a dietitian's journal

The Corny Dietitian Writes About Corn

It’s August in Quebec and that means CORN, CORN and more CORN until there is no more left.  This is the only time of year that I eat fresh corn.  The rest of the year if I make a salsa I might toss in some canned corn.  I would never ever consider eating fresh corn at any other time of the year because it wouldn’t actually be fresh.  Truly fresh corn is picked at dawn and served by 5pm!  You can get away with keeping it in your fridge for a day or two but that is it. To cook it properly, you bring a big pot of water to boil and then throw your shucked corn in.  Wait until it boils again and then time it for 3 minutes.  Take the pot off the heat and plunge each cob into cold water.  This will stop the cooking process and keep the corn crunchy.  then, return the corn to the pot and serve hot.  If it is good fresh corn picked that day it will be very sweet and there is no need to douse it in butter.

This time of year reminds me of a corn roast I was at when I worked in Kanesatake.  It was the best corn ever! The Mohawks of Kanesatake and Kahnawake use corn as a staple food.  Even in today’s modern society corn is always served during feasts and gatherings.  Corn is used to make traditional bread and corn soup which is actually an entire meal in a bowl.   Traditionally, corn was (and still is!) gathered and braided ensuring food safety throughout the cold winter months. Natives also use corn in medicine and in crafts.  The husks are used for doll making.  If you would like to learn more check out this interesting website by turtle island native network.  I credit this information to my friend Robin Sky who lives near Oka right in Kanesatake. 

My favourite thing to do with August corn is make peach, corn salsa.  I have never actually written this down before but it gets a lot of compliments.  Here goes: I cut corn off several cobs depending on how many people I am serving it to.  I guess you can say a ½ a corn per person.  I dice in some fresh August Ontario peaches and again it’s about a ½ a peach per person.  Then I toss in some freshly diced tomatoes, at least a ¼ cup of fresh cilantro, for sure 1 fresh red pepper diced, ½ a red onion diced, 1 ripe avocado diced and if I am in the spicy mood I will throw in a finely chopped green jalapeño.  The piece de la resistance has got to be the fresh lime juice I squeeze over the entire bowl just before serving.  Actually, you should let the recipe sit on the counter for a while so the flavours can mellow into each other. 

Now you know how I really cook.  I make things up with foods I guess will go well together.  It’s all visual. I just open the fridge and see what I can toss into a bowl or pot.   I am not even sure I wrote down all the stuff that goes into my summer seasonal salsa. This is the time of year to experiment.  I love going to the outdoor markets and getting fresh ingredients.  Then I come home and create something interesting. 

Addendum 

After I wrote this blog and took pictures of the salsa, I threw in a can of rinsed black beans, chopped Swiss chard and a dollop of Balkan style yogurt and ate it for supper.

 

Nutrition Confessions

I suck at baking. I have had more baking disasters then I care to mention.   I have actually scraped cream cheese for a cheese cake that flew out of my bowl and landed on the floor, back into the bowl and served it.  I have ruined homemade granola, cookies, cakes, icing, muffins, premade challah dough and even rice Krispie squares.  I tried to candy maple syrup once and it boiled over the pot, over the stove and on to the floor.  I can’t properly whip butter even with a Kitchenaid.

The reason why I am such a terrible baker is because I don’t like following directions and have no patience.  I also hate using more than one bowl.  I really detest mixing the dry ingredients in one and the wet in another.  I enjoy making recipes up and not following directions.  You can not do that with baking.  It’s a science and everything needs to be measured properly, put into the bowls in the correct order and baked at the right temperature for the right amount of time.  As you can see, there is a lot places where one screw up the recipe.

I really wish it weren’t this way.  I really want to be a baker.   I want to make my own wholesome snacks for my children.  I want to stop buying junk in little packages for their lunch boxes.  My kids beg for me to bake for them.  This winter I even tried to become a half baker. I bought this muffin mix from Loblaws.  It’s reasonably healthy and fairly easy to make.  But, after a few batches it became boring and no one was eating them.

I know several people who are ‘bakers’.  They make wonderful homemade baked goods for their kids effortlessly.  I like going to their houses. Unfortunately, we don’t get too many invites these days because my kids devour all their homemade goodies.

