Approved Amber
Meet Chef
Duncan
LY
Executive Chef of the Hotel Arts Group
Healthy Holiday
Dining Survive The
Gluten - Free
Holidays
Nourishing Life
Issue 01 November/December 2014
Approved Nourishing Life
Amber
Amber Approved Magazine November/December 2014
Published By Evolve Media Group Inc. Editor In Chief AMBER ROMANIUK Photography JENNIFER BRAZIL PERRY THOMPSON Staff Editors DONNIE BRYANT TAREA WADLINGTON
Graphic Design EVOLVE MEDIA GROUP INC. Guest Contributors GEMMA STONE SAM RAFOSS CRYSTAL BUCHAN RICHELLE WISEMAN MALLORY FRAYNE KIRSTEN BERMAN Pulisher DARNELL G. DAVIS CEO EVOLVE MEDIA GROUP INC.
Amber Approved Magazine is published by the Evolve Media Group Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in part or in full is strictly prohibited. Amber Approved Magazine is a monthly digital publication with limited print copies available in designated markets. Amber Approved Magagzine welcomes all contributions. Amber Appoved Magazine assumes no responsibility for content or advertisement. No representation is made as to the accuracy hereof and is produced subject to errors and omissions.
Questions and feedback: Evolve Media Group Inc. 29 South Law Street - Allentown, PA 18105 Phone: (347) 669 2EVO Email: info@Evomag.co Online: www..Evomag.co
VIEW THE DIGITAL VERSION ON ISSUU.
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InThisEdition
18
Meet Chef Duncan Ly Executive Chef of the Hotel Arts Group
amber approved Articles
29
Amber Approved Pumkin Pie All of the flavor of tradition pumpkin pie with noe of the guilt
Amber appoved Recipes
6 32 Keeping you and your buisness healthy through the Citus Shortbread Bars 8 holiday season 34 Gingerbread Cake Surve the glutin free holidays 38 35 The market place 40 Survive the holiday season
Vegan Chocolate Giger Cookies
November 2014 5
from the Editor
Welcome to Amber Approved This first edition of the magazine is here, and so is the holiday season. I couldn’t be more excited to share this with so many talented contributors and the Evolve Media team who have been busy putting the pieces together. As we go into winter, American Thanksgiving and the Holiday Season, I wanted to provide readers both locally here in Calgary and across North America with healthy alternatives for the Holidays. This edition will feature stories about talented chefs, tips and ideas from talented food bloggers along with helpful insights from health experts and everyone seeking a new recipe without gluten, refined sugar or dairy. In addition, we want to encourage you to try new ingredients and empower you to get through the holidays without the extra stress this holiday season. Happy Holidays and here’s to your health!
Amber Romaniuk Editor-In-Chief
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9
Strategies For
Surviving The
Holiday Season With An Open
Heart and Mind
Gemma Stone
A sought after psychologist and speaker, Gemma Stone has dedicated her life to the study of love, fear, and change. Gemma shares her work at colleges, conventions & conferences across North America. In her private practice she works one-on-one with clients and facilitates luxury retreats. www.GemmaStone.org
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1 4 8 5 9 2 6 3 7
The holiday season can be a mixed bag – joy, laughter, generosity, drama, triggers, conflict. For some it’s a season to look forward to for others it a season to dread. No matter how you feel about the holiday season there are practices you can engage in to survive the holiday season with an open heart and mind.
Burn Your To-Do List.
You know that list that has been running your life for the last month, year, decade? Burn along with your Yule log. It has no business following you into the holidays. They are stressful enough. If it’s really important you will remember it. It will get done. When the holiday spirit moves you into action, let yourself be moved. Until then, watch the fire burn.
Schedule What Matters.
Over the holidays, schedule days that are completely OFF – nothing wiggles into that day except for what opens your heart and mind. It’s a day to spend time in nature, read that book you’ve been wanting to read, make green smoothies, call someone you want to call, sip herbal tea sweetened with raw honey, feel what you are feeling, write gratitude cards, do some belly breathing, share a meal with a person who opens your heart, go for a run, lay in Savasana. If you don’t schedule what matters the holiday stress may swallow you up and spit you out in the New Year.
Indulge.
In things that nourish your soul – soaking in a bubble bath, creating a rockin’ playlist for yourself, throwing paint on a canvas, making snow angels. When your soul is full, it’s easier to not fill up on things that make you feel gross {just one more Nanaimo bar will compliment this bottle of Merlo!}
Return To Your Roots, With Love.
When you are spending time with family consciously choose to share happy stories, fond memories and good times. No matter how small or fleeting those things were, they were there. Often we’re so caught up in the drama we forget the peace. Pay attention to the peace and it will grow. Listen to positive songs from your past, reminisce over delightful photos, bring out that childhood book you loved and read it aloud.
Gratitude.
Make gratitude a daily practice – cards, text messages, phone calls, flowers, thoughtful gifts you can afford. Think of all the awesome things in your life. These things didn’t happen without the love and support of others. Acknowledge it.
Sleep.
Examine Expectations
Block off time in your schedule for extra sleep so your mind and body can recharge and recover. When you block it off, schedule it in and make space for it, it’s much easier to stick to it. Putting it in your schedule makes it official and gives you permission to keep your commitment to yourself.
Expectations of how we should be, our family should be, the holidays should be are crazymaking. When we expect to give the perfect gift, get the perfect gift, cook the perfect turkey, or have the perfect conversation we miss the messy, beautiful, imperfection of life. It’s the imperfection that keeps life real and interesting. Honor it.
Slooooooow Down, And Tune In. You have a reliable internal guidance system. How is your body feeling when you say yes to making 6 dozen squares, hosting a 30-person dinner party and providing gifts for everyone? Are you light and energized? Are you heavy and exhausted? Say yes to what you want to say yes to. Say no to what you want to say no to. Invite the people you want to invite. Bake what you want to bake. If you don’t want to buy presents, try giving the gift of your presence instead.
Hire A Pro.
