Jamie's Food Revolution Community Events in Toronto...

The Food Revolution is a global year-round campaign. Every May, Food Revolution Day takes place to celebrate success, raise awareness and invite more people, businesses and governments to join the ongoing revolution. More than 2000 ambassadors in 115 countries are currently planning events, both big and small. 

This year it is on May 20th-- just around the corner. Here are some local community events hosted by our Toronto Food Revolution Ambassadors:

Join Toronto Food Revolution Ambassadors Mardi Michels and MaryCatherine Anderson are hosting a parent-child cooking class for ‪#‎FoodRevolution‬ Day this year. Join them on Friday, May 20th at 5.30pm at the beautiful St Lawrence Market Kitchen to celebrate Food Revolution Day 2016. This year, the theme is ‪#‎FeedtheFuture‬ and Jamie Oliver's put together a Starter Pack of recipes – ten delicious, nutritionally balanced recipes, each covering a different skill and technique that can give anyone the confidence to cook good, real, healthy meals for themselves and their families, for now and the future. Jamie has spoken about the idea of ten recipes to save your life since his TED talk in 2010.

During this class, we'll learn how to make some "must know" dishes that are easy to make and much tastier than store-bought - dishes kids will love to eat and make:

* Super smoothies that burst with colour and flavour
* Hummus and flatbread with a colourful array of crudités
* Minestone soup

Click here for more details and to register.

After we have finished cooking, we'll all sit down to enjoy the meal together, family-style! Kids will also make their very own customised granola cereal to take home and enjoy the next day!

This event is made possible thanks to the generous support of Sobeys, KitchenAid Canada, Harper Collins Canada and Bernardin.

Participants will receive a swag bag containing items generously donated by Sobeys, KitchenAid Canada, Harper Collins Canada and Bernardin and one lucky participant will win a NEW KitchenAid Canada Torrent Blender ($599.99 RRP)!

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Join Ambassador Christine B at a fun "Cook for your Life" Challenge event to celebrate ‪#‎FoodRevolution‬ Day on June 7th at Cirillo's Culinary Academy!

A fun-filled evening for adults of all cooking levels to inspire everyone to get back in the kitchen and cook for their life!

Guests will be paired up in teams, given a mystery box filled with healthy food and have an hour and a half to cook a delightful culinary creation!

Three local celebrity chefs (including Matthew Basile from Lisa Marie!) will taste and critique the creations, then select a winning team with prizes to be awarded!

When: May 17th, 2016 7:00pm - 9:30pm
Where: Cirillo’s Culinary Academy - 4894 Dundas Street West, Etobicoke, Ontario
Cost: $55 (includes cocktails & appetizers)

Website: www.cookforlife.ca For tickets, click here.

Stay tuned for more about Food Revolution Day.

Food Revolution Day FRD2016 is May 20th....

Food Revolution is less than two months away as we're gearing up for our 5th year! There's a lot getting underway in London to prepare our global ambassadors for yet another year of excitement and real food awareness. Leave your email on www.foodrevolutionday.com/ and be the first to receive the details once it rolls out, and I'll also be posting updates...

Save the date! #FoodRevolutionDay

As we work towards Food Revolution 2016, I can't help to reflect on my big & busy event last year at Northview Heights cooking up Jamie's sandwich with the entire school body-- 1500 participants... And my brief video-encounter with Mr. Oliver himself in London! What's in store this year folks? For more from this amazing past event, see here.

At Northview We Smashed and Squashed It on FRD2015!

Stay tuned for more....

Japanese Bentou Boxes Inspiring Art and Lunch Fun...