In the olden days there was no such thing as store bought baked goods.  Granted, women used to keep house and part of their daily work was creating the family meal plan from scratch.  Today it is all about convenience and time saving techniques.  I have grown up that way too.  My mother worked and baked only on occasion.  My grandmother didn’t work but also only baked on occasion. 

Ironically, as I sit here writing this my kid just got dropped off by my mother with a tin of homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookies that she made.  From a nutrition perspective, regularly eating a ton of baked goods will surely end up on your waistline.  It’s all about moderation.  I just ate 2 of my mother’s cookies and tossed the rest into the freezer.  I will put them in my kid’s lunch boxes instead of those dreaded Bear Paws.

The question is, would you pay a premium to have someone else bake for you?  I would! Stay tuned for Friday and to find about a new supplier.   

Amazing food at a kiddie party?

I was at a children’s birthday party last Sunday afternoon for my friend’s 2 year old son.  I couldn’t believe the spread she and her husband had laid out.  At first I thought it was catered but I quickly realized it was all homemade except for a few things. The reason I thought it was catered was because of the variety and presentation.  There were a lot of salads, sandwiches, fruit and cut up vegetables.  It was a vegetarian’s dream lunch buffet. 

Usually, at a kiddie party (and I am guilty of this too) you get pizza and vegetables with dip from Costco.  If you are really lucky you get the fruit plate too!  It was so unexpected to find such appetizing food at a kid’s birthday party.  I wish I had taken pictures for proof.

The truth is, it is cheaper and easier to serve junk food then it is to make the effort that Karyn and her husband Benjamin did for their son Mackenzie’s party.  This is how they did it: Benji prepared the hot bean dip and lentil salad a few days before the party.  Karyn’s mom brought the tomato boccocini with fresh basil salad and Karyn’s dad made the party sandwiches (I would have sworn up and down that they came from Snowdon Deli). Karyn finished off the salads with her own tortellini pesto with sundried tomato salad, bean salad and mixed green spring salad.  Benji’s mom contributed a broccoli salad.  They bought prepared hummus and baba-ganoush with fresh pita, flatbreads and variety of cheese.  For dessert they got Mackenzie a cake from Loblaws and Karyn made chocolate chip cookies, banana muffins and corn bread muffins. Her friend brought a cheese cake and Karyn’s mother-in-law came with a mille-feuille.

You are probably wondering what the kids ate.  I will admit Ian my 2 year old ate Goldfish, BBQ chips and carrots. My middle kid Jason, age 5, had carrots, egg sandwiches, pita with hummus, tortillini and tons of fruit.  My eldest son Trevor, age 7, showed up just in time for cake.  He was coming from a bowling party and we all know what they serve at the Rose Bowl.  Anyway, he got lucky and had cake twice.  The other kids were eating the sandwiches, pita, cheese, fruit and vegetables with a helping of chips of course.

Who makes homemade mille-feuille?  Why Benji’s mom Felice of course.  When I spied that dessert even before I ate anything, I knew I had better make some room.  I paced myself with the tasty salads and ended the decadence with a small slice of sugary heaven, a sliver of cheesecake and 1 chocolate chip cookie. 

There is nothing like meeting new people and catching up with old friends all while enjoying some top notch homemade good eats.  It seems like going the extra mile when it comes to food really makes things memorable.  The stomach ache I got from eating the dessert was well worth it (I lied I ate more than a small slice of the mille-feuille).

Free Food!

I live near an IGA.I  have been told that supposedly it's the most expensive supermarket in the Greater Montreal area.  I do not know if it is true but whenever I go to Loblaws I generally go $100 over budget.  I figure it is best to stick with my local supermarket than venture too far out of my way.  The further I go, the more money I spend or so it seems.

Anyway, I find it thrilling that the IGA gives away free food every week.  Okay, maybe it's not really free you have to spend $70 first.  I usually end up with 2 or 3 free items a week depending on my grocery bill.   The most exciting items given away over the last year, for me, were the Starbucks coffee, all purpose natural cleaner and dark chocolate. However, my friends seem to think the Lindt Petits Desserts they gave away earlier this month ruled.  Nobody cared when I pointed out the Trans fat in them.  They gobbled them up and snubbed my warning instead.

