or at least a reduced reaction to raw milk products. There are also other health benefits that I will refrain from mentioning here as the post could get quite lengthy.


I do however encourage you to do your own research and by all means come to your own conclusion regarding this topic. I daresay, that with this recent news, there should be many articles written on the subject in the next few days...

For more information, please see: Raw Milk Facts.com or The Weston A. Price Foundation Real Milk Campaign

Recipe of the Week

This week's Recipe is my personal favourite: Pizza! Now I realize that many people would much rather order in, and that many others already have their own recipe for pizza dough, but let me tell you first that take-out pizza doesn't hold a candle to homemade pizza, and secondly, that this dough recipe is absolutely fabulous! So I encourage everyone to give it a try, pizza newbie or no...

Moosewood Pizza Dough
courtesy of The New Moosewood Cookbook

1 c. wrist-temperature water
1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
1 T. honey or sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 to 3 c. flour
olive oil

Place water in a medium sized bowl and sprinkle in the yeast and honey. Stir until everything dissolves. Stir in salt and flour, when it gets too thick to stir, mix with your hands. Knead in bowl 5 minutes. Brush excess flour out of the bowl and wipe lightly with olive oil. Oil the dough and place in a warm area covered with a damp towel to rise until doubled in bulk. Preheat oven to 450F and after assembling bake about 20 minutes or until dough begins to brown.

Now I haven't made any recommendations as to what to top your pizzas with, because I know that everyone has their own preferences. However I've just got to put out there that chevre (soft goat's cheese) is my absolute favourite pizza topping and I would never dream of going without it... nudge nudge.

Lastly, a couple of insights from a lady who's baked many a pizza: this recipe also works wonderfully for calzones, don't use too many toppings (keep it simple!) or too much topping (sprinkle sparingly!), and I find that a pizza stone works wonders to reduce the cooking time. Enjoy!!

Eat Local Sudbury

Today I made a visit to a local foods initiative here in Sudbury called Eat Local Sudbury.


Their store is located downtown about 3 minutes from the bus depot and filled with many local food products from this area of Ontario. It is very nice to be able to buy local vegetables, grain, milk, and meat without having to wait until the Saturday morning market, or in my case until next spring, as the market here closed down in December! They've got a lovely map of Ontario on the wall of the store with pins for all of the farmers that supply them, as well as descriptions of each farm and what products they supply. It is great that they have created a central location where these farmers can display their products, without having to constantly man the booth or do their own marketing. I know it seems very similar to the grocery store concept, and I'd imagine that the only thing that keeps it under control is the farmers who sit on the board of the co-operative.

I personally bought some honey, rolled oats (for the bread I'm making tomorrow) and some delicious dried apple slices to munch on during the movie I was about to go see with friends. Yum yum, even better than popcorn!!...

For more information on finding local foods near you, please visit: Find Local Foods/100 Mile Challange or Farmers Markets of Canada

The Little Things + Recipe of the Week

Well, since my last two posts have been pretty heavy I've decided to go light today.

I find it can be somewhat difficult in our culture, that is Western culture, to find the time to take a moment to stop and appreciate the little fortunes we experience each day. But, every once in a while, life creates those moments for you, whether you're in the mood or not! I had a moment like that yesterday. I had just returned from the grocery store, an event that takes 3 hours for me since I don't have a car and culminates with carrying several very heavy bags of groceries up a very long and steep hill. So needless to say, when I arrived home, I was tired, hungry and my shoulders were killing me. I knew that I needed to eat something right away or suffer the consequences of low blood sugar. But uggh, did I ever NOT feel like cooking! So I settled for a fried egg on toast with sprouts, which was as healthy as I could manage with the mood I was in. But lo and behold, I cracked open the egg and what do I see but this:



A double yolker!! Not a huge deal , I know, but rare enough that it made me smile, and definitely brightened my day. The little things eh?...

And now (delayed by only one day!), Recipe of the Week:

Lemon Blueberry Scones

2 1/4 c. flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 T. sugar (or honey)
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. buttermilk
1/2. whipping cream
zest and juice of 1 lemon
as many blueberries as you like!

