Moroccan Beef Short Ribs on CBC's Weekend Morning Show!

 This morning I'll be presenting these amazing looking and smelling local beef short ribs on CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Terry MacLeod.  You can get these great ribs at Wildfire Farms at St. Norbert's and Downtown Winnipeg Farmer's Markets.

(Photos above marinating, below, simmering)

Grass-fed Moroccan Beef Short Ribs (Ribs from Wildfire Farms and available at the St. Norbert and Downtown Winnipeg Farmer's Markets!)  http://www.wildfirefarms.ca/

(For 6-8 ribs)

2 pkgs Grass Fed Beef Short Ribs

Marinade:

1 cup olive oil

1 cup red wine

2 tbs ground ginger

1 tbs ground Turmeric

2 tbs Ras el Hanout (available at the Downtown Winnipeg Farmer's Market or Pollock's Hardware Coop)

1 tsp Kosher or sea salt

zest of one lemon

Place meat in marinade and coat.  Let chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.  Remove ribs and reserve liquid.

For braising the ribs:

2 tbs olive oil

1/2 cup chicken broth and 1/2 cup beef broth, aka bone broth (also available from Wildfire Farms)

1/2 lemon, sliced

2 tbs lemon juice*

1-2 tbs honey

Heat 2 tbs olive oil in a medium saut� pan and brown the meat.  Remove and place all remaining liquids to a large tagine or braising pot.  Bring up to simmering heat and let cook for a couple of hours, until meat is loose from the bone.

* Preserved lemons can be substituted for fresh!

Serve with couscous or quinoa.

Enjoy!

BBQ Chicken Flatbread Pizzas with Cherries and Corn

I was kind of dreading Father�s Day this year. All of the first holidays and events without him are hard. But the impending punch in the gut of Father�s Day�all of the gift guides in my inbox, the grilling recipes for dad online, the Father�s Day golf/BBQ/fishing/woodworking/drinking themed everything everywhere�it had me in a major funk these last few weeks. Luckily we celebrated in the most amazing way possible, which really helped me (and my sister and mom) get through the day. Rather than having a somber memorial last summer, which he would have hated, we waited until last weekend, and had a big blow-out celebration of life. He loved being a dad, and he loved summer solstice, so there was no better time to raise a glass and toast an awesome man, who lived life to the fullest.


My dad loved good food, good drinks, laughter, jokes, friends, and family. He was a good-timin� kinda guy, and we sent him on his way in true JFK (my dad, not the pres) fashion. Friends and family (about 70 people!) came from all over the place: southern, northern, and central California, Oregon, North Carolina, Texas, Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, and all over Washington. We ate an insane amount of smoked meat, toasted terrible shots of slivovitz, told tons of stories, and looked through years and years of hilarious and fantastic photos. Evan and our friend Robb arranged an epic bean bag/ corn hole tournament: three courses, 19 teams, 39 total games. Amanda and I were The Zombies (which was my dad�s old horse-shoe team name), and we came in second (we lost to the, ahem, Bunghole Bros).

That night we had the most beautiful pastel painted sunset, my dad�s favorite kind� his little gift to us. I miss him like crazy, but man, I feel so lucky that I got to have 29 years with him. So much thanks to my ma for working her little tail nearly clean off, to all her helpers, and to all our friends and family who came to celebrate. It was so cool to be surrounded by so many people that loved him. And it made this Father�s Day way less sucky.

So anyway, long story short: I just haven�t really been in the kitchen lately. Totally unrelated to everything above, I did manage to make quick grilled flatbread pizza, and figured you should probably know about it. Since it�s officially summer, we�re putting a bunch of summery goodness on a flatbread, and then grilling it up. Fresh corn and cherries, plus BBQ sauce, grilled chicken, and smoked mozzarella. Hello summa!

BBQ Chicken Flatbread Pizzas

3 chicken tenders (or 1 large chicken breast, cut in 3 thin strips)
Olive oil, salt, and pepper
2 flatbreads or large naan (like these)
3/4 cup BBQ sauce
1-1.5 cups grated smoked mozzerella
8-10 fresh cherries, pitted and halved (and sliced again if they�re big)
1 ear of corn, kernels cut from cob
2 green onions, sliced

Heat grill. Brush chicken with olive oil, and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Grill until cooked through, and cut into thin slices.

Spread BBQ sauce on one side of each flatbread, and top with cheese, cherries, corn, green onions, and chicken. Grill until cheese is melted.

To make without a grill, prepare chicken as you like, then heat oven to 400 degrees F. Place flatbreads on a baking sheet, and cook for about 10-15 minutes, until cheese is totally melted.

Tackling Food Insecurity By Dealing with Food Waste

A few weeks ago on May 21, a new law was unanimously approved in France prohibiting large supermarkets from throwing out food that was not sold. Instead, supermarkets will be mandated to donate any surplus groceries to charities. Food that is unsafe to eat will be donated to farms for agricultural and livestock purposes. The French politician whose grassroots movement led to this law has plans to globalize this campaign.



The financial costs of food wastage in the world are estimated to be substantial amounting to $1 trillion USD each year. The news about this legislation, as reported by the Guardian and other media recently, highlighted the issue of food waste even as food insecurity worldwide persists. (Source: UN Food and Agriculture Organization)

Credit: Magnolia Lim

Feeding the 5000 Vancouver

Also in May, the Feeding the 5000 event took place in Vancouver, which aimed to feed 5,000 people using food and produce that is nutritious and good quality even though aesthetically imperfect or close to its 'best before' date. The event highlighted the same issue of food waste. 

In Canada, there are on-going discussions about tax incentives and credits for charitable food donations such as proposals by Food Banks Canada and the National Zero Waste Council founded by Metro Vancouver. Another initiative in the private sector is that of the Loblaws grocery chain, offering discounts of as much as 30 percent for misshapen fruits and vegetables under their 'Naturally Imperfect' no-name brand. 

