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To buy your copy of Rick Gallop’s G.I. Diet Cookbook for $25 ($10 off cover price), please contact Laura Buckley by email at laura@laurabuckley.ca.
Free book deliveries for residents of Cornell in Markham.
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Markham Living: Cooking With Laura |
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March 2008 – Every couple of days my neighbors see me out on my porch, often pyjama-clad, feeding my addiction. A small machine makes popping noises and billows out a cloud of smoke with a heady aroma. But, no, it’s not illegal. I’m roasting green beans to make the ultimate cup of coffee.
I got into roasting a couple of years back when I heard most of the beans on grocery store shelves are stale. Coffee has a short shelf life, less than five days. I learned this from Derek Zavislake at The Merchants of Green Coffee in Toronto, the company he co-owns with his brother Brad. I visit The Merchants regularly to pick up my green beans and recently took a roasting refresher course. Zavislake says that no amount of fancy packaging can preserve coffee. He explains that it is the oils in the roast that go rancid within a few days and give coffee a bitter taste. The only way to ensure it’s fresh is to roast it yourself frequently.
Many a haughty barista will tell this is a job better left to the experts. Zavislake disagrees. “There’s no great science behind roasting. It’s a very simple process of raising the internal temperature of the bean past 400 F.” And that’s easy to do at home. You don’t need special equipment. Zavislake says, “The oven is a fantastic roaster.” The most important thing is to start with a quality bean. The farmers are the experts. And fair trade and organic 'add a huge amount to coffee because they tell you one of the most important things about quality: where the coffee is from, ' he also says.
But once you’re hooked, you’ll want to invest in a small electric home roaster, which operates 'very similar to a hot-air popcorn popper,' Zavislake demonstrates as he turns on the roaster and flicks the switch on the kettle, showing customers that it doesn’t take much longer to roast beans than it does to boil water. He then pours green beans into the small glass chamber until they are just slightly moving in the circulating hot air. Roasting this way, he says, is 'all about sight, smell and sound.'
As the moisture leaves the bean, it turns a yellowish brown and makes a popping sound. “This,” Zavislake continues, “is the first crack. The physical expansion of the bean.” You then have to watch and listen closely for the second crack, which is a faster, more crackling pop. And this is when that great coffee aroma comes out. “This is when the sugars begin to caramelize and it’s entering a medium roast.”
If you want a dark roast, roast a little longer and you will see the oils being forced out of the bean.“That’s why dark roasts are shiny,” he explains. The beans then go through a short cool-down phase and then you’re ready to grind them and make the perfect cup of coffee. One roasting makes enough for six to eight cups of coffee; most people only need to roast every couple of days.
It does take a few roasts to perfect the process though. “We encourage [customers] not to worry about under-roasting or over-roasting,” says Zavislake. Such experimentation will lead your own perfect roast.
For more information on home roasting, go to www.merchantsofgreencoffee.com.
Article by Laura Buckley for SayItCornell.com
©2008 All Rights Reserved. |
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June 2007 – Do you really know where your next meal is coming from? One study states that the average North American meal has traveled about 2,400 kilometres. That’s the distance from Regina to Toronto! Why does it have to come from so far away when here in Ontario we grow and raise a wonderful variety of food? Granted, much of the year we can’t grow most vegetables and fruit, but there is still so much we can buy from locally and we are about to move in to a few glorious months of abundance on the local produce scene.
Buying local is so important for many reasons. Transportation increases greenhouse emissions and air pollution. Food that has to travel long distances is usually picked unripe and then is sprayed with fungicides, sprout inhibitors and other preservatives to prevent it from rotting on the long journey. Local food is fresher, more flavourful and retains more vitamins. Buying local ensures the survival of small producers and encourages the preservation of agricultural land around our cities, which in turn preserves wildlife habitats and keeps our environment healthy.
What about organic? You may think you’re helping the environment and your health by buying the now widely available variety of organic foods. But how far has some of that travelled. Many of the large-scale organic farms in California, while not using pesticides, use huge amounts of electricity and water in their production and packaging. Just take a look at the large plastic bins of organic salad mix and think about how much energy was used to make them. Another big beef of mine is overpackaging. Garden Basket sells organic broccoli wrapped in plastic on a Styrofoam tray and the bananas are in a plastic bag. You’re better off buying the Ontario broccoli that hasn’t been on a truck for days and is naked except for an elastic band. I’ve registered my complaint with the produce manager but I’ve seen no change.
