Cathy Ireland, runner-up in the Canola Growers Cookie Contest and Manager of Kraft Kitchens.

I spoke to Cathy Ireland just before mother’s day and there is no doubt where her passion for food comes from. It runs in both sides of her family and she inherited the gift from her parents. She cherishes childhood memories of learning to bake with her mother and learning to cook with her father.

The Home Economist and current Manager of Kraft Kitchens, has had a rewarding career with Kraft Foods for 19 years. Her various positions within the company have come with opportunities to really hone in on her senses of food. She has been able to fine-tune her tastes in ways that not many people get the opportunity to do.

Her unique and delicious entry in the Canola Growers Cookie Contest was declared one of the runner-ups. Her Crispy Quinoa Chocolate Cookies (recipe below) are irresistible and I set to find out what inspired such a recipe.

Q. 1 What was your inspiration behind this cookie?

Chocolate chip cookies are a favourite of mine. I grew up making them with my mom. I now make them with my daughters; I have two girls, age three and five. They always bake with me like I did with my mother. Chocolate chip was a favourite of ours.

I’ve experimented with quinoa in salads and desserts but never tried it in cookie. I thought it would be a good way to add more protein and make something not traditionally thought of as healthy.

I was searching for a chocolate chip cookie recipe that was both crispy and chewy. I found one that called for both margarine and oil and thought it would be perfect to try with canola. I took it one step further and wanted to try quinoa flour as a replacement for all-purpose flour in the recipe, which would have also made it gluten-free. While the cookie tasted great warm out of the oven, it developed an aftertaste upon cooling and didn’t hold up well (staled too quickly). I added some flour back and came up with the Quinoa Chocolate Chip Cookie you have today. 

Q.2- When did you realize you had a passion for food?

I originally wanted to be a dietician. As I was completing my degree in university I spent my first two summers working in hospital dietetic services. I decided to switch angles my last two summers and went to work for a potato chip manufacturer instead.

I then had opportunity to work in small manufacturing plant and got to see the whole process from production to sales to marketing.

When I went to Kraft, I thought I’d be doing more editorial work, but with my background I was able to do more hands on work and got into recipe development.

As for my background in cooking, it runs in the family. I learned from both of my parents. My father was the cook at his family’s motel. My mom worked evenings and my dad taught me to cook at a young age in those evenings. My mother taught me to bake. She comes from a Mennonite family and taught me by giving me full reign in the kitchen.

Q. 3- What have been some highlights of your career?

I have had a great career at Kraft Foods. I worked in the food service department for 10 years where I did a job similar to a restaurant critic’s. I would go out to restaurants and critique their menu, suggesting new items using Kraft products.

I was also a Coffee Cupper. I learned how to brew the perfect cup of coffee and tasted coffee to learn about their tastes and aromas. I learned about coffee beans and the regions they come from.

I have also worked on the Kraft cheese business – I completed my first of three levels of cheese training with Artisan Cheese Marketing.

These opportunities have allowed me to develop my expertise as a taster and fine-tune my palette. Our tastes are like an instrument that requires fine-tuning; doing so allows us to hone in on all the different components and senses of food.

I guess you can say I am a professional taster and eater! My job at Kraft Foods has been great. I’ve travelled across Canada and have gotten some radio and other media experience.

Q. 4 -What is the one meal that always makes your family smile?

That’s a tough one because I never make the same thing twice. I’d have go with a classic like roast beef and potatoes for a Sunday dinner. It’s a comfort food that brings back memories of my childhood.

Other than that, I don’t make the same thing twice, which has been the biggest challenge with my own kids. I have trouble feeding my own, because they try something new everyday. For kids it takes them time to get used to food, you have to let them try something 12 times before they get accustomed to something.

Q. 5 – What is your advice to parents regarding their children’s eating habits?

With kids, it’s best not to stress out. Make sure you offer them a variety so they can try different things. They will always find something they like. The power is in your purchasing decisions. If you make good purchasing decisions, they will grow to make the same decisions on their own.

