Food Labelling - What does it all mean?

I was talking with a co-worker about organic food sources yesterday. She was told to always chose organic when it comes to dairy, meat and poultry. What she didn't realize is that organic doesn't guarantee a humanely raised, healthier animal. Organic does not equal free-range. Free-range does not equal organic. Free-range does not equal pasture raised. Food labelling terms are so confusing and there is little in the way of regulation to standardize the meanings. What's a conscious consumer to do?


Poultry & Eggs:

When it comes to poultry and eggs, we often see terms like "cage free", "free range" and "free run". What does it all mean?

"Cage Free" simply means the chickens were raised outside of a cage. This doesn't mean it was raised in a humane environment, or that it had access to the outdoors. Cage free is the most meaningless term of all of them. As well, a Globe & Mail article from 2009 stated that uncaged chickens "exposed to higher levels of bacteria, parasites and viruses that put them at greater risk for disease and infection".

"Free Run" is basically the same as Cage Free. The birds are kept loose in large barns, with no access to the outdoors.

"Free Range" implies to most consumers, that the animal is raised "free on the range", but that isn't always the case. In the United States, the USDA decrees that poultry certified as "free range" must have access to the outdoors but it doesn't necessarily mean the animal actually goes outdoors (Source). Free-range chicken eggs have no legal definition in the United States. In Canada, the term "free range" is not legally defined and could mean anything.

A new term has popped up in recent years, Pastured Poultry. Pastured poultry is raised on pasture and eats a natural diet of grass and bugs (chickens are not vegetarians!).


Beef & Other Meat

"Free Range" - When it comes to beef and other meat products, there is even less regulation. The USDA has no specific definition for "free-range" beef, pork, and other non-poultry products (Source). Generally when it comes to ranching, free range implies that livestock is allowed to roam around without being fenced. It doesn't guarantee the animals were raised entirely outdoors, or that they were raised on a diet of grass and hay (you know, the stuff cows are supposed to eat!).

"Pasture Raised" and "Grass Fed" generally mean the same thing. The livestock is raised on pasture, eating a natural diet of grass or hay (in the winter months). Some farmers raise their animals on pasture but then "finish" them on grains (to fatten them up before slaughter). It is believed that grass fed livestock is healthier than conventionally raised (factory farmed) animals because they have more nutrients and less fat. It is also believed that pasture raised animals contribute to the environment by building up the top soil, since their manure is spread over a large area. This provides a source of natural, organic fertilizer (Source). As with Pastured Poultry, pasture raised livestock may not be certified organic.

Seafood:

This should be obvious, but there is no such thing as organic fish! I only say this because I read another blog where a woman was gushing about the benefits of eating organic salmon. Just think about it for a moment and ask yourself, how!?! When it comes to fish, you want to look for "Wild Caught" or "Wild". With shellfish, farmed (rope grown) is okay because the practice is much different than with farmed fish. You also want to purchase and consume sustainable seafood and limit your consumption of seafood high in mercury. If you are in the US, the Monteray Bay Aquarium has a great chart (and App!) here. If you are in Canada, check this PDF chart from SeaChoice. SeaChoice also has an App that is available from the App Store.

Organic:

When it comes to poultry and other meats, the term "organic" is the only term strictly regulated in both the United States and Canada. For something to be labelled organic or partially organic, it must meet specific criteria and be subject to inspection. When it comes to poultry products, organic means that the animal has been fed organic, non-genetically modified food (free of pesticides and herbicides) and has not been given any hormones or antibiotics. Organic does not guarantee the animal has been raised outdoors and organic doesn't always mean healthier or better.


Photo: Nanaimo Downtown Farmers Market

Bottom Line:

When it comes down to it, it's important to "know thy farmer". Know where your meat and poultry products are coming from rather than just shopping based on a label. Ask questions! Remember, you have a right to know where your food is coming from and how it was grown. I get my beef products at the farmer's market, direct from a farmer and his wife. When I can't make it to the weekly market, I go to a farm shop in a neighbouring city. I did research and found their animals are raised in a humane and sustainable way. Neither of these suppliers are certified organic, but that's okay with me. My food beliefs put sustainable, local and humanely raised above organic. It's up to your to figure out which is more important to you.

This post is part of Fight Back Friday.

Things I've cooked recently...

Time to share some great recipes I tried out recently...

The Pioneer Woman's Chicken Cacciatore - I modified the recipe and made it in a slow cooker. I browned the chicken, minus the flour coating, then added everything (plus a can of chicken broth) to the slow cooker and set it on low for 6 hours. The results were good and it was very tasty. Probably would have been better in the oven like PW does it, but my work schedule required a slow cooker dinner.

