Good Food News Archive - January 7, 2003

Article: Looking ahead to 2003
Featured this week... TOFU
Recipes: Vegetable stir-fry with tofu, Akemi's marinated tofu strips

Article : Looking ahead to 2003

The Good Food Box in 2003
This year, we plan on continuing to promote local and seasonal produce as much as possible. This becomes more difficult in the winter months when most of the surrounding areas are covered under many inches of snow, but we will try as much as possible to focus on local produce- this means carrots, onions, potatoes and other root vegetables. Farmers grew some unusal vegetables for us this past year. Some of you may remember the Cavalo Nero (the green leafy vegetable also known as Black Cabbage) grown for us by Sam and Ellen Bowman. Alvaro and Melanie of Plan B organics grew Candy Carrots a delicious treat in the organic boxes. This year we’ll ask the farmers for Okra and Belgian Endive.

We would like to see content sheets in every box so that you know exactly what you are getting. Some packing days are extremely busy and the volume of boxes we pack is high and we may miss the occasional contents list, but we are committed to providing one in every box.

We hope to spread the word about the Good Food Box program and find more customers in and around Toronto. You can help too. Get your friends to join your stop or start a stop of your own in your neighbourhood. If you know anyone who is interested, just get them to give us a call and we’ll point them in the right direction. (416-363-6441 ext 34)

In 2003, we plan on focussing more effort on volunteers. We will be holding monthly orientation sessions for new volunteers as well as a “refresher” orientation for existing volunteers. Many of you know about volunteering for packing day, but there are many other programs that require volunteers such as Urban Agriculture, the Foodlink Hotline, and Good Food Box presentations. If you’ve never volunteered at FoodShare before and are interested in checking it out, our first new volunteer orientation will be held on January 24th at 1 pm at the Field to Table Centre, 200 Eastern Avenue. Call Delsie at 416-363-6441 ext 34 to find out more or to confirm your attendance.
In the schools this year, we hope to start up more salad bars so students will have the choice of healthy and nutritious lunches rather than greasy fries and pop. There are currently four schools in the city that provide salad bars to their students.

With all our commitments and goals for 2003, we hope you’ll also try and eat locally as much as possible to support these farmers. Instead of grabbing those chips and pop, eat more fruits and vegetables. Be adventurous in your eating--try new things such as tofu (in your box this week) and other things you would not normally eat. Use your meal time as an opportunity to eat together rather than with the television. If you can’t eat something in your box, pass it on to someone who will rather than letting it go to waste or throwing it out. Finally, we hope you enjoy your weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly good food box. As usual, we welcome any comments or questions you may have over the coming year. Just give us a call.

Annual Farmers Meeting - January 17, 2003
This year, the annual farmers meeting will take place at Everdale Farm in Hillsburg for the organic farmers that supply us with produce for the Good Food Box. These farmers come together once a year to compare notes and stories on the previous growing season as well as plan for the upcoming year. The farmers will be presenting their environmental farm plans, Mary Lou will go over FoodShare’s purchasing and pricing policies for 2003, and other organic farming issues will be discussed such as the ceritification process and organic seeds.

Mary Lou welcomes any comments you would like her to pass along to the farmers. Is there a particular vegetable that you’d like to see in the box that you can’t find in the grocery store? Would you like to see how these farms work and go for a tour? Give us a call anytime before January 17th with any comments and ideas and we’ll be happy to tell the farmers.

Featured this week... TOFU

A lot of people fear tofu. Really, there is nothing to be afraid of. You have to try it. So this week, we are giving you the chance to experience the wonder food that is tofu-- inexpensive, low fat, highly nutritious and easy to cook. The flavour of tofu is mild-- it could be compared to a potato or cottage cheese-- but its texture is appealing (something like cheese), and it takes on the flavour of whatever it is cooked with.

From: www.tofu.com and www.soyfoods.com:
Tofu is made out of milk from the soybean, and is a food that is a staple of the diet in many Asian countries. Tofu is rich in high-quality protein-- protein that contains all eight essential amino acids. It is also a good source of B-vitamins and iron. Recent research has been showing soy to be a “superfood” with many health benefits: for example, a soy component called “isoflavones” appears to reduce the risk of cancer. More research needs to be done to determine exactly how isoflavones work, but it appears that as little as one serving of soyfoods a day may be enough to obtain the benefits of this anticancer phytochemical. The US Food and Drug Administration has also recently approved the claim that soy foods help to reduce heart disease by lowering cholesterol.

There are two broad categories of tofu, firm tofu and soft (or silken) tofu. Firm tofu is the more versatile of the two varieties. Silken tofu is best eaten raw or used in soups, most notably miso soup. Silken tofu does not stir fry well.

Tofu is like a dairy product in that it must be refrigerated and has a short shelf life. It is normally sold in plastic tubs, immersed in water. The water should be poured off, the tofu rinsed and patted dry before using. To store in the fridge, immerse in water again, change water every day or so, and eat within a week. Our tofu was made from Ontario soya beans, made and packed in Scarborogh.

A few tips to use tofu:
- Give plain, raw chunks of tofu to kids - they like it!
- Add chunks of firm tofu to soups and stews.
- Mix crumbled tofu into a meatloaf
- Mash tofu with cottage cheese and seasoning or with eggs, onion and mayonnaise to make sandwich spreads
- Create your own tofu burgers with mashed tofu, bread crumbs, chopped onion and your favorite seasonings.

For SILKEN Tofu (soft tofu - not the kind you’re getting):
- Replace all or part of the cream in creamed soups with silken tofu.
- Substitute pureed silken tofu for part of the mayonnaise, sour cream, cream cheese or ricotta cheese in a recipe. Use it in dips and creamy salad dressings.
- Stir silken tofu into sour cream for a reduced-fat baked potato topper.

Recipes:

Vegetable Stir-Fry with Tofu

6 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces firm tofu, well drained, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound fresh mushrooms, stems trimmed, caps sliced
2 cups broccoli florets
2 bell peppers (green or red) cut into strips
1/2 cup snow peas
1/2 cup onion diced
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in large non-stick skillet or wok over HIGH heat. Add tofu and stir gently until it starts to brown around the edges, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer tofu to bowl. Add 3 tablespoons oil, ginger and garlic to skillet and stir for 1 minute. Add mushrooms; stir-fry until tender and golden around edges, about 5 minutes. Add broccoli, bell peppers, snow peas and onion and stir-fry until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Return tofu to skillet and stir it to the mix. Stir in soy sauce and sesame oil and let simmer for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to large bowl and serve.
recipe modifed from www.epicurious.com

Akemi’s Marinated Tofu Strips

This simple and tasty recipe from Akemi Kobayashi, our kitchen manager is a favourite around here.
Squeeze tofu in paper towels to remove any excess water. Cut firm tofu into strips--about 1/2 inch thick, one inch wide and 2-1/2 inches long. Marinate the strips in a mixture of vegetable oil, soy suace or tamari, minced garlic and ginger and a dash of sesame oil (optional). Strips can be baked or fried in a non-stick pan. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds over top for an added touch.