From Farm to Food: A winter journey
This post originally appeared on Gina Sunderland’s blog.
Winter has arrived! With its official arrival, I’m happy to share I had the opportunity to develop winter recipes for the From Farm to Food: A Seasonal Journey cookbook produced by CropLife Canada. As a dietitian, my philosophy is to make healthy eating fun and easy! While developing these recipes I carried that philosophy to ensure these dishes are not only delicious, but also quick and easy to prepare. Like most Canadians, I love food and feel very lucky to have access to the safest, most affordable and most abundant food supply in the world! These recipes use crops produced safely by Canadian farmers so you can feel confident making and enjoying them with your family!
For this cookbook my recipes featured five outstanding Canadian crops: mustard, lentils, wheat, potatoes and flax. The possibilities for making delicious recipes from these ingredients were simply endless! It was difficult to narrow down the options, but I’m excited to share the final recipes that I developed! They’ve become my family’s favourites and I hope they will become yours too! The recipes can be found at From Farm to Food: A Seasonal Journey
My first recipe featuring mustard is Baked Salmon with Honey Mustard Marinade. Mustard being one of the world’s oldest condiments is also one of my favourites; a small amount adds so much flavour to any dish. Mustard grows in abundance on the prairies, and about three quarters of the mustard grown in Canada is produced in Saskatchewan. In this recipe I’ve used several Canadian ingredients, including mustard, honey and salmon.
Next, I was excited to create a recipe with lentils! As a dietitian, I’ve always promoted the health benefits of lentils for their high fibre and protein content. It’s exciting to know that Canada is now the number one producer and exporter of delicious and nutritious lentils. With this crop, I decided to create a fun lentil-based appetizer. My family always enjoys meatballs and these cocktail-sized Baked Lentil Meatballs are a spin on a Canadian classic comfort food.
I come from a family of pizza-lovers, so I was delighted to have the opportunity to create a pizza dough with wheat! We’re so lucky that we grow the highest quality wheat in the world on the Canadian prairies. This fabulous wheat lends itself to making absolutely perfect Whole Wheat Pizza Dough. My recipe is so quick and simple, it only has a few ingredients and even the youngest member of the family can help make it. A bonus: whole wheat flour is high in fibre and this dough also freezes well.
Canada is known for its potato crop production. Potatoes are certainly a staple in most Canadian diets. The versatility of making dishes with potatoes is endless! I’ve always made a lot of potato salad during the warmer months, but have typically often forgotten about this tasty option during the cold winter season. With this Warm Winter Potato Salad with an Apple Twist recipe, you can enjoy potato salad throughout the chilliest months.
A cookbook would not be complete without a sweet, yet healthy dessert option! My last Canadian crop, flax, was a great option for creating a baked treat. I hope you enjoy my Cinnamon Zucchini Flax Loaf recipe. Flax seeds are a recommended staple in a dietitian’s toolbox when educating clients about a healthy diet. They contain an abundance of fibre for digestive health and are loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, too! This flax loaf smells delicious when baking and tastes even better! A slice can be enjoyed guilt-free, knowing it’s loaded with healthy Canadian ingredients like ground flax, zucchini and eggs.
I would encourage you to check out the entire From Farm to Food: A Seasonal Journey cookbook with creative and fabulous recipe contributions from my dietitian colleagues from across the country! All of the recipes were created using safe, delicious and healthy Canadian crops. Enjoy!
Gina Sunderland,
Registered dietitian