Holidays can be a rough time, emotions run high, triggers are flying, people are crying, drama is soaring. You may be able to manage it and you may not. If you can’t there are professionals who can help you. Reach out to your favorite psychologist or local distress center. You are not alone. Visit gemmastone.org/holidayplan for a worksheet to help you integrate these nine tips into your life so you can flow through the holidays with more love and less stress. For better or for worse, the holidays only come once a year. Follow your heart, do what matters, remember to love.
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To keep 5YouSecrets and Your
Business Healthy Through the Holiday Season Sam Rafoss
Sam Rafoss, RHN is a speaker, author and Marketing Strategist for Nutrition and Holistic Practices. She has made it her mission to share her unique combination of spiritual & holistic marketing expertise to help the healers of the world attract their ideal clients and make money doing what they love to do. Sam is a member of CAPS (Canadian Association of Professional Speakers) Calgary, and is the co-author of two bestselling books.
November 2014 9
Many business owners both love and dread the holiday season. It is fun to celebrate the season and attend parties, yet on the other hand, there’s the rich foods, alcohol, lack of sleep, and often a dip in business being done and money being made. This causes a lot of stress for many business owners.
really want to have it. Include a handful of vegetables for their vitamins and minerals and to help keep you full. If you choose to drink a glass of wine or eggnog, decide how much first. Alcohol is full of sugar and empty calories. Five pounds can be gained in one week from two extra daily drinks.
# 3 Sleep: Combine party foods and alcohol with As a seasoned entrepreneur and networker, I’ve a lack of sleep and it is one of the fastest ways to been to my fair share of holiday parties and I’ve get run down, stressed, and sick. Make sure you learned a few critical secrets that help keep me get enough sleep throughout the holidays. This healthy and in the office during the holiday season. will help keep your immune system strong and ward off any of the cold and flu bugs going around. As with all success, it starts with a plan. That’s why it is the first of five secrets: #4 Exercise: It can be hard to keep up to your regular routine during the holidays. Do something #1 Plan: Review your schedule and decide how active daily. Take a 10 minute walk and breathe many events or parties you are going to attend deeply to energize yourself. Take the stairs, park and add them to your calendar. Next, plan ahead at the end of parking lots. Get outside in the fresh for each event. Eat a snack with protein before air, breathe deeply, and do a few stretches. Whatyou go to help prevent overeating and overindulg- ever you can do to add activity into your day, do it. ing. Know the time you want to arrive and leave and do your best to stick to it. Remind yourself it’s #5 Follow Up: If you meet someone that could about “work,” not just a party, and you schedule be a potential client or referral, kindly request your work. their card and ask if you can follow up via email or phone at a specific date and time and then do it. # 2 Balance Your Food & Beverage Choices: Re- Often people do not expect to be contacted, esview your food and beverage choices before you pecially during the holiday season. This is a good start eating and drinking. You can better choose way for you to develop new business. a good balance of nutrient-dense foods to high calorie foods with little nutrition. Aim for two or By having a plan, staying healthy, and following three healthy choices and one indulgence if you through; you can still eat, drink, and be merry, and do business throughout the holiday season.
www.samrafoss.com
CONFESSIONS
November 2014 11
Of A Local, ORGANIC Grocery Store
Market 17
We’re not neo-hippies, new-age gurus, or holierthan-thou citizens who know better than you. We’re definitely not peddling snake oil, and our only agenda is to make you happy. We’re the owners and we work in our store. You’ll probably find us stocking shelves. True story. We’re two people who have long worked in the natural foods retail market, who together have amassed a considerable amount of knowledge about groceries, global and local food production, and healthy eating. We consider our work meaningful, exciting, and delicious! On the best days we get to share what we’ve learned with you, our customers, and you leave our store with a smile on your face and a bag full of groceries that makes you excited to prepare a meal. The movement toward buying more groceries, products and services locally, and buying organic, is a great one, not to be underestimated for its ability to affect real and positive change in individual communities. Anyone who easily dismisses this movement as a passing fad is really missing out on contributing not only to a healthier, more diverse local economy and retail climate, but also on the chance to live a healthier, more interesting life! Variety is the spice of life, and there isn’t much variety at the neighborhood Big Box nowadays. It’s local entrepreneurial bakers, cheesemongers, butchers, chefs, farmers, and especially product developers with a noble mission (to cure themselves of an ailment, to support their healthy lifestyle, to fill a void where a product doesn’t exist, to make a product better and healthier than the mass-produced options, and so on) that are really making food fun again. The fact that much of their food is also better for you than mass produced fare is almost an aside to the fact that it’s just plain fun to eat again when everything in your kitchen is new! It’s our job as grocers to support as many local food artisans as we can by bringing their quality products together under one roof so that people like you can discover them.
We also try our products and research their production before we select them to sell. If they don’t taste good or aren’t good for you, we simply won’t carry them (product testing is obviously one of the best parts of our job!). Our employees are a like-minded kind of people and they sample and buy many products too, so you can always ask them for an honest recommendation. Submersed in health food, many of us have those ‘weird diets’ or dietary restrictions, and can recommend products for people in similar circumstances. Ask us about our choices and favorites that are gluten-free, vegan, low-sodium, sugar-free, high-protein, cleanse-friendly, and so on. We’ll find the appropriate staff member to help you. We also notice as trends are starting and we make it a point to meet with new, small companies offering peculiar products. We grab them first. You’ll discover really cool stuff in our small local grocery store, because we are willing to give a great product a shot. Big Box chains want proven sales and volume buys before they’ll agree to take on a product line – which are benchmarks many little vendors haven’t yet achieved. This means a ‘mom-and-pop’ place like us has both the well-loved veteran brands AND the locally produced treasures you won’t discover elsewhere.
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HERE FOR YOU DURING THE HOLIDAYS! Picture this: you’re in a Big Box store the week before the big holiday feast. It’s crowded and messy. You’re anonymous and ignored. The aisles are huge, but you can’t find what you want or need. The checkout lanes look little cattle chutes.
more than happy to help you during this hectic holiday season. It’s really when we local grocers shine: we can special order that hard-to-find ingredient, pre-order a local, organic heirloom turkey for you, and bring in the best organic produce that will make grandma’s recipe sing!