Shredded Beef Sliders from Evil Shenanigans. The beef in this dish was delicious. At first I found it a bit spicy but after reducing the sauce and adding honey (instead of all that sugar), it was absolutely perfect. I tossed the shredded beef with the sauce and served it on a whole wheat roll. Just like a BBQ Beef Sandwich. I will make this again for sure! The mixture freezes well too. Not a true down South BBQ Beef Brisket sandwich, but pretty darn close.

S'Mores Brownies from Buns In My Oven. I made these to take to work one night. Since I was taking them to work I chose to use my creme brule torch instead of broiling the marshmallows at home. Fun, but WHAT A MESS! But the brownies were very tasty.

St. Patrick's Day Chocolate Spritz Cookies. I still haven't figured out how to use my cookie press so instead for Spritz, I rolled the dough and made slice & bake cookies. The cookies were very good but the icing (royal icing) wasn't the right consistency for sandwiching between two cookies. I think a butter cream frosting would have been better. I ended up drizzling the icing over the cookies in a zig zag pattern. They looked neat and tasted good.

The Pioneer Woman's Chicken Scallopine. This one was so-so. The meal itself was tasty but I ran into some issues during the cooking process. First, my chicken did not cook through during the initial pan frying. I ended up browning the breasts in the pan and finished them off in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes or so. The second issue, and this was the most disappointing one, when I added the cream to the sauce, it separated (curdled!). I suspect it's because of the lemon juice. Next time I would add lemon juice at the end, rather than in the middle. The sauce tasted great but looked kind of funky. The last change I made was to add the cooked noodles to the pan with sauce, tossed it around and cooked it together for a minute so the noodles sucked up all the yummy sauce.

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Bites. The Pioneer Woman calls them Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies. Whatever you call them, they are delicious and simple! I have made them twice now and both times my guests were impressed. Definite crowd pleaser and a must-have for the next party

Carrot Apple Fennel Slaw

I have some left over cabbage from last week's Braised Red Cabbage dish so the easiest way to use it up is in a slaw. You can make it even easier buy buying a bag of pre-cut coleslaw, broccoli slaw or carrot slaw mix and add in the fennel and apple. The dressing is a vinaigrette, but if you like it creamier, add more mayonnaise.

Adapted from Evil Shenanigans.

1/4 red cabbage, shredded or sliced fine
1/4 green cabbage, shredded or sliced fine
3 carrots, peeled and shredded or cut into matchsticks
1 fennel bulb, sliced thin
1 apple (any variety), cored and cut into matchsticks (Peel is okay!)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons honey
pinch sea salt
pinch pepper
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds

1. Add all vegetables to a large serving bowl and toss well.

2. In a small bowl, add mayonnaise, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper. Whisk together until well blended and smooth.

3. Pour dressing over vegetables and toss to evenly coat. Top with sunflower seeds.

*For a meal-size salad, top your slaw with some roasted chicken breast.

Oysters Two Ways: Raw on Half Shell & Baked with Parmesan

It's oyster day at my house. Vancouver Island oysters were on sale at the market so I bought a dozen. When bought at the grocery store or fish market, oysters are incredibly affordable - usually ranging from $0.50 to $1.00 each; Much cheaper than restaurant oysters which are often marked up 300-500%!

I'm going to share my two favourite ways to enjoy oysters. The first is raw, on the half shell with a few flavourful accompaniments. The second is baked in the oven, topped with breadcrumbs, herbs and cheese.

First thing first though... you have to open your oysters. As I said last time I shucked oysters at home, I'm no expert. A proper oyster knife is key. For other tips, I suggest you take a few minutes searching the internet for a good tutorial.


Jill's Favourite Way to Eat Oysters on the Half Shell:

6 fresh oysters (any size), shucked & on the half shell
3 lemon wedges
Worcestershire sauce
3 teaspoons prepared horseradish (I prefer fresh grated but it's not easy to find!)

Arrange oysters on an ice-covered plate. Squeeze lemon over each oyster. Add a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce to each and top with a 1/2 teaspoon of horseradish.

Enjoy!


