Inside Toronto Guest Column

Organic Garlic Scape Pesto

Enjoy your fabulous organic garlic scape pesto with your favorite pasta,French stick or crackers. You can enjoy right away or refrigerate in small mason jars or freeze in bags.

Ingredients:
-1/4 lb Garlic Scapes (about 12)
-1 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
-Juice of 1 Lemon + zest if desired
-1/2 cup olive oil (divided)
-1/4 cup nuts (walnut, almond, pine)
-Pinch of sea salt
-1/4 cup fresh cut Basil (optional)

Preparation:
Wash and trim garlic scapes. Cut garlic scapes into small pieces.
Place garlic scapes and 1/4 cup olive oil in a food processor and blend.
Chop nuts to small pieces.
Place Parmesan, nuts, lemon juice, zest, remaining olive oil and sea salt in food processor.
Blend until desired consistency.

Enjoy!

Strawberry Bruschetta

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups sliced fresh Strawberries
1 Nectarine, diced
1 cup quartered Grape tomatoes
3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh Basil
1 shallot, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (12-oz.) French bread baguette
1 (10.5-oz.) goat cheese log, softened

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Stir together strawberries, nectarine, grape tomatoes, basil, minced shallot, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sugar, freshly ground pepper, and salt.
2. Split baguette in half; cut each half crosswise into 4 equal pieces. Spread cut sides of bread with goat cheese. Place bread pieces on a baking sheet, and bake 13 to 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remove from oven, and top with strawberry mixture. Cut into 2-inch slices.

Sauteed Fiddleheads

Original recipe makes 3 cups


Ingredients

3 cups fresh Fiddleheads, ends trimmed
3 tablespoons unfiltered extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove Garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh Lemon juice


Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook fiddlehead ferns in the boiling water until barely tender, 7 to 10 minutes; drain.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the prepared fiddlehead ferns, garlic, and the salt and pepper. Cook and stir until ferns are tinged lightly brown and tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle with lemon juice.

Grilled Sweet Potatoes with cilantro

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes


Ingredients

2 pounds Sweet Potatoes
3-4 Tbsp olive oil
Kosher salt

Dressing

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Cilantro (including tender stems)
1 teaspoon of lime zest or lemon zest
2 tablespoons of fresh lime or lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
Pinch of salt

Method

1 Prepare your grill for hot, direct heat. While the grill is heating up, peel the sweet potatoes and slice lengthwise, or on a diagonal, into 1/4 inch-thick pieces. Coat the sweet potato slices with olive oil and lightly sprinkle with Kosher salt.

2 Combine all of the dressing ingredients into a small bowl.

3 Once the grill is hot, lay the sweet potato pieces down onto the grill grates. Cover the grill and cook until each side gets some grill marks, between 3-6 minutes for each side, depending on how hot your grill is.

4 Toss the sweet potatoes in a bowl with the dressing and serve hot.

Pear and Blue Cheese Salad

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Ready In: 15 Minutes

Servings: 6

Ingredients:
1 (10 ounce) bag mixed field greens
1/2 cup sliced Red Onions
1 Bosc Pears, cored and sliced
1/2 cup chopped candied pecans
1/2 cup crumbled Blue cheese
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground blackpepper
1/4 cup walnut oil

Directions:
1. Place the salad greens in a large bowl. Add the red onion, pear, pecans, and blue cheese, and toss to mix evenly.
2. To make the dressing, place the maple syrup, vinegar, mayonnaise, brown sugar, salt, and pepper in a blender, and blend thoroughly. With the motor running, slowly pour in the walnut oil. Blend until mixture becomes creamy, about 1 minute. Pour over salad mixture, and toss to coat greens evenly. Serve immediately.

Peach Cobbler

Total time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

Batter
1/2 cup melted Butter
1 cup flour
1 cup Sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup room temperature milk
1 room temperature Eggs
Filling
3 sliced Peaches
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Directions
Melt butter in a 9 x 13 inch pan.
Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder & salt.
Stir in milk & egg.
Pour evenly over melted butter.
Combine peaches, sugar & spices and spread over batter-DO NOT STIR!
Bake 35-45 minutes at 350°F until batter comes to the top and is golden brown.
Serve warm with ice cream.

Enzymes – Agents of Life

By Valerie Hould-Marchand

We are alive only because we contain within us thousands of various kinds of enzymes that regulate the life process. They are often referred to as the physical “Agents of Life”.
Enzymes are protein molecules that aid in numerous biochemical reactions in the body. They are found in your mouth, stomach, intestinal fluids, blood, organs, and in every cell in your body. They facilitate digestion, absorption, transportation and elimination.
Your body's production of enzymes, including those involved in digestion, slows down as you get older. By the age of thirty five, the production of enzymes in the stomach, small intestines, and pancreas is in decline. When you are lacking digestive enzymes, your body cannot digest properly, and as a result, your body will not absorb all the nutrients it needs to thrive. Unfortunately, the amount of processed foods and chemicals that creep into our diets every day is not helping and can lead to digestives disorder and other general health problems.
You can augment your body’s supply eating plenty of raw fruits and vegetables (when we cook certain foods, we end up destroying the enzymes altogether).

