Sharing Recipes: Sunshine Salad

The Erie Beach Hotel in Port Dover has a luncheon special which includes fresh perch and a portable salad bar. Before leaving, each patron is given a small pamphlet with six of their salad recipes.

I liked the sunshine or orange mandarin salad. This light and delicious salad is easy to prepare and involves a handful of ingredients.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

4 cups sour cream
500 grams miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 tin of pineapple chunks
2 small tins of mandarin oranges

Procedure

• Combine the sour cream, marshmallows and coconut in a large salad bowl.
• Drain all the liquid from the pineapple chunks and mandarin oranges.
• Add to the sour cream mixture.
• Chill and let it stand for a few hours.
  

All About Seafood

When I visited Halifax a couple of months ago, I attended the annual Seafood Festival at the Cunard Center on the waterfront. In addition to feasting on seafood and wine, I also sat in on Leslie Beck's presentation: Seafood: Why it's good for your health. Leslie Beck is one of Canada's leading nutritionists and writes a weekly column in the Globe and Mail.

Here are a few highlights...

• The average Canadian eats only 2/3 of a fish serving per week.
• 50% of all North Americans do not eat any fish.
• Beck recommends that we eat two servings of fish, especially fatty fish twice a week. That can reduce the risk of dying from heart disease by 36%.
• Studies have shown that older adults who eat fish once a week are 60% less likely to develop Alzheimer's Disease.
• Cook fish at a high temperature (400 degrees Fahrenheit) for a short period of time.

Beck also pointed out the four most common excuses that people give for not eating fish:

1. I can't get the rest of my family to eat fish.
2. I don't know how to cook fish.
3. Cooking fish makes that house smell.
4. Buying fresh fish is inconvenient.

Sharing Recipes--Donna's Beer Muffins

This is the weekend for all beer lovers to head out to the C.N.E Bandshell in Toronto. The Toronto Beer Festival will be in full swing until Sunday, August 8th.

According to Global News, there will be hundreds of different beers and a variety of beer-infused, barbecued foods to sample. I have decided to offer my own contribution to all the beer lovers out there.


Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
5 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp white sugar
1 bottle beer
butter
grated cheese

Procedure

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Place the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a bowl.
• Add the beer and stir to blend.
• Spoon into greased muffin tins and brush the tops with butter.
• Sprinkle a bit of grated cheese on each muffin.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Makes 9 large muffins

Source--Muffin Mania by Cathy Prange & Jan Pauli

Sharing Recipes--Blueberry Loaf

Enjoy this quick and easy-to-make loaf throughout the day. Have a piece with yogurt for breakfast or save it for a snack later in the day.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Procedure

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl.
• In a separate bowl, cream together the sugar and margarine
• Beat in the eggs, milk and vanilla.
• Add the flour mixture to the cream mixture.
• Fold in the blueberries.
• Pour into a greased loaf pan.
• Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
• Cool for 15 minutes before removing the loaf from the pan.
  

Better Teeth

Over the years, I have experienced a number of dental problems and, as a result, have a few crowns and missing back teeth. I do not enjoy going to the dentist, but I visit him regularly, floss, and use Sensodyne toothpaste.

In a recent column, Dr. Oz provided a few additional ways of protecting our teeth and gums from decay and infection.

• Use tap water instead of bottled water. The former has more enamel-protecting fluoride than store-bought water.

• Eat apples and celery; both contain substances that fight gum disease.

• Low-fat yogurt is good for our gums. Japanese researchers fond that people who eat about two ounces of sugar-free yogurt a day are less likely to have severe gum disease.

• Avoid pop and sports drinks. The acid in these drinks erodes tooth enamel.
  

• Consider diet cranberry juice. There are ingredients in cranberries which keep cavity-causing bacteria from sticking to teeth and also inhibit the inflammation of gum disease.
  

Sharing Recipes--Peanut Butter and Jam Muffins

These moist and peanut buttery muffins are perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack.

Enjoy!


Ingredients

1 egg
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp strawberry jam
2 tbs smooth peanut butter

Procedure

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Use a wire whisk to beat the egg, 1 cup peanut butter, and oil in a large bowl.
• Add the sugar and mix well.
• Gradually add the milk.
• In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to the peanut butter mixture and stir until moistened.
• Spoon enough batter into each of 12 paper-lined muffin cups to cover the bottom of the cup.
• Spoon the jam and remaining peanut butter into each of the cups.
• Cover evenly with the remaining batter.
• Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Makes 12 muffins

Nutrtiton at Tim Hortons

While travelling up to Northern Ontario, I like to stop at one of the many Tim Hortons along the way. I was happy to learn that a Nutrition Guide is now available at these popular eating places.

A detailed chart provides information on the serving size, calories, protein, fat, and vitamin content of the different snacks and baked goods. I also liked the following helpful hints:

• Try a soup that is low in fat like Chicken Noodle.
• Low Fat muffins contain only 2.5 grams of fat.
• Any size Iced Cappuccino made with milk or chocolate milk contains less than 2.5 grams of fat.
• Bran and whole wheat muffins are high in fibre.
• Yogurt and berries is a source of calcium.
• Order a Breakfast Sandwich on a low-fat bagel like Wheat 'N Honey.
• Three filled or yeast Timbits contain fewer than 200 calories.
• Try 2% milk or 1% chocolate milk instead of cream in your beverage.

Source: Tim Hortons Nutrition Guide