Local strawberry season will start in a couple of weeks and with it the re-opening of Reesor Farm Market just up the road on Ninth Line and Elgin Mills. All summer long you can be guaranteed of yummy local produce and great baked treats too! Visit the Main St. Markham Farmer’s market on Saturday morning. It’s small but it’s a start. For terrific pick-your-own strawberries that have not been sprayed with pesticides, take the family up to Spring View Farms, 11680 Durham Rd. 1, Uxbridge. Call 905.852.2795 to check availability.
When buying meat, local is definitely better. Take a look at www.themeatrix.com and you’ll see why you should know where your meat is raised and how. Garden Basket is carrying Hallelujah Organic beef and chicken. It’s definitely more expensive (but often offered on special), but the taste is worth it. Look for Ontario lamb. It’s raised on small-scale family farms and they don’t tend to use a lot of antibiotics or chemical-laden feeds. At Stuart Carroll Meats on Main Street, they are quite knowledgeable and they can tell you where the meat comes from. Try asking the staff at the meat counter at Loblaws what farm their meat was raised on. My absolute favourite butcher is Rowe Farms. They are based in Guelph but come to the St. Lawrence Farmer’s Market on Saturdays. You can place an order for pick-up (519.822.8794) and stock up the freezer for all your summer barbecues. John Rowe has been selling naturally-raised meats for more than 30 years and has never used hormones, animal-sourced proteins or sub-therapeutic antibiotics.
After you return home from Spring View Farms loaded up with strawberries, make this simple recipe. There’s one loaf to enjoy right away with a cup of tea and another for the freezer!
 1½ cups whole-wheat flour
½ cup wheat bran
1½ cup rolled oats
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
3 eggs
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup canola oil
¼ cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups strawberries, fresh or frozen and thawed, mashed
Instructions
In large bowl, stir together flour, wheat bran, oats, cinnamon, salt, baking
 soda and baking powder; set aside.
In separate bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, oil and buttermilk. Pour over
dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Stir in strawberries.
Divide mixture evenly between two greased 9" x 5" loaf pans.
Bake in centre of 375ºF oven for 45–50 minutes or until cake tester inserted
in centre comes out clean. Let cool in pan on rack for 15 minutes. Turn out
onto rack and let cool completely.
Makes 2 loaves.
Wrap in plastic wrap or foil and store at room temperature for up to 3 days
or wrap in plastic wrap and heavy-duty foil and freeze for up to 1 month.
For an extreme but really interesting take on eating local, have a look at www.100milediet.org. Alisa Smith and James MacKinnon spent a year eating only what was grown within 100 miles of their home. They’ve written a book about the experience and their website has a lot of great information about being a “locavore.”
Article by Laura Buckley for SayItCornell.com
©2007 All Rights Reserved. |
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Asparagus
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May 2007 – It’s finally starting to feel like spring! I was out in my garden this weekend cleaning up the mess that winter left behind and it felt so good to see all the green heads poking out through the soil. My son’s strawberry plants are coming to life and the rhubarb seemed to be growing as I watched. That got me thinking about what kind of tomatoes and other veggies I’ll grow this year and all the yummy summer meals ahead.
Another sure sign of spring is the arrival of the first Ontario produce in the markets and stores. Look out for Ontario asparagus mid-May and enjoy it while you can – it beats the pants off the tasteless imported stuff that’s been shipped for thousands of miles... When choosing asparagus, make sure the heads are compact and closed. It’s a matter of personal taste whether you pick thin or thick spears, just make sure that when you prepare them, they are similar in thickness. Snap the woody bottom parts of the stems off, give them a good rinse to get rid of any sand – then steam or grill them just until tender! Here are a couple of recipes to celebrate spring in Ontario.
1 lb asparagus, tough ends removedi
2 tsp + 2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp butter
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
12 oz shitake (or mixture of mushrooms), sliced
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup dry white wine or vermouth
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400ºF.
Arrange asparagus on baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tsp olive oil and turn
to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Roast 10-12 minutes or just until tender.
Meanwhile, in skillet, heat oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add onion
and garlic; cook, 1 minute.
Add mushrooms; cook until soft and golden, about 5-7 minutes. Add lemon
juice, then pour in wine and cook until wine is absorbed, about 2-3 minutes.
Stir in parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Divide asparagus among 4 plates. Top with mushrooms.
Makes 4 appetizer servings.
4 large eggs, separated
¼ cup warm water
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
⅛ tsp salt
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup cornstarch
¼ tsp baking powder
Filling
2 cups chopped rhubarb
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup whipping cream
1 tbsp icing sugar + more for dusting finished cake
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400ºF.
Grease a 17½" x 11½" jelly roll pan and line with parchment paper.
Grease paper and lightly dust with flour.
In mixing bowl, beat egg yolks with water until fluffy. Beat in ¼ cup sugar
until pale and thickened. Blend in vanilla.
