Pumpkin Gingersnaps

Pumpkin is everywhere right now (I mean, check this out), and we're suckers for it.  I'm surprised we all don't run out to buy pumpkin flavored toothpaste!  (Don't steal that idea, it's mine.)  I gave you some pumpkin ideas last week, and now here's another: Pumpkin Gingersnaps (click there for recipe).  These are delicious... soft and chewy, and rich with all the flavors of the season... cinnamon, spice and pumpkin of course!  Pumpkin.  Pumpkin.  If you say that word a lot it starts to sound really weird.  Also who puts a 'p' and a 'k' right next to each other??  Pumpkin lovers do.  

Annual Fundraiser: Natural Sweetness Workshop

Burnaby Food First is pleased to invite you to our first annual fundraising workshop!


Natural Sweetness: You are sweet enough already!

Monday, November 16

6:00 pm -
9:00pm

Brentwood Community Resource Centre (2055 Rosser Avenue / Burnaby
- map)



In
this hands-on workshop, chef and Holistic Nutritionist Andrea Potter will
introduce us to the basic concepts behind creating delicious and healthy raw
desserts. Now you can have your cake and eat it too!



We will be incorporating
superfoods such as maca, hemp hearts, coconut oil, and more into our decadent
creations.



Raw desserts are naturally free of refined sugar, dairy, eggs
and flour. Yummy tastings included!



Tickets: $65 (includes a
hands-on cooking session and tastings).



Tickets can be purchased through
Eventbrite at http://naturalsweetness.eventbrite.ca
or by calling (604) 294-7421.



Location: Two blocks from
Brentwood Skytrain Station. Limited street parking is available. Please consider
biking or taking transit.



This workshop is a fundraiser for Burnaby Food
First. All proceeds will go to support Food First programs and community
workshops. For more information, please visit http://burnabyfoodfirst.blogspot.ca/.

Why Do Girls and Boys Reach Puberty Younger Than They Used To?

Girls, and probably boys, are reaching puberty years younger than they did in our great-grandparents' generation. Why? There's no shortage of explanations, but the primary reason is probably quite simple.

Read more �

International Delight on TODAY

I recently had the opportunity to work with International Delight - the coffee creamer that comes in delicious, everyday as well as innovative flavors - and this morning I had the chance to share some brunch ideas using these creamers on the Today Show with Kathie Lee and Hoda!  If you missed the segment or want to view the recipes, click here.  By the way, it's totally acceptable to make Pumpkin Stuffed French Toast for dinner in the month of October.  Also, make sure to check out International Delight's website for more information on their delicious creamers and more easy, everyday recipes.  Aaaaaaand, if you're in the mood for more PUMPKIN (you know you are), I pulled up a few other treats I've tried in the past... have a happy fall weekend! 

Pumpkin Scones

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Pull-Apart Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Bread

Vegan Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares

Squash Two ways for CBC's Weekend Morning Show!

On Saturday, I'll be presenting the following recipes using local squash, for CBC's Weekend Morning Show, with Host Terry MacLeod.

Gorgeous Heirloom varieties are available at the St. Norbert's Farmer's Market, until Oct. 31st from producers from Wiens Farm and Trudy Penner/Penner Pumpkins.

Tuscan Squash Salad

1 lb squash (butternut, hubbard, or any small firm variety except spaghetti), peeled, seeded and cut in 5-inch slices
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbs honey, warm and divided into two parts
� cup chopped walnuts
2 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs walnut oil
� tsp kosher or sea salt
� tsp ground black pepper
~ 6 cups mixed baby greens, lightly packed
� cup crumbled feta

Preheat oven to 400�F. Toss the squash and olive oil in a large bowl. Spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet and lightly brush with half of the honey. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn and brush with the remaining honey. Bake for another 15 minutes or until the squash is cooked through. Some varieties take longer to cook.

While the squash is baking, toast the walnuts lightly. Whisk together the lemon juice, walnut oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

Toss the greens with the vinaigrette in a large bowl and place on serving plates. Top with 3-5 slices of squash. Sprinkle with the walnuts and feta, season and serve while the squash is still warm.

