Celeriac, turnip, Swedish turnip, parsnip, Jerusalem artichoke… so many root vegetables that were once an important part of our daily diet but have now sunk into oblivion. Why were these wonderful vegetables neglected? Firstly, because of urbanization, which has led to the progressive abandonment of vegetable gardens.

Next, because of the attraction for exotic vegetables. Finally, because the industry favors vegetables that are graded, good-looking and shiny, but insipid to taste. However, root vegetables have already made a remarkable comeback in restaurant menus, because according to all the experts, not only are these vegetables tasty, but they also have a high nutritional value.

Moreover, they are cheap and can be found in the grocery stores, all year round. So let us rediscover the ancient flavors, by adding root vegetables to our soups and stews, by roasting them or making them into purées or by simply eating them raw in salads. I am proposing them to you here in 5 different combinations. Happy reunion!

A few of our recipes that feature root vegetables:

• Cheese-Topped Carrots and Parsnips
• Cod with Mushrooms and Celeriac
• Greek-Style Roasted Vegetables
• Root Vegetable Soup with Dill
• Rutabaga and Potato Gratin with Oregano

It’s the start of another academic year. Five days a week until the Christmas break, many of us will be haunted by this eternal question: What do I put in the lunch box?

The best way of avoiding the monotony that is bound to set in, is to plan the weekly menu in advance, by infusing these meals with a second life.

For example, you can convert the remains of a chicken dinner, either into a sandwich with a baguette and roasted peppers, or into a salad, by adding lettuce, tomatoes and a Parmesan vinaigrette.

And for another super-quick lunch, prepare a double quantity of a salad meal. So let’s celebrate going back to school and to work!

A few of our lunch box recipes:

• Italian Meatballs
• Meatloaf
• Oven-Baked “Fried” Drumsticks
• Singapore Noodles
• Tuna and Navy Bean Salad

The hot summer days are becoming numbered and vacations are drawing to an end. One way of letting the summer mood linger, is to consume autumn strawberries and raspberries. Late varieties of these tiny delights are now ‘reddening’ the fields right up to the first severe autumn frost, sometime in mid-October.

Surprised? You should be! It is thanks to new varieties introduced during the two last decades, and to new technologies, that producers have succeeded in occupying such an important place in the market. In fact, did you know that Quebec is the leading producer of small fruits in Canada? And, if the weather permits, we may be heading for a record this year also.

Autumn strawberries mostly originate from the ‘Seascape’ variety and are very sweet, lasting much longer than summer strawberries once picked. As for raspberries, the ‘Pathfinder’ cultivar (cultivated variety) is the most common, being very tasty but a little more fragile than its summer cousin.

Whatever be the case, these berries taste succulent in desserts and even in salads. Finally the ‘icing on the cake’ is that they are especially rich in antioxidants. Hats off to our producers!

Try our recipe for Sugared Berries

Another school year will start soon, and along with it, packed lunches and sandwiches. I propose that we replace the perpetual ham and cheese sandwich this year with a «pan bagnat», a traditional sandwich from Nice, in the Côte d’Azur. It refers to bread that has been soaked in olive oil.

This snack that fishermen initially used to take out to sea, is made up of simple and inexpensive ingredients. Tuna has now replaced anchovies, which were earlier used in the filling.

As a matter of fact, in the beginning of the 20th century, tuna was considered to be a more expensive fish than the more popular anchovy. The recipe with tuna is therefore the «richer» variation of «pan bagnat». It is a full meal in itself, as it is very affordable and quick and easy to make.

Try our recipe for Pan Bagnat

Right from the beginning of SOS Cuisine, our goal was to develop a solution that would translate the latest nutritional recommendations into simple meal plans that would take the guesswork out of eating healthy. The type 2 diabetes Meal Plans that we are announcing today are the tangible results of this vision and the first in a series of specialised meal plans that we shall be progressively introducing in the coming months.

Our plan includes other meal plans for health concerns, such as irritable bowel syndrome, gastro-esophageal reflux, cancer prevention, and many others. We are also developing tailor-made meal plans for pregnancy, breast-feeding, menopause, and for a host of other situations like weight loss, fitness training, etc. All this is possible thanks to the expertise and technology that we have been developing since we started in 2004. These, however, will be the topic of another article, because today, I want to talk to you about diabetic meal plans. (continued below)

We had the privilege of working closely with McGill University, within the framework of a clinical research project that was partly financed by Diabetes Quebec, which was selected as one of their most commendable projects. Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta and Dr. Réjeanne Gougeon were the two main researchers involved in this project.
The project consisted in proposing specialised menus over a period of 6 months to 35 people with type 2 diabetes. These meal plans had to respect not only the specific prescriptions drawn up for each participant by a nutritionist during an initial consultation, but also all the nutritional recommendations of the Canadian Diabetes Association. And of course, it goes without saying that the menus had to taste delicious.

Several readings (weight, blood sugar, etc.) of each participant were taken at the beginning and end of the 6 months, to highlight the expected improvements. The researchers have yet to compile the official results, but the preliminary findings indicate that the people who followed our menus did lose weight and their blood sugar levels reduced and stabilised.

Throughout the project, we had a lot of interaction with participants who voluntarily communicated with us. This allowed us to learn about the difficulties faced by people with diabetes and the importance of individual food habits and preferences.

All the participants’ menus were created from SOS Cuisine recipes that are featured on our site. In fact, the secret of preparing food for people with diabetes lies in the daily and weekly choices and pattern of recipes, what they eat throughout the day, and how their daily and weekly diets fits within the recommendations.