Crispy Quinoa Chocolate Cookies

CRISPY QUINOA CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup quinoa flour (250 mL)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (125 mL)
• 1 tsp salt (5 mL)
• 1 tsp baking soda (5 mL)
• 1/2 cup canola margarine (125 mL)
• 1/4 cup canola oil (60 mL)
• 1 cup granulated sugar (250 mL)
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar (60 mL)
• 1 tsp vanilla (5 mL)
• 2 eggs (2 )
• 1 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (375 mL)

DIRECTIONS:

1.Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

2.In a medium bowl, combine flours, salt and baking powder. Mix well.

3.In a large bowl, beat margarine, canola oil, sugars and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in eggs, on low speed, one at a time until incorporated. Stir in flour mixture until well blended. Add chocolate chips, mix well

4.Drop tablespoons of dough, 2 inches (5 cm) apart, onto baking sheets.

5.Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on baking sheet for 3 minutes. Remove to wire racks. Cool completely.

Read about what inspired the first place winner and our other runner-up in the Canola Growers Cookie Contest.

Emily Richards

You might recognize one of our Canola Growers Cookie Contest runner-ups from Canadian Living Cooks -one of the first Food Network TV shows in Canada.

Emily Richards, professional Home Economist, began her career at Canadian Living; it led her to the world of recipe development and writing cookbooks, among plenty of other things. The title of her latest recipe book sums up her passion well –Get in the Kitchen and COOK! 

We talked to her to learn more about her passion for food and her inspiration behind her Crunchy Munchy Cookie (see recipe below).

Q. 1. Can you describe your cookie entry in the  Canola Growers Cookie Contest and your inspiration behind it?

It was a play on breakfast, it was made out of cereal and dried fruit  -two flavours I really enjoy together. I love making chocolate chip cookies, but my kids aren’t a very big fan of them, they actually love oatmeal.

For the cookie I used bran flakes instead of oatmeal, which gave it a unique texture and gives you a crunch. Plus, it gives you a little extra fibre that no one needs to know about. In this case you can’t taste it, so unless you tell them, they don’t know what’s in it. I also love chewy cookies as opposed to crispy, so that’s where the chewy comes in.

Q. 2. You have an extensive background as a Home Economist, can you tell us what made you choose this particular career path?

I didn’t really choose this career path, I landed upon it. Luck has a funny way of coming through. I went to school to become a dietician, specializing in food and nutrition, but I went through it knowing I didn’t want to be a dietician. In a way it was good thing because I didn’t have to fight for an internship with the rest of my classmates. I loved restaurant work and loved food service but wanted to provide the nutrition part of it, I knew with my background that was something I could bring to the table. My goal was to have my own restaurant where I could share my ideas of food with people.

After I graduated, I got a summer position working at Canadian Living Magazine in an entry-level position. It was an experience that showed me a whole new side of food. As a magazine, I loved it and looked up to it, but after getting position, it opened my eyes to how recipes get developed and tested. Going into recipe development, I realized that having my background in nutrition was very important. I hadn’t even thought of it, or planned it out that way, but that is how my background in nutrition transitioned into recipe development.  That’s where it all started. I was really fortunate to have worked with great people who took the time out to show me the ropes.

I was there (at Canadian Living Magazine) for 8 years. My internship led me to a part time position. Then I became employed at the Bonnie Stern School of Cooking. Bonnie taught the cooking classes, and I worked in the cookware shop and assisted her in classes on the weekends. Getting to experience her cooking classes was what got me into the whole teaching side of things. I loved that I was able to tell people about food and show them how to cook in a different way.

It was the mid 90’s a lot of new things were happening in the food world, like food tv gaining in popularity. Canadian Living had a show a number of years ago. Everyone in recipe development got to do food segments right when it was starting, so that is where I began. In 1999, we heard the Food Network was coming to Canada, and the producers said they wanted a food show. So in 2000, Canadian Living Cooks began airing on the Food Network Canada.

Q. 3 What have been some of your career highlights?

The TV show was a big one; it made me more visible in the industry. People would recognize me at the grocery store and ask me questions like: what should I make for dinner tonight?

One of the other highlights was publishing my first cookbook. In 2005, Italian Express came out. It brought me new experiences working outside of a magazine. I had been a co-author of the Glycemic Index with Rick Gallop, but this was different and exciting.

Another highlight is that I have been given the opportunity to teach in cooking schools and in cities across Canada. Teaching cooking is a life skill lost in home economics, and I believe the necessity of that information is important. I tend to assume people already know everything that I talk about but then I discover that there is segments of people that don’t know, so going back to the basics to talk and educate people is always nice and a good refresher for me.

