Celebrate World Food Day with Pulses

Date:  October 14, 2016
Event: World Food Day #WFD2016
Location:  Planta Toronto - Yorkville
Host:  Chef Michael Smith & Pulse Canada

Special Guests:
Nick Saul, CEO, Community Food Centres Canada
Dr. David Jenkins, Founder of Glycemic Index
Chris Martinageli, Director, of Pulse Canada
Dr. Joyce Boye, Special Ambassador for International Year of Pulses
Lee Moats, Chair Pulse Canada, Pulse Farmer Denis Tremorin, Director Pulse Canada

In Honour of World Food Day I was invited to a great private event at the new Plant Based Restaurant - Planta in Yorkville at the former Pangea Restaurant space on Bay Street, for cocktails and a little bit of information about what Pulses can do for the World.  Pulses are Peas, Beans, Lentils and Chickpeas.  2016 is the International Year of Pulses.

Chef Michael Smith who is a strong supporter of using more Pulses to feed people everyday was the Host of the event.  He did a whole series for Pulse Canada on the use of Pulses around the world.  We produce more pulses than anyone and export more than anyone.  I bet if you visit India you will be eating Canadian Pulses.

The event took place at the highly anticipated Plant-based Restaurant called PLANTA in Yorkville.  I think it's the perfect spot for this restaurant and the perfect time where the trends have been crazy but at the same time I think people are getting tired of eating food that is bad for them and the planet.  I heard about this restaurant not long ago and it was on my radar for places to check out because I love vegetables when prepared properly.  Most vegetarian/vegan restaurants really don't make the food that exciting.  Yeah we all know about Kale salad but what else can you do.  Enter Chef David Lee who has adopted a plant based diet in his own life so naturally it made sense for him to have it crossover into his professional life. In partnership with the Chase Group who is well established they scooped up the prime location in Yorkville and I don't think they did too much to renovate the space but the menu is nothing like anything else in the city.

Although I am not a vegan or even a vegetarian I eat far less meat than I used to and actually enjoy a wide range of vegetables and I have been looking for more ways to introduce pulses to my diet because I have always had vegetables because of my parents European background but less so the pulses,  I had them less often as my mother's knowledge about what to do with them was limited as it is for most people.  This is where Food Education in schools could be used to really make a change.  If kids were taught simple recipes in schools and the nutritional value of cooking with pulses, I am sure it would be shared for generations.

*Pulses are good for so many things.

• For farmers they are great because they are a sustainable crop that actually enrich the soil instead of depleting it.
• Good Source of protein
• Iron rich - one serving of lentils contains 1.5 times as much iron as 3 oz. serving of steak.
• Good source of potassium
• Excellent source of folate - chickpeas contain 3x more folate than a serving of kale
• And fibre - all pulses have 4x more fibre than brown rice.
• Gluten free
• Sodium free
• Trans Fat-free
• Crops are Drought-tolerant
• Produce a low carbon footprint
• Pulses require 19L of water to produce 1gram of protein compared to Meat which requires 68L of water to produce 1 gram of protein

* source Pulse Canada

The Cost per serving of lentils is $0.16 Canadian compared to:
Beef - $1.36, Pork - $0.92 and Chicken $0.55

Lentils and peas take not longer to cook than pasta or rice.

The guest speakers:

• Nick Saul, CEO, Community Food Centres
• Lee Moats, Chair, Pulse Canada Pulse Farmer
• Denis Tremorin, Director, Sustainability Pulse Canada
• Dr. David Jenkins, Canadian Research Chair in Nutrition & Metabolism and Founder of the Glycemic Index
• not pictured:  Chris Marinageli, Director, Nutrition Science and Regulatory Affairs, Pulse Canada
• and Dr. Joyce Boye, my photo wasn't good enough to post.. she is FAO Special Ambassador for the IYP for North America, Director, Research, Development and Technology Transfer Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada

Nick Saul, CEO of Community Food Centres who said, "the act of cooking is political", that stuck with me because you choose what you want our governments and corporations to do by what you choose to buy and eat and it contributes to what happens around the world.

Dr. David Jenkins talked about how we need to switch to eating more pulses to sustain the environment because we are losing species because we can't sustain the food system.  He basically spoke about the benefit to the world in the environment and health.

