Food is fuel for the body, so what do you put in your tank?

Imagine someone filling up your car with sugar instead of gas (I can almost hear all you car lovers out there shrieking in absolute horror). Well, the damage that this causes is similar to that of your own body’s engine when you take a bite out of that lard-filled giant cookie that you can’t help but shell out two dollars for every day at the office vending machine.

Ok fine, that’s me…but I know many of you out there do the very same thing! If it’s not this heart-stopper, then it’s another. Your poison may be the irresistible bag of salt-ladened chips or the double fudge chocolate chip with caramel filling bar that speaks to you. With everyone’s ever busier and increasingly sedentary lives, it’s often hard to resist these convenient temptations.

But whatever excuse you use, it won’t work anymore. Time and effort are no longer issues as trainers, dietitians, nutritionists, and chefs prove time and again that eating healthily is both easy and quick. Take Adam Hart‘s Flourless Hemp Cookies for instance. Let’s see you try and talk your way out of this recipe, which consists of all of five main ingredients, an oh so high-tech spatula to mix it all up, and brace yourselves…ten whole minutes of baking time.

This snack alternative not only gives you the energy you need to get through that extra couple of hours of work, but you’ll be filling up your body with nothing but nature’s goodness, whole and unprocessed. The hemp seeds alone are a complete protein, which means that they naturally contain all 9 essential amino acids that your body doesn’t have to work to break down!

Adam is all about educating the public on these foods and how to easily incorporate them in people’s diets. Next week, he will introduce more whole foods to add to your grocery list, so stay tuned! Your body will thank you.

For the recipe to the yummy flourless hemp cookies, read on! Read the rest of this entry »

I thought I knew my cheeses…until I met Chef Gurth Pretty. Now here’s a man who must’ve been a mouse in his past life. Compared to him, my knowledge of this gooey staple is less than rudimentary. In his first book alone (The Definitive Guide to Canadian Artisanal and Fine Cheeses), he introduces readers to get this, some 1,700 cheese varieties! And those are only the ones produced in Canada!

Even though cheese is fantastic on its own, it really comes to life when applied in cooking. Hence we have Gurth’s latest publication, The Definitive Canadian Wine and Cheese Cookbook. But what’s cheese without a good wine to complement its unique flavour right? Enter Tony Aspler, the most widely respected wine writer in the country, who teamed up with our cheese guru to co-write the book. With every mouthwatering dish that fills it, Tony offers a selection of spirits that completes the meal. For instance, should you have some Oka left over from a cheese party, Gurth has a creamy Garlic Oka Gratinée Soup recipe that it would be perfect for and Tony would be right there suggesting a Pinot Noir, Gamay Noir, or other light red wine.

I gained a lot of knowledge about cheese just by flipping through and reading the brief but insightful tips and anecdotes that dot the cookbook. You’ll find some of Gurth’s recipes refreshing as he shows how other common ingredients can be as versatile as my favourite dairy product. Take his Pizzenta for example.

I see your raised eyebrow. Well, as Gurth explained to me, a Pizzenta is a combination of a pizza and polenta. Craving the former one day, Gurth realized he didn’t have all the ingredients necessary to make the dough. Cornmeal was available however, and as you probably already know, with some water or chicken (or vegetable) stock, you can easily make polenta. Suddenly, pizza was back on the dinner menu. Once cooked and allowed to set, Gurth broiled his improvised new crust and a base was ready for the toppings, which were inspired by his sister Elena, who once used a combination of caramelized onions, walnuts, and blue cheese (do you need someone to wipe that drool off your face?).

To jump start your own adventure into the world of cheese, here’s the recipe for Gurth Pretty’s Caramelized Onion, Walnut & Bleu de la Moutonnière Pizzenta, complete with Tony Aspler’s expert wine pairings.

Enjoy everyone! Read the rest of this entry »

DABBLER GIVEAWAY BELOW!

From: Libations of Life: A Girl’s Guide to Life: One Cocktail at a Time

When life gives you lemons – slice, squeeze into a dry martini and drink!

With a hilariously irreverent take on life’s ups and downs, Libations of Life makes the perfect companion for the bittersweet dramas and disasters of the dating world. Bartender extraordinaire Dee Brun doles out a charismatic blend of cheeky and insightful relationship advice while guiding you on how to whip up the perfect drink for any situation:

Worried about your judgment? Make a don’t let me go home with him DAIQUIRI
Had to dump your man? This calls for a he had his SHOT
Next up? A plenty of fish in the sea SLING
Trying to cut back on calories? Try a control top COSMOPOLITAN

With special expert tips on what to do in the event of emergencies like encountering man boobs, mullets, or kankles, this book will leave you shaking, mixing and stirring like a pro.

For your chance to win a copy of Dee Brun’s Libations of Life, email me with the correct answer to this question:

In the video above, Dee lists three cocktails that can be found in the book. Name one of them.

Deadline for submissions is Friday October 19th, 2007.

Mixologist Magally Franco is back for one last lesson on Tequila cocktails. This time it’s the Paloma, which uses grapefruit soda to give it a nice fresh kick.

As Magally wraps up our Tequila series, she also offers a sneak peek into the making of this Mexican favourite. Click on the above video to find out what blue agave is and how it is used in the production of Tequila Cazadores.

