NUTRIENT DENSE COOKING ... and a GIVEAWAY!

Nutrient-dense homemade dressing for all occasions

I feel like I spent a long time searching high and low for answers to my food and health questions, in my observations and queries that have come out of my own health and eating struggles and that of those around me. It isn't until hearing about the Weston A. Price Foundation a few years ago and their approach to whole foods with a traditional bent, when my daughter was in preschool that some of the information about food I was hearing from the outside world was starting to jive with what I had going on in my own body through observations and long pondering, not to mention that felt like it resonated with what I had heard from my own parents and my Grand-Maman Lena too.  It was like a beacon of light that shone the way in the right direction, at least for me. 

Fast-forward a few years, and I am now knee-deep in the study and observation of where food and health intersect and do this diligent research in the hopes of finding answers to these questions I continue to have. As a Holistic Nutritionist and food (and foodie!) lover, why is one thing good for one person, but not necessarily a good idea for their neighbour? Why would someone who has been eating well for the last two decades appear to still have such health troubles? In the spirit of keeping it brief, I will save you from my long list of questions.

In my travels brought on by all of my queries, there are some bits that fit and others that don't. For me. And different ones for different people, clients, friends and family members. The one truth that really resonates with me in the middle of all this, is that EVERYONE CAN BE BETTER SERVED BY EATING NUTRIENT-DENSE FOODS and by slowly changing their food rules away from consuming food-like substances to stocking their fridge and pantry with food that your grandmother would recognize. One item at a time. I like Michael Pollan's take on this: Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly plants.  Oh and yes, one of those rules he speaks of in the fabulous book Food Rules is to not eat anything your great-great grandmother wouldn't recognize as food. Solid advice. This information is behind one of my favourite tags, #JERF. Just Eat Real Food. No gimmicks. No counting. Just eating. And real fooding.

What does it mean to eat Nutrient Dense Food? Choose those foods that are packed with micro- and macro-nutrients (meaning vitamins and minerals, plus carbs or fats or proteins) that would be deemed from good sources. Sometimes it's hard to figure out if a food comes from a good source. As your nutritionist, I can certainly help you navigate these waters, figuring out what your personalized Foods and Key Ingredients may be, and where to source these ingredients and foodstuffs like locally pastured beef or sprouted grains, or figuring whether or not to buy organic or conventional.  

Olive oil and balsamic vinegar samples from Blue Door

For today's blog post, I want to highlight a fantastic local-to-Calgary supplier of quality olive oils and vinegars. If you haven't heard of Blue Door Oil & Vinegar yet, you are in for a treat. Their slogan hits the nail on the head: Your New Secret Ingredient. Their olive oil is top shelf, excellent and fresh quality. Part of their work is to educate consumers on the health benefits of olive oil, and the questions you need to ask in order to find out if the olive oil you are purchasing is of fresh and good quality. (Tom Mueller, a columnist with the New Yorker exposed the fraud that some olive oils are not what they appear to be back in 2011.) I assure you that the olive oil you purchase from The Blue Door are indeed true and pure, fresh and absolutely packed with micronutrients (antioxidants!) and macronutrients (healthy anti-inflammatory fats!). We're talking nutrient dense foods here folks, to fuel your very best selves!

Nutrient dense lunch fixings

I am so pleased to be a part of Blue Door Oil & Vinegar's Brand Ambassador Program. They are a family-owned local business that has at their heart providing YOU with the ingredients you need for nutritious and delicious home-made food. They sent me some tasty samples to try out and come up with some recipes. They have very graciously also offered a giveaway to lucky readers of good food + you!  Read to the end of the post for the how-to on how to get your name in the hat for the giveaway.

Today's recipe is for a nutrient-dense salad dressing that serves as a great base for all kinds of salads. I whipped a batch of this Easy Homemade Mayo and added some curry powder, chopped celery and apples and served it on a bed of the greens that were still left in my garden as of last week, along with a few flower stragglers that hadn't yet succumbed to the frost. (That'd be borage and nasturtiums. Eat beauty! Eat flowers!) I added a tin of smashed sardines (the original tuna salad!) to increase the anti-inflammatory fats and offer a solid protein. I like to use sardines instead of tuna as they are lower on the food chain, and as a result have a lower level of heavy metal toxins. Plus, the brand I use is packed in tins that do not contain BPA. Hooray for nixing the endocrine disruptors!