In another bowl, mix together flour, cornstarch and baking powder; set aside.
In separate bowl, beat egg whites with salt until foamy. Beat in remaining
sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold into egg yolk mixture. Gently fold in flour
mixture, making sure flour is fully incorporated.
Spread batter evenly in prepared pan and bake in middle of oven for 10–12
minutes or until puffed, golden brown and firm to touch. Loosen edges with
knife; allow to cool in pan on rack 5 minutes. Invert onto tea towel: peel off
paper.
Filling Instructions
While cake is baking, in nonstick pan over medium-high heat, cook rhubarb
with sugar and maple syrup, stirring, for 8–10 minutes or until softened and
thick. Spread filling on a plate and chill 5 minutes.
In mixing bowl, beat whipping cream and icing sugar until thick and
spreadable. Do not overbeat or cream will go lumpy.
To assemble
Spread rhubarb filling evenly over cake, leaving a 1" border on each short side. Put a platter at far end of cake. Beginning with short side and using parchment paper as an aid, roll up cake jelly-roll style. Carefully transfer roll, seam-side down, to platter. Sift with icing sugar just before serving.
Article by Laura Buckley for SayItCornell.com
©2007 All Rights Reserved. |
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April 2007 – A report from Statistics Canada was published the other day stating that we are consuming way too much salt. The recommended daily sodium limit is 1,500-2,200 mg for 1–3 year-olds and 2,300 mg for ages 14 and up. Canadians are consuming on average upwards of 3,092 mg per day. It’s easy to cut back on adding salt to your cooking, but the real problem is hidden in the processed foods we eat. Processed meats, frozen dinners, hot dogs, prepared soups, salad dressing, pasta, crackers and other snack foods are the biggest culprits. Start taking a look at the sodium levels on the nutrition labels of some of the things you buy.
The only way to control your salt intake is to avoid packaged foods and cook more things from scratch. No time? With a little planning and wise grocery shopping, it’s really not that difficult. Here’s a recipe for macaroni and cheese that your kids will love. It takes no longer than the boxed variety but it is smooth and creamy without all the salt and chemicals. To round out the meal, there’s a recipe for spinach salad with a sweet maple dressing that you may even get the kids to eat too.
2 cups macaroni
2 eggs
1 385 ml can evaporated milk
2½ cups shredded old cheddar cheese
2 tbsp unsalted butter
Instructions
In large pot of boiling salted water, cook macaroni until tender but firm,
about 8 minutes.
In bowl, whisk together eggs, 1 cup of evaporated milk and 2 cups of cheese.
Drain macaroni and return pan over low heat. Add butter; stir to melt. Pour
egg mixture over buttered noodles along with three-quarters of the cheese.
Increase heat to medium and stir constantly until thoroughly combined and
cheese starts to melt. Gradually add remaining milk and cheese, stirring
constantly, until mixture is thickened and creamy, about 3 minutes. Do not
have the heat up too high or sauce will curdle. Serve immediately.
Makes 4 servings.
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp cranberry juice
⅓ cup olive oil
1 tbsp maple syrup
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
¼ cup dried cranberries, chopped
6 cups baby spinach
Instructions
In small saucepan over medium high heat, whisk together vinegar,
cranberry juice, olive oil, maple syrup, salt, pepper and cranberries until
warmed through. Place spinach in bowl and toss with vinaigrette.
Makes 4 servings.
Article by Laura Buckley for SayItCornell.com
©2007 All Rights Reserved. |
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March 2007 – If you’re taking time off at March Break and not heading south, you may be wondering what fun things you can do with the kids while avoiding the crowds at the malls, museums, and play centres. It’s a perfect opportunity to stay at home and cook up a storm! Cooking appeals to a wide range of ages and the food you make, you will enjoy. While older kids can do more of the actual cooking, the younger ones can help with getting out the ingredients, stirring, and even doing dishes is fun for them!
Cooking is also a great learning tool. It helps reading skills and math skills (such as fractions and measurement). It enables children to organize themselves to accomplish a task and, in the end, they are also more likely to experiment eating foods that are unfamiliar to them if they have been involved the preparation process.
To get started, there are lots of cookbooks for kids and a lot of information on the Internet – Spatulatta.com is a great site! There are recipes, videos of kids cooking, and basic information presented in a very 'kid-pleasing' style and format. My children really love cooking from Kitchen For Kids by Jennifer Low. It’s a beautiful cookbook full of appetizing photographs. The recipes are designed so that children can do most of the work themselves*. Mixing is done by hand, no sharp knives are needed, and there is no stove-top cooking. The recipe yields are small, so it means kids can make lots of different things without running up a huge bill for ingredients!