Baked Parmesan Oysters:

2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs
pinch each salt & pepper
1 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped fine
6 fresh oysters (any size), shucked & on the half shell
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, shredded
2 lemon wedges (optional)

1. Pre-heat oven to 357 degrees F.

2. In a small bowl, mix together bred crumbs, salt & pepper and parsley.

3. Arrange oysters on a baking sheet. To ensure oysters stay upright, pour 1 cup of course salt on the baking sheet and nest oysters into the salt (this is also a great presentation technique!). On each oyster, sprinkle 1/2 clove of minced garlic and 1/2 tablespoon of the breadcrumb mixture. Drizzle melted butter over each oyster and top with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

4. Bake in pre-heated oven for 20 minutes, or until tops are lightly browned and cheese melted. Serve immediately. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the oysters if you desire.

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday.

Clean Out The Fridge Vegetable Soup

I'm terrible when it comes to eating my vegetables. I throw out so much produce, it's ridiculous. Last week I had some limp celery, wilting carrots, a wrinkled zucchini and a soft bell pepper. Not wanting to put them to waste (yet again) I decided to chop everything up and throw it in a pot. The resulting soup was easy and fast to make and quite tasty. The below recipe is what I put into my soup, but you can add anything you have on hand.

1 zucchini, chopped
2-3 stalks celery, chopped
2-3 carrots, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 cups vegetable stock (or any stock)
2 cups water
salt & pepper
dried herbs of your choice (parsley, basil, celery seed etc.)

1. Add everything to a stock pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes until vegetables are tender.

2. Remove pot from heat. Using an immersion blender, puree mixture until desired consistency reached. Serve immediately. Freezes well too!

*You don't have to puree your soup, I just prefer puree over chunky.

Poutine

Poutine! The quintessential French-Canadian comfort food. Fries covered in fresh cheese curds and gravy. Does it get any better than that? While at the Farmer's Market a couple of weeks ago, I picked up some farm fresh cheese curds. In my area fresh curds are hard to find. Heck, even un-fresh curds are hard to find! This was a real treat and I wasn't about to let it go to waste.


From Wikipedia:

In the basic recipe for poutine, French fries are topped with fresh cheese curds, and covered with brown gravy or sauce. The French fries are of medium thickness, and fried so that the inside stays soft, while the outside is crunchy. The gravy used is generally a light chicken, veal or turkey gravy, mildly spiced with a hint of pepper, or a sauce brune which is a combination of beef and chicken stock, originating in Quebec. Heavy beef or pork-based brown gravies are rarely used. Fresh cheese curds (not more than a day old) are used. To maintain the texture of the fries, the cheese curd and gravy is added immediately prior to serving the dish.

In the past when I made poutine I would use a packet of powdered Poutine Gravy Mix. This time I decided to try my own. It turned out well and was quite easy. I used pre-cut frozen fries because they bake up crispy on the outside and soft on the inside - perfect for a traditional Poutine. Serve for lunch or dinner; as a side or a main.

For the gravy I mixed half a cup of chicken broth, half cup of beef broth and a splash of red wine in a saucepan. I simmered it on medium-high heat until it was reduced by a third. I added a teaspoon of cornstarch mixed with a splash of water and whisked until the sauce thickened. Finally, I seasoned it with salt and pepper. I baked the fries until crisp and placed them on a plate. I sprinkled a generous amount of cheese curds on top of the fries then drizzled with an equally generous amount of piping hot gravy. Delicious!

P.S... It's pronounced "Poo-Tin" but since French is my second language, I'm okay with "Poo-Tine". ;-)

Braised Red Cabbage & Apples

I picked up some Bratwurst from the Redl's Home Grown Beef stand at the market last week. When I think of Bratwurst, normally I think of a huge juicy hot dog. But it's a new day my friends. I'm going to Mexico in two months. I need to think about my "figure". Instead of brats on crusty rolls, slathered in condiments, I'm sticking with the German theme and cooking up a big pot of braised red cabbage.

Adapted from "A Cook's Bible: Gluten Free, Wheat Free & Dairy Free Recipes.

1 medium red cabbage, 1.5 - 2lbs - halved, cored and sliced thinly
3 large baking apples - peeled, cored and diced
1 medium onion, halved and sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground allspice, divided
3 tablespoons honey*
salt & pepper to taste
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons butter*

1. Pre-heat oven to 300°F. Grease a large baking dish or dutch oven with butter.

2. Arrange half the shredded cabbage in the bottom of the dish. Top with half the apples, onion and garlic. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon allspice, 2 tablespoons honey and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Repeat process with a second layer using remaining ingredients.

3. Pour vinegar over top of everything. Dot small pieces of butter over top. Cover dish with a lid and bake in pre-heated oven for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes, until cabbage is tender. Remove from oven and serve with grilled or broiled bratwursts. (Mashed potatoes makes a great accompaniment too!)