This is NUTRIENT DENSITY.

EASY HOMEMADE NUTRIENT DENSE DRESSING
Based on a recipe found in Sally Fallon's book "Nourishing Traditions", the bible of all things WAPF
1 cup creme fraiche (recipe here)
2 egg yolks (from pastured eggs only! not conventionally raised chickens, to eliminate possible contamination from E.coli)
1/4 cup good quality olive oil (I chose the EVOO from Blue Door)
1/4 cup Sicilian Lemon White Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon of good quality sea salt
1/4 teaspoon of pepper

THE HOW-TO: Put all ingredients in a glass jar. Shake the jar until all is well combined. Tuck in the fridge until ready to eat. Will last in the fridge for 3-5 days.

VARIATIONS: swap out the Sicilian Lemon White Balsamic for another vinegar to change the flavour; same goes for the olive oil, you may want to choose a flavoured one here in order to make your guests ask you 'what IS that flavour?'; or try adding 2 teaspoons of curry powder and mash it in with a can of sardines as I did for a nutrient-dense lunch option; or chop fresh herbs like parsley and chives to make a yummy dip for veggies or crackers. 

Giveaway to one lucky reader!

In their sample box they sent along for me to go play with my food, there was this packaged duo just waiting for a new home. Which means only one thing...

It's GIVEAWAY time!

Here's how to get your name in the hat: 'like' this post, and leave a comment on what you would do with this oil and vinegar combo if you were to win it. You can also leave word with a simple change you have implemented in your food regime lately that would qualify as increasing the nutrient density of your meals. Contest closes Friday November 6th at midnight, so get your entry in by commenting below before the bell tolls midnight. 

Contest is open to everyone. Now go play with your food! (And thanks to Bruce and Courtney at Blue Door for providing us with good quality foods and flavours to play with!)

MY FAVOURITE FERMENT

Making Crème Fraîche.  And straining milk kefir made with 3.5% non homogenized milk, soon to become kefir cheese.

I've had fermenting on the brain for the better part of the last three years, discovering the health benefits, enjoying the variety of flavours and appreciating the complexity of time married with salt and vegetables, or playing with those flavours and dreaming up new taste combinations for my adventuresome palate. Through my travels and explorations, it has become clear to me that there is one ferment that really stands out above most for me, for many different reasons. Let me explain.

Let's talk delicious and nutritionally dense Crème Fraîche.  You take whipping cream and inoculate it with the good kefir bugs for a minimum of 24 hours, and it becomes one of those 'better than the sum of its parts' kinda deal. The end result of this ferment (because that is precisely what is going on here, the fermentation of this good full fat cream) not only breaks down all lactose found in the cream with that 24+ hour window, your probiotic count goes through the roof in this time. Depending on how you prepare your crème fraîche, your probiotic count can certainly be comparable if not supersede the number of colony forming units (CFUs) OR NUMBER OF GOOD BUGS found in a supplement. It's ridiculously easy, requires no heating, no special equipment save from a glass jar and maybe some tape and a pen. It's economical, to boot. By fermenting the whipping cream, you are increasing the nutritive value of the food as well, as during the fermentation process, those good bugs are freeing up more vitamins and minerals and making them easier to absorb and digest for you. They're also creating beneficial acids that can play a role in balancing out the pH in your gut to bring it back closer to what Ma Nature intended it to be, all the while equipping you to better handle and battle unsuspecting E. coli outbreaks, thereby playing a role in protecting you against possible food poisoning.. And those probiotics? Well heck, some can take heavy metals out of circulation so you don't absorb them. And get this, milk kefir is a more potent probiotic food than yogurt is, by a long shot. It is also a very valuable place to get your vitamin K2 in order to ensure good bone health and mental health too, a heart healthy vitamin and a good cancer fighter to boot. 

Did I mention it's ridiculously easy? And versatile? And delicious? And economical? Because that's what counts at the end of the day for me. (Bonus if it's good for me too.)