In contrast, our customers often remark about how happy we are, and that our store has calm energy and So wherever you are, seek us out. Local organic good vibrations (yes, seriously!). We did a customer grocers have your best interests at heart. Can you say survey this year and our short checkout times and that about your neighborhood Big Box? great choice in music are big hits. While our store is in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, there are other local grocers like us in most major cities nowadays, and right around now, they, like us, are
Alison Gilroy and Alan Yee, co-owners, Market 17
Stocking a Healthier Holiday Bar: Everyone wants a little festive pop and fizz to their • Walter Caesar Mix — A new Canadian twist on a drink come holiday season. Try these cleaner, more classic Canadian cocktail staple, this thick, vineripened tomato Caesar mix is free of high-fructose unique versions of common fizzy and fun cocktail corn syrup and spiced with quality ingredients, ingredients on their own or as mixers. Your guests will including grated horseradish. be intrigued. • Fever Tree Ginger Beer — We are constantly selling • Dry Soda, Vanilla Bean — This is sparking, elegant out of this, a real customer favorite. REAL ginger soda pop for adults. It has a light fragrance and just four natural ingredients, including only a beer, real good! touch of cane sugar for sweetness. It’s certified • Fentimans Tonic Water — The gin and tonic lover’s kosher, too! pick. Our neighbor, Cassis Bistro, exclusively buys Fentimans from us to stock their bar, because it’s • GTS Kombucha, Trilogy Blend — Effervescent, fruity, and low-calorie with amazing health simply the best. • Gerolsteiner Sparkling Water — Good old benefits! This is a great drink to substitute in lieu Gerolsteiner is flawless on its own, but added to of a sugary cocktail. juice = instant party punch!
Smart Ingredient Swapping: Taste and texture in food drive how we eat, but that can get us into trouble. Fat and salt taste pretty good, sugar even better! Choosing to look at the food we eat as fuel and nutrients is a smart way to go. Here are our top-selling healthy and great tasting alternatives to common ingredients:
zero calories, is 300 times sweeter than sugar, and won’t affect insulin levels.
Instead of white sugar, try coconut palm sugar! It is high in micronutrients and low on the Glycemic Index. It also tastes like butterscotch! Instead of white rice, try brown rice! Just this simple Instead of chocolate chips, try cacao nibs! To keep switch nourishes your body with vitamin B and E, fiber them from melting into oblivion, chips have stabilizers, and fatty acids, all of which are absent in white rice. not to mention sugar – not the best for your health. So much better are antioxidant-rich and naturally Instead of table salt, try gomasio! Dry-roasted and crunchy cocoa nibs. ground sesame seeds mixed with sea salt give you much more flavor than bitter, high-sodium, acidic Instead of Sweet ‘N Low, try Stevia! We can’t say table salt. It adds more calcium to your meal, too. enough bad things about artificial sweeteners. Replacing sugar with aspartame products like Sweet ‘N Low is not a healthier choice. Stevia is a herb with
14 | Amber Approved Magazine
Healthy Holiday
Dining
Why the Turtle wins at having a healthy lifestyle! Creating your bird’s eye view … You always hear or read, depending on your sources: “Do this, Lose Weight”, or, “Drop Pounds Forever”… The list of catchy titles goes on and on into oblivion. One thing is for sure, is that there is no one quick fix where overnight, you are substantially healthier and happier. I’m not here to take your hope away, but to give you the faith that you can change at a slower, steadier rate over time. Crystal Buchan is the founder of healthydineout.com. She loves helping other people live healthier happier lives! She has a background in the fitness industry, and has been known to organize informed dining experiences for Healthy Dine Out, where people learn first hand from the restaurants about where they source their foods, how they cook them, and what healthier alternatives are available. Connect with her out on Youtube Twitter: @healthydinout or @freshfuzz Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ healthydineout www.healthydineout.com
It was the Turtle who did win the race in the end, wasn’t it?! This time of year, people throw their cares to the wind, including their diets, hoping for fast solutions to lose the weight they will inevitably pummel on themselves; indulging in sugary treats that only suffice for such a short moment of satisfaction, and larger portion sizes than we are used too. We dine-out, feeling the pressures of the holidays closing in on us, only to then order french fries and dishes laden with thick gravy.
Maybe it is a combination of the weather changing, but whatever it is, having a birds eye view of this time of year will keep you on “the turtle’s track;” one step closer to a healthier and revitalized you! Notice I didn’t say, “new you”… Here are my three tips for surviving the holiday season while you get into Turtle mode!
Creating a Birds Eye View: Recognizing your cravings Getting your cravings under control is a big part of keeping on track. When holiday stress is high, we tend to crave certain foods that help cope with the issues we are facing, even if only temporarily. We’ve all experienced financial stress or relationship stress, and definitely travel stress during one holiday or another. The way to keep your cravings in check is to tune into your emotions and your
thoughts. Really analyze why you need that double cheeseburger after putting your presents on your already maxed out credit card…
sugar desserts. Whenever I make a dessert, I’m using all natural maple syrup or coconut sugar. I only eat desserts I bake during the holidays and I know how much sugar goes into them, which is not at all as Meal Planning much as other desserts which are Planning out your meals at this time readily available! of year can mean the difference between gaining 10 pounds of In the end, choose to eat foods that holiday indulgence weight, or have taken a slow time to grow, not. Plan nutritious, lean protein think about what you are eating, and high vegetable content meals and why you are craving that extra for the two weeks leading up to piece of pie! Replace indulgence the holidays. Your waistline will with a healthy food plan, and see love you for it! Now, if you are what happens! dining-out, choose to do reviews on Healthy Dine Out, where it’ll help you, as you ‘must’ choose the healthiest menu options at a given restaurant.
