Charge up the BBQ's! Burger time on CBC's Weekend Morning Show!

I presented this burger for CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Terry MacLeod.  Have fun with how you do your burgers.  This is topped with a soft egg, Pineapple Thoren and served on a toasted naan bread with Dijon Mustard and a yoghurt tahini sauce.

Enjoy!

 Halal Beef and Lamb Burgers (Halal Beef and ground lamb are available at Millad�s on Notre Dame)

1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground lamb
2 eggs (I loved to use Nature�s Farm eggs)
2 tbs Ras el Hanout (Available at Pollock�s Hardware Coop or through Chef Karen at the Farmer�s Market)
1/2 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients well and form into patties at desired size.  Freeze or prepare for the BBQ.  Enjoy with your favourite toppings.  Today�s will be options of yoghurt tahini sauce, pineapple chutney, Dijon mustard, and soft fried or poached egg, served on toasted Naan bread.

Enjoy!

Pineapple Thoren

1 yellow onion, chopped
1 green chill, chopped
2-3 stem curry leaves (available fresh at Dino�s Grocery Mart on Notre Dame)
1/2 cup finely chopped unsweetened coconut
1 pineapple, peeled, cored and chopped
1 tbs mustard seeds
2-3 tbs olive oil or coconut oil
1 tbs brown sugar
splash of vinegar
1/2 tsp turmeric
salt, to taste


Heat oil in pot over medium high heat and add mustard seeds.  When the seeds begin to pop, add the chopped onion, chilies, curry leaves and coconut.  Cook until onions are soft and translucent.  Add pineapple, brown sugar, vinegar, turmeric and salt.  Cook until much of the liquid has evaporated.  I often add an additional drizzle of coconut oil for taste.

Enjoy!

Food Reward Friday

This week's lucky "winner"... a bacon hot dog donut, by Krispy Kreme!

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The Happy Gardener: Beating the Blues with a Green Thumb

Talk to some gardeners, and they may tell you how time with their plants eases stress and lifts their mood. Even if gardening isn't a strong suit, having plants around seems to improve people's mental well-being. Whether your gardening thumb is green or black, or somewhere in between, many of us like being around plants.

But wait! Did you know? There is actually science that backs this up!

Psst... Finally, a reason to play in the dirt!

Credit: Sofi Martinez

A prescription may not be the only way to get rid of the blues. Soil microbes have been found to have similar effects on the brain as antidepressants but are without the potential side effects and chemical dependency risk.

The bacterium in soil responsible for its natural antidepressant properties is called Mycobacterium vaccae. It effects neurons in similar ways to drugs and may actually stimulate serotonin production, making you more relaxed and happier.

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that affect mood balance and social behaviour, sleep, memory, and reproduction. An imbalance of this chemical has also been linked to depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, and bipolar disorder.

Credit: Magnolia Lim

When we come into contact with soil, the microbes cause cytokine levels to rise and stimulate production of serotonin. Gardeners might inhale the bacteria, have skin contact with it, or accidentally get soil in a cut.

But hey, what's this all mean? The science aside, short of rolling in soil -- which, although funny, may be rather impractical, honestly -- we can all benefit from some heart-to-heart time with our plants, whether in a full-fledged garden or with that little fern on our office desk. So, this spring, do your body some good and flex that gardening thumb of yours!


(Source: Gardening Know How)

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The information provided in this article is for general use only; it does not represent medical or health advice nor substitute for advice or diagnosis from a qualified healthcare professional. If you feel that you or someone else may require medical advice, please consult a qualified professional. Always consult a physician or mental health professional before making decisions regarding treatment of yourself or others or considering changes in your schedule of treatment.

Flying South for the Winter

Next week I�ll be:

A: Lounging on a sun-drenched beach, with snorkel gear and a tropical drink nearby.

B: Exploring a jungle filled with sloths, parrots, and monkeys. And no spiders. Let�s just pretend there are no spiders.