Where to find the particulars: I buy the package of kefir starter at my local favourite health food store, in the refrigerator exactly where the yogurt and kefir is usually kept. You will be looking for a box resembling the picture just above. Make sure it says KEFIR on it, not yogourt. 

THE HOW-TO:
1 litre of 35% whipping cream (preferably organic)
1 packet of Kefir Starter (info here) (there are 6 envelopes per package of culture starter, use only one)
a one litre sized glass jar 

Put all contents in a  jar. Shake vigorously. Leave on the counter for at least 24 hours, at which time that cream will eventually turn into a more sour-cream-like consistency. Make sure to shake it up a few times during that 24 hour period to ensure good distribution of the bugs. Tuck it in the fridge. You're done.

Did you get that it was easy?

Why I like it: it's a fabulous source of good saturated fats if you're able to tolerate dairy that can play a big role in helping in support strong bones, cardiovascular health, liver protecting, good brain and nervous support and excellent immune support; when paired with something sweet like raspberries or pears or peaches, it slows down the hit of sugar to your system to make it a more even release into your blood stream, contributing to keeping your hormones in balance and going easy on your adrenals and supporting a more balanced mood. It's so easy to whip up for a lunch or an on-the-go-snack to tide you over until dinnertime. When you make it with this kefir starter, in your 100 g serving you will be ingesting 100 billion live and active bacteria. 

If your mind isn't sufficiently blown yet, know this: the taste will send you over the edge. Eat it straight up, or mix it in with salsa or some pesto for a yummy dip. Add a dollop of maple syrup, splash of vanilla and a handful of frozen raspberries for that lunchtime nourishing dessert treat. Make a batch with more maple syrup and raspberries and churn it in your ice cream maker for a most wonderful and delicious treat. Add matcha green tea powder for that extra kick of antioxidants and decadence. Use it as a base for a creamy salad dressing, just add lemon juice and a touch of honey. Use it wherever a recipe indicates using thick cream or sour cream: finish off a butter chicken sauce with the stuff, making sure to add the fermented cream AFTER heating of the sauce in order to retain more of the good bugs.

My love letter.

Whatever you do, may I recommend you do it soon. Once you try this stuff, there is no going back.

*To be clear, this is but one way to make Crème Fraîche. At home, I use milk kefir grains that are higher in probiotic count and diversity than those found in these culture starters (and doing it this way means no skim milk powder!), but they require a bit more hand holding and caring. This starter is a good place to get acquainted with the magic of Crème Fraîche.  Let me know how you make out, and what kinds of flavour combos get you going. (Imagine this made into ice cream, and combined with a homemade probiotic soda to have homemade superprobiotic floats! The world will never be the same!)

**Curious as to why powdered skim milk or whey powder isn't the best thing for you? Read on.  (And yes, this kefir powder has skim milk powder in it. In the interest of information.)

Kefir cultured 35% whipping cream with raspberries, blueberries, maple syrup. Churning into delicious ice cream.

FESTIVAL OF FRIENDLY FERMENTS - A SUCCESS!

Beet kvass peddler, Friday night at COP for Festival of Friendly Ferments 2015. Thanks to Andrea B. for the photo.

This past weekend went by in a flash. For anyone who attended the Festival of Friendly Ferments, presented by The Light Cellar at the facilities at Canada Olympic Park this past weekend, did you feel the need to sleep in on Sunday morning? Or did you wake up in a flash super-inspired to create new ferments, combinations dreamt over the course of the night? A combination of both in my case, it would seem.

Sandor Katz, sharing stories and fermenting ways on the Saturday

I would like to send a great big huge CONGRATULATIONS and MASSIVE THANKS to the good folks at The Light Cellar in Bowness, for so aptly putting together a festival of fermentation for both newbies and seasoned fermenting vets alike, and for inviting me along to take a seat on this crazy fermenting ride. The weekend was a smooth affair, with delicious eats and treats available for sampling; the kraut-off was a hit, not to mention Larry The Big Pickle; the community that gathered and shared stories and recipes, tips and tricks; and of course, the inimitable Sandor Katz, the grand guru of fermenting brought his wonderful wit, anecdotal tales and his wealth of fermenting knowledge and history to the weekend's festivities. The whole weekend flowed smoothly from one topic to the next, with chances for participants to get right in there and get their hands dirty with a few take-home ferments. I had the distinct pleasure of hanging out at the Flavour-Your-Own-Water-Kefir station, where it seems everyone came through and asked some fabulous questions, imparted some of their own fermenting tales and struggles, I had a most wonderful time with the lovely Angela setting you up for water kefir success. 

