Chef Paul: Speed Eating

May 31 2011

By MealEasy in Articles

I eat fast. Always have. I think it started when I was a kid and desperately wanted to go back outside and play hockey with my friends. So, I would wolf down my supper in seconds flat in order to get back to the game.

Once I grew older I continued this unhealthy habit. And then, once I started working in restaurants, eating fast was a must…you basically eat when you can. Because cooks are busy cooking meals for customers at around meal time, we’d often end up eating after service, say 10pm or later (not healthy) or before service at around 4pm…and then be REALLY hungry at the end of the night.

Now that I no longer work in a restaurant setting I eat my meals at home, at suppertime like most folks. It took a bit of getting used to. I would still eat fast…habits like this are hard to break.

Lately however, I’ve been slowing down and the main reason is my daughter. Three year olds DO NOT EAT FAST! In fact, they do very little fast…especially things like cleaning up or getting dressed. I watched her this morning having her breakfast of almond cereal, banana muffin and an apple. She savoured every morsel. She slowly picks apart her muffin eating small mouthfuls at a time. She eats the apple slices in many bites and takes small spoonfuls of cereal.

The benefits of eating slowly are well documented: better digestion because you chew slower…which in turn can lead to weight loss;  you feel fuller because you’re digesting slower; you end up saving money because you can make smaller portions for dinner; less indigestion and heartburn; and an overall healthier family life. Spending time around the dinner table, as a family, has such a positive social impact. It’s a time when families and couples can interact without the distractions of their daily lives. No electronic devices beeping at you, no TV blaring and no waiter asking if “everything is OK” while your mouth is full of food (A question I’ve always hated in a restaurant…were they expecting things to be bad? If so, why serve it?).

Now, thanks to the Bee, I’ve learned to slow down my eating and savour both the food and the time we spend together as a family.

Chef Paul: Reading about food…

May 26 2011

By MealEasy in Articles

I love to read. Next to cooking, reading has to be my favourite pastime.

I sometimes think that reading has almost become obsolete. It seems to me that in today’s age of the information super highway and the sound bite, many people read headlines or quickly scan articles or blogs without actually reading the entire thing…and then pass judgment without reflecting on what they’ve not read. In the age of social media, anyone can post their opinion on any subject without really giving that subject much thought.

I like to read slowly, to devour books and try to grasp the meaning and understand the point of view the author is trying to represent. I may not agree with what the author is saying but I feel it is necessary to try to see things from their perspective and then make up my own mind about it.

I tend to read mostly fiction. I like the idea of escaping into a great novel. Yet recently, I’ve found myself reading a lot more nonfiction, mostly to do with cooking and food. Not just cookbooks but books about where our food comes from and where we are heading as a society as it related to food and food production.

Some of my favourite reads lately are: Michael Pollan’s “The Omnivore’s Dilemna” where the author examines what’s at stake when we make our food choices at the grocery store. How what we buy and eat affects our bodies and our planet. Another favourite is “Trauma Farm” by Brian Brett where he chronicles the history of his small organic farm and the perils he faces trying to remain true to his vision. “Animal Vegetable, Miracle” by Barbara Kingsolver is an excellent read about her families goal of eating only home grown or at the very least local foods for an entire year. And of course there’s Eric Schlosser’s groundbreaking work “Fast Food Nation” which examines the reality of North America’s obsession with fast food.

While all these preach a similar theme, they all approach their subjects from differing angles. What these books all have in common is the goal to make people think about where their food comes from be it grocery store or local farmer’s market. It’s only by educating ourselves that we can make informed decisions…and what we eat has to be one of the most important decisions we can make.

So, if you’ve got the time and want to learn more about where your food comes from and where it’s going, I strongly suggest you read any of these four titles, they could profoundly affect the way you look at what you eat.

Chef Paul: Feed Me – NOW!

May 17 2011

By MealEasy in Articles

My wife is out of town for a few days on business. That leaves me alone with our three year old daughter. Our normal week day routine has me bringing our daughter to her daycare in the mornings and my wife picking her up in the afternoons. This gives me time to ride home and start dinner before they get in. Usually, I can have dinner on the table by 5:30 – 5:45 latest.