* Younger children may need some assistance, but children 8 and up need only adult supervision (recommended).
Make a menu. Have your children search the Internet or cookbooks to
choose recipes they would like to make. Encourage them to make
something using an ingredient they’ve never heard of or tried.
Then have them make a shopping list. Head out to the grocery store and
get them involved in reading the list and finding the ingredients. Even
better, if you’ve got the time, head downtown to St. Lawrence Market.
You can spend time exploring all the wonderful foods and talk to the
vendors.
Have your kids ask questions. They’ll see first-hand that meat comes from
animals and not prepackaged in plastic trays. If you go Saturday morning,
you can catch the North Farmer’s Market, where kids can see what is
grown right here in Ontario.
Closer to home, take a walk down Main St. Markham and visit Stuart
Carroll Meats (120 Main St.) to experience a real butcher shop and
Turquoise Holistic (78 Main St.) to pick up organic milk, yogurt, fair-trade
organic cocoa, nuts and flour for baking.
Before you start cooking, explain the importance of good hygiene while cooking (no licking the spoons and sticking them back in the pot). Everyone should wash their hands and wear an apron or clothes that you don’t mind getting spills on. Have your kids take turns reading the ingredients and getting everything measured into small bowls or cups. This is called the mise en place. Tell your kids that this is what all the professional chefs do. Once all your ingredients are assembled, have the kids start reading the method and follow the steps. If you’re making several recipes, take time out to clean up and do some dishes in between, so there’s not a huge mess at the end. Kids love doing dishes. Don’t shove everything in the dishwasher. Fill up the sink with soapy water and get them to take turns washing and drying. Before you’re ready to sample your creations, have the kids set the table. Then sit down and try everything and discuss what they’ve learned.
Friday night is pizza night at our house. But why spend $25–30 on take-out when it can be a fun family activity – and it tastes way better too! If you have time on the March Break, make multiple batches of dough and freeze it before it’s risen. During a busy week when you’re back to work and school, take the dough out of the freezer on Thursday night and place it in the refrigerator. By the time you’re ready to make dinner Friday night, your dough will be ready to roll out, top and bake in less time than it takes to order in and have it delivered.
2 cups all-purpose flour
(you can also replace ½ cup of the flour with whole-wheat flour)
1½ tsp quick-rising instant dry yeast
(buy a jar and keep it in the fridge)
¾ tsp salt
¾ cup hot water (about 120F)
2 tsp olive oil
Instructions
In bowl, combine flour, yeast and salt. With wooden spoon, gradually stir
in water and oil until dough forms, using hands if necessary.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface; knead for 8 minutes or until smooth
and elastic. Place in a greased bowl, turning to grease all over. Cover with
plastic wrap; let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface. You can portion out dough into
4 small pizzas or shape into one large pizza. Using your hands, or a rolling
pin if you wish, flatten and gently stretch the dough into a circle. Remember,
if you like a thin crust, make sure the dough is rolled out very thinly but be
careful not to make holes in the dough. Grease a metal pizza pan or baking
sheet with olive oil and place the dough on the pan.
Toppings: For 1 large pizza, you’ll need about ½ to ¾ cup tomato pizza
or pasta sauce, and 2 cups shredded cheese. Using the back of a spoon,
spread the sauce evenly over the crust. Sprinkle half of the cheese over
the pizza. Top with your favourite toppings and then sprinkle the rest of
the cheese over top. Bake on bottom rack of a 500F oven for about 10–12
minutes.
Article by Laura Buckley for SayItCornell.com
©2007 All Rights Reserved. |
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February 2007 – Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Never mind who’s going to be my sweetheart – bring on the chocolate! But chocolate is bad, right? No, take heart, chocolate is actually good for you, as long as it’s the right kind.
The cocoa in chocolate contains flavonoids, naturally occurring compounds that are also found in tea, red wine, and apples. Flavonoids have antioxidant properties that protect the body’s cells against disease. They have also been linked to lowering blood pressure and plaque build-up on artery walls.
But before you reach for that big bag of chocolate-covered caramel hearts, let me tell you that all chocolate is not created equal. The more chocolate is processed, the more the good properties of the flavonoids are lost. Dark chocolate contains the highest level of flavonoids, more than milk. White chocolate doesn’t contain any flavonoids because it doesn’t contain cocoa. The higher the cocoa content in chocolate, the higher the flavonoids. Look for chocolate that contains at least 70% cocoa. Most chocolate that does not have the percentage on the label is between 40% and 50% cocoa.