Our spot at this weekend's Festival of Friendly Ferments. Yummy homemade probiotic soda participants flavoured and took home to try it out! Thanks to Dean C. for the photo.

If you are new to this blog, or are receiving this post via my newsletter (thanks to the 60 new folks to the newsletter!), know that there are a few things here on this site that may be of interest to you. Take a tour of the site, check out the full information on hosting your own fermenting party at home; find out about upcoming presentations on Navigating Fats, Optimizing Digestion and other topics that may be of interest to you; request your own favourite topic or get in touch with a topic you may want to bring to a group in which you belong (like the talk for healthy nutrient-dense lunches I am offering this week to the parents of new Grade 1 students at a school here in town); you should also know that I have a Holistic Nutrition practice where I do nutritional counselling at Renewal Homeopathy & Wellness here in Calgary. Whatever it is you need, I am all ears. Welcome, both new and seasoned visitors alike!

The bubbles were such a nice touch! Bit blurry, but completely beaming, we all. Thanks to Tanya M. for the photo.

COMMUNITY CULTURE SERIES WINNER: I have announced the winner to the Giveaway so very generously offered by Malcolm and the team at The Light Cellar. Congratulations to Jennifer Bergfeldt who will be participating in The Light Cellar's continuing series of connecting with local fermenters as a five-week follow-up to this past weekend's Festival of Friendly Ferments! Jennifer, like many others, signed up for my newsletter just recently and it was her name that came out of the hat.  I will be leading this first class this week on how to make your own Beet Kvass, full information to be found on the kvass class here. The Light Cellar is selling individual tickets to those who would like to attend a class or two, but let me tell you, it's a fantastic deal to sign up for the next five weeks of Thursday night classes, as you will delve into 10 different styles of fermenting and connect with 10 different fermenting ambassadors from our local community. It is a whopper of a deal, and a definitive way to continue the magic from this most wonderful weekend of Friendly Ferments. Full information on the Community Culture Series can be found here, including tickets.

So whether or not you are new to this fermenting way of food life, I would like to welcome you to Good Food + You, and thank you for taking the time to stop by the booth this past weekend or for supporting me in my new venture over the course of this last year. I am so very grateful for your interest and support, and for the community backing that happens in this vibrant food + health scene here in Calgary. I invite you to get in touch if you're keen on delving deeper into reclaiming your food & body groove. Here's to good food and you!

cheeky but true.

COMMUNITY CULTURE SERIES GIVEAWAY

I have been waiting for this week for what seems like months. Remember what it was like in the days leading up to your first day of school, the anticipation, the trepidation, the careful considering of fashion statements, the can't-quite-sleep-the-night-before kind of jitters that would make you tingle from head to toe? Well that's kind of how I feel about this coming weekend.

The good folks at The Light Cellar here in Calgary have organized what is shaping up to be a fantastic weekend, celebrating the world of friendly ferments with a festival, aptly titled Friendly Ferments Festival. Opening the festival is the premiere event named Bubbles 'n Brine on Friday night, with tasting and sampling of a variety of ferments with a presentation from the weekend's keynote speaker. There will also be a full day of activities, presentations and booths festival-style on the Saturday from 10 till 6, with exhibits, practical spots where you can get in on the action hands-on, allowing you to deepen your own connections to the magic that is fermenting. The organizers have managed to reign in one of North America's eminent authorities on the subject, Sandor Katz, a self-proclaimed Fermentation Revivalist who will be the keynote speaker at this coming weekend's festivities. (I heard a rumour it took about a year and a half of requesting and asking to get him to cement a date to come to town here to share his knowledge with the community.) Sandor Katz is the author behind the fermenting 'bibles' Wild Fermentation and The Art of Fermentation. He will be offering a talk on Friday night on the cultural importance of fermenting, the flavour profiles that can be discovered, not to mention the health benefits of these superfoods. He will also be leading a workshop on culturing vegetables on the Saturday morning of the full day event, and ending the festival with a presentation on culturing dairy and its place in history.  I had the pleasure of spending some time this past weekend with Malcolm Saunders of The Light Cellar. A video of our conversation is below, check it out!