My brother, Dan and his wife, Yoko are super artists! He a hand-crafted sculpture artist and her a natural crafter for things like knitting and card designing. They reside in Japan with their six year old son Jerome, and lucky for him, his mom is always packing him a fun bentou lunch for school filled with rice, meat and vegetables often arranged into cute cartoon caricatures or animals he loves. Bentou is a single-portion, compact take-out or home-packed meal in a box that is nutritionally-balanced and visually appealing common in Japanese cuisine. My brother tells me Yoko would wake up early every morning and prepare Jerome's bentou from her sketches the night before, and they always turn out amazing- we know we eat with our eyes first and what a surprise it is to open the lid everyday and see something so appetizingly unique and fun! Some tips they offered: saran wrapping the rice to mould the faces of characters and then scissors for snipping seaweed eyebrows and facial features. A few of these were made during the week of Food Revolution Day- get inspired!

Photos courtesy of Dan Ng
Amazing display of creative bentou lunches for my nephew Jerome.

This was ode to Christmas- notice the festive edamame tree?

Home lunch. How do you like 'em cute rice bear on your chicken curry?

For inspiring bentou menu ideas, tips and tricks, check out Nami in Bento 101. Lots of great how-to information, and simple but beautiful healthy everyday boxes that are done in 15 to 20 minutes. Doesn't it make you want to ditch the boring paper bag sandwich lunch for good and start jazzing it up bentou-style for your kids at school and for you to take to work...

Speedy Smoothies For Breakfast or Dessert...

My neighbour's daughter Mina recently discovered the joys of the Magic Bullet, a high-speed blender. They purchased it to make smoothies to increase their fruit and milk intake. I learned not only are they blending drinks for breakfast but interestingly, also for dessert. What a cool and healthier concept- smoothies could totally be a dessert alternative- liquid dessert! On the morning of FRD2014, Mina blended a delicious smoothie using Greek yoghurt, strawberries, blueberries, banana, plum and milk; this was super quick to make and hearty enough to get her through the busy morning at school. I have a Magic Bullet and am now inspired to use it more often for breakfast and to concoct some fun dessert-flavoured drinks- Peaches and Cream Smoothie anyone?

Photos courtesy of Maya Nowzari

Refreshingly satisfying!

For the Garlic Lover- Garlicky Basil Pasta

My sister sent me this tasty and hearty pasta recipe she prepared on FRD2014. What's interesting is that this recipe has lots of garlic flavour and her boys love it! As she puts it, it's a quick, easy meal to make for a busy night or those evenings you just don't know what to make, but still want to serve a healthy, satisfying meal for the family. Judging by the array of healthful ingredients and delicious combination of herb and seasoning, I'm not surprise it is a winner with her family!

Garlicky Basil Pasta
Makes 6 servings

1 (454 g) package of spaghetti
3/4  bunch of spinach, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper thinly sliced
2 roma tomatoes, diced

1 lb. sausages of your choice, sliced 

1/3 cup olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1-1/2 Tbsp. dried basil or 1-1/2 cup shredded fresh basil leaves

1 cup of pitted black olives
1 tsp. garlic salt

1/4 cup shredded or grated parmesan cheese
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Dried chilli flakes to taste (optional) 

1)  Cook the spaghetti while chopping the ingredients. Cook until al dente (firm to the bite) and drain. 

2)  Pan-fry sausages until cooked and remove from pan.  Drain excess oil and return the pan to the stove.
3)  Heat the pan with olive oil over medium high heat. Add garlic. Stir-fry for five seconds and add peppers; stir-fry for two minutes or until crisp-tender.  Add basil and stir for 10 seconds. 

4)  Turn down the heat to medium.  Return sausages to pan and add the spaghetti.  Mix together lightly, then add spinach, olives, garlic salt, salt and ground black pepper then mix. Mix well, then add the tomatoes and parmesan cheese.  Taste to season.
5)  Spoon onto plates and serve extra parmesan cheese and dried chili flakes at the table. Serve with toasted garlic bread.

Great Addition TIP: If everyone likes it spicy, add the chili flakes in the cooking process along with the garlic. Try adding mushrooms, or use diced leftover rotisserie chicken instead of sausages is also delicious.  TIP: Try shredded cheddar cheese instead of parm.  