But, because I have to collect the Bee (that’s what I call my daughter) I don’t have the usual time to get supper ready when I get home. And as anyone with a young one can attest, they NEED to be fed at a regular time to avoid any “meltdowns”. You could have a selections of snacks ready for when they get home…I know this works for older kids but with the Bee, a snack will fill her up before she has dinner and then she’ll be hungry again just before bed…not a good scenario. Besides, I still would not be allowed to prep dinner: “I need someone to play with me”.

So what do I do? I plan!

Yesterday’s supper was spaghetti with meat sauce, one of the Bee’s favourites. Before I left for work in the morning, I placed a large pot filled with salted water on the stove top, measured out the amount of pasta required and made sure the sauce was completely defrosted. When I got home: bring the water to the boil; add pasta; heat the sauce; and when the pasta is cooked, we have dinner! 15 minutes maximum…and very little prep time.

Tonight’s dinner will be stir fry. Everyone knows that the prep is what takes time when making stir fry…the cooking takes about 5 minutes. Therefore, after dropping the Bee off at daycare, I returned home to slice all my vegetables, marinate the tofu and get whatever pans I need ready for when I get home. The veggies and the tofu can sit covered in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours assuming your vegetables were fresh when you sliced them. Dinner will be on the table in a matter of minutes.

Sure, I know what you’re saying: “but I don’t have time in the morning”…my answer is MAKE TIME! Get up 10 minutes earlier if that’s what you need to do. I’ve always maintained that time is the one thing I’ve got lots of…it’s a question of setting your priorities and organizing yourself. Plan your meals and you’ll find “time is on your side” as the song goes.

Chef Paul: The cost of eating healthy…

May 13 2011

By MealEasy in Articles

According to a recent study “the cost of feeding two adults and two children a diet that meets the requirements of the Canada Food Guide is $171 a week, down from $187 a week last year.” But when you factor in paying for necessities such as housing and clothing, families with low incomes or on social assistance may have nowhere else to cut their budgets than at food stores. And that’s not right.

Because of government subsidies to Big Agriculture, it is less expensive to buy pre-made unhealthy convenience foods or to buy fast food. Corn crops are subsidized to such an extent that corn sugar in all its guises shows up in almost all products from soda pop to beef feed to batteries!!!

But the true cost of eating healthy is not only felt in the pocketbook but is also in our general health. It’s easy to see the price of a packaged frozen dinner and compare it to the cost of making the same (without the sodium, fat and other additives) meal from scratch, but is that truly an accurate comparison? If you were to factor in the cost to your health; the cost of missed work days because of illness; the cost of diabetes drugs should your unhealthy diet bring you to that point, then it’s obvious that eating healthy is cost effective.

Eating healthy also means eating more vegetarian meals which are usually much less expensive to prepare than the meat and potatoes fare. Eating healthy also means portion control…if you’re going to be a meat and potatoes kind of family then cutting down on the portion sizes will save you money. And as this recent article (http://politicsoftheplate.com/?p=864) we posted on our Facebook page attests, eating local, healthy foods does not cost more than your local grocery store.

So, is the “high cost of eating healthy” just yet another excuse? If you want to make a change in your eating habits you need to make a commitment. Does it mean one less coffee shop visit a week? Does it mean cutting out the digital cable subscription? We need to assess our priorities here…the latest HBO series or good health? You decide!

Chef Paul: You have to try it

May 11 2011

By MealEasy in Articles

Everyone is different. Everyone’s tastes are different.  What one person loves another may hate.  Nowhere is this more apparent than with food.  Everyone has their opinion about what they like and dislike. And you can’t tell someone they are wrong.  That’s what makes us human, the ability to choose.

Anyone who has children will have had this conversation: “I don’t like it.” “Have you tried it?” “No, I don’t like it.” “How do you know if you haven’t tried it?”

While it may be difficult to rationalize with children about how they should try new things, often adults can be just as stubborn.  The argument that “it’s good for you” is usually a last resort and most often falls on deaf ears.