Here are some enzyme-packed foods you should consume on a regular basis:
-Green Papaya (contains enzymes that will break down proteins)
-Pineapple (contains enzymes that will break down proteins)
-Raw Milk (contains enzymes that will help digest fats)
-Organic Raw Honey (contains enzymes that will help break down starches, carbohydrates, and other sugars)

And for a delicious daily tonic:
Blend 1/3 pineapple, 1/2 papaya, and roughly 20 papaya seeds
*In large quantity, green papaya and papaya seeds can induce abortion and have contraceptive effects - so avoid them if you're pregnant or trying to have a baby

FUN FACT
Enzymes are activated in water, so it is extremely important to drinking plenty of fluids throughout the day.

Sources: Puristat Internal Cleansing
Naturalnews.com

@GreenEarthOrganics on Instagram

We've started Instagraming! To help us launch and celebrate our new Instagram account we are doing a special contest to get started and see what delicious meals you make with your organic bin. We welcome you to follow us @greenearthorganics! Tag us in a beautiful photo you have taking of your order or something you have cooked using the ingredients and you can win your order! Draw will happen February 25 so you have 2 weeks to get your Instagram on!

Pickled Turnips

We are making Pickled Turnips this week! Pickled turnips are a popular Middle Eastern mezes. Adding a beet slice to each jar turns the turnips pink; you can omit this step if you like.
Makes 6 pint jars (about 12 cups) | Active Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutesIngredients
2 1/2 pounds turnips, peeled and cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch-thick wedges or sticks (about 8 cups)
6 slices peeled beet
3-6 whole large cloves garlic, sliced
3 cups distilled white vinegar or cider vinegar
3 cups water
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons sea salt
2 tablespoons sugar
Preparation
Divide turnips among 6 pint-size (2-cup) canning jars or similar-size tempered-glass or heatproof-plastic containers with lids.
Add 1 beet slice to each jar (this dyes the pickles pink) and divide the garlic slices among the jars.
Combine vinegar, 3 cups water, salt and sugar in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir until the salt and sugar dissolve. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Carefully fill jars (or containers) with brine to within 1/2 inch of the rim, covering the turnips completely. (Discard any leftover brine.)
Place the lids on the jars (or containers). Refrigerate for at least 1 week before serving. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

CAN GREEN COFFEE BEAN EXTRACT HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT? By Valerie Hould-Marchand

Did you make New Year’s resolutions? Let me guess, it had something to do with fitness… Have you given up on them yet? In fact, nearly 60 percent of people who take them will give up within six months. Losing weight takes time – time most people do not have in this fast paste life. So it is easier to give up or fall victim to the numerous trendy quick fixes.
It seems we are always wild for the newest natural supplements promising to quickly make us slim and beautiful. The latest craze is no different. It has been praised as almost miraculous in its ability to help you lose weight without the need to change your diet or your exercise regime.
Is it too good to be true? Haven’t we heard these claims a hundred times before? Remember raspberry keytones, hoodia, and yerba mate? This certainly has not stopped Green Coffee Bean Extract from flying off the shelves. Like numerous other vastly popular natural supplements or products, the Green Coffee Bean Extract (GCBE) fad originated from the Dr. Oz show. In September, Dr.Oz even conducted his own experiment on the supplement, using 100 women volunteers, in an effort to silence the critics. The women who were given the extract lost an average of two pounds a week in two weeks, while the women who took placebo lost an average of one pound during that time.
What is it?
Coffee beans are actually green seeds inside a red berry. Roasting them is what gives the seeds their brown colour and creates the characteristic aroma and flavour java lovers crave every day. Green coffee beans are simply coffee beans that have not been roasted yet.
Does it work?
The numbers of studies or clinical trials on the topic are still limited at this point, but one study in particular is often mentioned when promoting the efficacy of GCBE. Dr. Joe Vinson, professor of chemistry at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania, lead a 22-week study where subjects experienced significant reductions in body weight, body mass index, and percent of body fat.
This study a widely cited as proof that GCBE helps you lose weight, but many experts and scientists remain skeptical on the subject.

If GCBE works for weight loss, it may be due to a natural compound called chlorogenic acid, which helps slow the release of glucose in the body. So far, it seems to be a relatively safe product in short-term use, but if you give it a try, you will want to check with your doctor first to make sure GCBE poses no risk to your health. Not to mention that it is not cheap, the cost adds up to almost $40 a month on average.

If you decide to go ahead and try GCBE for yourself, here is what Dr. Oz advises:
• Choose a green coffee bean supplement that contains chlorogenic acid extract, which can be listed as either GCA (green coffee antioxidant), or Svetol, says Dr. Oz. It should have a minimum of 45 percent chlorogenic acid.
• For the study that Dr. Oz conducted, participants were told to take 400 mg, three times a day, 30 minutes before each meal.


Sources:
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, linear dose, crossover study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a green coffee bean extract in overweight subjects
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3267522/
www.droz.com