I am still doing recipe development. I do it for different magazines and a newspaper column. I also develop recipes for marketing boards and I still teach too. I do spokesperson work, TV and radio appearances doing what I love to do: talk about food.

Q. 4 What is the one meal that always makes your family/friends always request?

Veal cutlets. Breaded with homemade pasta sauce, thankfully something that is easy for me. I have an Italian background, so it’s second nature for me, we put a lot of stress on  food in the Italian household.

Q. 5. What has been your biggest culinary blunder?

One of the biggest ones for me was public speaking, back in university.  I remember on time we had a huge group project we had to present and our topic was kosher food. I grew up in northern Ontario as wasn’t as cultured as I am now so I did lots of research. So as I stood up there talking about a topic I wasn’t familiar with, I decided I just couldn’t talk about things I didn’t know about! Little did I know, I would later go on to be on TV show.

Now I prepare for TV cooking segments by talking to myself as I cook, or thinking about what I’m going to say in my head as I go along. That way I’m not caught off guard when I’m on the air and I will always have an answer. It’s harder than you may think to cook and talk at the same time, while looking at the camera.

On cooking level, there are lots of incidents. Just ask my husband about the 15 coffee cakes I made once, none of which he tried!

Crunchy Munchy Cookies

CRUNCHY MUNCHY COOKIES

22 other home economists entered the Canola Growers Cookie Contest at the Ontario Home Economics Association conference recently. Proof of the contest’s success was in the cookies. Katie won first place, and there were not one, but TWO runner-ups!

Katie’s goals include finishing her 4 year BA in Food and Nutrition at Ryerson, complete an internship with a hospital and then begin working as a Dietician. Writing cookbooks is also an aspiration. Judging from her winning recipe, she is well on her way!

When Katie heard about the contest, she knew she wanted to make a sandwich cookie. She says her mom was kind enough to spend a Sunday afternoon testing recipes with her. She recalls it took four batches to come up with the perfect cookie. But why peanut butter and bananas? “Peanut butter and banana is such a great combo and I wanted to incorporate it” she says. Her first concept involved banana oatmeal cookies on the outside with peanut butter icing. “After the first batch came out I took a bite and knew they weren’t winners” she laughs. That changed the outcome of her final recipe. “They were far too crumbly so we flipped the concept and made peanut butter cookies with banana cream cheese frosting on the inside” she explains. She loved the outcome and was really happy with the final product. Clearly, so did the judges. (See recipe here, or below.)

” I was very surprised and proud that my cookies were chosen” she beams. “I was thrilled when Mairlyn announced that I won!

A well deserved win. Her love for the kitchen shines through in her cookies so I ask her 5 Questions to find out more about what sparks her passion.

Katie Brunke's Peanut BUtter and Banana Sandwich Cookies came in first place.

Q. 1 – When did you realize you were passionate about food and nutrition?

I originally went to school for fashion design but I realized I wasn’t as passionate about it as I thought. My love for cooking grew throughout the years, and my passion for food & healthy eating has grown ever since.

Q. 2 – What’s the one meal that always makes your family or friends smile?

I am constantly cooking new things. So at work when I pull out my lunch, my coworkers perk up and want to try my latest creation because they enjoy my cooking. I’d also have to say I make good curries.

Q. 3 – If you could work anywhere in the world, where would it be?

I travelled to South America for three weeks in 2008. I visited a few different countries and I would love to go back and explore their cuisine a bit more. At the time I wasn’t a vegetarian but I am now. I would also like to explore Ethiopia and other countries in Africa.

Q. 4 – What is your favourite kind of cuisine?

I love Ethiopian food for a few reasons. I like that it is really healthy; it includes a lot of vegetarian dishes, beans, lentils and other pulses. I also love the fact you get to use your hands to eat, it puts you closer to the food and you often share big plates with the people you’re with. I find eating Ethiopian food to be very interactive and social, making for a different experience altogether .

Q. 5 – What’s your biggest culinary blunder?

I bought okra on a whim once and decided to throw it into a stew I was making. It turned out bad, I was grossed out by its texture and couldn’t even eat the stew. I’ve steered clear from okra ever since.

Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich Cookies

Yields: 20 cookie sandwiches.

Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (625 mL)
• 1 tsp baking soda (5 mL)
• 2/3 cup canola oil (150 mL)
• 1/3 cup canola margarine (75 mL)
• 1 cup brown sugar (250 mL)
• 1 cup white sugar (250 mL)
• 2 eggs (2 )
• 1 1/2 cup peanut butter (375 mL)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (5 mL)

Banana Frosting

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 banana mashed (1 )
• 1 tsp vanilla (5 mL)
• 1/2 cup cream cheese (125 mL)
• 5 cup icing sugar (1.25 L)

 Cookie Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. In a large bowl, mix flour and baking soda and set aside.
3. In mixing bowl, cream canola oil and margarine together slowly.  Added both brown and white sugar.  Combine well.  Add peanut butter and vanilla extract.  Blend until smooth
4. Slowly add flour and baking soda mixture.  Blend until smooth.
5. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, place tablespoon sized balls of cookie dough.  Gently press down with fork, making a criss cross pattern on top.
6. Bake cookies for 12 minutes or until done.  Place on cooling rack

Banana Frosting

1. Mash a banana with fork and place in an electric mixing bowl along with vanilla extract.
2. Place ½ cup of room temperature cream cheese in the mixing bowl and blend with banana until fully combined.
3. Slowly add icing sugar one cup at a time until smooth, thick texture is achieved.

Once cookies have cooled, assemble sandwiches with a generous dollop of banana frosting in between 2 cookies.

Enjoy!

Read about our runner-ups, Emily Richards and Cathy Ireland.

Be Well…Wendy

Many people these days have vitamin deficiencies due to eating too many refined foods that are over processed, altered, and manufactured. These types of food products contain little or no nutritional value. Your body recognizes nutrients in foods best and gains the most nutrition from these real products. The more a product is processed and manufactured, the less nutrition your body will be able to glean from it.

This idea also translates to supplements. The more the vitamin or mineral is processed or taken out of its natural environment, the less our bodies are able to use it. Think about this: an orange contains vitamin C and fiber and a bunch of other nutrients. Those other nutrients help the vitamin C to be absorbed in the best way that your body understands.

Now think about this: a regular multivitamin supplement contains many different nutrients taken from many different sources. Those nutrients are taken out of their natural environment and processed to fit into a tiny little pill with many other nutrients that were also taken out of their natural environment.

When put together they cannot possibly be expected to perform the same way as they do when they are in a food. Many supplements use a synthetic, or man-made, form of the vitamin which is even less likely to be absorbed in your body. They take the vitamin out of the food, analyze it, and reproduce it using different ingredients. Obviously, your body is not going to recognize that product as food, because it is man-made.

Now for a happy medium: there are now supplements on the market that use real foods that are dried and pressed into tablet form or left as powders. These supplements may be considered low potency in terms of the actual amount of product in them, but in reality, because the nutrients are in forms that our bodies can use and recognize, we get more out of them than in the supplements with a high quantity of vitamins. Real food supplements are better absorbed, better utilized and exert more nutritional value than other supplements.

Using real foods and real food supplements provides a buffer for the body. If you are taking in a large amount of iron in pill form, it may not be recognized in your body as food and can either just be expelled without being used or cause problems with imbalances causing toxic effects. Real foods have just the right ratio of nutrients to be as efficient as possible.

This ratio is very important because nutrients are always helping each other out. Vitamin D is necessary for calcium absorption. The B vitamins are crucial in the metabolism (or processing) of most of the vitamins and systems in your body. If your ratios are off, your body will feel it. Small signs and symptoms are always present to let you know if your body is off.

In the end, it is important to get as much nutrition as possible from real foods that have been processed as little as possible. Right from your garden is always best! If you are interested in nutrition supplements, go to your local nutrition store and tell them you’d like a real food supplement and ask them all about it. They are paid to know their product so don’t be afraid to ask which brand is best.
Keep Well…Kristy

As a child I remember making crafts at school, bringing them home, hiding them and proudly giving them to my mom on Sunday morning.  Although my school years are behind me I still enjoy the odd craft project.

This year I’ve decided to pull out a couple home spa recipes and get my boys involved in making a little gift for my mom.

We set up shop outside in the sun and went to work.  Here are a few photos of my boys making the Body Salt Srub (recipe below).  I also included recipes below for making Bath Bombs and Canola Seed Foot Scrub.

