FOOD HEROES & FEEL GOOD RECIPES
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Take Game Night to the Next Level
uper Bowl LVI takes place on Sunday, February 13, at California’s SoFi Stadium. The game will be a face-off between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams, with a star-studded halftime show including stars like Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar. While there’s no way to make sure your team will take home the win, you can be sure that your Superbowl party will have the ultimate spread. Once the game is on, your friends are gathered, and the drinks are poured, there’s just one more thing to bring out—the food! Put down the food delivery apps and level up your snack game for matchday with this amazing seven-layer dip recipe. This healthy, colourful snack combines creamy avocados from Mexico, beet hummus, fresh salmon, crunchy vegetables, and a hint of jalapeño—just enough to spice things up. It’s easy to make and even easier to clean up. For sports fans who love the classics, try a Mexican twist on a favourite French-Canadian comfort food with a veggie-infused poutine recipe. This veggie-infused Mexican take on poutine combines the spicy flavours of Latin American with the taste of Canadian comfort. THE ULTIMATE SEVEN-LAYER DIP
PREP TIME: 30 MINUTES COOK TIME: 0 MINUTES SERVES: 6 TO 8
Ingredients • • • • • • • • •
February • 2022
3 tomatoes, diced ¼ jalapeño, chopped 2 green onions, minced 60 mL (¼ cup) coarsely chopped fresh cilantro 4 avocados from Mexico, peeled and pitted 1 garlic clove, chopped Juice of one lime 500 mL (2 cups) beet hummus 375 mL (1 ½ cups) storebought roasted peppers, chopped
• 2 mini cucumbers, sliced into thin rounds • 300 g (2/3 lb.) hot-smoked salmon, shredded • fresh chervil leaves for garnish • salt and pepper • crackers, sliced baguette and endive leaves for dipping Directions 1 In a bowl, mix tomatoes with jalapeño, green onions, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper and set aside; drain
any excess liquid. 2 In another bowl, use a fork to mash avocados from Mexico with garlic and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. 3 Pour beet hummus into a bowl of approximately 1.5 litres. Add in layers: tomato mixture, guacamole, roasted peppers, sliced cucumber, cilantro, and smoked salmon. Top with chervil leaves and serve with crackers, baguette bread, and endives.
MEXI-CANADIAN POUTINE WITH VEGGIES AND AVOCADOS
PREP TIME: 30 MINUTES COOK TIME: 20 – 25 MINUTES SERVES: 4
Ingredients:
peeled, pitted and cubed • 2 shallots, minced VEGETABLE STICKS • 2 tbsp (30 mL) cilantro, • 1 sweet potato, peeled, cut into roughly chopped sticks • 1 turnip, peeled, cut into sticks Directions: • 3 parsnips, peeled, cut into sticks • 3 carrots, peeled, cut into sticks 1 Heat oven to 180°C/375°F. • splash of canola oil 2 Mix vegetable sticks in a • salt and pepper, to taste bowl with oil, salt, and pepper. Place on a baking sheet SAUCE lined with parchment paper • 1 cup (250 mL) ready-made and cook on centre rack for poutine sauce 20 to 25 minutes. • 2 tbsp (30 mL) tomato paste 3 Add sauce ingredients to a pan • 2 tsp (10 mL) Worcestershire and cook over medium-low sauce heat for 10 minutes. Set aside. • 1 tbsp (15 mL) hot sauce (such 4 When vegetables are done, as Valentina, Red Hot, etc.) put roasted vegetables, • 1 tsp (5 mL) cumin seeds cheese curds, roasted peppers, grilled corn, and avPOUTINE ocado from Mexico cubes • kernels from two grilled ears of on a serving platter (or four corn individual plates). Top with • 2 grilled peppers, diced shallots and cilantro. Drizzle • 1 ½ cups (375 mL) cheese curds with sauce before serving. • 2 avocados from Mexico, —NC
© JASON TROTT - JTROTTPHOTO.COM
In South Africa, a Zero-Waste Food Bus Hopes to Drive Away Hunger sustainable solutions around food,” said Stein, from her offices in Victoria Yards, a former When Sidney Beukes got his bus driver’s licence, he never imagined laundry factory in inner-city Johannesburg that now houses himself behind the wheel of a art studios, community vegetable 40-year-old school bus-turnedmobile grocery store serving low- gardens and a clinic. Stein and her team removed income residents of Johannesburg. The bus is not an easy drive: the bus’s seats to make way for there is no power steering, and cupboards and shelves to stack the it chugs along. But Beukes said fresh vegetables, beans, spices, and every time a customer climbs cereals. Within 90 days of buying the old bus, it was reborn as a aboard to buy groceries they mobile grocery store. could not afford in the shops, he is reminded of why he would Three days a week, the not want to drive anything else. bus parks in different city “We’re here for them, when neighbourhoods where the people are stuck without food team tells customers what and it’s been a tough month ... the project aims to achieve, it makes me happy to see them encouraging shoppers to bring happy,” said Beukes, 24, standing their own containers to reduce next to the gleaming white bus in plastic waste. the South African city’s workingclass Bertrams area. ‘MAKING CHANGE’ The Skhaftin bus—named Hunger is a pressing problem after a local slang word meaning in the inner city, where many lunchbox—was born at the start families are made up of unemployed migrant workers and of the coronavirus pandemic, when activist Ilka Stein appealed refugees crammed together in on social media for social rooms and living hand-to-mouth. entrepreneurs to brainstorm ideas Pollution is another challenge, to help the community. with residents complaining “I knew I wanted to look at about inadequate waste disposal KIM HARRISBERG