They do give out a ton of free fruits and vegetables.  A few weeks ago it was broccoli followed the next week by cauliflower.  The broccoli was easy to steam and serve but I had so much cauliflower I didn't know what to do with it.  I used one head to make an Indian inspired dish and then I posted on Twitter and Facebook for suggestions on what to do with the rest.  The peeps who responded suggested I roast the cauliflower and serve it as is.   I tried it.  I drizzled the cauliflower pieces with olive oil and pepper and baked it at 400°F for about 20 minutes.  I took it out and tasted it and it did not excite me so I put it in a container and left it the fridge Richard just told me he ate it heated up with cold hummus.  He said it was great.  But, this comes from a man who would eat Alpo heated up and served in a bowl. 

 I decided to make a soup with the 2 heads I had left.  I checked some cookbooks and some online sites just to see what the main ingredients are.  It seems that cauliflower goes well with leeks and curry.  I started off my soup as I start off all my recipes, sautéing onions and garlic in canola oil.  I added sliced leeks and when they were translucent I added chunks of cauliflower, sweet potato, vegetarian broth and water.  I boiled it and brought it to a simmer for about an hour.  Then I realized I forgot to roast the curry (by adding it to the onion and garlic sauté) so I heated a tablespoon of olive oil over medium low in a separate pan.  I added the curry and roasted it for about 3 minutes.  I knew it was ready when the curry filled my kitchen with an exotic aroma.  I added it to my pot and then pureed the soup.  Finally, I tasted it and felt it was missing something.  I added some freshly ground ginger and some pepper.  The result? Perfection!  Basically, I created this soup with an intuition that the ingredients would go well together.  I can honestly say I have never made a cauliflower soup before.  It was fun and satisfying to use up this free cauliflower and for it not going to waste.  Can't wait to see what they give out this week!

 

Caryn's Cookbooks

A couple of weeks ago on my Facebook fan page, I asked the question “what is your favorite cookbook?” I was hoping for some new cookbooks to check out but the ones that people suggested I already have. 

It’s hard to say what my favorite cookbook is.  I have many books and love them all for different reasons.  I have to confess that I am a cook not a baker.  I have screwed up more baking recipes than I can count.  The worst one was the cheesecake that flew out of the mixing bowl and landed on the floor.  Guests were coming and I had no time to make more dessert so I scooped it off the floor and threw it in the oven.  It was a little crunchy.

Baking is a daunting science to me because if you don’t follow the recipe exactly as is it will not turn out properly.  Cooking on the other hand is an art.  If you have an idea of what foods go with what then you can just be creative in the kitchen.  It doesn’t always turn out perfectly but at least it is edible (well except for the vegetarian kishkas I made for Passover 2006). 

When I was a nutrition student we took a course about the science of cooking.  We learned about the use of baking soda and baking powder, how to make the best scallop potatoes and other interesting stuff.  It seems there are those who inherently know which foods go well together and those who have no clue and really must follow a recipe exactly as it is written.  When we were taking this course it was painfully obvious who got it and who didn’t.  The girl who set the kitchen on fire did not get it. 

When I get a new cookbook I like to sit down and read it cover to cover like a novel.  I start imagining which recipes are going to be tasty and then I menu plan for the week.  I choose the recipes I will make (usually about 3 new ones) and then pick up all the ingredients along with my regular staples.  Perusing through cookbooks, magazines and newspapers for new recipes is another fun way to inspire home cooking.  Every now and then I get into a cooking rut so I head over to the library and plunk myself down on the floor amidst a giant pile of cookbooks.  It inspires me!

My current ones that I have been using lately are Chef at Home by Michael Smith; The Joy of Cooking 75^th anniversary edition by Rombauer, Becker and Becker; Make it Tonight by Elizabeth Baird and the Canadian Living Test Kitchen; Meal Leani Yumm! (now published under the title Healthy Helpings) By Norene Gilletz; Ultimate Foods for Ultimate Health and don’t forget the chocolate by Liz Pearson and Mairlyn Smith; ReFresh by Ruth Tal and Jennifer Houston. You can win a copy of this last book by visiting my friend Ilana’s blog. 

Along with my cookbook collection I have a GIANT binder filled with recipes I have collected over the years from magazines, newspapers and websites. Last year with the help of Tina from Organize with Style I was finally able to classify them all (except there is a new pile creeping up again that needs to be filed).