Bake your Goodies with Nonrefined Sugars Effort! It takes way more effort to bake desserts that are more of a specialty than eating white
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Meet Chef
Duncan
LY
Executive Chef of the
Amber Romaniuk
Humble, talented, and kind are three great words to begin to describe this talented chef. Duncan Ly is currently the Executive Chef of the Hotel Arts Group, overseeing all things culinary for banquets, off-site catering, and three of the group’s awardwinning restaurants. Chef Ly started his culinary career at the Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino, and has worked over the years at Diva (Metropolitan Hotel, Vancouver), Catch (Hyatt Regency, Calgary), and the Elbow River Casino (Calgary) before joining Hotel Arts Group in 2005 as Executive Chef.
Hotel Arts Group
Q: What inspired you to become a chef? A: Duncan: It wasn’t my first choice to be a chef. I actually went to school for an electronics technician, but as people say, “if you are not passionate at what you do, you won’t succeed in it.” So, 18 years ago it was something of more of a parental influence than my own.
I went to Tofino because I loved snowboarding and skateboarding, and I wanted to learn to surf. I got a summer job working at a kitchen washing dishes and that’s where I got inspired by all the fresh produce In his tenure with the Hotel Arts Group, Chef Ly that would come in. Watching the chefs and all the has opened and influenced the cuisines of four beautiful plates and the smells coming off the dishes separate restaurants: the Vietmodern cuisine of really inspired me to become a chef. Raw Bar by Duncan Ly, the intimate and awardwinning Chef’s Table at Kensington Riverside Inn, Q: Coming now to Hotel Arts Group & Chefs Table, Yellow Door Bistro, serving breakfast, lunch, and what brought you to be the one creating the menus dinner, as well as Olives Restaurant from 2008 to for all of these restaurants and being the visionary 2010. He has also overseen the creation of a new behind it all? banquet kitchen to support hosting on-site events A: It’s my passion, what I was doing before wasn’t for up to 700 attendees, as well as off-site catering something I was passionate about. The moment I functions for up to 1,400 guests. started cooking I knew it was the right thing for me and I always have given 100%. You go through the Chef Ly has won numerous accolades during the years of being a journeyman cook, and it came to the course of his culinary career. He competed at Gold point where I felt I had the experience and knowledge Medal Plates: Canada's Culinary Championships, to share my own things. where he represented Calgary’s exciting dining scene, taking home the silver medal in February Q: Do you have a favorite restaurant of the three? 2014 after winning the Gold Medal Plates in A: No, it would be like asking, “who is your favorite Calgary November 2013. He also participated in child?” They all mean something different to me, numerous regional competitions and was part of and they all have a certain part of me that sort of Team Alberta in Luxembourg at the World Culinary somehow is a part of my life or career. I’ve always Olympics. loved fine dining; it’s what I grew up doing. I have Chef’s Table and it has that fine dining side that
November 2014 19
I love, and I’ve always loved supporting local, sustainable, and fresh products. All three properties carry that philosophy; that’s where we really live it, especially at Yellow Door Bistro. It has a hearty style of food, and Raw Bar showcases my heritage and was the first restaurant I did with the group.
of that modern, yet classic traditional Vietnamese flavors, using the Alberta Beef with fresh herbs and healthy, fresh, and light flavors. I think it’s a great balance of everything.
to build and support your community. Sustainability is important, especially with having children; it’s really important to make sure we have products for the future. Even back out in Tofino there were stories, and hearing how it is harder to get better products, it’s important for me. As a chef, you are showcasing this local product, whether it’s from Calgary or Alberta; you are showcasing that to other people and it’s helping to define Alberta cuisine or Canadian cuisine or whatever you are using. Q: What is your favorite dish at Raw Bar by Duncan Ly? A: The Beef Carpaccio. To me, it’s a great representation
that with coconut milk. The items are really fresh like the Beef Carpaccio, the Fresh Papaya Cucumber Salad, and the fish is also very fresh. Everything for the most part is very fresh and healthy at Raw Bar.
Q: What are some of the healthiest options on the Raw Bar menu? Q: Why is it so important and why should supporting A: In the Raw Bar it’s really the style of the cuisine. It’s local producers and using sustainable practice be so so fresh and light by design. There’s not a lot of gluten. important for chefs and the restaurant industry? There is NO gluten in Vietnamese cooking for the most A: Local is important because it’s community. You help part. There are some sugars, but we can substitute
Q: As far as making your own soups, stocks, and sauces; why is that so important rather than buying pre-made? A: On a couple of levels. One, you don’t know what is going in those pre-made sauces. Buying tomato sauce for instance, they can add preservatives and MSG. It can be highly addictive, so I know exactly what’s going into it and the quality of the products. Two,
November 2014 21
from there it could be tomatoes, you don’t know if it’s the tomato, the guts, or the bi-products; when people say tomato, it could mean anything. It’s like when they say, “all-beef patty burger;” well sure, it’s all from a cow, but from what part, you have no idea. When you are making something from scratch, you know exactly what’s in it, the quality of it, and how it’s been treated; it just tastes better.
Q: Where do you source meat and fish? A: Duck comes from Noble Farms and Alberta Heritage Angus; fish is sustainable ocean-wise and wild. We don’t use farmed salmon. We try to use seasonal as well, too. You won’t see a certain halibut on the menu in the winter because it’s not at its peak. You won’t see asparagus on the menu at certain times because it’s not at its peak. It’s just not natural.
Q: With substitutions like GF, dairy-free, and sugar free, how do you accommodate that with still showing creativity? Is it a challenge for you? A: I wouldn’t call it a challenge for me, it’s something I welcome for sure. It’s a difference between a lifestyle choice for me, rather than I just don’t like that. It’s a choice that people make for their lifestyle. It’s not a challenge because we are very conscious of substitutions anyway, we always like to have options available for people and make it a high standard, so we don’t really run into those issues of, “what will we substitute with?” It’s already healthy. One thing I realized, too, is that people are either choosing to not eat gluten or they are a vegetarian, and a lot of chefs will assume they don’t like the flavor; regardless of whether you are vegan, dairy-free, or gluten-free, it’s not because you don’t like the flavor.
Q: Going into Fall and Winter with seasonal, what are some of the key ingredients you add to the menu? And that you are using? A: For the Fall, root vegetables; beets, squash, pumpkin, and curry squash. I always get excited about carrots and potatoes, and start thinking about produce. For meat; wild game, elk, and venison; that’s what I get excited about when Fall comes around.