Squash Halwa- Easy Diwali Sweet Recipe

1 Seeded and baked Squash (Acorn, Hubbard, Delicata, etc.) ~ 4 cups
Milk- � cup
Condensed milk- � can or 150 ml
Saffron, strands (optional)- � tsp strands soaked in 1 tbsp milk
Ghee- 4 tbsp
Roasted Almonds, whole or chopped- � cup (roasted in � tbsp ghee)

Peel the skin off the squash and dice it into medium size.
In a non-stick cooking pan, cook the diced squash in water till it turns tender and well cooked.
Drain the water from the cooked squash and put it back into the pan.
Using a wooden spoon, mash the cooked squash without any lumps.
Switch on the stove to medium heat and place the pan with the mashed squash over it.
Add milk and combine well stirring constantly breaking any lumps present in it.
Add the condensed milk to it and combine well stirring constantly.
Pour 2 tbsp of ghee at this point and keep stirring.
If you are adding saffron, add the soaked saffron to the mixture.
Let it thicken and don�t forget to stir it.
When the mixture is no more watery and has thickened, add 2 tbsp more of ghee.
Keep stirring for a minute and remove from the heat.
In a small pan, roast whole or chopped almonds in � tbsp ghee till it turns golden in color.
Grease a platter with little ghee and spread the squash halwa onto the plate.
Even out the halwa level using a flat spatula.
Garnish the squash halwa with roasted almonds.
Chill the halwa for an hour and serve.
Notes
You could tweak this recipe according to your needs.
You could adjust the sweetness, amount of ghee added accordingly.
Also add pistachios, raisins or other nuts for extra crunchiness.

Federal Elections and Food Security

The federal elections will be held on 19 October and voters are examining the policies of the political parties to make an informed choice. So it is perhaps a good time to review the party platforms related to food security also. This is part of a series of articles on food security of which last month and this month we are reviewing policies that can make an impact.

Party Platforms

The Conservative Party promotes self sufficiency in national food production. Their focus reportedly on agriculture as a business seeks to protect and promote export oriented agro-businesses by investing in innovative research and development projects to keep the farming industry competitive. Food and food processing industries are recognized as an important part of the economy. 

The National Democratic Party have committed to a national food strategy emphasizing local sustainable food production and consumption by reducing barriers to local agricultural production as well as promoting local businesses in the food chain through federal procurement to support Canadian producers in their campaigning. The platform further highlights safe, transparent healthy food choices, food waste reduction, improving food access, investing in public health through research and education about nutrition. The NDP leader has recently declared support and spending pledges to address food related issues in the northern regions.

The Liberal Party promises to support farmers in solving challenges of transportation, water management, research, and food safety. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency will receive funding for more food safety inspections of domestic and imported foods. Plans for agri-food value added investment funds to create jobs in food processing have been announced as also investment to support innovation and infrastructure for agriculture, soil conservation, water management and green infrastructure. 

The Green Party have described a detailed vision related to food security. They plan actions to improve food self-sufficiency, food safety, promote local, organic, sustainable agricultural practices and protect the environment against climate change. The Party promotes policies to shift emphasis to organically growing food in small and medium ecologically sustainable family farms rather than large, commercial export oriented agriculture and factory farming of livestock. They plan to empower the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to monitor transfat levels, sugary foods, use of pesticides and strengthen the Canadian Organic Standard. Measures to support urban farming, local food markets, seed exchange programs/seed banks and to preserve agricultural lands have all been detailed in their vision. They also promise to establish federally funded community-guided school lunch programs.

Image Source: Food Secure Canada

National Food Policy

Burnaby Food First have been promoting the national drive by Food Secure Canada to list key policy improvements that Parties could commit to as part of their 'Eat Think Vote' campaign focussing on:

• zero hunger in Canada 


• affordable food in northern and remote communities


• support for new farmers


• a federal investment in a universal healthy school food program

Food Secure Canada have cited a new report on the persistently high rates of household food insecurity in Canada indicating that approximately 12.5 percent of households experienced food insecurity in 2013, the year for which most recent statistics are available. The food insecurity crisis in the north calls for much more urgent action as detailed here. One solution to address these issues at least in the case of children is the suggested universal school food program based on the idea of making sure that all children can eat at least one healthy meal or snack at school each day. 

It seems fitting to strive to ensure there is enough food on everyone's plate especially during this time of thanksgiving.