Yet, if you are serious about tackling your health and eating more nutritious foods, things have to change. Trying new foods is one of the changes that must be made. So many nutritious and healthy foods are often overlooked because “he won’t like it”. Well, like I say to my 3 year old daughter: “you have to try it.”

Chef Paul: Jackpot!

May 10 2011

By MealEasy in Articles

We hit the jackpot at this weekend’s market. There were so many greens available: baby beet greens, red mustard greens, lettuce, kale, baby bok choy, spinach and one of my favourites, fiddleheads.

For those of you not familiar with fiddleheads they are the unfurled fronds of a young fern…yep, we’re eating ferns now. Because they cannot be cultivated, fiddleheads are only available for a few weeks every spring and are harvested before the fern unrolls completely. The ostrich fern grows wild in certain parts of North Eastern North America and is the variety most likely to be on tables here.  Fiddleheads are an excellent source of Omega 3 and Omega 6 as well as iron and fibre. Imagine a combination of asparagus, broccoli and green beans and you’ll get the flavour of fiddleheads.

We bought one pound of fiddleheads which I’ll store in the fridge submerged in water. I will change the water every few days and this way they should keep for up to a month. Because they grow wild in the forest, it is very important to wash your fiddleheads thoroughly before cooking. To wash them, I usually run cold water over them for a few minutes and try to pick out any larger bits of dirt, submerge them in water and do it again.

It is also recommended that you cook your fiddleheads through completely. Some even go as far as to cook the fiddleheads twice but I’ve never found this necessary. They are a nutritional powerhouse, not only high in Omega 3 and 6 but also an excellent source of potassium, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, protein and antioxidants. Fiddleheads are excellent on their own as a side vegetable or in a quinoa salad for an extra nutritional punch.

They’ll only be here for three weeks at the most so do yourself a favour and seek some out…they truly are a delicacy.

Chef Paul: I am not a vegetarian…

May 06 2011

By MealEasy in Articles

No one in our household is a vegetarian but we do have meatless meals on a regular basis. We have vegetables with every meal but we also almost always have meat too. Like many non-vegetarians we were initially concerned that we would not get enough protein, mostly because we were “afraid” of tofu. More accurately, none of us liked eating mushy flavourless tofu.

But there are many tricks to making your tofu flavourful and it doesn’t have to be mushy. What I’ve been doing is marinating the tofu I will use in a stir fry before I leave for work in the morning. It takes about 5 minutes to cut it up and make the marinade and then I place it in the refrigerator until I need it. I always buy firm or extra firm tofu for my stir fries. Then when I get home, I strain the tofu reserving the marinade. I heat up a pan and cook the tofu separately until browned and crisp. Meanwhile, I’ll cook the other stir fry ingredients in a wok adding the marinade at the end. I’ll serve the stir fry on either a bed of rice or with noodles and topped with the crispy fried tofu. This is just one of many ways to enjoy tofu.

But tofu isn’t the only source of vegetarian protein…not by any means. Legumes (beans and lentils), nuts and whole grains such as quinoa, one of the best foods you can eat by the way.

So give it a try even if you’re not a vegetarian. Not only meatless Monday’s but maybe even a couple times a week. You’ll save money, feel better and who knows, you might actually end up liking tofu.

Chef Paul: Mother’s Day for Fathers Too

May 04 2011

By MealEasy in Articles

Mother’s Day has completely caught me off guard this year. The fact that we were traveling for 10 days might have something to do with it.

For most, Mother’s Day is all about Mother’s Day Brunch. I can honestly say that Mother’s day is the restaurant cook’s least favourite day of the year. It’s crazy busy with people who dine out once a year towing their screaming toddlers around with them. It’s nonstop special requests and kitchen confusion. What should be a fun day out for mom often ends up being a half hour wait to be seated followed by a two hour wait for food.

So Fathers, why not avoid restaurants altogether and treat mom to a homemade brunch? You can even get the kids involved.

Here’s a super easy low cal, low fat French toast recipe that you can prepare the night before.