Creating weekly meal plans are the only effective way to ensure that all the necessary recommendations are met. And a healthy meal plan benefits you and your family, so everyone can take part in this healthy eating plan. This way, the person with diabetes is supported and no longer alone.

With the launch of our diabetic meal plans, the fruits of all our hard labour are now available to everyone, highlighting yet again our ‘mantra’: Eating well, made easy

Share your story with us and let us know how important eating healthy is for you.

Or, let us know what you think our next meal plan should be? IBS, gastro reflux, weight loss, etc.

Many studies have shown that consumption of fresh or processed tomatoes is linked to a reduction in the risk of certain cancers, especially prostate. This preventive quality can be credited to the lycopene content in tomatoes. This antioxidant, which belongs to the large family of carotenoids is also responsible for the tomato’s red color. Our bodies are known to better absorb lycopene, when the tomato has been cooked in oil.

So this is another why you should prepare a variety of dishes containing tomatoes and also lay in a stock of reserves before the summer finishes. But don’t worry, I’m not about to suggest that you toil for many hours just to make preserves! My trick is to make tomato purée reserves, which can be perfectly preserved for many months in the freezer.

All you have to do is to get some nicely ripened Italian tomatoes, cut them in half and cook them for about ten minutes in a little bit of water and salt, until they become tender. Next, purée the tomatoes by passing them through a food mill to remove the skin and seeds. Put the purée back into the cooking pot and simmer over medium-low heat, uncovered for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the volume has reduced to about one third of the original volume and the purée has reached the consistency of a sauce. Let it cool down, then transfer it into small containers and freeze.

Personally, I make enough of this fresh tomato base to last the entire year. I use it in any recipe that requires diced or canned tomatoes.

Try our recipe for Fresh Tomato Base

Green onions, scallions, shallots… What do you call these aromatic plants that belong to the same large family of approximately 500 plants, the best known of which are onions, leeks, garlic and chives?

But it shouldn’t be hard to distinguish between shallots and scallions.

scallions

It is widely believed that the green onion – from the species ‘Allium fistulosum’ - comes from northern China and it was probably domesticated at the start of the Christian era.

shallots

Legend has it the Crusaders discovered shallots in this place and they brought it back with them.

A few of our recipes that feature shallots:

• Coq au Vin Blanc
• Grilled Chicken in Coconut Milk with Spices
• Sautéed Mushrooms with Shallot
• Spinach Soup with Shallots

A few of our recipes that feature scallions:

• Baked Potatoes
• Miso Broth
• Quinoa Salad with Chicken
• Vegetable Fritters

No one knows the exact origin of the word «gazpacho», which is a cold tomato soup. Many believe that it derives from the Mozarabic word «caspa», meaning fragments or remnants of food.

The people of Andalusia in Southern Spain used fill a clay pot with stale bread, vinegar, water, oil, garlic, and other seasonings, before wrapping it with a wet towel and leaving it out in the sun.

When the towel was dry, the food was ready. Nowadays people say that there are as many «gazpacho» recipes as there are families in Spain. The secret of a good «gazpacho» is really very simple: it lies in selecting the sweetest, ripest (preferably vine-ripened), and the best quality tomatoes.

Try our recipe for Gazpacho

Vegetable soup with pistou, which is almost a meal in itself, is the pride of Provence. The term «pistou», often confused with the neighbouring and perhaps more well known Ligurian «pesto», means «crushed».

Pistou was a condiment traditionally prepared by crushing together basil, garlic, olive oil and freshly grated Parmesan cheese in a mortar and pestle. You can add different types of vegetables to the actual soup.

Nowadays it’s much more practical to use a food processor instead of a mortar and pestle. In case fresh beans are not available, you may substitute them with canned beans: although the end result will not taste the same, you’ll at least save on the shelling time.

Try our recipe for Vegetable Soup with Pistou

Native to the Mediterranean region, the bay laurel is a perennial shrub with spearheaded leaves that release a very strong fragrance when crushed, as they are rich in essential oils. Bay or laurel leaves are an essential component of the “bouquet garni“, a blend of aromatic herbs that is used in a variety of recipes and removed before serving.

In Indian and Pakistani cuisines, bay leaves are often used in “biryani”, other rich spicy dishes - and as an ingredient in “garam masala“. Dried bay leaves are used to flavour pickles, soups and stews, as their aroma fully develops during cooking.

Early Greeks and Romans associated the bay laurel with Apollo, the patron god of music and poetry. It was also a symbol of victory: poets and heroes were crowned with wreaths of laurel leaves. That’s why people are advised not to “rest on their laurels”. As for the French word baccalauréat (from the Latin bacca laurea), meaning Bachelor’s degree here in Canada, its origin dates back to the ancient schools of medicine, where young graduates were felicitated with crowns of laurel branches (laurea) with their berries (bacca).

As the dense and persistent foliage of the bay laurel tree is shiny and dark green, it is also cultivated for ornamentation. Although it can thrive in any type of soil, it requires a warm climate. So go ahead, blend beauty and utility by growing it inside your own house. But when you use bay leaf in your cooking, please don’t confuse it with its cousins, oleander and cherry-laurel, which are very poisonous and purely decorative!

A few of our recipes that feature bay leaves:

• Chicken “Adobo”
• Marengo Chicken
• Irish Beef Stew
• Scalloped Potatoes