We decided to double the recipe because we wanted enough to fill our jar and the boys wanted to have some extra so they could test it out for Grandma in their own bath.

First we measured 1 cup of Epsom salts:

Next we measured and poured 8 Tbsp of canola oil.  We used 8 Tbsp because we didn’t have any almond oil on hand so we decided to try out the recommended substitution.

Then we added in euccalyptus essential oil and we mixed, and we mixed, and we mixed.  Not that you have to mix it all that much but kids love to mix and everyone needed a turn and then another turn.
 

Our end result was a deliciously easy homemade gift.  It really didn’t cost anything to make because we chose to make something that allowed us to use ingredients and items we already had in our home.

If you are looking to purchase a salt scrub that uses canola oil – visit Tiber River.  One of my “What We’re Lovin’!” items for May!

For me, it’s not the cost of the gift but the thought and presentation that really makes the gift.  The joy was getting my kids involved and seeing how proud they were of what they had made.  It will be added fun when they give Grandma the homemade treat this weekend!

Be Well…Jenn

Body Salt Scrub
1⁄2 cup Epsom salts 125 mL
2 Tbsp canola oil 25 mL
2 Tbsp almond oil* 25 mL
30-35 drops essential oil 30-35

Mix Epsom salts, canola oil, almond oil, and essential or fragrance oil together. Mix prior to using and rub over body. Rinse. As with all salts, do not rub on a wound…as it will sting.

Bath Bombs
1⁄4 cup baking soda 50 mL
2 Tbsp cornstarch 25 mL
1 1⁄2 Tbsp canola oil 20 mL
2 drops food colouring 2
2 Tbsp citric acid 25 mL
1⁄4 tsp essential oil 1 mL
Light mist of water
Mold for shaping bombs

Mix the baking soda and cornstarch together. Add the canola oil, the drops of food colouring and the essential oil. Using a water mister, mist the mixture lightly one time. Mix well until there are no lumps and the color is well blended. Add the citric acid. Heap as much of the mixture as possible into a mould. Press down very firmly packing the mixture well. Do not add more mixture to the mold after firmly packing it as it will not create a cohesive bath bomb. Let the bath bomb air dry for 1-2 days on a baking rack.

Canola Seed Foot Scrub
1⁄2 cup Epsom salts 125 mL
1⁄4 cup canola seeds, ground* 50 mL
2 Tbsp canola oil 25 mL
2 Tbsp almond oil 25 mL
10 drops essential oil 10

Mix Epsom salts, canola seed, canola oil, almond oil, and essential oil. Mix prior to using. Massage scrub onto feet; concentrating on problem areas. As with all salts, do not rub on a wound… as it will sting! Store in a sealable container.

*Substitution Notes:
If almond oil is not readily available, substitute with canola oil.
If canola seed is unavailable use poppy seed.

Recipes are courtesy of Canola Spa Recipe Brochure 2002, www.canolainfo.org

According to a study done by the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in 2010, they found baked goods to be the number one smell that made people remember their childhood . That would be, (in most cases) mom’s baking. As children, baked goods are always a treat –hence our good memories associated with mom’s baking rather than with broccoli for instance.

I did a quick poll with the rest of the Be Well team, Ellen and Jenn, only to find their favoured memories of childhood revolve around two classic types of baked goods.

For Jenn, the smell of Chocolate Chip Cookies immediately brings her back to childhood.

Grandmother's Chocolate Cake

Ellen shares that for her, her grandmother’s Chocolate Cake brings back comforting memories from the smell alone. In a recent post,  Ellen talked about what a pleasure it is to watch mothers or grandmothers make their dishes just right by simply knowing the taste, touch and smell of the ingredients together.

Maria's Cookies.

As for me, the taste and ingredients of these Marzipan Donuts have the memory-triggering-smell effect on me. The Maria’s Gamesa cookies get crushed and go right  into the donut dough. This recipe brings back memories for me because as a child, my mother used to give me these cookies. Coincidentally, she shares the name with the cookie.

Is it a coincidence that when it comes to memories of our mothers and grandmothers, our senses of touch, taste and especially smell are heightened?