Such measures to tackle food waste ultimately help to improve economic accessibility of food by making good food more readily available at lower prices or through food banks. Accessibility is an important element of food security as discussed in the previous post that is part of this series.

What We Can Do

Individuals and households can do their bit by reducing food waste in personal consumption and by donating excess food that is good to eat. The David Suzuki Foundation provides some further facts and a handy tip sheet.



Support for and participation in recycling programs is another way. In Metro Vancouver, since January 2015, there has been a ban to dispose of organic waste in garbage destined for landfills. Food waste not only squanders valuable resources but also endangers the environment due to the methane that leftover food emits in landfills. 

Food Reward Friday

This week's lucky winner... the Pizza Hut Hot Dog Bites pizza!!!

Read more �

Homegrown Harvest Workshop Series

**This posting was provided by Burnaby Village Museum.**

Photo provided by Burnaby Village Museum

A new Homegrown Harvest Workshop Series held at the Burnaby Village Museum this summer is set to launch. The series is a wonderful extension of the Museum�s current agricultural theme.



Workshop topics include:

• container food gardening, 


• preserving the harvest, and 


• seasonal meal planning. 

The sessions are led by local experts known in the industry. Plan to take in one, two or all seven of the free sessions!



The first in the series is on Sunday, July 5, 1:30 - 3:30 pm. Drop in to hear the presentation on Summer Container Food Gardening by Leanne Zmud and Lisa Schuster, Certified Permaculture Designers.



More information on the series is available on the Museum�s webpage under the �programs� tab or by downloading the Homegrown Harvest brochure (PDF).



This series was developed and is presented as a collaboration between Burnaby Food First and Burnaby Village Museum.



Garden Party



The Museum's 2015 Homegrown Harvest theme will also be celebrated with a Garden Party and Artist Talk on Saturday, June 27 from 2:00 - 4:00 pm in the Meadow at the Museum. The museum is located at 6501 Deer Lake Avenue in Burnaby.



Tour the backyard garden displays and the 'Bees and Berries' photo exhibition (Stride Studio) plus enjoy live music and refreshments! Come one, come all!

Heritage Learning Garden in Full Bloom!
Credit: Rebekah Mahaffey

The Heritage Learning Garden reflects the
wonderful cultural diversity of Burnaby!
Credit: Rebekah Mahaffey

Great Edible Landscaping at Burnaby Village Museum!
Can you spot the kale?!
Credit: Rebekah Mahaffey

Burnaby's libraries are also getting in the spirit with two agricultural themed photo exhibitions:

• Bob Prittie Library (6100 Willingdon Avenue) / Summer's Bounty (until August 9)


• McGill Library (4595 Albert Street) / Close up in the Garden (until August 10)

It's going to be a great summer!

Review: Eat Your Greens Workshop

Thank you to all the participants who attended the 'Eat Your Greens' kids' workshop on June 3 at the Brentwood Resource Community Centre. A special thanks to the kids of all ages attending with their parents. Kids greeted the new recipes with much enthusiasm and participated in the fun, hands-on cooking lesson wholeheartedly.

Credit: Leanne Zmud

Maya Thau-Eleff facilitated this family cooking workshop and shared interesting tips and tricks to encourage kids to eat seasonal greens and healthy dishes. Some very happy mums and dads saw their little children heartily tucking in baby lettuce, chard, arugula, baby carrots, snap peas and more with the clever dips they prepared in the workshop.

Credit: A Lawrence

We would like to thank Vancity once again for sponsoring these workshops and 'Burnaby Meals on Wheels' for providing the space.



Keep checking out our website for upcoming interesting workshops. Burnaby Food First also welcomes new volunteers who would like to get involved in other ways. 

Pride Week Chili on CBC's Weekend Morning Show!

This morning I presented this chili on CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Terry MacLeod.

Happy Pride Celebrations!

Photo by Karen
The chili will not be these bright colours at the end of cooking.

Pride Chili
 
1 kg ground beef (I used Halal beef, available at Millad�s Supermarket on Notre Dame and Halal Meats and Specialty Foods on Maryland)
2 red onions, thinly sliced
3 cups black eyed beans (cooked from dry, soak overnight)
1 chipotle pepper (can be purchased tinned) or 1 tsp dried
1 Queer beer (in Manitoba, Half Pint�s)
1/2 cup dark chocolate callates (chips)
3 cups chopped tomatoes (tinned, unsalted)
2 red or yellow pepper (large chopped)
1 cup corn (frozen or fresh)
1tsp cumin
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbs olive oil
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp dried chipotle peppers
1 head roasted garlic
2 tbs molasses
salt and pepper to taste. (I used Pink Himalayan, for pride colours)

Using a slow cooker is a nice way to make flavours intense and round them out. In a saut� pan, saut� one medium chopped onion. When caramelized, add to slow cooker. Brown the ground beef. Add to slow cooker. Put slow cooker on high setting. Add beans. If tinned, rinse thoroughly to remove tinny taste. Add tomatoes, pepper, cumin, cilantro, paprika, chipotle peppers, roasted garlic, molasses, and chocolate. Stir in well. Add beer. Cook through the day or overnight.  Blue Corn Tortillas or garnish with borage flowers.

Red - peppers, tomatoes, chilies
Orange - peppers
Yellow - peppers, corn
Green - Herbs
Blue - Garnish of borage flowers and corn tortillas
Violet - Purple onions

Additional colours represented are pink salt, brown meat and molasses, spices, black and white beans.

To make vegan chili, leave out the ground beef and add 1 cup bulgur in slow cooker.  It gives the look and texture of beef chili.

Enjoy!