Dr. Joyce Boye spoke about how the population will increase in the next 20 years.  We are already having problems feeding everyone in the world and if we don't start making changes we won't be able to feed the increasing population around the globe.

Farmer Lee Moats spoke about how growing pulses is great for the economy because of the amount we export and how it is the best crop for farmers to grow because it uses less water and yields the best soil for crop rotation.

As you can see it's a Win Win thing.  Families can be fed for little money using pulses and improve their health by getting plant proteins instead of meat proteins which have other health risks with increased allergies and all of the antibiotics and other issues that come from eating meat.  While i still love the taste of meat I think it really makes sense to limit the consumption and switch to more consumption of pulses instead.

As you can see there is a lot of information about this subject.  It really is a domino effect,  eating pulses will not only sustain the environment it will lower the cost of health care in the future with a tiny adjustment in what we plant and eat.

Now let's talk about the taste of the food.  It always comes back to that.

I wish I had better and more photos of the food we sampled because it was amazing.  You really didn't miss the fact that there was no meat in it because it was full of flavour and had the mouth feel or Umami that you crave and get from all the fat, sugar, salt etc in less healthy food.

We tried:

• Chickpea Fries with za'atar and lemon aioli
• Queso Dip, black beans, pickled vegetables, cashew crema on tortilla chips
• Cauliflower Tots, truffle parmesan, lemon aioli

We also had a carrot cake smoothie.  All the appetizers were perfectly seasoned with spices to enhance the flavour.  I am the Queen of Spice and really that makes the biggest difference when making vegetables go from boring to fantastic.  What's a tomato without basil?

Yes this is a long post but the statistics are incredible and I am only skimming the surface of this subject.

For more information:

Pulse Canada's website:  http://www.pulsecanada.com/

Planta Toronto:  http://www.plantatoronto.com/ 

Chef Michael Smith recipes: http://chefmichaelsmith.com/

Hashtags #lovepulses

                #WFD2016

                #pulsepledge

Support Community Food Centres Canada at:  http://cfccanada.ca/

Take the Pulse Pledge for (IYP) International Year of Pulses

I went to a fantastic event last night called Pulse Feast that was held at the Design Exchange in Toronto. It was presented because 2016 was formally declared by the Food & Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations to be  the International Year of Pulses (IYP).

Chef Michael Smith

It was a room filled with growers from all over Canada and Chefs, Dieticians, Nutritionists, Food writers, bloggers and a whole lot of people interested in the Pulses Industry.

It was hosted by PEI Chef, Author, Business owner and Media personality Chef Michael Smith.

It was one of those events that you feel good about going to for so many reasons.

1.  Because it was just so much fun.
2.  Because it launched a great Pulses Program the Pulse Pledge
3.  Because it promoted a healthy product that is good for the world

But then there was also so much great food made with Pulses (beans, lentils, peas) that we sampled all evening.  There was so much that I missed trying a few things that I was told were really good but I just didn't have any more room to eat more.

Quiche, crabcakes, Chorizo and rapini with beans, lentil slider, donut, croquettes

A couple of my favourite dishes were surprises on how good they were and the fact that you couldn't tell what was in them.

Including:  

1. Sweet Polenta and beans
2.  Brownies with Passion fruit glaze
3. Cheddar Biscuits made with yellow peas.

I need these recipes.  I had 2 pieces of the brownies because they were just too good to resist. Rich chocolate flavour but a perfect balance of richness.

The polenta was sweet and flavourful.  The biscuits were flaky but held together and were still moist and again full of great flavour.

All of the food was prepared by Ivana Raca from Raca Cafe.  I need to get over there one of these days.  Ivana honed her skills working for Chef Mark McEwen and working to set up his first grocery store and countless catering events.  It seemed like the food was effortless since it was so good but I am sure a lot of busy bees contributed to making it all so great.

Ok so besides the food we were there for a reason.  Chef Michael Smith has been named the IYP Ambassador for  Canada.  It's kind of a big deal especially for Canada because there are over 22,000 pulse farmers in Canada.  It is exported to 150 countries and Canada exports most of the pulses in the World.   It contributes over $3 billion to Canada's economy.