This mother’s day, why not pay your mother back for all the wonderful baking-filled memories, and bake a treat for her? Here are a few suggestions perfect for sharing over a cup of tea with your mother, grandmother, mother-in-law or whoever that special woman in your life may be! Perhaps you can also indulge in an at home spa day as Jenn suggest to us in this post.

South African Seed Bread.

Banana Cobbler, a classic!

Blueberry Scones.

Sweet Shortbread Crust.

1. Don’t let the loaf-like appearance of this South African Seed Bread fool you, it’s just sweet enough to classify as a dessert and perfect for sharing.

2. Banana Cobbler is a classic, why not give mom a reason to remember her childhood? We’re sure this banana cobbler will do the trick!

3. The whole wheat flour and berries in these Blueberry Scones increases fibre, making it good for you so it’s ok to have two.

4. Another classic! Make the Sweet Shortbread Crust, then choose one of the three options to fill it with, depending on mom’s tastes.

What smell brings you memories of your mother and childhood? Share it  with us in the comments section below.

Happy Mother’s Day to all  the deserving mother’s out there!

Be Well…Wendy

I’m always trying to make positive changes in my life so that I can be the best mom, the best wife, the best employee, the best me that I can be.  Not every change has to be monumental, huge or life altering.  Sometimes the small changes are all we need to get us on the track to big results.

Lets take oats.  They are high in soluble fibre which can make them cholesterol lowering and good for your heart if you are eating the right kind in the right amount.  Sound confusing?  Well, it kind of is confusing.  If you want the nitty, gritty on oats check out Mairlyn Smith’s post – Whole Grain Oats.  She tells us like it is about the nutrition of oats and why your body needs them.

I’ve been told that ideally you would want to eat whole-grain steel cut or whole-grain rolled oats.  The key word being  whole-grain.  Read your labels folks!  I was also told that I should cook up big pots of oatmeal on the weekend (when I have extra time) and then heat what I need each morning for breakfast.

Well, that’s great and all but it wasn’t my idea and I really didn’t want to make time for that on the weekend.  So, I went on a hunt for a faster solution.  However, if that method works for you then go for it!

My introduction to oats as a child was quick oats.  You know the mulched up kind that is so processed there is even a bit of oat flour in the bag.  When this style is eaten as a hot cereal it is a gooey, globby mess.  Hence the reason I thought I didn’t like hot oatmeal.

Even with that bad taste in my mouth I still usually kept a box of instant oatmeal packets on hand – you know the kind – the ones with the powdery oats that are full of sugar, very full of sugar.  These are not whole-grain oats.

I wanted a better option in my pantry for me and my family so I went on a hunt.  Then, I found it.  You can buy whole-grain instant oats in both the rolled and steel cut styles.   They are fast, they have no sugar, they are whole-grain and I get to add my own flavourful toppings that suit my taste buds.

This is the solution for me.  I’m sold and now have a healthier option in my pantry.  This small change led me to start using only whole-grain large-flake/old-fashion oats and steel cut oats in my baking.

Large-flake or old-fashioned oats are steamed and rolled.  Now these are oats!  They are whole-grain and even look like oats just flattened.  Yum!  I use this style in my granola bars and other baking.

Steel cut oats are also whole-grain.  They are whole oats cut up with steel blades.  These are about as un-processed as you can get.  My good friend Mairlyn Smith has a Tripe-Oat Cookie recipe using these bad boys.  Check out the recipe and our brand new video on how to make these bad boys below.

Who knows, maybe someday I’ll be cooking oats on the weekend.

What small change are you going to make in your world?  Where will it take you?  My guess is some place great!

Eat Well…Jenn

• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar (125 mL)
• 1/2 cup canola oil (be sure to measure accurately)  (125 mL)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar (60 mL)
• 1  omega-3 egg (1 )
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract (5 mL)
• 1 1/4 cup large-flake rolled oats (310 mL)
• 1 cup whole wheat flour (250 mL)
• 1/2 cup Scottish, Irish, or steel-cut oats (125 mL)
• 1/4 cup oat bran (60 mL)
• 2 Tbsp wheat germ (30 mL)
• 2 tsp cinnamon (10 mL)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder (2.5 mL)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped dates (60 mL)