Votes Matter

The trend in farming is towards concentration of few large export oriented mono crop agri-businesses and seed monopolization. Many older farmers are retiring. Supporting new farmers farming on a smaller scale using sustainable methods may be more geared towards improving affordable access to local nutritious food supply and protecting the environment as reported here. This kind of support to new farmers may also provide the necessary balance to offset some potential disadvantages of treating food as just a commodity traded internationally for economic gain. 

In this context the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal, a very recent trade pact among 12 countries that may impact the supply management in Canada is especially significant for dairy, poultry and egg farmers. Some details are reported on this deal and where the national parties stand on this subject. TPP needs to be ratified in national legislatures so the outcome of these elections may determine the future of such trade deals and also the future of national food security in many ways! 

Fried Cabbage "Strudel" Rolls with Powdered Sugar and Jam

You might think I�m crazy, but today we�re pairing powdered sugar and jam with�cabbage! Mmmm�cabbage dessert! I know it sound pretty weird, but these cabbage rolls, smothered in powdered sugar and dipped in jam, are something from my childhood. One of my favorite comfort foods! I used to ask for these for my birthday every year (for breakfast!).

My Oma makes these cabbage rolls all the time. They�re essentially egg rolls, but the filling is just saut�ed cabbage� basically an Eastern Euro style egg roll? My dad remembered my Oma making sweet cabbage strudel (like this!?) when he was a kid, so at some point along the way, we started making Oma�s cabbage rolls, and dusting them with a snowy layer of powdered sugar, to resemble the strudel. It sounds weird but trust me you guys, it works! 
We start with a  head of cabbage, and saut� in a little butter until it�s less than half it�s original size, and add nothing but salt and pepper. Be patient with the cabbage... once you cook it down, low and slow, it takes on a silky sweetness. When I first sliced my whole cabbage it was a heaping  mound covering this entire cutting board, and it reduced down to this little tiny bowl full. Just enough for eight rolls!  
Then we roll it up in store-bought egg roll wrappers, with a little bit of water to seal the edges. 
Oma deep fries these, and when I was a kid, we usually did as well (which was why they were a special birthday-only treat). We�ve tried baking them before, but it�s just not the same. Rather than do a full deep fry, I pan-fried the rolls in a thin layer of oil, turning to fry each side. Super easy, and way less oil going to waste. And maybe better for you? I don�t know. We�ll say yes, super healthy! 
Once they�re done, we go crazy with the powdered sugar! I like to pair them with jams of the orange-colored variety�this is apricot, but an orange marmalade would work really well too! 
Not into the sweet treatment? Well, I think you�re missing out. But if you try it and just don�t love it, the rolls are good on their own, or dipped in any number of things (mustard, or for a more Asian-style egg roll, soy sauce, sesame oil, etc).

Fried Cabbage "Strudel" Rolls with Powdered Sugar and Jam
Makes 8-12 rolls, depending on how big your cabbage is

1 medium-sized head of cabbage
2 tablespoon butter
salt & pepper
store-bought egg roll wrappers
1-2 tablespoons oil, for frying (something with a higher smoke point like grapeseed or canola)
Powdered sugar
Jam

Cut out the core/stem of the cabbage, and thinly slice the rest.

Heat butter over medium heat in a large skillet, and add cabbage. It maybe barely fit, but trust me, it cooks down a ton. once the cabbage starts to brown, after a few minutes, lower the heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally (making sure it doesn�t stick), for about 30 minutes (or longer, if needed). If it seems too dry at any point, add a splash of water, more butter, or cover with a lid to steam a bit. In the last few minutes of cooking, add salt and pepper to taste (My medium sized cabbage required about 1/2 teaspoon of salt, but start with less, and taste as you go� the salt really brings out the flavor), and turn heat back up to medium for a minute to get a few crispy bits on the bottom. Stir, remove from heat, and cool slightly before filling wrappers.

To roll, lay wrapper on surface with one corner facing you. Add a mound of cabbage, and fold the corner up to the other corner, then slide back to tighten around the cabbage. Fold the sides in. Brush a little bit of water on the top corner, and roll, sealing with the slightly wet end. 

Heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet/ frying pan, over medium heat. Once it�s good and hot, cook a few rolls at at time, flipping once each side is done (using tongs is easiest). Keep an eye on them, it doesn�t take long for each side to get brown and crispy! Drain on paper towels.

Serve warm or room temp with powdered sugar and jam. Can be refrigerated and then reheated in the oven to retain the crispy shell. I even like to eat them cold... and find the flavor gets even better the next day!