Sunday, May 16, 2010

Mint-Coriander Chutney

Perfect as a dipping sauce for samosa and cutlets, or on main course dishes like biryani
1 bunch fresh Mint
1 bunch fresh coriander (or cilantro)
2 cloves Garic
1 small Tomato
3 to 4 green chillies (according to your taste).
1/2 tsp salt or according to your taste
2 tsps lime juice
1/2 cup water
Preparation:
Cut off roots from the coriander and any thick stalks from the mint and discard. You should now have enough coriander and mint to loosely fill 1 1/2 to 2 cups with each of them.
Peel garlic , remove stalks from green chillies and cut tomatoes in dice Wash all these ingredients thoroughly.
Grind all the ingredients (including the salt which you can add more of later to suit your taste) into a smooth paste in a food processor.
mix salt and lemon and serve.

Giselle’s Top Ten Ways to use Ontario Fresh Mint


Beverages
1. Put the fresh bunch of mint into a tea pot, pour boiling water over, and let sit for a few minutes-enjoy! Fresh Mint Tea
2. Crush mint with golden cane sugar, fresh lime juice, S.Pellgreno and dark spicy rum, need I say more, Mohitto!
3. Mint Ice-Freeze a leaf in with your ice cube trays, add a raspberry, or drop of lemon or lime for great flavoured water
Breakfast
4. Thinly chopped mixed with honey and poppy seeds, drizzled over 1/2 a grapefruit,
5. Fruit salad
6. or yogurt and granola
Sauces
7. One of my good friends’ Mint sauce right from India-Recipe on reverse
8. Fresh Mango Salsa, with tomatoes, lime, ginger, topped on seared tuna steaks
Meals
9. Thinly sliced and tossed with lemon and olive oil linguine, the recipe is on our website, I think I reuse it every year its so good!
10. Mixed with couscous, tomato lemon, olive oil in tabouli
11. Mixed in with Humus
Dessert
12. Garnished on Angel food cake with raspberries or blackberries-I’ve made this cake on a number of occasions including Jules 1st Birthday

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Get Your Fee Sample of Bio-K+ in this week's bin, while supplies last

Scientific facts

Probiotics

According to the World Health Organization, probiotics are live micro-organisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host1 (2001 WHO/ FAO Report).

Probiotics help intestinal bacteria perform their tasks more efficiently. They take over when your intestinal bacteria have too much work or are weakened or even destroyed by antibiotics, stress, poor nutrition or any other factors.

The exclusive Bio-K+ CL1285® formula, which contains beneficial bacteria that are found in great number in the intestine, promotes and maintains a healthy balanced digestive system.

L. acidophilus and L. casei- based lactic culture

Lactobacillus, such as L. acidophilus and L. casei, are part of the bacteria normally found in the intestinal flora of human beings. They are present in great number and account for more than 100 trillion bacteria belonging to more than 400 different species. They ensure protection against infection and play a part in making sure that the digestive system works properly. They also help to maintain the balance necessary to good health.

Guaranteed to be bioactive when it reaches the intestine

In order to be effective, L. acidophilus and L. casei strains must be alive when they reach the intestine.
It is fast-acting in the body which can best be explained by the elevated amount of live bacteria upon consumption; they conserve their bioactivity until they reach their final destination: your intestine.

Choosing a Probiotic

The choice of functional strains of micro organisms used as probiotics must be based upon criteria established by the scientific community.

Criteria essential to a quality probiotic (relative to bacterial strains used):

* Of human origin;
* Resistant to stomach acidity and bile salts;
* Adherence to human intestinal cells;
* Colonization (even transiently) of human intestine;
* Antagonistic towards pathogenic bacteria;
* Production of antimicrobial substances;
* Immune modulation properties;
* History of safe use in humans2.


The Bio-K+ CL1285® line of products satisfy these criteria and can be considered a simple, effective, safe and inexpensive solution to achieve better digestive health.

References

1 Report of a joint FAO/WHO Working Group. Guidelines for the Evaluation of Probiotics in Food. London, Ontario, Canada: FAO/WHO; 2002.

2 Health Canada website. Report submitted to the Natural Health Products Directorate, Health Canada. Access to website

Mama's Twisted Orange Carrot Cake

One of our customers recently sent me this vegan recipe which looks amazing! She uses homemade yogurt made with Harmony milk and does not frost it. Try it out and let us know what you think!

Equipment:
Two 9-inch cake pans or one 9x13 pan
Blender or food processor for the orange puree
Food processor or bicep equivalent for frosting

Ingredients
1 orange (peel will be used to clean well)
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup of vanilla soy yogurt
2 cups grated Carrots
1/2 cup of chopped nuts (optional)

Frosting

8 0z. vegan cream cheese (Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese)
1/4 Soy margarine
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 tbsp. orange puree (instructions below)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. lemon juice


Directions
Trim both ends off of orange. Cut in wedges, then chunks. Remove center white core and seeds. Puree in blender (yes, including peel) and then reserve one tablespoon of puree for frosting. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add oil and the orange puree, mixing well. Add yogurt and combine thoroughly. Stir in carrots and optional nuts.

Line two inch 9-inch baking pans OR one 9x13 pan with waxed paper or some sort of flour spray. Pour batter into pan(s) and bake at 350 degrees. Bake one hour if using two 9-inch pans or 45 minutes if using 9x13 pan. Either way, cake is ready when toothpick/cake tester comes out clean.

Let cool in pan 10-15 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool completely before frosting.