Courtesy of: Natalie MacLean
Sommelier and Author of Red, White, and Drunk All Over: a Wine Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass

No other holiday celebrates the gift of wine like Thanksgiving. Wine is a taste of the harvest along with all the delicious dishes on the table. But actually choosing a bottle can feel like a thankless task, especially with so many flavors to match.

To help you choose a terrific Thanksgiving wine, Natalie offers these five quick tips:

1. Start with Bubbly

Sparkling wine is a great aperitif to sip while you wait for the turkey to finish cooking. It adds a celebratory note to the meal and goes well with starters like soup and salad.

2. Consider the Turkey

Unlike most poultry and game birds, turkey meat is very dry in texture so you need a mouth-watering wine to complement it. Good options are crisp whites like riesling and pinot grigio. And yes, you can drink red wine with white meat: pinot noir, beaujolais and zinfandel all have juicy, berry-ripe flavours that go well with turkey.

3. Look Beyond the Bird

The range of side dishes means that you don’t have to match your wine just to the turkey. Since Thanksgiving dinner is often a banquet-style meal, with everyone choosing the trimmings, why not do the same with your wines? Offer both red and white, and possibly more than one depending on the size of your group.

4. Complement or Contrast

A big, buttery chardonnay from California or Chile can complement the roasted, smoky flavours of squash, chestnuts and pecan stuffing. But if you’d rather have a contrast to the richness of cream sauces and dressings, try a crisp New Zealand sauvignon blanc.

5. End On a Sweet Note

If anyone still has room left when it’s time for pumpkin or pecan pie, offer a late harvest wine or icewine. If you’re a chocolate fan, try serving a liqueur with complementary flavors such as raspberry or black currant.

Here are two of Natalie’s favs to get you started:

Vineland Estates Semi-Dry Riesling

Patriarche Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2003: A simple, silky, refreshing wine with pleasant aromas of cherries. The grapes have been sourced from all over Burgundy, many from the Patriarche vineyards in Beaune and Pommard. The wine is aged 50% in French oak barrels and the other half in stainless steel vats. Pair with: creamy cheeses, cold cuts, roast pork, poultry.

For more great suggestions, check out Natalie’s online wine matching tool (click on the “Turkey Holiday Dinner” option under the “Choose Your Food” header). It allows you to pair wine with other seasonal fall produce, game meats, pizza, egg dishes, TV dinners, breads and desserts. Simply search by wine for meal inspirations or by food to find great wine choices. The site has more than 364,000 food and wine combinations, as well as thousands of recipes for those planning holiday parties.

Thirsty for more? Click here for some of Natalie’s personal wine picks.

Got a dish or a wine to stump Natalie? E-mail her and she’ll suggest a match for you.

If you like to sit down with a good book instead, pick up Natalie’s book, Red, White, and Drunk All Over: a Wine Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass, which has just been published in paperback. In it she discusses wine and food pairing for Thanksgiving dinner as well and there’s also a new chapter which addresses the five toughest matches for wine: vegetables, spicy dishes, chocolate, cheese, and fast food.

As promised, here is our mixologist Magally Franco once more with another set of Tequila Cazadores drinks. Both of the cocktails that are presented in the video are suitable for before or after dinner, so try it out on your dinner party guests and see which one they prefer.

Keep in mind that the quantities used in our demonstrations are merely suggestions. Everyone has a slightly different palate and you may want to add more of one ingredient than another. Now that you know some examples of the kinds of ingredients that complement Tequila, you can tweak it to suit your personal tastes. Who knew mixing drinks could be so easy!

Enjoy but drink responsibly people!

Ever wonder how Tequila is made? Tune in next week to find out! Magally will also be introducing another concoction.

How do you know that a drink is authentic and is as good as it’s purported to be? When those that live in its country of origin also make it their choice of course. For instance, did you know that Mexicans don’t drink Corona?

You likely know the fact that Tequila is mostly produced in the desert-like valley of the same name, and you’re probably also familiar with its taste. Here’s a test you can conduct the next time you order a drink though. Have your server bring you a straight Tequila Cazadores and see if you can tell the difference.

Arandas, which is 500 metres above the hot Tequila Valley, is where the plant that makes this Tequila comes from. Here the climate is cooler and wetter and the distinctive red soil, rich in minerals, create the ideal growing conditions for agave (the blue plant shown in the video – the stems are chopped off). As a result, highland agave is larger, sweeter and juicier than the agave grown in the valley.

Now that you’ve made the choice, how do you drink it? Tequila is generally ordered in bars and brought to you in a shot glass and you usually toss it back in half a second before making a face right? Well, apparently that’s not the way to enjoy a good Tequila. Champagne glasses are used instead and often during a meal as you sip it much like you do red or white wine. It may sound like an odd choice for you but give it a shot and when you do, you might as well try pure Tequila. Cazadores is 100% agave while the ones you drink are likely mixto tequilas (a mixture of agave and an alternative source of sugar, like sugar cane).

Another way of enjoying Tequila is of course, in the Classic Margarita. Forget the mixed powders that you buy in tubs at the local supermarket. If you want to impress your guests, have a look at how our mixologist Magally Franco makes it. It’s insanely simple and will make your dinner party that much more sophisticated.

Next week, we move on to more contemporary cocktails so stay tuned!