Photos courtesy of Trai Ng
My nephews lapping it all up!

You can't go wrong with spaghetti, sausage and cheese with kids. Adding an assortment of fresh colourful vegetables is a smart way to change it up and to introduce new ingredients and flavours to a dish they love already! Sometimes we keep meals bland or simply dressed to ensure our kids will eat it, but if we don't try upping the flavour system they won't learn to enjoy bolder and complex dishes that would open them up to a whole new world of foods and set them up to be taste adventurous. And honestly makes it easier for you to plan meals too. Garlic is definitely a good ingredient to start as is herbs. My nephews have always ate like champs and I'm sure that has to do with my sister constantly encouraging them to give new foods a try!

The Humble Split Pea Soup...

My good friend Renata sent me this soup idea she prepared during the week of FRD2014. I love it because it is super simple to make and comfort food at its best! She made a pot of split pea soup on Monday, after a busy Mother's Day weekend. As she puts it, there is nothing fancy or special about the recipe I use; it is not difficult or complicated. It's one of those recipes that I can count on to get a home cooked meal on the table during a busy week. I didn't have time to grocery shop in the morning, but I can always count on having nearly all the ingredients I need on hand, and it still turns out if I don't! And best yet, it's perfect for picky eaters. 

Soups appear often on her menu plan. She tells me she doesn't need to tend to the stove aside from the occasional stir. And if she is busy with the kids it is okay if it stays on the stove a little longer than needed. Once the soup meets the immersion blender there is no evidence that it actually contains vegetables (her older son is a sleuth at finding them), and she doesn't need to prepare a separate meal for her baby. Leftovers for her are usually even better, and it always freezes well! She says, it is nearly the perfect meal! This week she paired it simply with garlic toast for dipping with empty bowls all around. 

Photos courtesy of Renata McGuire
Just a few ingredients for delicious soup

Baby likes!  He is all smiles!

I had to put this in... so adorable!

Sometimes we forget how easy delicious food can be made with just a few ingredients that you already have on hand. You may think you need a bunch of things you'll have to go out and buy but often they are already in your fridge and pantry- just staple items you're using on a regular basis. How awesome is that, and truthfully, who doesn't love soup? You can make it clear like consommé, creamy, puréed or hearty and chunky, typically with components of broth, vegetables, with or without meat and some seasoning. When it's this simple to whip up and the results are wholesome and tasty, don't bother with soup from a can or take-out when you can make it just as wonderful or even better yourself. 

Thank you Renata for reminding us that great food can come in the most simplest form!

Simple Cranberry Quinoa Salad

The next few posts will be a good handful of food ideas or recipes submitted to me from your participation in FRD2014. I am excited to share what you did with the rest of my readers and add them to my own recipe repertoire!

This recipe was contributed by my sweet niece in Montreal. Kathia has always been interested in cooking and probably picked it up from her mom who cooks home-made meals everyday particularly Vietnamese food, which she use to proudly take to school for lunch. I've tried many of my sister-in-law's dishes- simple but cooked from the heart and always delicious. Being health conscious and working out regularly, I was not surprised when Kathia sent over this quinoa recipe. As she puts it, this salad is delicious, healthy and simple to make for your family or to prepare in advance for a gathering with your friends. Quinoa is a superfood known to be one of the most protein-rich foods with a host of benefits such as antioxidants, is gluten-free, a good source of riboflavin and fibre and so much more! Generally, it has a light fluffy and crunchy texture and slight nutty flavour that tastes good as a main dish or as an accompaniment.

Simple Cranberry Quinoa Salad
Makes 6 servings

2 cups of organic quinoa                                                                         

4 cups of homemade chicken stock                                           

2 star anise                                                                                  

1 Tbsp. butter                                                               

3 green onions

1 medium orange pepper (or 3 small ones for the kind of peppers used here)

1/2 cucumber

½ cup of dried cranberries

8 basil leaves plucked from stem

Citrus or lime juice to taste

¼ cup of olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

All photos in this post courtesy of Kathia Le

There are a few different varieties of quinoa, but the most common type is white quinoa, which has a light, fluffy texture and a slightly nutty flavor. Red quinoa has a more pronounced nutty flavour, and black quinoa is a little more crunchy. Sometimes you'll see them sold as a blend, described as rainbow quinoa or tri-color quinoa.