Q: That brings me to my next question: I get a lot of people that are hesitant to eat out because they feel bad requesting a substitution and don’t want to insult the chef. How can people share without feeling guilty or shy? A: At the end of the day you are the guest and you want to be respectable with the chef, and the chef wants to be able to showcase his or her vision with the best of their ability and what they do best, but again, you’re the guest; we are there to showcase what we can do, but also to give you something that you want, while making it delicious for you.
Q: When you are creating a dish, how are you inspired to plate a dish the way you do to make it taste and look visually appealing? A: I start off with the vision of the dish and what we want it to be like. I honestly think about the flavors first; what will work together. If you have nice food and products, plating is a skill that should be there. Flavors and then choosing the ingredients that fit it and then we ask, “what do we do to make it look beautiful?”
Q: You said Yellow Door Bistro is Hearty, what makes it stand out? A: It’s Yellow Door Bistro and I’m a big believer of classic techniques, and what makes it stand out is that we take the classic style bistro, like French onion or duck confit, and give it new life while keeping the integrity of what the dish is. Fresh produce, fresh products, and great quality meats make it stand out.
Q: Do you change the menu for Fall? A: Absolutely and that’s part of supporting seasonal; we bring in those Fall products to showcase. We change the menu when things are in season. We don’t have to go through a big process of being approved through head office. When we tell our sous chefs when we can’t get an item, that’s when we change the menu.
Q: Is there anything difficult to plate? A: Fall can be challenging for the Fall earthy colors. Sometimes that can be a bit challenging. At the end of the day what is important is the flavors. As long as it looks nice and clean on the plate, that is the key. It’s a matter of lightening it up sometimes with fresh herbs to add vibrancy.
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Q: What inspired the soup you created for the first issue of the magazine? A: I love it because it’s a blend of everything I talk about. Squash being my favorite product to use in the Fall, and blending with flavors I love. It’s not a traditional pumpkin soup. I’ve spiced it with ginger, lemongrass, and a touch of coconut milk to add some sweetness to the squash. It’s a great combination of what I love, using seasonal products and blending is sort of a classical way to make the soup. Q: What’s your favorite season? A: I like them all, it’s a tough one for me. I guess Spring because of all the fresh produce and the vibrancy of everything. I also love the challenges of Fall and the style of cooking is totally different, the style of how you cook things is different. Q: What is your favorite thing to cook at home for yourself? A: I cook simple at home. Fresh stir fry at home. A typical dinner is a fresh broccoli and beef stir-fry and rice. I know, it’s boring! (laughs.) Q: What path do you think the Calgary food scene is going to take over the next few years? A: I think the way people are cooking, as far as sustainable and using local ingredients; I don’t think we will see that ever going away. It seems more mainstream, but in the history of cooking when we look back at how we used to cook, especially with French cooking, it was this style with local ingredients and working with farmers and producers. It was working with what was around you, and I think that with the busy lifestyles of people, things have gone sideways a bit with convenient products for a while. I think people have realized that, and are going back to the farm-to-table mentality. I think people are realizing the importance of supporting local and sustainable, and will continue to stay on this trend. It’s showing travelers that come, “hey this is what Alberta and Canada have to offer.” Different countries are known for different things. We have amazing potatoes and beef.
Q: When you aren’t cooking what are you doing for fun? A: I Love playing music, guitar and drums. I am a big golfer and sports in general. Two biggest passions outside work and my family are golf and music. Q: Going into the holiday season, what are some of your favorite dishes to serve for your family? A: I always do a small catering for my Mom as a gift, as she doesn’t eat a lot of different meats. So I will do a prime rib with roasted root vegetables, wild mushrooms, roasted potatoes; the classic Christmas dinner. Q: Are you more a savory or sweet guy? A: More of a savory, except for Chef Karine’s desserts. Q: Anything else to add? A: As a chef, what makes me happy is that people enjoy it. A lot of chefs can cook with their ego and a certain way of cooking. When people want different things that doesn’t bug me. What bugs me is making sure they are getting the very best no matter what their style of eating is, or if they have restrictions. That makes me happy. It’s the honest truth. We are here and what a lot of chefs don’t realize is we are here to cook for people. It’s not about egos, it’s about cooking for people. Q: Do you think it’s up to the chefs to provide healthy options for the people? A: I think about that and it’s very important; it’s part of an obligation from us as chefs. We are not necessarily cooking for athletes, but it’s no different than providing people with great products, and no preservatives or additives. It’s about balance too. To have this menu that is all rich and high in fat, that could, over time, contribute to someone’s health imbalance and that isn’t good, so we provide those options for health.
Coconut Pumpkin Soup (yields 4 liters) • 1 oz olive oil • 4 cups of canned pumpkin • 2 stalks of lemon grass • 1 small bulb of ginger roughly chopped • 1 large carrot roughly chopped • 4 stalks of celery roughly chopped • 1 large yellow onion roughly chopped • 1 head of garlic roughly chopped • 2 liters (8 cups) of chicken stock • 2 liters (8 cups) of coconut milk (available in Asian supermarket) • 1 bay leaf • 2 sprigs of thyme • salt & white pepper • juice from 3 limes • 1 tsp fish sauce • butcher twine (to tie the bay leaf and thyme) In a large stock pot over medium heat add the olive oil and heat. Add the lemon grass (as whole stalks), ginger, carrot, celery, onion and garlic. Turn the
heat down to low. Slowly sweat the vegetables for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Then add the pumpkin and continue cooking for approximately 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock to the pot. Bring the chicken stock up to a boil and simmer for about 25 minutes. Add the coconut milk, tie the thyme and bay leaf with butcher twine and add to the pot. Continue to simmer for approximately 15 minutes. Remove the lemon grass, thyme and bay leaf. Puree the rest of the mixture (including the vegetables, ginger & garlic), strain through a fine strainer and pour the soup back into the pot. Add the salt and white pepper to taste. Serve hot, garnish with sautéed apples (optional) and drizzle with lime juice and fish sauce. Enjoy!
