Educate your palette with Plant Based Food

by Kimberly Fowler

Chef Doris Fin

Plant-based food isn’t a new concept, but it has generated lots of buzz of late, especially since the January release of Canada’s new food guide*, which emphasizes eating plants, drinking water and cooking at home.

Expert Chef Doris Fin believes there’s more to the plant-based food revolution than better health. Fin, who won the 2018 Waterfront Awards for Culinary Arts began cooking when she was seven. She’s passionate about many things, and naturally, food is high on her list. But so is travel, education, sustainability and social connectedness. For Fin, the plant-based revolution offers all this and so much more.

“It’s my mission and duty to share my passion with others to let them know they have choices,” Fin says. When speaking with Fin it doesn’t take long to understand that fresh, local ingredients are a critical element of cooking.

“Nature has amazing flavours,” she says. She would know. Fin has experienced nature’s flavours here in Canada and around the globe, first-hand.

“I always enjoyed cooking, but never thought of working in a restaurant. I wanted training that was culturally immersive,” she says. “My goal was to travel.”

An unintentional but wonderful by-product of over a decade of traveling was that Fin educated her palette tasting fruits, vegetables, spices and herbs that aren’t readily available here in Canada.

During her travels Fin noticed that food tasted different overseas, which lead her to ask: why is it so challenging to get the exact taste of a cultural dish here in Canada?

According to Fin, there’s no simple answer, but our groceryheavy economy plays a role. In North America, there’s a lack of demand for unfamiliar foods and the foods that are available are designed to ripen on trucks and travel across the continent before arriving in our homes. The result is that produce in the grocery store just doesn’t taste the same (plus it’s full of unhealthy additives).

Choosing healthy produce can be challenging, but Fin emphasizes that with more education, people can make good choices. To choose flavourful produce, she recommends using your senses. Look at the colour. Is it wilted? Touch it - does it feel ripe? If there’s no smell then it could mean pesticides or additives were used, it’s not organically produced, or it’s not ripe.

If you go to the grocery store and can’t find good produce, don’t settle! Fin emphasizes that there are alternative choices that taste amazing. She recommends choosing local foods for improved taste. Connect with local farms directly for produce or meat that is in season or visit your local farmer’s market (some of which are open year-round) to access local farmers and vendors.

Local food means tastier ingredients and better dishes, and shopping locally is sustainable because it’s better for the environment and the local economy.

“It’s important to have relationships with local farmers and vendors to keep business within our communities,” Fin says. “It’s our responsibility as citizens and neighbours to help each other. We need to support our farmers not only when their crop is thriving, but year-round. If we care for our farmers, they’ll care for us.”

However, not all vendors sell locally-grown food, so you need to ask questions about the food you buy:

• Where does it come from? Is it local or imported?

• What’s in season?

• What will the vendor be selling in the upcoming weeks?

• Can you taste it?

• How can you use or cook it?

• Can you freeze it for winter months? (This is a great way to have access to fresh produce while keeping your food budget in check).

• Get inquisitive. Farmer’s markets are a great way to learn about food, and most vendors are happy to chat.

“Ask questions and don’t be turned off by something that looks new, different, or difficult to cook,” Fin advises. “Ask the vendor about food you’re unfamiliar with, if you can taste it, where it came from, and how you can use it.”

“Start working in your own kitchen by getting local,” Fin says. In addition to shopping at local farms or farmer's markets, you can also access fresh ingredients by growing them, or foraging for them. “There’s nothing like picking ingredients yourself,” Fin says, pointing out that foraging “provides a real connection to Mother Earth.”

Fin says that there are lots of free foraging walks that will teach you how to forage food while being respectful to nature. Food you can forage includes wild leeks, mushrooms, fiddleheads, blueberries, raspberries, dandelions and other plants often considered weeds.

Cook at home

“I think people aren’t cooking because they think they don’t have time, it’s intimidating, or they think that it has to be done a certain way. But when you get together with friends or family to cook it’s magical, especially if you gather the ingredients and then come together to make and enjoy the food,” Fin says. This has been part of the inspiration behind Fin’s upcoming cookbook Gather, Cook, Feast.

“People don’t need more recipes, they need knowledge on how to cook,” she says. Gather, Cook, Feast covers information about staples like salt and honey, including the history of different ingredients, cooking techniques, information about kitchen organization, and of course, some of Fin’s favourite recipes.

“Lots of recipes promote health but don’t explain what you need to know about healthy cooking,” Fin says. “I want people to get back to the kitchen to ignite their intuitive, inner chef.” ~

If you’re looking to ignite your inner chef or learn more about the plant-based food revolution reach out to Chef Doris Fin by visiting her website www.chefdorisfin.com or taking one of her interactive cooking classes.

1. Young, Leslie. Canada’s new food guide emphasizes eating plants, drinking water and cooking at home. Global News. January 22, 2019. Available online: https://globalnews.ca/news/4873598/new-canadafood-guide-2019/.

Untraditional Borscht

Borscht is a soup dear to many Slavic countries including Russia, Ukraine, and Poland. Any root veggies will do with beets and cabbage added. Borscht tastes great hot or cold, and particularly tastier at least one day after being made. For extra fibre and flavour, do not peel vegetables.

Prep Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 30 minutes Serves: 10-12 (perfect for leftovers all week and/or to share)

Ingredients:

10 cups vegetable broth or boiling water

1 large whole red or sweet onion, unpeeled

3 cups grated or shredded peeled beets,

1 medium sweet potato, cubed (approx. 3 cups)

1 large carrot, coined

1 large kohlrabi or turnip, thinly sliced or shredded

2 large celery stalks, quartered

3 whole bay leaves

1 large bunch of dill tied in thread (left over stems from dill, basil, parsley, cilantro, other herbs can be used)

2 cups shredded cabbage

1 tbsp unrefined salt or to taste (e.g. grey/sea)

1 tsp ground black pepper or to taste

4 large garlic cloves, minced or finely chopped

Optional:

2 cups shredded kale

1 tsp turmeric powder

Garnish:

finely chopped dill and/or parsley, finely sliced green onion dollop of sour cream, lemon wedge, 1-2 tbsp chopped sauerkraut

In a large pot bring all ingredients to a boil, except the garlic. Reduce heat to a simmer, keep covered and cook for 20 min or until potato is soft. Turn off the heat. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Allow to sit for a minimum of 20 minutes before serving or make a day in advance and store in the fridge.

Chef recommended: Add mushrooms! *In a medium skillet on a medium high heat sauté 4 tbsp grapeseed or avocado oil, 1 lb fresh mushrooms (e.g. cremeni or maitake) and 1 medium onion, thinly sliced, until lightly browned (approx. 15 minutes). Stir into the entire pot of borscht or add 2-3 tbsp to every serving.

Once completely cooled down, store the borscht in the fridge up to 10 days or freeze.