Cooking with Maple

Maple syrup is coming and so is spring!  Maple syrup is one of my favourite sweeteners. It is a local product that has been a source of pleasure and food energy for people living in the north for a very long time. I do imagine the early homesteaders relied on it and were shown how to make it by the native people. One tablespoon, or 15 ml, has 30 calories and 7 grams of carbohydrate/sugar with small amounts of nutrients such as 11 mg of calcium and 25 mg potassium. Like all sweet treats it should be enjoyed in moderation.

I use it in many dishes both sweet and savoury. My favourites seem to be in vinaigrettes, dressings and marinades but it also makes an awesome smoothie and a great glaze for vegetables and roast lamb and chicken.


Mark Saturday April 28th in your calendar as we hope to see you stocking up on maple syrup at the 15th Annual Powassan Maple Syrup Festival.  The day starts with 3 Pancake Breakfasts at 7am and the festival activities end around 4 pm. There will be many food and craft vendors in Powassan and the township reports their usual small population of 2,000 swells to well over 5,000 people on this one day. You can also listen to live music and enjoy fun events.  

I am leading three free cooking demos in the Sportsplex (arena, Main St.) during the festival.  Learn to make all things maple!  The menus may change a bit as I get closer to the event but so far I am planning on demonstrating and letting people sample some great recipes listed below.  I'll also talk about using maple syrup in baking and how diabetics may use some maple syrup in their meals.


At the breakfast demo at 10 a.m. I'll be demonstrating:

• Maple Cranberry Chia Smoothie
• Hot Maple White Pine Tea (slow cooker)
• Maple Fruit Nut Rolled Oats (Rice Cooker)
• Layered Maple Yogurt, Fruit Granola Parfaits
• Two Bite Maple Buckwheat Pancakes

Lunch (noon) and 2 p.m. Demos:

• ·        Maple Pop
• ·        Maple Blueberry Balsamic Vinaigrette
• ·        Apple Cranberry Maple Salad Dressing  with Mixed Greens 
• ·        Goat Cheese Appetizer with Maple Chipotle Glaze
• ·        Maple Syrup Teriyaki Tofu
• ·        Maple Baked Beans (Slow Cooker)
• ·        Baked Maple Curry Squash (Slow Cooker)
• ·        Maple Ginger Rutabaga Mash
• ·        Maple Cranberry Wild Rice Pudding

All maple syrup sold in Ontario has to be graded and you can find out more and see other recipes at http://www.ontariomaple.com. I liked the history of maple syrup shown at
http://www.canadianmaplesyrup.com/maplehistory.html


Hope to see you there! Free bus trips to the sugar bush!

Maple Fruit and Nut Oatmeal (Rice Cooker)

Banana, cranberry apple oatmeal

I've been making various versions of cooked wholegrain oats in my rice cooker many mornings over the winter months.  I find it a good use of one of my favourite appliances..... cooks without being watched and switches into warm mode so people can eat when they want.  Ready in 15 minutes!  You can see above it forms a skin on the bottom as it sits in the rice cooker.  You get less of a skin if you use more liquid.

Apple blueberry oatmeal with nuts

If you need a gluten free version make sure you buy oats labelled gluten free - like those from "Bob's Red Mill."  Oats themselves are gluten free but can become contaminated with gluten if stored, processed etc. around gluten containing grains.


Choose steel cut or large flake rolled oats for a lower Glycemic index (GI).  Lower GI foods give a lower and slower rise in blood glucose and keep you full longer and helps manage cravings.  Quick or minute oats have a higher GI or lead to a faster, higher rise and fall in blood glucose.  Below I  describe how oats are milled and some differences in some oat products, compliments of Quaker.


Steel Cut Oats - groats that are steamed and roasted to inactivate the enzymes that may cause rancidity and to give a toasted flavour.  The whole groats are cut approximately into thirds.  A.K.A. Scotch oats and Irish oatmeal.  They take longer to cook than rolled oats and have a nice chewy  texture.  Low GI.


Old Fashioned Rolled Oats - groats that are steamed and roasted to inactivate the enzymes that may cause rancidity and to give a toasted flavour.  The whole groats are steamed again and rolled flat.  They are whole grain and have the bran, endosperm and germ.  Low GI.


Quick Oats - groats that are steamed and roasted to inactivate the enzymes that may cause rancidity and to give a toasted flavour and to reduce moisture so they rehydrate quickly.  The whole groats are cut in thirds, steamed again and rolled thinner than Old Fashioned Oats.  They cook faster because they are smaller and thinner.  They are still considered whole grain.  Higher GI.


Instant Oats - same as quick oats but rolled thinner so they cook when boiling water is added.  They too are considered whole grain but have a higher GI and uually have added salt and sugar.  Usually sold in little single serve packets. Higher GI.

		Ingredients
1 cup	250 ml	Oats, old fashioned rolled (large flake)
2 cup	500 ml	Water, cold
½ tsp	2.5 ml	Cinnamon, ground
2		Apples, peel on, cored and sliced
½ cup	125 ml	Blueberries, frozen
2 Tbsp	30 ml	Maple syrup
¼ cup	60 ml	Walnuts

METHOD:

1.  Add oats to bottom of rice cooker.  Pour water over.  Stir in cinnamon.  Adding additional water gives a creamier, runnier oatmeal.  It is a matter of preference.

2.  Slice two apples skin on.  Scatter over top of oats with the frozen blueberries.  Pour over maple syrup and sprinkle with nuts (optional additions).

The version below I used sliced apple, banana and a handful of dried cranberries.

3.  Turn rice cooker on and walk away and leave to work magic.  Takes about 15 minutes in my rice cooker.  Serve with your favourite milk.