1)  In a saucepan, melt butter and stir the quinoa for one minute.

2)   Pour the chicken stock and add the star anise. Bring to a boil.

3)  Decrease heat to low, cover and let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. While still hot, stir quinoa with a fork to separate and fluff the grains. Remove onto plate or bowl. Let the quinoa cool at room temperature or put it in the fridge for about 45 minutes.

4)   Coarsely chop the green onions, orange pepper(s) and the cucumber.  Finely chop the basil leaves. 

      5) Once the quinoa is cooled, transfer it in a large bowl and mix with the green onions, the orange pepper(s), the cucumber and the cranberries. Add the citrus or lime juice and olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Cool for one hour in fridge before serving. TIP: If desired, add in toasted pecans or your favourite nuts for extra crunch.

Gorgeous with a chockful of fresh and vibrant ingredients

Thank you Kathia for sharing such a wonderful, lovely and healthy salad! I love quinoa and will definitely make this soon! 

For an alternative quinoa salad, try it with black beans in Quinoa Black Bean Salad.

Jamie's Rainbow Salad Wrap Ode to FRD#2014!

It's a wrap... *117 countries and over 231,000 participants took part in today's great food event! 

If you have been following my posts, I had been immersing myself and kids over the last two weeks and half with different activities whilst spreading the word and inspiring others to find new ways to look at, cook and enjoy fresh food made from scratch. And it all boils down to today... There is not a better recipe to prepare in celebrating the final day than Jamie's Rainbow Salad Wrap with my boys, something so many around the world were making today. I did not sign up for their Guinness Book of Record attempt with the wrap as the rules are rigorous to count, but I'm sure they'll smash the current record of 2,012 and I will provide an update when the final count comes in and other details from the campaign.

*UPDATE: On Food Revolution Day 10,000 events took place in over 121 countries with 237,822 participants! And they SMASHED the Guinness World Record! Amazing!! 2015 will be even bigger and better!

Rainbow Salad Wrap (slightly tweaked)
Makes 6 servings

2 small raw beetroots 
2 carrots
1/4 small cabbage
1 firm pear
½ a bunch of fresh mint
½ a bunch of parsley
6 small whole wheat tortilla wraps 
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

For the dressing:
5 Tbsp. natural yogurt
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tsp. apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

My kids watching Jamie's cooking lesson before joining in.

Wash the beetroots and carrots under cold running water, scrubbing with a scrubber to get rid of any dirt; you don't need to peel them before using, but I prefer to.

Hold a grater steady in a large bowl on a chopping board, then gripping the vegetables, coarsely grate the beetroots, carrots, cabbage and pear stopping before your fingers or knuckles get too close to the grater.

Hold the root end of the beetroots and coarsely grate.

Pick the mint and parsley leaves, then discard the stalks. Tear leaves on a board and add to the bowl.

Add all the dressing ingredients to a jam jar. Put the lid securely on the jar and shake well.

Shake it baby.......

Drizzle most of the dressing over the salad – you can always

add more but you can’t take it away, so be cautious.

Divide the salad between the tortilla wraps, then some shredded cheddar over each.  Roll up the wraps, then serve.

Sebastien ate most of the wrap- he loves vegetables! Etienne took a few bites and decided it wasn't for him. Matias just played with the wrap and cheese. But it doesn't matter, we had tons of fun and the kids learned a lot during their stint in the kitchen, and following how-to instructions from Jamie. I believe that our time together engaged in food regularly, whether it is discussing where food comes from, how to shop for fresh ingredients, getting them involved in the meal preparations and just having them try new foods and flavours will set them up for being food smart, curious and excited about what they eat and what they put into their bodies! And as a parent, I know I am doing my rightful duty to teach important culinary literacy to my children that will last a lifetime!

