March • 2022
FOOD HEROES & FEEL GOOD RECIPES
ABOVE: © UNSPLASH/BROOKE LARK | BELOW IMAGES: © GREENHOUSE
How to Eat For a Healthier Body and Planet It’s always nice when a win in one area of your life leads to another win—and that’s precisely what happens when you make eco-friendly food choices. Your body benefits from more nutritious meal ingredients, while the impact to the planet is minimized thanks to sustainable growing and production processes. The start of a new season is a great time to re-evaluate our lifestyle habits, including assessing the food we eat to make sure that we’re nourishing our bodies. Here are some tips to help you get started: RETHINK DIETING It can be tempting to hop on the dieting bandwagon and try out whatever is trendy (but not necessarily better for us). While
COOK MORE MEALS AT HOME Many of us grew tired of our own cooking during the pandemic, and with much of the world reopening, it’s been tempting to rely on takeout and restaurants more. But research shows that cooking at home is an effective way to improve GROW YOUR OWN diet quality, lose weight, and prevent diabetes. So, search PRODUCE GARDEN Long shipping distances contribute for some new nutrient-dense to higher carbon emissions, so the recipes you can cook yourself closer to home your food is grown, and get back in the kitchen. the better for the environment. CHOOSE SUSTAINABLE And what could be closer than your own backyard? Spinach, INGREDIENTS As you’re reassessing the strawberries, and bell peppers are some of the easier things to grow. If impact of your food on your you lack space, even growing your body, take some time to think herbs on a small windowsill can about the planet too. Look for food from local sources make a difference. Or check out a community garden. and companies with brands you may see fast results, studies show people who go on restrictive diets usually end up gaining more weight back than they lost over the long run. Instead, focus on making better choices every day, like choosing whole-grain bread versus muffins or having fruit for your midday snack.
that have strong sustainability practices, like Bimbo Canada, which offers high-quality yet affordable foods made with the simplest ingredients. The company behind bakery favourites like Dempster’s is committed to using 100 percent sustainable packaging and reducing food waste by 50 percent by 2025. INCORPORATE MORE WHOLE GRAINS While many of us grew up eating white bread at home, whole grains are the more nutritious alternative. In fact, whole and multi-grains are better sources of fibre and nutrients like iron, folate and selenium. Look for bagels, English muffins, and sliced breads in tasty wholegrain varieties.
CHOOSE SUSTAINABLE WINES It can be easy to focus on sustainable local produce and forget about the other items that go into a meal, like condiments and even wine. Many Canadian wineries lead the way with green processes, like using energyefficient lighting and capturing rainwater for reuse. Whether for drinking or cooking, do some digging to find a sustainable local vineyard for your wine. —NC GET IN YOUR GREENS WITH GREENHOUSE Kickstart your health and wellness journey with these mouth-watering recipes from Canadian organic beverage company Greenhouse, made from sustainable and healthy ingredients!
ZESTY ZA’ATAR TAHINI LATKES RECIPES BY ELENA MARI AND NATHAN LEGIEHN FOR GREENHOUSE
• 1 tbsp za’atar • Salt and pepper, to taste • Coconut oil for frying
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With a crispy exterior and a pillowy centre, there’s nothing quite like a perfectly pan-fried latke... especially with a touch of zesty Za’atar to take them up a notch. These latkes are the perfect bites to warm you up on a cold end-of-winter night. Serve with a small dish of coconut yogurt or plant-based sour cream for dipping, or top individually.
