Supergrain is the new superfood?

We subscribe to a number of journals here at The Mansfield, some foodie, some healthy, some a bit of both. I guess Men's Health falls into both categories, and like most of the magazines can be a bit hit and miss. This month's edition, with Lance Armstrong on the front cover, is a bit of a hit if not just for the following letter that was sent into Dr Bob. Someone wrote in and asked what was the fuss about a grain called chia, which is a form of the grain called salba? It turns out that this new grain has been around a while. The Aztecs prized it more highly than gold, and it is being hailed as a nutrient-dense super seed with remarkable levels of nutrition.

The University of Toronto have found that 100 grams of salba will yield 70% of your daily requirement of calcium and 50% of your iron requirement.

It also contains 10 times more magnesium than milk, 25% more fiber than flaxseed, twice the potassium of bananas, 30% more antioxidants than strawberries, and 50% more vegetable protein than soybeans.

Dr Bob said that by adding the grain, it looks like little poppy seeds but has a mildly nutty taste, he lost 7 pounds in just a month by incorporating it into his diet.

We bought a 1lb container of 'Ultimate Chia' from Whole Foods for just under $20 and will be adding it to our diets this week. We'll let you know how we get on with it!

Check Out My Widgets

Feel free to browse around this blog. I've set up some RSS feeds, which basically means that the site will update itself without me having to do much.

On the left of the page there's a link to recipes for foods that are in season. It's a UK site but their seasons seem to be pretty much in line with ours.

At the bottom of the page there are links to Nigel Slater's recipes. He's a great English chef who is so passionate about his food. I have a number of his books that are as good a read as they are a source of great recipes.

Below Nigel there is a link to the English newspaper The Telegraph. That features up to date recipes and then Jamie Oliver's link below that has daily videos. Check out his video for bbq red mullet. I'm looking forward to trying out that simple recipe.

There are also links to Whole Foods in Schaumburg (where I got Krista the florist to put together a bouquet for my 2nd wedding anniversary). It details what events they have coming up in their classroom. The Chicago Magazine link is foodie information for the city. There are food stories plus restaurant reviews.

Finally, below that there is a diary scheduling various food related stuff. It will have details of Farmers Markets that are in town, plus anything else that I think might be of interest. Coming on Monday 31st is the launch of another food TV channel that is a spin off from the Food Network.

How To Pick A Fish

I feel guilty whenever I sneak a snack that isn't particularly healthy, but I feel even more guilty when I get the monthly magazine that comes in association with my gym membership. Guilty because I receive that magazine more frequently than I actually attend the gym! I figure that if I read the magazine then I'll feel less guilty and that I'm actually using part of my membership...as I read while eating another of those snacks.
This months copy of "Experience Life" ran two great articles about sustainable fish. The decision to buy fish ethically, and support a more sustainable seafood industry just got easier due to a new free phone app from Monterey Bay Aquarium. Once you have chosen your location it then tells you which fish you can absolutely, always eat, and which fish fall into the no, never category. You can then look at in depth information about each fish, it's history, and why it is considered a good or bad choice to choose it.
The same magazine also reported on Greenpeace's third annual Carting Away the Oceans seafood-sustainability list. Supermarkets were rated on their sourcing, labeling and sustainability initiatives. Wegmans, a regional grocery chain in the mid-Atlantic topped the list. Whole Foods came in 3rd, Target was 4th, Walmart was 7th. Trader Joe's came in at 17th out of 20 due to the fact that it stocks several 'red list' endangered seafood items.

If you can, check out the phone app. It's very good, I'll definitely be using it next time I'm buying fish. I've got a number of food related apps on my phone but would welcome suggestions regarding new ones to try out.

It Doesn't Get Much Fresher

This weekend we made our first collection of produce from Village Organics in Elk Grove Village. I found Carolyn Dickson's site while looking on www.localharvest.com. Two years ago Carolyn turned her garden into an organic garden, growing seasonal produce for her family and the community. She believes that quality organic produce should be available to everyone at an affordable price. Her vegetables are grown without chemical pest control and synthetic fertilizers. Her organic methods include crop rotation, composting, vermiculture(worm composting), use of beneficial insects, and companion planting.
So we collected Kale, heirloom lettuce, arugula (rocket!), broccoli raab and podded peas and were VERY impressed with the quality of the produce! Last night, in a hurry to use at least one of these, we made pizza. Wholewheat bases, organic pizza sauce from Trader Joes, cheese, sausage from the farmers market and fresh arugula and basil on top. Very nice.

Twenty Dollar Salmon

Do you want to know what Whole Foods $20 per pound salmon tastes like? Well, it tastes like $20 of salmon in the same way that a $4 frozen salmon steak from Caputos tastes just like a $4 salmon steak. I guess you get what you pay for, and if you're paying for line caught, natural, no additives or coloring salmon then be prepared to pay top dollar for it.