Mix dry ingredients. Add butter and wet ingredients. Combine until just mixed. Pat into a 1 1/2 inch circle and slice into triangles. Bake @ 425F for 12-15 mins. (until tops are starting to brown)

This recipe for scones is fairly versatile. You can add whole wheat flour if you like (I wouldn't go more than 1 cup) and the buttermilk can be substituted for milk or go all whipping cream if you want them to be very rich. If you do want to use buttermilk but don't want to buy a full litre (cause who would really use it all, right?) then you can make your own by adding 1 T. of lemon juice to 1 c. of regular milk and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. Tada! hehe...another nice thing about this recipe is that if lemon blueberry is not your fav, then add something different. Try just dried currants, or maybe pear and ginger, or maple syrup and walnuts, or blackberries, or or or...there are so many possibilities, just experiment!

Enjoy!

The Nestle Boycott

I've been thinking about my New Year's resolutions. I had a few ideas, healthier eating, exercise, the same old thing... but I hadn't really made up my mind until last night. I've decided to undertake the Nestle Boycott.

The Nestle boycott was launched in 1977 against the Nestle Corporation in protest of their marketing of breast milk substitutes in less economically developed countries. Protesters argue that this contributes to unnecessary death and illness of infants, largely among the poor.

There are many problems that arise when third world mothers try to formula feed: First, formula must be mixed with water, much of which is contaminated in poor countries leading to disease among infants. Due to high illiteracy rates, many mothers cannot read the labelling and thus cannot follow the instructions needed to sanitize the food. Many others can understand but cannot afford the fuel to boil water for feedings several times each day. UNICEF estimates that a non breastfed child living in these conditions is 6-25 times more likely to die than a breastfed child.

Secondly, due to the expensive nature of formulas, many women will dilute the feeds with water to stretch each container further causes infant malnutrition.

Thirdly, breastmilk contains antibodies that protects a newborn infant until their own immune system can be developed. It also contains the perfect amount of nutrients essential to a baby's development and changes as the baby ages. Breast milk even changes composition from the beginning of a feed to the end starting with more watery thirst quenching milk at the first and ending with nutrient dense milk at the end of the feed. Infant formulas cannot even begin to compare to that level of tailoring. The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for ALL babies until at least 6 months of age.

Finally, exclusive breastfeeding can offer some form of contraception for new mothers to whom no other options are available. This can provide necessary spacing of children so that the infants can stay at the breast longer and alleviates the stress of closely spaced pregnancies on the mother's body.

Advocacy groups charge that Nestle supports unethical methods of promotion including supplying hospitals and maternity wards with free samples, thereby disrupting lactation in women while they are there, forcing them to continue using supplements after discharge, when it is not free. They have also been accused of supplying 'humanitarian' aid in the form of supplements in order to create new markets, but do not change the labeling to reflect the language of the new country. Finally, it has been reported that they offer gifts or sponsorship to health care workers willing to promote their products. Nestle denies these claims.

So, in light of these facts I have decided to boycott all Nestle products for the forseeable future. This list includes: KitKats, Coffee Crisps, Aero, Carnation products (hot chocolate!), Nature Valley bars, General Mills Cereals, Perrier water, Butterfinger, After Eight, Haagen-Dasz, Nescafe, Nestea, Coke Products (there is a partnership), Tollhouse, Maybelline, l'Oreal, Garnier...and much much more.

For more information check out The Politics of Breastfeeding by Gabrielle Palmer, the Baby Milk Action Network or the International Baby Food Action Network.

Photo courtesy of strollerderby.com

Food Rules

Nutrition has been a interest of mine for about 4 years now and I've spent the last year enrolled in a holistic nutrition program from which I graduated in June with flying colours. But, I must admit I've been in a bit of a slump for the past 4 months. I know that it was mostly due to the time pressures of my program, but there really is no excuse for eating crap, especially because that's what you end up feeling like, eventually. Over the holidays J and I were discussing how it can also be easy to lose sight of your interests if you have no one to share them with or do not get regular inspiration. Which is what I think happened to me in this case. Since I've rediscovered my passion for nutritious foods after receiving an excellent cookbook as a gift, I have resolved not to lose it again! So today I went to Chapters to spend some Christmas money and bought 2 things: Food Rules by Michael Pollan and Moosewood Classics by the Moosewood Collective.