Baked Apple Cinnamon Toast

Nutritional Facts

Nutrient (per serving) % DV

Calories 343 17%

Total Fat 13g 21%

Saturated Fat 2g 8%

Trans Fat 0g —

Cholesterol 53mg 18%

Sodium 255mg 11%

Total Carbohydrate 50g 17%

Dietary Fiber 6g 24%

Sugars 31g —

Protein 10g 20%

Vitamin A 339iu 7%

Vitamin C 5mg 8%

Calcium 133mg 13%

Iron 2mg 13%

Baked Apple Cinnamon Toast

Servings: x4

Preparation Time: 15 min

Cooking Time: 35 min

Cuisine Type: North American

Chef’s Comments:

Preparing this french toast the night before makes for a very quick morning meal.

Ingredients:

4 slice, large bread, whole wheat sliced, about 3/4″

thick

1 egg, large whole

3 egg white

2 tbsp sugar, white granulated

3/4 cup soy milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp cinnamon, ground

1 tbsp margarine, fat free, nonhydrogenated

3 tbsp sugar, light brown

3 apple, red, peeled, sliced 1/4″ thick

1/2 cup pecans, toasted, coarsely chopped

Instructions:

1. Prep

a. Place the bread slices in a shallow dish.

b. Mix together the egg, egg whites, soy milk, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon.

c. Pour over top of the bread, turn the bread over and refrigerate and allow to soak overnight.

d. Preheat the oven to 350F.

e. Coat the bottom of an 8″ X 8″ glass baking dish with margarine.

f. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the margarine.

g. Spread the apple slices evenly over top of the brown sugar.

h. Sprinkle with the toasted pecans.

i. Place the bread slices over top of the pecans.

2. Cooking

a. Bake for 35 minutes or until the bread has puffed and is slightly browned.

b. Allow to cool, slice and serve.

Serve this topped with an assortment of fresh fruit and some yogourt on the side and mom will be thrilled.

Chef Paul: We are back!

May 02 2011

By MealEasy in Articles

As much as I enjoyed our trip visiting friends and family, I am very happy to be back home.  Our 10 day vacation had us sleeping at 5 different houses, not an easy thing to do even when you don’t have a three year old with you.

The hardest part of traveling, as I said before, is eating. Organizing family dinners or eating out a lot can place a toll on the metabolism. While we did our best to eat lots of fruits and vegetables and we did manage to eat fish for dinner three times, I still find that breakfast while traveling is really hard.

We had some wonderful meals on our trip: a fantastic big turkey dinner for Easter supper; an excellent rainy day barbecued chicken and pork skewer meal; a great baked trout with roasted potatoes; a fabulous restaurant meal of wild leeks, duck egg scramble and pan seared sea bream; a delicious roast chicken and roasted vegetable dinner, all lovingly prepared by friends.

I am a creature of habit when it comes to breakfasts. I have a variation of: steel cut oats, half a grapefruit, granola with fruit, whole wheat toast, yogourt, juice and coffee almost every morning. On weekends I usually make a big batch of waffles and freeze them for my daughter’s weekday breakfasts. But I’m not about to cart around a container of oats in my luggage, therefore we’re at the mercy of our hosts. And while I love bacon, I really don’t need to eat it three mornings in a row as was the case this past week…when someone goes out of their way to make you breakfast, you can’t really say no.

With hardier than usual breakfasts and fairly sedentary days (although I did manage to run twice and we did do a fair bit of walking) it was really easy to put on a few extra pounds. Much like you can wean yourself off of large portions, it’s really easy to do just the opposite. Often, the heavy breakfasts lead to bigger lunches lead to larger portions at dinner…the never ending vicious circle. Don’t get me wrong, I was very happy to have a large selection of fruit every morning for breakfast and I am glad to see all my friends and family doing their best to eat right. And, I really didn’t have to eat that much but…

Now that we’re back, we can return to our daily routines. I can get back to running 5 days a week. I can return to cycling to work and back every day and I can get back to my more reasonably sized breakfasts. I’ll also be able to get back to eating smaller portions and drinking a lot less beer and wine…oh vacations.