TOPPINGS:
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• Plain coconut yogurt, or plantbased sour cream • Za’atar • Lemon • Tahini • Roughly chopped dill • Salt and pepper, to taste
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Ingredients LATKES:
• 2 russet potatoes, shredded • ¼ onion, thinly sliced • 1 chia egg, or other egg alternative • 2 tbsp gluten-free flour or matzo meal
Directions 1 Begin by thinly slicing your onions and shredding the 7 potatoes, using a grater or a mandolin. 2 Next, take the shredded potatoes, place onto a tea towel, and squeeze hard to drain any excess liquid. This will help the latkes to crisp up nicely when frying. 3 Add all the shreddings and
remaining latke ingredients to a large bowl and mix well. Heat the coconut oil in a pan over medium heat. As the oil warms, begin creating individual latkes by forming the mixture into smallish balls and giving one last squeeze to eliminate any remaining moisture. Carefully place these into the pan, taking care not to overcrowd it. Fry the latkes until golden brown (around two to three minutes on each side), then transfer onto a paper towel to drain any excess oil. Serve with a dish of coconut yogurt (or sour cream), with a generous helping of za’atar, a squeeze of lemon, some roughly chopped dill, a spoonful of tahini, and salt and pepper. Alternatively, you can top latkes individually and serve.
FLUFFY BLENDER PANCAKES (V, GF) The only thing better than form, then flip the pancake breakfast in bed? Pancakes and cook the other side for in bed! about two minutes, or until This fluffy plant-based variety golden. Once cooked, remove from heat and pile on to a is sure to keep you cozy on plate. Repeat until your batter even the snowiest of mornings. is finished. What’s more, you can whip up 5 Decorate your pancake mounthe batter in a high-powered blender, so no fancy standing tain with your favourite topmixer—or gruelling arm pings. If you need a little workout—necessary. inspiration, give one of our recommendations below a try. The flapjacks are also incredibly versatile, meaning you can smother, sprinkle, FOR TOPPING: or drizzle with snowfalls of 1 Smother your stack with whatever toppings your heart warm almond butter, then desires. Get flippin’! sprinkle smashed frozen Ingredients raspberries, sliced strawberries, and chopped almonds • 2 cups gluten-free oats over the top for added sweetness and crunch. • 2 ripe bananas 2 Melt your favourite dairy• 1 ½ tsp baking powder free chocolate and drizzle • 1 chia egg (1 tbsp chia seeds + 2.5 tbsp water, whisked and over the pancakes. Next, refrigerated for 15 minutes; or add a handful of sliced egg alternative of your choice) bananas, a pour of maple • 1 ½ cups ALMONDMILK syrup, and more shavings of chocolate. Finish with a Directions Greenhouse Hangry Bites atop the stack. 1 Combine all ingredients in 3 Sprinkle a few melted frozen blueberries onto your blender. your pancakes. Next, spoon 2 Blend until your pancake batter reaches a consistency smoother a dollop of cardamom lemon than freshly fallen snow. yogurt onto the pile (simply 3 Gently heat a generous dollop stir together 2 tbsp of plain of coconut oil in a frying pan, plant-based yogurt with a and slowly ladle in the batter pinch of ground cardamom, for one flapjack from your the juice of half a lemon, blender until you reach your and half a teaspoon of maple desired pancake size. syrup), and add lemon zest for garnish. 4 Cook until bubbles begin to
ABOUT GREENHOUSE Greenhouse is a Canadian organic beverage company that’s making it easier to get your daily dose of healthy greens. With a wide range of cold-pressed juices, plant milks, lemonades, kombuchas, and more, all packaged in sustainable glass bottles, Greenhouse ensures healthy products of the highest quality. Drinking a big bottle of fruits and vegetables is an easy and efficient way to soak up nutritious, plant-based energy. Much of the produce used in Greenhouse juices are purchased directly from local, organic farms. They also prioritize “seconds,” which are the misshapen fruits and vegetables that often end up in landfills. Greenhouse sends the fibrous byproducts of their fruit and vegetable juices back to local farms, where it is used as compost to help new crops grow. Studies have also shown that chemicals used in plastic bottles (even the safest ones) can break down and filter into whatever liquid is being carried—especially when the bottle is exposed to heat or sunlight. That’s why Greenhouse chooses to bottle their delicious drinks in sustainable glass bottles over plastic ones. When producing drinks filled with healthy greens, as Greenhouse does, it just makes sense to package them in the healthiest way possible. Greenhouse now ships to Vancouver!