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Karine’s Vegan Cocoa Cookies Ingredients: 2 organic medium ripe bananas 2 organic flax eggs (2 Tbsp. flaxseed + 5 Tbsp. water) 1/2 cup natural, organic peanut butter (crunchy or smooth) 2 Tbsp. organic, cold pressed coconut oil, melted 1 tsp pure vanilla 3 Tbsp. raw, unpasteurized honey 1 1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats 1/2 cup oat flour (ground from GF oats) 1/3 cup cocoa powder 1/3 cup unsweetened medium coconut 1tbsp organic ground cinnamon 1/2 cup organic almond meal (also referred to as almond flour) 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/8 tsp sea salt 1/2 cup cocoa nibs
Method: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. In a large bowl combine flax seed and water and let rest for 5 minutes to achieve "eggy" texture. 3. Mash in the bananas until well combined, and then add peanut butter, baking powder, baking soda, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, salt, vanilla and stir. 4. Add oats, almond meal and oat flour, cocoa powder, unsweetened coconut, ground cinnamon, and cocoa nibs and mix well. 5. Refrigerate the cookie batter for 10 minutes until firm. 6. Drop cookies by using an ice cream scoop on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.( A scoop, one with a great grip and smooth ratchet mechanism that measures and releases even scoops of cookie dough them as uniform in size as possible to ensure even baking.) 7. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are slightly golden brown. 8. Let rest on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. After completely cooled, store in an air-tight container to keep fresh for up to a few days. Refrigerate or freeze for up to two weeks.
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Happy Healthy Holidays:
Planning is
Everything! Once you get past the flurry of the first day of school, you know what's coming next. The snow has not even arrived but the Halloween costumes and Christmas decorations will start popping up in shopping aisles. If you are one of those people who just rolls your eyes and thinks, "good grief, not yet! I have lots of time!", well, think again. There are only a few weeks remaining before we are all plunging into the holiday season; Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other holidays too. We all expect the holidays to be filled with meaningful times of family fun, big dinners, and traditions; but holidays, we know, can also add up to unhealthy practices and a lot of stress. Richelle Wiseman is a communications and marketing consultant in Calgary, Alberta, who loves entertaining family and friends during the holidays. She knows from experience how the holidays can be stressful instead of delightful, and she has also learned a few tips for keeping them delightful.
And every year we promise to get our act together earlier to avoid the stress. So how can you get through your holiday season without succumbing to stress?
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The secret is planning ahead. For most of us, the holidays have a way of "sneaking up on us", and so do the pounds and the stress. When we haven't planned well and everything comes down to a last minute rush, we are bound to feel more stressed than we should. Here are a few tips to stay ahead of the holidays and make it all run more smoothly. 1. Become a SCHEDULE WIZARD. Count down from your holiday backwards to include when you need to shop for gifts, shop for groceries for major meals, do holiday baking, send invitations to holiday parties, send holiday greeting cards, mail gifts to family in other countries, in your own country. Mark these significant deadlines on your calendar NOW so that you can see over the coming weeks where you need to dedicate blocks of time to meet this deadlines. Stick to your schedule and make sure you plan realistically how long these activities will take. Buying gifts online? Buy early so you aren't panicking the week before the holiday. Christmas shopping for ten people? Chances are you are going to take more than one Saturday afternoon to get all of those gifts.
mind, and you will have an alternative to those irresistible Nanaimo Bars! Start now to look for new recipes and experiment with healthy food choices. Instead of gravy on potatoes, try new recipes with roasted potatoes or roasted vegetables instead of ones swimming in cheese sauce. Trimming the fat, the dairy, and the sugars is no longer impossible. There are so many recipes and approaches to big traditional holiday meals which are gourmet quality, healthy, and most importantly, winners with your guests. 3. Become a SMART SHOPPER. Statistics show that last minute shopping is guaranteed to inflate your VISA bill. When you are desperate, you will buy things which are not the best choices or the best deals, just so you can check that person off your list. Shopping ahead of the rush and panic means you have a much better chance of sticking to a budget. Aim for more personal and thoughtful gifts. After all, a $15 gift which has personal meaning and thoughtfulness will mean much more to your loved one than the $50 one that required no thought and which doesn’t demonstrate that you know your friend or loved one well.
Planning ahead on the scheduling front, the food If you follow your schedule, you will be amazed and meal preparation front, and on the shopping at how much more prepared you will feel for the front, can save you money, unwanted pounds, and holidays, and how much stress you have avoided. stress. 2. Become a HEALTHY FOOD SPECIALIST. To prevent packing on the pounds over the holidays, research the foods you like and find healthy alternatives. There are many sugar free options for holiday treats which are just as tasty but not as risky for your hips and thighs.
So go make a tea, and then sit down with your calendar and get moving on your planning. Slay the stress dragons with some thoughtful planning‌ now.
When the holidays arrive and you are well prepared, you will be able to fully enjoy your friends, your If you are invited to bring goodies to a party, family and your guests. make your sugar free options so that you can at least enjoy your own treats while you are there. Even if you aren't asked to bring something to a holiday dinner, bring your sugar free dessert treats anyways. Chances are your hostess won't
Happy holidays!
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Pumpkin Pie Pumpkin pie is a holiday staple and no one should be deprived. Celebrate the season with this gluten, dairy and refined sugar-free pumpkin pie that will leave you satisfied without the guilt.- And it is Amber Approved!