Michael Pollan is an excellent author with many books to his name, but there are three specifically about food that I would recommend to anyone who eats. The Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food, and now, Food Rules. Food Rules basically boils down what he has been saying in his last two books: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." and is literally a list of rules to help a person do those things. Since I actually just finished it (it was fairly short) I can safely say that it is well worth reading, although I would recommend reading In Defense of Food first so you'll understand why it's a good idea to follow all these rules!

The Moosewood Collective is a group of people who operate the vegetarian Moosewood Restaurant in New York state and also write cookbooks. I have one of their other cookbooks and everything I've made from it so far has been delicious, so I felt that I couldn't go wrong with another! See below for my first Recipe of the Week!

To top it all off, I also watched the documentary Food Inc. today. It reveals a lot about the industrial food system in the United States (Canada's is very similar), and while I was aware of most of the information already having read several books on the subject, it was much more upsetting to see actual images of CAFOs and the faces of the farmers who are being slowly crushed under the weight of the multinational corporations controlling their (and our) lives. Depressing stuff.

So, because I'm in a frenzy trying to find ways to stay inspired I've decided to do a Recipe of the Week each week. I'll try to keep it to Fridays but no guarantees. These recipes will be vegetarian and feature whole, nourishing, non-complicated and delicious foods! (I will personally taste test each one before posting, no exceptions!) So without further ado:

Eastern European Red Lentil Soup

~Vegetarian Times magazine

Serves 8/Gluten Free/30 minutes or fewer

1 large red onion, finely chopped (2 cups)

3 cloves garlic, minced (1 Tbs)

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 1/2 cups red lentils

2 Tbs. ground cumin

1 15-oz. can chopped tomatoes with liquid

1 Tbs. honey

3 bay leaves

1 Tbs. red wine vinegar

1/2 cup plain yoghurt (optional)

1. Saute onion and garlic in oil in large saucepan over medium heat 5 minutes or until soft. Stir in lentils and cumin; cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes and liquid, honey, bay leaves, 7 cups water, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil.

2. Cover pan; reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 20 minutes, or until lentils fall apart, and soup is thick. Add water to thin if needed. Remove bay leaves; stir in vinegar. Serve with dollops of yoghurt.

The lentils in this soup are balanced in carbohydrates and protein, while providing plenty of fiber to keep you full longer. The sulfur in the garlic and onions has a cleansing effect while the garlic and honey both have antibacterial and immune boosting properties.

Enjoy!!

My first post! ...a little late in coming...

I realize that is not the most engaging title, but it may take me awhile to get the feel for this blogging thing...there's a knack to it I'm sure.

So I feel like I should explain a bit how I came to be writing this blog in the first place. I started it back in September 2009 when I began my degree in Midwifery thinking "This would be a great thing to chronicle whether or not anyone reads it!". So why have are there no posts from September until January? Easy, I got cold feet, and verrrrry busy!! Being a midwifery student is no picnic and happy as I am to be here, I'm the first to admit that when sleep is a luxury and I have to schedule in time to shower, blogging is not a priority. So this fresh attempt will hopefully stick, but I'll warn you now that you'll probably lose me for a couple of weeks around April. Meanwhile the cold feet issue was dealt with deftly over the Christmas holidays by my Little Sister #1, who we'll call J, when she revealed to me that SHE has had a blog for the past 9 or so months. Sneaky little thing! But she gave me confidence and encouragement so here I am, typing away.

As for the focus of the blog, we both shall have to wait and see. The trouble is that I have a lot of subjects about which I feel passionately, so I doubt I'll be able to limit it to just one, even one as broad as midwifery. I'll likely be posting about anything from cooking and food, to nutrition, pregnancy, gardening, books, music, wine, environmental issues and sustainable living. And that's just off the top of my head! This might get interesting...