We cooked our salmon simply at The Mansfield tonight. Lightly seasoned, fresh chopped dill on top and then grilled. Great flavors....and no fishy smells in the house. The coloring of the fish was amazing. If salmon is naturally this pink, why do we need to pump them full of coloring? Oh yeah, it's because they farm them, feed them corn, and make them swim in such constricted environments that they get to pass disease back and forth.

As asparagus is in season for the next few months we also had some fresh Michigan asparagus ($2 per pound). Again, simply seasoned, drizzled with olive oil and grilled.

Total cost: $22 for 2 people.

With asparagus being in season I'm looking forward to trying one of Nigel Slater's recipes. He combines pilaf rice with asparagus, broad beans and mint. He seasons this with cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, thyme and parley. As soon as I cook this treat up I'll post the recipe on the blog.

Farmers Markets in the Northwest Suburbs

Here is a list of the Farmers Markets that are out in the Northwest suburbs, so basically the ones that are closest to where we live. Oh, plus I added Libertyville as that's closest to work.

NORTHWEST SUBURBS

Algonquin. Municipal parking lot, Washington and Harrison. 1-7 p.m. Thursdays, May 20-Sept. 30. (847) 458-9779.

Arlington Heights. Village parking lot Vail and Fremont. 7:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Saturdays, June 19-Oct. 23. (847) 421-1860.

Barrington. South Cook Street and Lake Cook Road. 2-7 p.m. Thursdays, June 17-Oct. 21. (847) 382-3829.

Bartlett. Bartlett Town Center, Railroad Avenue and Main Street. 2-6 p.m. Fridays, June 4-Sept. 10. (630) 837-0800.

Crystal Lake. Depot Park, Woodstock and Williams. 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays, June 5-Oct. 9. (815) 479-0835.

East Dundee. Dundee Township Tourist Center, 319 N. River St. 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays through Oct. 30. (847) 742-3432.

Elk Grove Village. Biesterfield and Wellington. 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesdays, June 2-Sept. 29. (847) 437-9494.

Libertyville. On Church, between Milwaukee and Brainard. 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursdays, June 24-Oct. 21. (847) 680-0336.

Palatine. Train station parking lot, Wood and Smith. 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays, through Oct. 30. (847) 358-1649.

Park Ridge. Prairie and Garden. 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays, May 29-Oct. 30. (847) 318-5217.

Schaumburg. Parking lot at American Indian Center, 190 S. Roselle Road. 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Fridays, June 11-Oct. 29. (847) 923-3855.

Woodstock. Historic Woodstock Square, 101 Johnson St. 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Oct. 19, Saturdays through Oct. 23. (815) 338-2436.

Foods in Season

I took this information from the May 12th Chicago Sun-Times article "2010 Farmers Market Guide". I figure that it will be useful in the months ahead to allow us to know what to expect from our local farmers market and also to plan meals at The Mansfield. If we can eat seasonally from local producers then we are one step closer to achieving our aim.

What's in season

MAY Asparagus, greens, herbs, leaf lettuce, pod peas, radishes, rhubarb, spinach, strawberries, watercress

JUNE Asparagus, green beans, greens, herbs, lettuce, mushrooms, pea pods, pod peas, radishes, rhubarb, snap peas, spinach, strawberries

JULY Beets, blackberries, blueberries, bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, sweet and sour cherries, corn, cucumbers, red currants, eggplant, fava beans, fennel, garlic, green beans, greens, herbs, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, lima beans, muskmelon, okra, onions, parsnips, peaches, pears, peppers, potatoes, radishes, raspberries, shell beans, spinach, summer apples, summer squash, tomatoes, turnips, watermelon

AUGUST Beets, blackberries, blueberries, bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, fava beans, fennel, garlic, green beans, greens, herbs, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, lima beans, muskmelon, okra, onions, parsnips, peaches, pears, peppers, potatoes, shell beans, summer apples, summer squash, tomatoes, turnips, watermelon

SEPTEMBER Apples, beets, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, corn, cranberries, cucumbers, eggplant, grapes, green beans, greens, herbs, leeks, lettuce, lima beans, onions, parsnips, pears, peppers, plums, potatoes, pumpkins, raspberries, summer and winter squash, tomatoes, turnips, watermelon

OCTOBER Apple cider, apples, beets, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, cranberries, dried beans, greens, leeks, onions, pears, potatoes, pumpkins, turnips, winter squash

Greener Days Ahead

Well I suppose it would come to this eventually. First came the TV chefs telling us how to cook healthily at home. Then came the glut of cook books telling us how to eat seasonally, ethically, morally and cheaply. I'm not too sure if ALL four can be achieved at the same time, but we'll see over the months ahead. Food Inc, Jamie's Food Revolution, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's BBC show, local farmers markets, heirloom seeds, CSA's, and a new Whole Foods store in town means that it is now much easier to eat a better diet.
I'll be using this blog to track what we eat at 'The Mansfield', as our house has now been christened by the many friends that have joined us for food and drink. If we keep a log of what we eat, how much it costs, where we sourced the food etc maybe we can share this information with others?