In most countries, national celebrations call for festive foods, and Mexico is no exception. It’s a great excuse to have a party with all your favourite Mexican fixings. And because there is not a specific dish associated with Cinco de Mayo, you’re free to be as creative or as adventurous as you’d like! Personally, I always stock cumin, cilantro, lime and avocados in my kitchen so coming up with a menu for my cinco de mayo was easy. The hard part was choosing only five. After much deliberation, and a lot experimenting with recipes, I came up with cinco suggestions -from appetizers to desserts- for you to try this Cinco de Mayo!

uno) Mole sauces come in various flavors, colours and ingredients, but chili peppers are always the feature. Most also include chocolate, and the combination of the two is a treat for your palette. Coincidentally, Puebla is one of the regions best known for their mole. It is generally a complicated sauce to make, but our Mole recipe breaks it down in three easy steps. It combines chile and cayenne peppers, bittersweet chocolate and an added ingredient –corn tortillas that go right into the sauce!

dos) I love this Cumin and Cilantro Bean Dip because it’s healthy and uses my favourite combination of flavours –cumin and cilantro.  Serve with crackers, tortilla chips or veggies.

Mexcian Coleslaw with Whole Wheat Tortilla Chips.

tres)  I made a batch of this crunchy Mexican Coleslaw with Whole Wheat Tortilla Chips this weekend and will be making them again next weekend because it’s the perfect party food! Brushing the tortilla chips in the adobe sauce before baking them gives your taste buds a little something extra.

cuatro) You didn’t think I’d forget to include tacos in this list, did you? The recipe I chose includes a healthy dose of omega 3. Fish tacos have become very popular and can be found even in chain restaurants these days; none that compares with these Salmon Tacos from Mairlyn Smith‘s Healthy Starts Here cookbook. Better yet, we’ll let Mairlyn herself show you how it’s done and what inspired this recipe.

Fruity Fanta Slices.

cinco) I chose a cake for a dessert because the taste and texture bring me memories of home (I’m not Mexican but I am from Central America). It is moist, sweet-but-not-too-sweet, fruity, and…refreshing? Yes, refreshing because the recipe calls for orange Fanta! For that reason, Fanta Slices take the cake (pun intended) for my Cinco de Mayo dessert.

This recipe comes to us courtesy of Angelina Schwarz, a student in the Red River College Baking program. Her Fanta Slices came in second place in our Canola Bake-Off earlier this year.

I hope I’ve inspired you to try at least one of these, whether it’s just to have at home or for a Cinco de Mayo fiesta. Have a look at our Cinco de Mayo Pinterest board for even more ideas, and last year’s Cinco de Mayo post with the recipe for those delicious Bean Fritters with Salsa Verde and Spicy Mayo from Deseo Bistro!

Be Well…Wendy

Here is what your Be Well Team is loving for May – enjoy and let us know what’s on your list!

What Jenn’s Lovin’:
Tiber River Naturals - This is my go to place in Winnipeg for body butters, salt scrubs, foam soap, lotions and so much more.  They have delicious scents like Carmello, Bellini, Coco Cabana and Yuzu (to name a few of my favourites).  This is also my go to spot for pedicures. Did I mention that the homemade Tiber River salt scrubs contain canola oil.  An added bonus in my books! Hey Dads and kids don’t forget Mom on May 13 for Mother’s Day! Check it out – Tiber River Naturals.

Manitoba Food Bloggers – In connection with Food Revolution Day the MB Food Bloggers are “standing up for real food” and holding a Bake Sale on Friday, May 18 from 10am – 2pm at Aqua Books (274 Garry Street).  This is the perfect way to stock up on homemade sweet treats for the long weekend.  I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many of the MB Food Bloggers and if there is one thing they know - it’s food!  This will be a bake sale you won’t want to miss!  See you there – I’ll be the one first in line!

Sunny Spring Days – I just can’t get enough sunshine.  There is nothing I love more this time of year then to sit outside in the cool air with a big blue sky up above and the warm spring sun on my skin.   Don’t forget the sunscreen!  If you plan to be out for more than a couple of minutes you are best to put some on.  Even when it’s cool out those sun rays can damage your skin and since I’m living to be 100 I best take care and slather it on.

What Ellen’s Lovin’:
Cilantro and Coriander Seeds – Cilantro is one of my favourite herbs.  It has a distinct fresh flavour, often in Mexican cooking and goes well with spicy food.  I’ve shared with you my herb flavour chart and my 10 Great Herb Tips.  Check them out.  What’s your favourite herb?  How do you use it?