Canadian Pulse growers

Share your love of pulses  #lovepulses #IYP2016 #pulsepledge and Follow @lovepulses

Thunderclap: https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/35877-pulsefeast?locale=en

TAKE THE PULSE PLEDGE 

— Start your new year with a resolution that’s healthy for you and the planet:

Take the Pulse Pledge to eat pulses at least once a week for 10 weeks: www.pulsepledge.com (starting January 1) Tweet #pulsepledge

10 Great things about Pulses: Delicious, Nutritious, Sustainable
1. Pulses are a fantastic source of protein and fibre
2. Pulses have a low fat content and contain zero cholesterol. They are also gluten-free.
3. Pulses are rich in minerals (iron, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, zinc) and B-vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, B6, and folate)
4. Pulses have a low carbon footprint and use just one-tenth to half of the water of other proteins.
5. Pulses are affordable, drought tolerant and contribute to food security at all levels
6. Pulses are a versatile, easy to-prepare ingredient that can be used in entrees, salads, breads and desserts.
7. Pulses taste great: They can be prepared savoury or sweet and are like little flavour sponges. 
8. Eating Canadian pulses supports our farmers and the economy: Canada is the world’s largest producer and exporter of dry peas and lentils and a major supplier of pulses to over 150 countries around the world.
9. Pulses have been shown to reduce “bad” cholesterol and help control blood sugar levels, which help in the fight against heart disease and diabetes.
10. Pulses enrich the soil where they grow reducing the need for chemical fertilizers

Chef Michael Smith has a great recipe for Pulse Tacos if you would like to swap your meat for a healthier Taco that still tastes great.  Click here:  Pulse Taco recipe

This is a Global Initiative so do something good for the Globe and sign the #PulsePledge and start making some great recipes with food that's is a Good thing for both you and the World.

All you have to do is consume 1/2 cup of any pulse at least once a week for 10 weeks.  I have already had hummus today which counts since hummus is made from chickpeas which are a pulse in case you didn't know that.   See it's easy but look for new and interesting ways to include more in your diet.  I am going to try and for sure I am going to make some Pulse Brownies very soon.

#LovePulses

#PulsePledge

#PulseFeast

Get your foodie self to the Delicious Food Show this week.