Ingredients
(for the crust) 1 ½ cups all-purpose gluten-free flour 1 tsp organic vanilla extract 1 ½ tsp lucuma powder Pinch of Himalayan sea salt 4 tbsp cold unsweetened almond milk ½ cup coconut oil 1 tsp coconut oil For the pie filling) 1 can organic pumpkin 3 tbsp coconut oil 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract 3 eggs Pinch of Himalayan sea salt
4 tbsp cinnamon 2 tsp pumpkin spice 1 tsp nutmeg 1 tbsp gluten-free all purpose flour 4 tbsp raw unpastuerized honey 2 tbsp coconut palm sugar
Method
1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit 2. Combine flour, sea salt and lucuma powder and mix with a fork 3. Add coconut oil and blend in well with fork 4. Add vanilla and milk and mix crust together well 5. Grease a 10 inch pie plate with 1 tsp coconut oil 6. Pat crust evenly into pie plate 7. Meanwhile add all ingredients for pie fill-
ing into a high speed blender or bullet and blend until smooth and creamy. Adjust spices and sweetness to taste if you like more of something add a bit more! 8. Pour filling into pie crust 9. With filling bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit and then reduce heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 35-40 minutes 10. Let pie cool for about 15-20 minutes and serve with Vanilla Coconut Icing and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top! Prep Time: 15 minutes Bake time: 35-40 minutes Serves 10-12 pieces of pie
32 | Amber Approved Magazine
Vegan Chocolate Ginger Cookies Ingredients: 1 cup coconut sugar sugar 1 flax egg (1 tbsp. flax seed mixed with 3 tbsp. water, let stand 15 minutes) 1/4 cup pumpkin puree 2 tbsp. canola oil 2 cups all purpose flour 1/4 cup cocoa powder 1 tsp. baking soda 2 tsp. cinnamon 2 tsp. dried ginger powder 1/2 tsp. ground cloves 1/4 tsp. salt 3/4 cup vegan chocolate chips 1/2 cup dried fruit (cranberries, raisins, papaya, etc.) 1/4 cup coconut sugar
Mallory Frayne
Instructions: 1. Heat your oven to 350. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. 2. Mix together the coconut sugar, flax egg, pumpkin puree and canola oil to form a smooth paste. 3. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, chocolate chips and dried fruit. Once mixed, add these dry ingredients to the coconut sugar mixture, stirring just to combine. 4. Portion the dough into 3/4" to 1" balls. Roll them each in the 1/4 cup of coconut sugar until completely coated. 5. Place them on the baking sheets, 9 per tray. Press down lightly with the palms of your hands to flatten the cookies. 6. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Cool and enjoy.
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Vegan Chocolate Haystacks Ingredients 1 1/2 cup rolled oats (make sure they are non-contaminated) 3/4 cup coconut sugar 3 tbsp. cocoa powder 1/4 cup coconut oil 2 tbsp. water 1/2 tsp. vanilla pinch salt
Instructions
1. Measure out your oats and put them in a bowl. Also, line a cookie sheet with parchment or wax paper. 2. In a small saucepan, combine the coconut sugar and cocoa. Stir to get rid of any noticeable lumps. 3. Add the coconut oil and water. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once it reaches a rolling boil, let it go for a minute or so before removing it from the heat and stirring in the vanilla. 4. Pour the hot sugar/cocoa/oil mixture over your rolled oats and stir to combine. 5. Dollop the mixture onto your lined cookie sheet. Let the haystacks cool to room temperature as this will allow them to harden into a cohesive mound. You can speed up the process by popping them in the freezer for a couple of minutes. 6. Store in an airtight container either at room temperature or in the fridge. If you end up stacking them, separate the layers with parchment to prevent them from sticking. Enjoy!
Mallory Frayne
(Gluten-Free)
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Citrus Shortbread Bars Ingredients
1/2 cup Coconut Oil, melted 1/4 cup coconut sugar 1 1/4 cup Compliments gluten free flour blend* pinch of salt 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 1/4 cup orange juice 1/2 cup Compliments gluten free flour blend* zest from 1 lemon and 1 orange 1 1/2 cups coconut sugar 3 large eggs
Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a square baking pan with parchment paper. In a stand mixer combine the melted coconut oil and coconut sugar and beat for a minute. In a small bowl whisk the gluten free flour, and salt. Add the flour to the mixer and beat on low speed until batter forms. Press batter into bottom of lined square pan. Bake in oven for 15-18 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes.
In a medium bowl prepare the filling. Using a hand mixer beat the eggs, coconut sugar, juices as well as zests. Beat until filling is smooth. Add the 1/2 cup gluten free flour and beat until filling is smooth. Pour filling on top of cooled crust and bake in oven for 30-35 minutes. Bake until filling is set. Let cool completely. Slice into squares and enjoy! Store squares in refrigerator. Recipe is gluten free, dairy free and refined sugar free
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Gingerbread Cake Ingredients
1/2 cup Coconut Oil, melted 1/2 cup coconut sugar 1/2 cup Organic molasses 1 large egg 1/4 tsp salt 1 tsp gluten free baking powder 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp ground cardamon, nutmeg and cloves 2 cups Compliments gluten free flour blend 1/2 cup water
Method
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a square baking pan with parchment paper. In a stand mixer beat the coconut oil and coconut sugar for a minute. Add the egg and molasses and beat for a few minutes until smooth. In a small bowl whisk the baking powder, spices, salt and gluten free flour. Add the flour mixture and water to molasses mixture and beat for 2-3 minutes until batter is smooth. Pour batter into baking pan.
Bake in oven for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Slice into squares and serve. You can top with a dairy free whipped cream to serve. Recipe is gluten free, dairy free and refined sugar free.
Carrie Adair As a result of her own diagnosis of Celiacs disease launched her into the world of blogging with a passion to help others navigate living gluten-free without having to give up the foods they loved. She looks forward to continuing to share her love of good food and family.