and collection that can lead to mounds of trash collecting on streets and in parks. In the wealthier northern suburbs of Johannesburg, shops like The Unwrapped Co. are pioneering zero-waste consumerism, encouraging shoppers to reuse glass jars and containers when buying food in bulk. Desiree Ngcukana said she goes to the Skhaftin every week
because it is “fresh, clean, and affordable.” The second-hand clothes seller said it helped her save money because she did not have to travel to a shopping mall to stock up on groceries. “If you have 50 rand here, it goes much further than in the shops. I’m not going to bed hungry,” she said. Some people are still reluctant to board the bus, saying
SANELE MSIBI ASSISTS A CUSTOMER INSIDE THE SKHAFTIN BUS © THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION/KIM HARRISBERG
they think it “looks too nice for them,” Stein said. “This broke my heart,” sighed Stein, who hopes with time the community will realize the bus is open to everyone, even if they only have a few rand in their pocket. For now, Stein is funding the Skhaftin through her consultancy company, but hopes it becomes self-supporting soon. The city has applauded her efforts. “The city of Johannesburg welcomes, encourages, and supports any initiative that is meant to alleviate and mitigate against food insecurity,” said Nthatisi Modingoane, the city’s spokesman, in emailed comments. He added that the city was supporting small-scale farmers by providing cold storage facilities, electricity, water, seeds, farming equipment, and training programs to help tackle hunger. Stein hopes others will copy her idea and take it to schools, townships, and villages. “I don’t want to build an empire. I want copycats to take this concept wherever it’s needed,” she said. —Reuters ADVERTORIAL
Le Bergeron Classique Smoked Light: Half the Fat, Naturally Smoked! For over 80 years, the Bergerons have been producing high-quality cheese using milk supplied by local farmers. Although the cheese factory has been passed down through generations of Bergerons, one thing has stayed the same: the passion and care that goes into every bite. Fr o m a g e r i e B e r g e r o n , founded in 1989, brings the Bergeron expertise into the future. Starting with the original Dutch recipe for Gouda, they developed a unique and distinctive “Bergeron’’ taste and quickly established themselves as the Canadian Gouda Masters. Inspired by the success of the Bergeron Classique Gouda, the family took their innovation further. They created a cheese made with partially skimmed milk, a cumin-flavoured cheese, a naturally-smoked cheese and even a washed-rind cheese, the acclaimed Fin Renard.
Today, the fourth generation of Bergeron’s are continuing the legacy of Fromagerie Bergeron, w i t h i n n ova t i ve re c i p e s like Le Bergeron Classique Smoked Light Cheese-Stuffed Brochettes, a delicious addition to your family dinners! Le Bergeron Classique Smoked Light is a smoked firm ripened cheese made with partly skimmed pasteurized cow’s milk and a chestnut-coloured, edible
rind. Cold-smoked over natural wood, Le Bergeron Classique Smoked Light is lactose-free and has a roasted, well-balanced flavour that doesn’t overwhelm the slight tanginess of the cheese. Le Bergeron Classique Smoked Light pairs perfectly with apples in a unique and tasty grilled cheese and works as a delightful finish to any meal. Invite the Bergerons over for dinner!
LE BERGERON CLASSIQUE SMOKED LIGHT CHEESE-STUFFED BROCHETTES Directions
PREPARATION: 15 MINUTES MARINATING: 1 HOUR COOKING TIME: 2 MINUTES PER BROCHETTE
Ingredients • • • • •
PHOTO COURTESY OF FROMAGERIE BERGERON
2 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp honey 1 tsp grated ginger 1 tsp garlic a few wedges of Le Bergeron Classique Smoked Light cheese • about 300 g of beef fondue • wooden skewers
1 Whisk all ingredients in a bowl and stir in meat to be well coated with the marinade. Refrigerate for one hour. 2 Cut Le Bergeron Classique Smoked Light cheese wedges into strips. 3 Assemble the brochettes by skewering a strip of cheese coated with a few slices of beef fondue. Repeat until all the meat is used. Remember, it’s worth it! 4 Grill over medium heat for one minute on each side or until cheese is melted. 5 Serve with spicy mayonnaise or the sauce of your choice. Find more recipes at fromagesbergeron.com/ en/recipes