ATTENTION ALL FOODIES!!!!    You want to go to the Better Living Centre this weekend!            I'm excited to see Martha Stewart attend the show.  She was one of my early inspirations for converting things from good to great.            I will be there to sample all the great food and see some of my favourite Celebrity Chefs. The 2013 Delicious Food Show (DFS13) brings Canada’s food community together under one roof this coming Friday, October 25th to Sunday, October 27th. From coast-to-coast, leaders of the nation’s culinary landscape will be showcased, sipped, and sampled. Even the most discerning gourmands won’t be able to argue with these numbers… let’s have a look: Over 80 gourmet food products and services. 38 mouth-watering restaurants and bakeries. 15 innovative kitchen gadget and appliance brands. 25 hands-on workshops and classroom lessons. 8 book signings. 7 alcohol offerings. 6 Canadian celebrity chefs.4 taco wizards. 3 on-stage culinary battles. 2 expert sugar stars. 1 massive Mexican fiesta and, of course, the Queen of lifestyle living.     MUST-SEE FEATURES Food Trucks for Sinai  Food trucks have taken over Toronto! Five of the city’s top mobile kitchens roll their way onto the show floor to serve up a tasty menu amidst hundreds of exhibitors and raise funds for an incredible cause. You’ll find a variety of dishes for $10 from Buster’s Sea Cove(famous lobster rolls), the health conscious Gourmet Bitches, fiery BritsFeisty Jack, Latin sensation Gourmet Gringos (fabulous fish tacos), and the sandwich dictator himself Fidel Gastro. A portion of the Food Trucks for Sinai sales will be donated to Mount Sinai Hospital, in support of support life-saving work in care and research in women’s cancers.  View the Vibe Visit eight of the city's most popular restaurants in the interactive View the Vibe Food + Drink Lounge. Each is offering bites of utter bliss, from burger barons Holy Chuck Burgers to Darwin Bistro Bar's finessed French-influenced fare, to Eastern European edibles fromCzehoski. The spacious View the Vibe Food + Drink Lounge is replete with an eye-catching video wall showing off the coolest restaurant vibes in the city, and, of course, Evolution Wines by Macedo to wash down all the amazing eats.   Cheese + Cheers What will you find at Cheese + Cheers? A match made in heaven. The Dairy Farmers of Canada, CHEESEWERKSand Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company have joined forces to put together one unforgettable stop featuring legendary grilled cheeses, craft beer and more grilled cheeses. Perfect for the lactose-intolerant-intolerant! Sample and shop local Ontario cheese for an experience that as rich and creamy as the as one could ever hope for. Cheers! GE Café Classrooms The forum for which all of your culinary queries can be answered, learn from experts in a variety of fields set in The Dining Room, a theatre-style classroom and The Chef’s Table, a hands-on workshop. Both spaces are outfitted with GE Café appliances that offer the look and feel of modern stainless steel restaurant kitchen. Topics include: Tea Cocktails Fondue Fun Homemade Marshmallows Sandwich Smackdown Healthy Swaps Wine Awakenings The Food Network Celebrity Kitchen presented by The Home Depot Canada (#FNCelebKitchenbyHD) *Please note: schedule subject to change   103.9 Proud FM radio host and DFS13 Celebrity Kitchen Host, Mike Chalut kicks off each of the following presentations with high-energy charm, as he introduces the celebrity chefs and presenters, and leads contests and giveaways valued at more than $10,000 over the three-day event.   Friday 12pm – Chuck Hughes presented by Caesarstone, Host of Chuck’s Week Off Learn how to make a cheesy mushroom melt, mackerel, salsa verde, plum cake, vanilla ice cream & more   2pm – Martha Stewart presented by The Home Depot Canada, Martha Stewart Living Three scrumptious cakes from Martha Stewart’s new, 80th book, Cakes   4pm – Mark McEwan presented by The Hudson’s Bay Company, Head Judge on Top Chef Canada Fabbrica-inspired dishes including flattened Cornish hen, cauliflower puree, grilled corn, and risotto   6pm – Rose Reisman presented by Piller’s, Art of Living Well Sample chicken & sausage-filled paella and Mediterranean quinoa   7-10pm – Opening Night Party: Fiesta Delicioso  Let the party begin!   Saturday 11am – Michael Smith presented by AIR MILES, Host of Chef at Home Indulge your inner Italian with a demonstration featuring three kinds of pasta   1pm – Lynn Crawford, Host of Pitchin’ In Experience the making of a classic breakfast sandwich: the Croque Madame               3pm – Brian Gluckstein presented by The Hudson’s Bay Company, Interior Designer at Gluckstein Design and Product Designer at Gluckstein Home Hear from Brian alongside industry experts, Bill Fulghum, Arren Williams, and Lynn Crawford as they discuss décor    4:30pm – Mini Chef’s Challenge Pre-Battle In advance of Mount Sinai’s largest fundraiser, Chef’s Challenge, watch the four leading fundraisers compete for the chance to cook with Giada De Laurentiis at the main event in February 2014 (www.chefschallengeforacure.com)   5:30pm – Tom Filipou, Executive Chef President’s Choice  Take notes as Chef Tom presents PC Black Label’s Nero di Seppia Spaghetti with Clams – easily re-created at home after a trip to Loblaws             Sunday 11am – Caspar Haydar and Antonella Grillone, Co-Stars of SugarStars  Donuts don’t have to be fried! Learn how to bake them for a healthier alternative; next, sweet table essentials   1pm – Nadia G, Host of Bitchin’ Kitchen Expect a rock’n’roll hour full of pasta, puff pastry, & of course, cocktails – grapefruit spicy maple mojitos to be exact   3pm – David Rocco, Host of Dolce Vita Known for simple & fun food, David will start with mixed vegetable pakoras, share his recipe for mutton ragu & more   4pm – Abbey’s Kitchen Stadium Finals  The final round of Abbey Sharp’s Iron-Chef-inspired culinary battle between Toronto-based chefs  Show Information Better Living Centre, Exhibition Place – 195 Princes’ Blvd, Toronto Ontario, M6K 3C3 Friday, October 25, 2013 - 11am to 10pm Saturday, October 26, 2013 - 10am to 7pm Sunday, October 27, 2013 - 10am to 6pm   Admission Adult (ages 18+) Online - $20 Adult (ages 18+) At Door - $22 Senior (ages 65+) - $18 Student (ages 13-17) - $10 Group Admission (10 people or more) - $15   About the Delicious Food Show sponsored by Food Network Canada The Delicious Food Show, returning for its sophomore year to the Better Living Centre in Toronto, Canada from October 25-27, 2013. The Delicious Food Show is a 3-day culinary event, designed specifically for food-lovers, showcasing the best in food, cooking and entertaining. Sample, sip, and purchase the hottest new products from hundreds of exhibitors. Experience live cooking demos, tastings, and hands-on workshops. Attend presentations and book signings hosting world-renowned culinary genii on the Food Network Celebrity Kitchen presented by The Home Deport, including Martha Stewart, Chuck Hughes, Nadia G, Michael Smith, Mark McEwan, David Rocco, Rose Reisman, Brian Gluckstein, and more. Get ready to sauté, sizzle and simmer the weekend away!   Follow DFS on Twitter: @DeliciousShow Instagram: @deliciousfoodshow And Pinterest: DeliciousShow Like DFS on Facebook: Delicious Food Show #DFS13 #FNCelebKitchenbyHD And visit the official website at www.deliciousfoodshow.com