Portion size is important too. A couple of squares of good-quality chocolate a day is healthy – a whole bar a day is not – because while the flavonoids are beneficial, you don’t need all that extra fat and sugar.
There are also a lot of politics around chocolate. Much of the world’s cocoa supply comes from regions in Africa where the workers are exploited. Read Bitter Chocolate, a fascinating investigation of the industry, written by CBC radio’s Carol Off. Also have a look at www.cocoacamino.com and learn about a brand of fair-trade chocolate (paying farmers and workers a fair price for what they produce).
So go ahead, eat some good-quality chocolate and fight off those February blahs... guilt-free!
6 oz dark chocolate (70% cocoa), chopped
⅓ cup 35% cream
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Instructions
Place chopped chocolate in a medium-size bowl.
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring cream to just below a boil (small
bubbles should form around the edge of pan). Pour over chocolate and
stir until mixture is smooth. Cool in fridge for at least 2 hours or until mixture
is firm.
Using a teaspoon, scoop out chocolate mixture and gently roll into a ball
(make sure your hands are not too warm). Roll balls in cocoa powder.
Truffles can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen in an airtight
container for up to 3 months. Allow the truffles to come up to room
temperature before serving.
Make this homemade treat for your Valentine, or anytime. These truffles are a cinch to make and pack a big chocolate punch. Makes about 3 dozen.
Article by Laura Buckley for SayItCornell.com
©2007 All Rights Reserved. |
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January 2007 – Welcome to the first installment of my SayItCornell.com column on cooking and eating. Over the coming months I want to share with you some ideas that will get you thinking more about the way you eat and the choices you make when you go to the grocery store.
So once again it’s January and you’ve resolved to eat better and try to shed a few (or more) pounds. Where do you begin? The first thing is not to look at it as punishment for overeating during the holidays. That just perpetuates the vicious cycle of binging and dieting, which is unhealthy. To most people, dieting means depriving yourself of things you enjoy eating, and that’s no way to live. The secret to successful weight loss is to change your eating habits without denying yourself the foods you love.
Recently I had the opportunity to develop two hundred recipes for Rick Gallop’s G.I. Diet Cookbook (Random House, 2006). The diet is based on the Glycemic Index (G.I.), developed by University of Toronto's Nutrition Professor David Jenkins. G.I. measures the speed at which foods are broken down by the body to form glucose, the body’s source of energy. High G.I. foods break down quickly and leave you feeling hungry. Low G. I. foods break down more slowly and leave you feeling fuller, longer. The diet is based on an easy-to-follow traffic light colour system. Red light foods are ones to avoid, yellow light can be used in small amounts, and green light foods can be eaten in any amount. The diet is safe and backed by the medical profession. It can reduce your risk from heart disease, stroke, Type 2 Diabetes and many cancers. I don’t receive royalties on the sales of the book – I am including it in this column because I really believe in the principles of this diet. What I really like is that you don’t ever feel like you’re eating “diet food,” and you can easily get your whole family to eat this way. Whether or not you want to lose weight, it is a great blueprint for healthy eating. The recipes are simple, flavourful and most of the dishes take less than 30 minutes to prepare.
Here’s a recipe from the book that’s reminiscent of Spanish regional cooking. It’s one-pot, great for a weeknight meal or entertaining. It’s even better made a day ahead and reheated.
1 tbsp + 2 tsp olive oil
2 lb skinless chicken breasts and thighs
¼ tsp each salt and pepper
6 oz Italian-style turkey sausage, cut into ½-inch slices
3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 onions, roughly chopped
2 peppers (any colour), cut into 1-inch pieces
¾ cup brown basmati rice
1 (28 oz) can tomatoes, drained and quartered
1 (19 oz) can cannellini (white kidney) beans
1 cup chicken stock
½ cup dry white wine
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp chopped mixed fresh herbs
(choose from rosemary, oregano, thyme, marjoram)
1 tsp paprika, preferably smoked
¼ large orange, unpeeled, cut in four pieces
½ cup olives
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
In large, deep ovenproof frying pan, heat 1 tbsp oil over high heat. Sprinkle
chicken with salt and pepper. Brown on all sides. Remove to plate. Add
remaining 2 tsp olive oil and sausage, garlic, onion and peppers. Cook for
5 minutes, or until onion is golden brown. Stir in rice, tossing to coat. Stir in
tomatoes, beans, stock, wine, tomato paste, herbs and paprika.
Place chicken on top of mixture. Place olives and orange over top. Cover
and bring to a simmer on top of stove. Place in oven and bake for 1 hour
or until chicken and rice are cooked. Makes 6–8 servings.
Article by Laura Buckley for SayItCornell.com
©2007 All Rights Reserved. |
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