A good recipe collection is essential for healthy eating. It’s your go to place for ideas and for meal planning!

Do you want to know my dirty little secret?

I have a messy kitchen.  I have tried to keep this to myself for years but now that I let the cat out of the bag, I feel kind of liberated.  I have tried to clean as I go but it just doesn’t happen. The thing is I am like a mad painter in my kitchen.  When I start cooking I pull out all my ingredients and then everything starts to spread out like spilled milk. I’ve always got the radio on, the kids are bugging me for snacks, the dog is under foot but somehow all this chaos inspires me. 

I shamefully admit that I am often cooking more than one meal at a time.  Why, you might ask.  Because I am a picky vegetarian and I like beans.  Nobody else in my family will eat them so I make them a revolving menu of pasta, pizza, chicken, fish and meat.  While I am cooking them their foods, I create wonderful meals with spinach and pears and nuts and chickpeas and pinto beans.  I make homemade salsa and carrot soup, salad dressings and smoothies.  I also make the biggest mess you can possibly imagine.

I think some people are just neater than others.  It used to bother me a lot that I wasn’t that neat.  I clean up but not right away.  After I’ve created something in the kitchen I usually just want to take it all in, so I let it all sit.  Luckily for me I married the perfect guy.  My husband doesn’t cook but will gladly clean up any kitchen mess I create.

Cooking homemade meals is really one of my biggest tips for healthy eating.  It is impossible to eat right if you don’t know what goes in your food and subsequently into your body.  It’s really hard to control sodium and saturated fat in restaurant food because it is used so liberally to flavor it. The same thing goes for take-out and already made meals.  It’s okay once in a while to enjoy a meal that you didn’t prepare.  Just don’t make it a habit.

Knowing that I have the luxury of making a giant mess and someone else will clean it up is my motivation for making regular home cooked meals.  What’s yours?

Does Your Kid Know How to Cook?

My son is turning 7 tomorrow.  Trevor and his brothers Jason and Ian are really starting to scare me. They are giving me a glimpse into my supermarket and financial future. They eat so much and they graze all day like cows. 

Trevor is the oldest and very creative.  In the past, to get him to eat, I had to let him help me prepare meals.  Now I just let him make his own ultimate favorite meal whenever he wants to.  To be honest, I am lazy and I am sick of making him scrambled eggs.  He eats this everyday for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  He figured out how to make them on the stove by himself because he doesn’t like the way his ’rents cook them in the microwave.  I told you, I am lazy.  He is right though they do taste better on the stove. 

We have observed an obesity epidemic develop in our lifetime.  There are so many theories as to why this is.  If you are interested in knowing more check out Dr. Sharma’s blog.  One problem could be the lack of time and effort families put into meal preparation.    It seems to me that we are raising a generation of kids who don’t know how to cook.  If you can’t cook then it becomes difficult to eat healthy foods.  My theory is with the emergence of two income families, women stopped handing down their cooking techniques and recipes to their children.  Women don’t have enough time in the day to work, take care of their kids, do all the housework and cook. Many women of my generation barely know how to cook and just get by with a few recipes.  They supplement the rest of the family meals with take out, restaurants and prepared foods.  This meal pattern leads to increased consumption of calories, fat, sodium and consequently weight gain.  I think we need to get back into the kitchen together with our husbands and learn how to cook.  My husband does not know how to cook.  Last night he got home late and I had taken the kids to Grandma Toby’s for supper so Richard had to fend for himself.  He grabbed a tortilla and poured some pasta sauce over it and sprinkled it with cheese and baked it for 5 minutes.  It might sound impressive but this is ALL he knows how to make.  Nothing else! I mean it!  Okay maybe Kraft Dinner but that doesn’t count as food.

Back to Trevor and Jason and Ian there is no way I am letting them grow up not knowing how to cook.  Since they are growing boys and do eat a lot I give them the opportunity to put together their own snacks or even have the older boys prepare snacks for the little one.  When Trevor wants to make his own food I always let him.  He knows how high to turn the stove to and he stands there and cooks his eggs until they are cooked the way he likes them.  Yes, it is a little dangerous to let a 7 year cook at the stove.  But he is capable and I think it’s worth the risk for the opportunity to sow the seeds for the love of cooking.