Conquering Bread Baking

Bread and Water are the one things that are Universal all over the World.  Everyone eats some version of Bread and needs water to survive at minimum.   So why did most of the people in the World stop making it at home and relying on Commercial Bakeries?  My mother never knew how to make Bread but she did know how to bake a cake which is just a sweet bread without yeast basically.

I have been cooking since I was about 12 but I never learned how to bake bread and on my few attempts I produced results but never felt like I mastered it.   Baking is an art and also Science.  You have to get all the elements right to produce a decent loaf of bread.

I attempted 2 recipes a couple of weeks ago and one was a total failure but I managed to rescue it somehow and the other was ok.   After that attempt I went to see Chef Michael Smith at George Brown College and he talked about Baking Bread and said that there was a no knead method that seems to becoming a trend and that he makes this recipe a few times a week and says he doesn't buy commercial bread anymore.  These photos are of my attempt a few weeks ago.  Once recipe said to mix the yeast and water seperatley but I didn't like this method and had to fix it.

The reason I have been interested in baking bread at home is because one day I thought about what it took to have bread stay soft and mould free for weeks and one day I read the ingredients and realized that there were only a small amount of actual real natural ingredients but when you make bread at home all you do is add Flour, salt, yeast and water.   That's all you really need but you can always add different flours and other ingredients for flavour.

Baking bread at home isn't a quick thing unless you use a bread machine but in my attempt to make Chef Smith's no knead recipe I found that you can make a decent loaf of bread with a few ingredients and some time.

Here's the recipe I used:

3 cups of All purpose Flour
1/4 tsp Active Yeast
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 5/8 cup of Warm Water.

Directions:

Whisk the Flour, Yeast and salt together in a large bowl until everything is distributed through the flour.
Add the warm water and mix with a wooden spoon until combined.

That was it for the recipe that I had but I found that it was very sticky so I added more flour until it came together a bit better.   I would recommend experimenting with the flour amount.

Also I would recommend adding a bit of olive oil and then covering with plastic wrap to prevent a crust forming and then adding a tea towel over it.   Or I think you could just add a damp tea towel to keep it from drying out on top.   It didn't recommend that but when I did it a crust formed on top and this is important on the first rise because when you get to the second rise the crust gets mixed into the middle.

I mixed the mixture on saturday morning and then early on sunday morning I punched it down and let it rise another couple of hours.   I added a bit more flour and then formed it into a ball and placed it on a baking sheet and let it rise again before baking it to make sure it rose as much as possible to get a light bread.   I would also recommend adding an egg wash and you can also add something like sesame seeds on top for some extra flavour.

You basically need about 12-18 hours of first rise and then 2-3 for the second rise.