C: Touring one of the greatest civil engineering achievements of the 20^th century.

D: All of the above.

If you guessed D: All of the above, you�re correct! I�m headed to Panama! Land of sun & beaches, jungle sloths, and the Panama Canal. And ceviche! And did I mention sun? 

I�ll be back with recipes soon (I'm not actually flying south for the whole winter, sillies, just for a week). In the meantime, if you�re looking for a get-away but you're stuck at a computer, here are some quick escapes:

• Cup o� Jo always has the best article round ups on Fridays.
• I love this stick-it-to-em post Tim wrote about the backscratching (otherwise known as a big fat circle jer...wait, that's not a term I want my site to show up in searches for!) and yawn-inducing sameness of food media these days. He's stickin' it to me too, but I'm on board!
• I've never made homemade noodles, but these spicy cumin hand smashed numbers from Mandyare killing me. I might swap the lamb with beef or pork though.
• Speaking of lamb, I roasted a leg of it for the first time last weekend. I added my own spices, but followed the cooking method in Jerusalem. I�m obsessed with that book.  
• That photo above is from our trip to Honduras�land of iguanas, baleadas, and monkey la-las. 

Cheers!

Food Reward Friday

This week's lucky "winner"... donuts!!

Krispy Kreme donuts being made. Hopefully this image isn't appetizing enough to make you want donuts.

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Soil Celebration (UBC) and Food Matters (KPU)

In the next two weeks, there are a couple of really cool events happening!



UBC Soil Celebration



Location: UBC Botanical Garden (6804 SW Marine Drive / Vancouver - map)

Date: Thursday, March 5, 2015 from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm

Cost: FREE



Join UBC Botanical Garden to celebrate the UN International Year of Soils! Learn about safe soils, the importance of soil to food security in BC, and the role soil plays in mitigating climate change. This event also kicks off the workshop season at the Botanical Garden.



Coffee, tea, and light snacks will be served. Wine and refreshments are available for a fee.



This event is free, but registration is required. For more information about the event or to register, visit their website here.



Food Matters: An Imperative Dialogue



Location: Kwantlen Polytechnic University (12666 72nd Avenue / Surrey - map)

Date: Tuesday, March 10, 2015 from 6:30 pm

Cost: FREE



Join the dialogue on farming, community gardens, accessibility, food waste, and food policy in Surrey and Metro Vancouver.



For more information, contact Mairi Lester or Deirdre Goudriaan. [PDF]

Build Your Own Yogurt Maker, Sous-vide Cooker, and All-purpose Fermenter for $40

I make a half gallon of yogurt, twice a month. I like making my own yogurt for many reasons, but it's a bit of a pain. Since I make large batches, I can't use a standard yogurt maker. I often get distracted and over-heat the milk, and the method I use to incubate the yogurt is wildly inefficient (my beloved Excalibur dehydrator). I also need a constant warm temperature for various other fermentation projects, and that's often difficult to achieve with the tools I have.

I finally found a better solution: a temperature controller that accurately regulates the temperature of a slow cooker by turning an outlet on or off. I simply set the temperature of the controller, place the temperature probe into the slow cooker, and plug the slow cooker into the temperature controller outlet. The slow cooker then stays at whatever temperature I want. Here's what the temperature controller looks like:

Once built, the temperature controller with or without the slow cooker can be used for a variety of other tasks (including regulating cooling devices). Here are some ideas that come to mind:

• Sous-vide cooker
• High-capacity yogurt maker
• Bread dough riser
• All-purpose thermophilic fermenter (e.g., for tempeh, natto, koji)
• Beer/cider/wine fermentation temperature controller
• Kegerator controller
• Freezer-to-fridge conversion
• Egg incubator
• Soil temperature controller for seed starting

Don't worry, I'm not turning into a food blogger. But this sous-vide-cooked
chicken I made with my DIY temperature controller was pretty tasty.
I used this recipe from NomNom Paleo.

You can build the whole thing for about $40, including the slow cooker.

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