I will be in attendance at the full weekend's festivities with my own booth for Good Food + You, so be sure to stop on by. My table will be the one-stop-ferment-spot where you will be invited to flavour your own homemade fermented soda sample to take home, in order to start you on your own fermenting journey.  

Things are getting all offish.

Following this fabulous weekend of fermenty fun is a 10-part series of classes offered at The Light Cellar, meant to further deepen the knowledge gathered at the Friendly Ferments Festival and connect with local fermentors. These 10 classes are spread over five Thursday evenings, so 2 classes per night, with the first one offered on October 22nd. Yours truly will be leading the first class (eek!), a tasting and exploration of Beet Kvass and its many health benefits and easy ways to use in every day cooking.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE FRIENDLY FERMENTS FESTIVAL: There aren't many tickets left. As the venue had to change due to a structural issue, tickets are now limited. Don't wait to get yours at the door, contact The Light Cellar directly or head to their shop on Bowness Road to get your tickets today. You can also purchase them online here. (The same link will give you the full details on the Friendly Ferments Festival, including ticket prices and venue information.) If you are planning to attend, know that there will be a food truck at the venue, but you may want to bring some of your own snacks or a small lunch with you on the Saturday.

AS FOR THE COMMUNITY CULTURE SERIES: I am very excited for this 5-night series, where two instructors per night will be offering classes on specific topics. I am so pleased to say that I will be at the first night of the series, talking about the earthy and delicious Beet Kvass. You can purchase tickets for individual evenings for $50 a night for two classes, or purchase a full 5-week/10-class pass for $149.  My math skills tell me the best deal here is to free up your next five Thursdays in order to come learn about the magic of ferments and connect with those local folks who are at the forefront of this fermentation revival. For full details on the Series, head to this spot online.

I had the pleasure of spending my Sunday morning this past weekend with the lovely Malcolm Saunders of The Light Cellar. We chatted on my back deck (whilst the wind whipped up, and the crows came by!) about all good things fermenting and the upcoming festival. 

For those interested in delving more into our conversation, there is a longer version of it where we touch on the industrialization of our food systems, and the effects it has had on the quality of our nutrients; we also go into more detail about the upcoming festival. Find the full interview here.  

THE BEST PART ABOUT ALL OF THIS: Malcolm and I are teaming up to give ALL SUBSCRIBERS to the Good Food + You newsletter a chance to get in on the fermenting action. We are offering one lucky subscriber a pass to attend all 10 classes in the Community Culture Series! All you need to do to get your name in the ballot box is to sign up for my newsletter here on the homepage, if you haven't done it already. The giveaway is open only to those who live within the Calgary area, for obvious reasons. The Giveaway Opportunity will be open until 12 midnight this coming Wednesday, October 14th. I will announce the winner on my blog this Thursday. Spread the word about this fantastic opportunity! Hit the 'share' button below, and send along to someone you think would dig this kind of opportunity, or someone who could benefit from delving deeper into the world of fermenty fun. 

As I type this up, our Canadian Thanksgiving Monday is coming to a close. I just wanted to take a moment to thank you my dear follower/reader/friend for encouraging me in this new business venture over this past year, and for connecting with me be it through classes, presentations, or one-on-one consults. I am grateful for your support as I jump into this big world of nutrition. #gratefulheart

GIVEAWAY ANNOUNCED SOON!

Hello my lovelies. I am working on posting something new today, just putting the finishing touches on it.  Suffice it to say, this will be a super fun giveaway, my very first! In order to get in on the action (before I even announce what it is), if you haven't already, head to lukasymons.com and sign up for my newsletter by filling in the box that says 'subscribe'. It's as easy as that. Deadline to get in on the action will be this Wednesday October 14th, 12 midnight MST.  Smooches.