I baked it at 425 degrees for about 25 minutes I think.   It recommended 45 minutes but I found it cooked way faster than that.   Always watch you first batch and don't rely on the recommended times because every oven works a bit differently.  Cook it until it's golden brown and there is a hard crust and it's hallow inside when tapped.    Let it rest a bit before cutting it.

I wasn't sure it was going to work.  I didn't know if it was going to be uncooked inside but it totally worked.

My conclusion:  You Can Bake Bread at Home and save money and skip the preservatives.   Just plan your bread in advance and have a bit of patience.

There is nothing better than the smell of fresh baked bread in the house and the taste of bread right out of the oven still warm with butter slathered on top.

Chef Michael Smith chats about Fast Flavours

It was one of my friends birthdays this month so instead of buying each other gifts that just take up space we now give each other food related gifts like cooking demos or chef cookbook chats.  It was his birthday this month so I signed up to go see Chef Michael Smith chat about his new cookbook Fast Flavours at George Brown College.  My friend loves watching his tv show and so do I so we were really excited to go and see him.  

I saw him recently at the Word on the Street where I was surprised to hear him rant about how not feeding your kids proper food was like slow child abuse.  He got on a huge rant about feeding kids so much junk food that they are all developing allergies to everything these days.

So I had a feeling he would have really passion filled Q&A answers after he did his interview with Cookbook Store owner Alison Fryer.

It turned out that I asked him the last question of the night about what he thought about Mayors like New York's Bloomberg banning the 64oz soft drinks.   He agreed that kids shouldn't be sold that kind of excess and he thought it was good that he took a stand.   While I agree that kids shouldn't drink that much sugar in their drinks there isn't really anything to stop them from getting 2 - 32 oz drinks back to back either.   Is this enough to stop the obesity epidemic?  I don't think so.   He thought that junk food should be taxed like cigarettes.   My thought is that some of the toxic substances that are put into the foods at manufacturing should be banned instead, like high fructose corn syrup which is what is actually causing the obesity epidemic.    Here's a thought... what if they couldn't put it into products ...then people couldn't buy them...  hence... the people who can't afford to pay these taxes wouldn't have to pay for the burden of the healthcare system while the manufacturers reap profits.    

My thought is that if toxic substances or food additives that are known to contribute to obesity are changed to non toxic substances then maybe everyone wins....   people won't have to walk around supermarkets with magnifying glasses and dictionaries to figure out what's in the products they are consuming if they are actually indicated what it is.   Some ingredients are disguised as other things or modified to some other thing or are genetically modified without telling the consumer.

I don't think everyone in North America is going to give up convenience food in one day and switch to a 100% plant based diet so I think the answer is to make some of these toxic products disappear so that the only choice is to buy whole foods and start going back to eating real food and making things from scratch where you know what's in them.   You won't get 100% of the population to switch but we don't need a thousand toxic products tempting the exhausted media brainwashed parents into buying easy convenience food to get food on the table for their families.

As Chef Michael Smith said banning something like Foie Gras in Los Angeles because of cruelty to the  duck is ridiculous because other animals like cows and pigs are treated just as badly.  But that's real food.   What about banning toxic chemical filled products that can sit on supermarket shelves for a year without going bad.   Well because the big corporate manufactuers would protest and won't have subsidized jobs for people.

The whole thing is a political toxic soup and there is no simple answer but my thoughts are to start to rethink what is allowed to go into the products before it gets to the consumers to have to do detective work to figure out whether it's going to kill them to consume that product.

It seems I hit a nerve when I asked Chef Michael that question because he got really passionate about it and Alison thought he should run for Mayor of Toronto and everyone in the room seemed to agree.   i think he would make a great Mayor.   He knows right from wrong and has Integrity and passion.    I am not sure our current Mayor has those qualities but that's a whole other story.

One thing that was funny was standing next to him while taking a photo,  I am only about 5 feet tall while Michael Smith is somewhere around 7 feet tall.   Do I look short or what?

About his Cookbook. ....  it's a beautifully put together book filled with recipes that anyone with basic skills can make in their own kitchens which makes it a cookbook that will get used instead of sitting on a shelf.   The photos are large and beautiful and the recipes are written easy to read instead of fine print on colored paper it's clear black large enough print on white paper, making it easy to flip through the book and organize your kitchen accordingly.   I hope to make one of the recipes in the near future.