Nutrients (per ¼ recipe – 245 grams)

Calories	200
Protein (g)	5
Total Fat (g)	6
Saturated Fat (g)	0
Carbohydrate (g)	33
Fibre (g)	5
Cholesterol (mg)	0
Sodium (mg)	5
%DV
Calcium	4
Iron	8
Vitamin A	2
Vitamin C	6

Tastefully yours,
Nancy Guppy, RD
Email

Visit me at www.chapmanslanding.com where you can find out what's 
cooking on my class calendar. If you are interested in nutrition or diet 
counselling pop over to www.nancyguppy.com. A lot of health plans cover the cost of consulting an RD.

My next cooking class coming up at Chapman's Landing is "Ancient Grains” on Sunday March 4th.  This is a great class for people learning to add gluten free variety and interest to their meals.  Please see my menu and register online 

Snowy days at Chapman's Landing

Italian Baked Beans (gluten free)

Pioneer Baked Beans was one of the most popular posts at my blog of "all time."  Who'd a thought?  Retro and comfort foods are supposed to continue to be big this year.

Often I don't want the meat and the fat from the pork so I make a vegetarian version.  I have made these beans in the oven in a casserole baking dish, cast iron Dutch oven and also in a slow cooker.  My instructions show slow cooker method followed by stove top and oven.  The version below has cheese but it is easy to make VEGAN by skipping  the cheese or topping with my recipe for quinoa polenta and toasted sunflower seeds.  

		Ingredient
1 cup	250 ml	White pea or “Navy” beans - any dry bean
½ tsp	2.5 ml	Fennel seed
½ tsp	2.5 ml	Thyme
1 tsp	5 ml	Basil
1 Tbsp	15 ml	Hot chile pepper
1 cup	250 ml	Onion, diced
2	2	Garlic, cloves, minced
24	24	Carrots, baby, medium
28 fl oz	798 ml	Diced tomatoes, canned, with juice
5 fl oz	156 ml	Tomato paste, canned
1 cup	250 ml	Wine, white, dry
1 ¼ lb	½ kg	Polenta, tube, ready to serve (e.g., Aurora brand)
¼ cup	60 ml	Romano cheese, shredded
1 cup	250 ml	Mozzarella cheese, part skim, shredded
¼ cup	60 ml	Parsley, fresh, minced
½ tsp	2.5 ml	Paprika, sweet, ground

SLOW COOKER METHOD:

 1.  Soak beans in plenty of cold water over-night - use three times their volume of water.  You can do this in the crock of the slow cooker.  Drain.

2.  Add fennel, thyme, basil, a whole chili (optional), chopped onion and minced garlic to the beans.  Add 2 liters (8 cups) cold water to cover.  This amount of water is an estimate.  You can add more later if it is needed.

3.  Stir in whole baby carrots.  I used some cubed rutabaga the second time I made this as I was out of carrots.  Necessity is the mother of invention.  Cover and cook on LOW 4 hours.  The beans should be tender and most of the liquid absorbed.  It looks a little monotone with the turnip  but this gets corrected.

4.  Stir in slivers of coloured peppers, canned diced tomatoes with liquid, tomato paste and white wine.  Cover and cook an additional. 2 hours.  Taste it and see if it needs salt, more herbs etc.  The polenta and cheese topping will add some saltiness so go easy.

5.  Slice polenta into rounds.

Arrange polenta rounds on top of beans.  Push them down into the beans a bit.  

Then sprinkle on the grated Romano and mozzarella cheeses (optional).  I sprinkled on some fresh parsley and paprika last for colour.  

Cover and heat on low until bubbling and cheese is melted.  I don't have a picture of the final product as my son and I were pretty hungry and had devoured a lot of it by the time I remembered I hadn't taken a picture.

STOVE TOP version:

1.  Add dry beans to stockpot and cover with 3 times their volume of water.  Bring to a boil for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat, cover and let sit 1 hour. 

2.  Drain discarding liquid.  Return soaked beans to pot along with 3 times their volume fresh water.  Add fennel, thyme, basil, hot pepper, diced onion and minced garlic.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 30-45 minutes or until tender.  Drain, reserving 2 cups cooking liquid. 

3.  In oven proof casserole combine cooked beans, reserved liquid, baby (or chopped) carrots, slivers of yellow pepper, can of tomatoes with juice, tomato paste and white wine.  Cover and bake at 350'F for 2 hours. 

4.  Top with sliced polenta rounds.  Push them down into the beans a bit.  Then sprinkle on the grated Romano and mozzarella cheeses (optional).  I also sprinkled on some fresh parsley and paprika last for colour.  Cover and bake another hour or so until bubbling and cheese is melted.

Nutrients (per 1/8^th of recipe – about 350 g)

Calories	280
Protein (g)	14
Total Fat (g)	5
Saturated Fat (g)	2.5
Carbohydrate (g)	37
Fibre (g)	10
Cholesterol (mg)	10
Sodium (mg)	640
%DV (Daily Value)
Calcium	25
Iron	25
Vitamin A	120
Vitamin C	130

Tastefully yours,
Nancy Guppy, RD
Email

Visit me at www.chapmanslanding.com where you can find out what's 
cooking on my class calendar. If you are interested in nutrition or diet 
counselling pop over to www.nancyguppy.com. A lot of health plans cover the cost of consulting an RD.

My next cooking class coming up at Chapman's Landing is "Ancient Grains” on Sunday March 4th.  This is a great class for people learning to add gluten free variety and interest to their meals.  Please see my menu and register online at http://www.chapmanslanding.com/course_outline.asp?id=59&session=431