Thank you Jamie and your wonderful foundation for such a rewarding campaign that is impacting the world! I am with you on the hope that we can lead the next generation to a better tomorrow by giving them the empowering tools to take control and care of what and how they eat! The next few posts will showcase FRD2014 entries from you! Thank you for your submissions. Stay tuned!

Happy Food Revolution Day!

I'm waiting to get my kids from school so we can make the one and no other Rainbow Salad Wrap following Jamie's cooking lesson; I'll follow up on my next post. Just wanted to share some of my favourites on what other people, school's and organizations have already done around the world in honour of cooking and celebrating great food today!! From FRD#2014 social feed:

#frd2014 Bulgarian kids in Food revolution day! pic.twitter.com/0BLChy7AoT

Year five and the rest of the school at St Pius X , Chelmsford enjoying cooking!!
  #FRD2014 pic.twitter.com/bkhjzQ1ZBa

Eating RAINBOW PIZZA at St Johns Chapel Day Care 
@FoodRev #FRD2014 #FRDSouthAfrica 
"May the Vege be with you" pic.twitter.com/4dISWQc91T

Lots of excited kids cooking for #FRD2014 with our
  #Piccadilly team x pic.twitter.com/JIojQlwJj3

And they are finished! #FRD2014 @TheRoyalGazette
#Bermuda pic.twitter.com/TZkJOKQD9A

Susan's Crispy Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Raisin Cookies...

This huge event which Jamie Oliver and over 1000 Ambassadors around the world have been preparing for is finally upon us! To date, 114 countries and over 225,000 participants have signed up to cook something tomorrow- it is truly phenomenal and I am so happy to be part of it and now as one of the Ambassadors representing Toronto ongoing!

My kid's school will be taking part in some of the paper exercises provided on Jamie's site and as a token of gratitude for supporting me and this campaign, my kids and I baked up a few dozen cookies for the teachers and students, and it is also our way of contributing to the cause by cooking something and sharing it! These cookies are my kids all-time favourite! They are crispy, chewy and delicious!!

Susan's Crispy Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Raisin Cookies
Makes 30 cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups rolled large oats
1 cup dark chocolate chips (or use semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips)

1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine butter, both sugars in a large bowl, and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and well combined. Add egg and vanilla and beat until fully incorporated. 

 Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl and stir until well blended.

Add flour mixture into butter mixture and beat until fully combined. Add oats, chocolate chips, and raisins; stir with wooden spoon until just incorporated.

Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Place 3 inch apart on prepared baking sheets and flatten slightly with back of a spoon (cookies will spread).

Bake cookies for 13 to 15 minutes or until lightly golden at the edges. Let cool on baking sheets for five minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack(s).

Great Addition TIP: Add 1/2 cup raw, shelled sunflower seeds or 1/4 cup hemp seeds or ground flax seeds, and add with oats in step 4.

Cooking TIP: When you bake one sheet of cookies at a time, it ensures crisp and evenly browned edges. But you can bake two sheets at a time, just use the top and lower oven racks and switch positions halfway through baking.

I sent the cookies on two trays to each of my son's classes. I made sure I added the recipe as part of sharing it forward and hopefully they are so delicious someone will make up a batch or two- and share it forward as well!

Update: 40 children and five teachers participated!

Tomorrow it is! So wherever you are in the world, it's time to get cooking! Whether you're at school, home or work, there are plenty of ways you can celebrate great, fresh food, cooked from scratch – you could host a dinner party, cook with your kids or join Jamie's live cooking lesson online. Sign up on Food Revolution Day and tell us what you're doing via social media, using #FRD2014.     

See you back here tomorrow as my kids and I will be watching Jamie Oliver's cooking lesson and making the Food Revolution Day champion recipe Rainbow Salad Wrap.