No-bake Chocolate Almond Granola Bars courtesy of www.becauseilikechocolate.com
Vegan Baking Mallory Frayn is a food writer and blogger, living and learning in Calgary, Alberta. She seeks to help people develop healthier relationships with food. Her blog, www.becauseilikechocolate.com is centred around cooking, baking, eating and learning to accept food one bite at a time. Follow her on Twitter @cuzilikechoclat
Vegan baking can be daunting. More often than not, traditional baked goods are filled with ingredients like butter and eggs, all of which cannot be used in vegan recipes. However, knowing what purpose these ingredients serve in any given recipe make them that much easier to replace. Here is a list of common non-vegan products you will find in baking recipes and ideas on how to replace them.
g
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BUTTER Butter can be found in virtually any baking recipe, because it serves to add moisture and tenderness. In some recipes, butter needs to be replaced with a fat that is also solid at room temperature, whereas sometimes it can be substituted for liquid oil. For example, many muffin recipes contain melted butter, which can easily be swapped for equal parts of olive, canola, vegetable, or grapeseed oil, depending on the flavor you are going for. However, in others, you need a fat that melts into the recipe and helps to ensure a dense and chewy texture. Coconut oil or vegan shortening are perfect for using in brownies, cookies, or even vegan pie crust. Keep in mind, if you are looking to lower the fat content in a recipe, you can always substitute a portion of the fat for pureed fruit like applesauce or mashed bananas. Just be sure not to get rid of more than half of the fat, or it will compromise the texture of the finished product. MILK/CREAM Dairy products like milk and cream are some of the easiest ingredients to replace in vegan recipes. There are plenty of non-dairy alternatives like almond milk, rice milk or even water in some cases to choose from. The primary purposes of milk and cream in the first place are to add moisture and some additional fat, so chances are, adding another wet ingredient will do the trick. In muffins you can use non-dairy milks, or even juices like orange juice, depending on what other flavors you are using to begin with. One thing to keep in mind is the sugarcontent of whatever liquid you are adding. Many non-dairy milks come pre-sweetened, so you may want to reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe to ensure that it does not end up being too sweet. WHITE SUGAR Although people may assume that white sugar is vegan, more often than not it is bleached with bone char. Not to worry though, there are plenty of vegan sweeteners that can be used in its place. Maple syrup and coconut sugar are just of the few options at your disposal. Coconut sugar can be used to replace white sugar one for one. But when using liquid sugars, it is important to be mindful as they are often more concentrated and can be used in lesser quantities. Also, because they contain high levels of moisture, you have to compensate
for this in the rest of the recipe. Essentially, if you add additional moisture in one part of the rest, you want to take it away in another part so that you balance everything out. EGGS Eggs are one of the more difficult ingredients to substitute for in vegan baking because they serve such a wide range of purposes. Not only do eggs leaven many recipes, they also add fat, moisture and act as a glue to hold baked goods together. If a recipe instructs you to whip eggs or egg whites, this incorporation of air indicates that the eggs are acting as a leavener. You can compensate for this by adding extra chemical leaveners like baking powder and baking soda, but in some cases, unfortunately only eggs can do the trick (think soufflés, meringue, angel food cake, etc.). On the other hand, if eggs are serving as “glue” or a binder, think about adding other “sticky” ingredients in their place. This may mean using flax eggs (ground flax seed mixed with water to create a paste of sorts), or even pureed dates or other fruits. Sometimes vegan baking comes down to trial and error. Recipes may work out the first time, but they may also take several test batches before you come up with a finished product that you are proud to serve. Don’t be afraid to get creative and remember, the worst thing that can happen is that the recipe doesn’t turn out quite how you anticipated. It’s not the end of the world – it just makes it that much more rewarding when you finally get it right.
Surviving the
Gluten-Free
Holidays Holidays affect everyone differently; a cheerful season to some can be a very stressful season to others. There are many demands placed upon individuals as they try to find the perfect present, attend social and family obligations, baking, cooking, traveling, sticking to your diet and the dreaded shopping trips that make completely normal individuals turn into animals fighting over the last trendy 'must have' toy of the season. A multitude of activities happen within the short months of the happiest time of the year and to top it off, you have to get through it being gluten free. This is a tough time for people who suffer from any type of food allergy, even more so than normal day to day.
Kirsten Berman
With holiday food and treats popping up all around you, most of which you cannot eat; do not allow yourself to cheat just this one time, er um five times, rationalizing that the molten lava chocolate cake is worth the consequences you know will eventually hit you. And it will eventually hit you.
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Maintaining a lifestyle filled with fresh, whole foods and healthy fats are not only the roads to healing the gut, but to keeping it healed. Leaving Living a gluten free lifestyle requires constant dirty oil in your car inhibits good performance and preparation when dealing with food and eating; the longevity will suffer; the same line of thinking during the holidays this can be especially stressful applies to what you put in your body. and overwhelming on a person. An important rule of thumb to ease some of that anxiety is, plan Try not to think of certain foods as something you ahead. ‘can’t have’, but as something you ‘choose to have’ once in awhile instead. You are choosing healthier If traveling to a new city, Google, gluten free+(enter options for optimum performance. This does not city) and find out as much as you can about the mean that you should restrict yourself from eating area, call restaurants, check to see if your hotel a piece of your favorite gluten free cake; try opting caters to people with Celiac disease and gluten instead for a smaller slice. free sensitivity; if traveling by plane, call airline ahead of time to make special GF meal requests and always bring snacks with you just in case. Feel Happier Holidays free to offer to bring food to the party, at there will be one thing there that you know is safe. Holiday stress is inevitable, tackle it with a healthy attitude and be as prepared as possible to eat For those occasions in which you have no control gluten free safely. Bring snacks, ask questions, call over, use your best judgment and be aware ahead and never assume something is gluten free of cross contamination. Do not ever assume without making sure first. those preparing or delivering your food have any knowledge of what Celiac-safe or cross When you start to feel overwhelmed and stressed, contamination means; be direct when asking take a step back, smile and allow yourself to questions and clear when giving directions. breathe. Through all the craziness, your immune system sustains most of it to keep you in tiptop shape, make sure to reward it with the nutrients it dese
Plan Ahead
Staying Healthy
Staying ‘holiday healthy’ as you are barraged with candy, chocolate, pastries and greasy fatty food is almost too hard to pass up. Which is why, the number one new year’s resolution is to get back in shape and lose weight; for the first few months anyway. Moderation is key when is comes to surviving the holidays, after the holidays and in between the holidays. Keep in mind that the words ‘Gluten Free’ are not equivalent to eating healthy, processed food is processed food. There are many GF products filled with sugar, chemicals and cheap ingredients; making healthier choices when grocery shopping is a great first step.
40 | Amber Approved Magazine
November 2014 41
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November 2014 44
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