Canadian Gardening Magazine – It’s that time of year again and this is one of my go to magazines, Canadain Gardening.

The Food Lovers Companion Book - It is the guide to everything foodie. You can read more about the book “The Food Lover’s Companion Cooking Guide” by Barron’s Educational Series Inc here.  Or you can find it on Amazon if you want to buy it.

What Wendy’s Lovin’:
Plantains - as a member of the banana family they look just like a banana except they’re larger, firmer and have a thicker skin. The main difference between bananas and plantains is that plantains are starchier. They’re a staple in African, Caribbean and Latin American countries and very diverse.  I grew up eating them for breakfast.  My mom would slice them up and fry them in a bit of oil. Unlike it’s raw form, once cooked they are quite sweet. If cooked when they are still green, they are a great alternative to potatoes in stews.  They cannot be eaten raw.

Here’s my mom’s very easy fried plantain recipe:
(feeds two, double the recipe for more)

1 large ripe plantain (not green)
4 tablespoons of canola oil

1. Peel plantain and cut into two.
2. Take each half and slice into 4 slices (lengthwise).
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of canola oil in large skillet, drop the slices in.
4. Fry until golden brown (about 4 minutes) then flip over to cook on the other side. Add the remaining oil when turning them over.

Vanilla Bean Chai Tea – My flavour of the month, I bought it on a whim and I can’t seem to get enough of it. I drink it anytime of day because it is not too overpowering.

Natural Red Velvet Cupcakes – As mentioned in the March edition, it’s no secret I love beets. It’s also not a secret (to my friends and family anyway) that baking isn’t my greatest strength. This past month, I conquered my fear and decided to try my hand at red velvet cupcakes. After researching recipes for hours, and comparing recipes that used food colouring to beets, I went with a recipe that gives the cupcakes that red velvet colour naturally using pureed beets and canola oil. It was an easy decision and my attempt was a success! I might even explore this baking thing further…

Yalem showing us how much to use.

Have you ever cooked with your grandma or someone who learned to cook at a really young age?  It’s a little bit of this, a little bit of that, a dash of this and dash of that.  I inherited my grandma’s cookbooks and I am shocked to see what little instructions are given in the recipe.

There are measures in the ingredient listing but a home cook really had to know what to do when they made bread, cookies, cakes and savory dishes.  There were no videos; no one was Googling a technique or watching the food network.

I love to cook.  I find it is more forgiving for a pinch of this and dash of that, but baking is a different story.  Ernie Sirski, a canola farmer from Dauphin, tells the story about his mom.  The best baker ever.  No one compared to her.  I can understand and relate.  She cooked and baked with her hands.  She knew how the dough was to feel; how the batter to look.  She could add a dash or a pinch or a little bit and Ernie describes in Ukraine, the little of this, is “djzmanu”.  No one could ever duplicate her dishes.  Her experience and practice made her great.

For me it was my Amma’s.  She could bake the best vienterra, her special dark chocolate cake with hard icing and cookies.  She was a great home baker and cook.  I’ve baked with her but I can’t make it the same way as Amma did.

If we are lucky, we are blessed to have someone in our lives that capture that essence of the home cook and have created many wonderful memories.   I am trying to do that for my family. I am able to pass down dishes from my grandma and baba but I need to learn more about our Ethiopian heritage.  I need an Ethiopian grandma (Set Ayatt) to teach me.  So I joined a cooking class and met Yalem.  She is the instructor, mother, grandmother and “uniter” for culture and family.

Yalem cooks as Ernie’s mom and my grandma did.  She cooks with her hands and has the techniques of a pinch of this, a djzmanu or in Amharic “tinish” a tiny bit.  It was fun to watch and learn and try to duplicate.  As soon as the class started, I immediately felt a connection to her.  She is a grandma who loves to teach.  Those are the best kind.  Yalem measures with her hands, tastes everything to ensure the right amount of spice, salt and consistency of her dishes.   She knows how it is to feel and look.

You can learn from Yelam at the upcoming cooking class at Ethio-Canadian Dancers Group Inc. at www.ecdgi.com

I will be sharing a few of her recipes on the blog.  But if you can’t wait for the recipes, check out the many Ethiopian restaurants in Winnipeg.

Be Well…Ellen