*Sub out non-dairy margarine for butter and agave syrup for honey and you have a vegan side dish!*

This post is part of Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade.

Roast Beef Dip Sandwhich

What do you do with left over Roast Beef? Make a beef dip, of course!

There isn't really a recipe for this one. It's a "throw together" leftovers meal. I also cheated and used a packet au jus gravy mix from the grocery store, although there are several recipes online if you'd prefer to make an au jus from scratch.

1 tablespoon butter
3 button mushrooms, sliced thin
1/4 small onion, sliced thin
Left over roast beef, sliced thin
slices of mozzarella or provolone cheese
crusty hoagie style buns
horseradish mustard (optional)

1. Melt butter in a saute pan. Add onion and mushroom and cook until onions are translucent and mushrooms are browned. Add roast beef slices to pan just to warm through slightly.

2. While onions and mushrooms are cooking, slice open and toast hoagie bun. Once toasted, butter the bun and dress with horseradish mustard or any condiment of your choice.

3. Arrange sliced beef evenly over the bottom hoagie bun. Top with cheese slices and then layer onion and mushroom mixture on top. Replace top bun. Slice in half and serve with a cup of au jus for dipping.

Roast Beef with Red Wine Mushroom Gravy

I was in Toronto last week to visit some friends. While there I visited the famous St. Lawrence Market, where I bought a jar of deliciously potent Horseradish Mustard from Kozlik's Canadian Mustard. For three days I have been craving this mustard slathered over a juicy slice of roast beef. Incidentally, if you are interested in trying Kozlik's, they are sold at several stores in the Lower Mainland, including Thrifty Foods in Coquitlam!

Recipe adapted from the Canadian Beef Producers website.

Roast Beef

2-4 lb beef oven roast (I used an inside round roast)
6 cloves of garlic, cut into thin slivers (about 3 slices per clove)
course salt and fresh cracked pepper
beef & steak seasoning rub (optional)

1. Remove roast from refrigerator 1-2 hours before cooking to bring to room temperature. (A room temperature roast will brown better!)

2. Cut shallow slits all over roast and insert garlic slivers into slits. Sprinkle all over with salt and pepper. Rub with beef & steak seasoning rub if desired.


3. Place roast, fatty side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Insert an oven-safe meat thermometer into centre of the roast. Cook, uncovered at 450°F for 10 minutes, turning once. Reduce heat to 275°F and cook until thermometer reads 140°F for medium-rare to medium. For a small to medium roast this could take 1-1/4 to 2-1/4 hours. For a larger roast this could take 2-1/4 to 3 hours. Cooking times are estimates only and vary oven to oven. Different roast types and shape can also affect cooking times. Check the chart below for a guideline and be sure to check on your roast after 1 hour and ever 15 - 30 minutes thereafter. My 2.12 pound roast took 1 hour and 25 minutes reach 140°F internal temperature and it was cooked perfectly medium-rare. It would be even easier if you have a digital thermometer where you can set the desired temperature and it will notify you when that temperature is reached. Unfortunately, I don't have one of those!

4. When desired temperature is reached, remove roast from oven and cover loosely with foil. Let stand for 15-20 minutes before removing to a cutting board for slicing.



Red Wine Mushroom Gravy

3 tablespoons pan drippings from roasting pan
2 teaspoons butter
4 large white mushrooms, sliced
1 cup beef broth
1 cup red wine
2 teaspoons fresh cracked mixed peppercorns
1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with a splash or two of water.

1. Pour 3 tablespoons of drippings from the roasting pan into a small saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat. Add butter and mushrooms and cook until mushrooms have browned and sauce reduced by half.

2. Add broth, wine and pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low. Let simmer until mixture has reduced slightly, about 10 minutes.

3. Add cornstarch to pan and whisk continually until gravy has thickened. Pour over steak and mashed potatoes!

Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili

This is a great make-ahead meal. I cooked up a big pot before going back to work to use as lunches for the week ahead.

1/2 medium green pepper, chopped
1/2 medium red pepper, chopped
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
4-5 large button mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 - 19 oz can red kidney beans
1 - 14 oz can chickpeas
1 - 5.5oz can tomato paste
2 cups vegetable broth or water
1 tablespoon sliced pickled green chilies or banana peppers (optional)
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt

1. Add everything to your crock pot and stir together to mix well.

2. Cook on high for 3-4 hours.

3. Serve over cooked rice or quinoa and top with shredded cheese or sour cream!

This post is part of Monday Mania at The Healthy Home Economist.