Katrina lives a gluten-free vegan lifestyle in a picturesque little corner of Vermont with her husband, 6-year-old daughter, and their 16-year-old dog. Her blog is The Gluten-Free Vegetarian, where she shares recipes, as well as tools and resources for meal planning. Her recipes are primarily designed for busy parents who want to cook healthful meals that are also quick and simple to make. She became a vegetarian in 1992 and has dabbled with being vegan, ovo-lacto vegetarian and pescatarian. Katrina became very sick in 2018 and the general practitioner suggested she cut gluten from her diet. She has a severe sensitivity to gluten and it inspired her to learn new ways of cooking and enjoying food. She is grateful to feel healthy again.

Katrina, I want to know a little bit about the vegan, vegetarian, and pescatarian lifestyle?

A vegan diet eliminates all animal products, including meat, dairy, eggs, and other items such as a gelatin or honey. An ovo-lacto vegetarian diet omits meat but includes dairy and eggs. An ovo-lacto pescatarian diet includes dairy, eggs, and seafood, but no other types of meat.

I first went vegetarian in 1992. Since that time, I’ve been vegan, vegetarian, and pescatarian during different periods of my life, so on my blog, you’ll find different recipes that meet each of these dietary requirements. All my recipes are gluten-free.

From my perspective, the greatest thing about vegan and vegetarian diets is helping animals! In addition, there are wonderful environmental and health benefits of reducing your meat consumption.

You write a lot about a gluten-free vegan diet. Walk me through this diet?

Gluten is a protein found in foods including wheat, rye, and barley. Some popular foods that often contain gluten are bread, pasta, muffins, and pancakes. The great news is that a gluten-free diet is easier now than ever. Food manufacturers and restaurants are more aware of consumers who cannot eat gluten, whether due to a sensitivity or celiac disease (the autoimmune disease that causes an immune reaction to eating gluten). Therefore, we have more availability of gluten-free products and better product labeling than in the past.

In 2018, I became very sick for six months without understanding why. After much trial and error, I finally discovered that I have a severe sensitivity to gluten. At first, I saw this as a restriction on my diet, but over time it has inspired me to learn new ways of cooking and enjoying food. As I live a gluten-free lifestyle now, my health has vastly improved. My blog was born from my own journey of learning how to cook vegan and vegetarian food that is also gluten-free.

Talk to me about your favorite and the least favorite vegetables?

My least favorite vegetables are bell peppers and eggplant. It’s disappointing that I don’t like these vegetables, because they are staples in vegetarian cooking! Every once in a while, I try them again to see if my palette has changed, but so far it hasn’t. I hope that someday I will like them! Also, my husband has a deep dislike of mushrooms, so I only cook them when he is out of town.

I love a lot of veggies. For flavor, I love baby carrots when they are especially sweet, butter lettuce, heirloom tomatoes, and the special blend of cherry tomato varieties that my husband grows in our garden. Lately, I’ve been enjoying beets and leeks more than I used to, so it’s fun to experiment with those.

In terms of nutrient-dense vegetables, it’s hard to beat kale, so I use it a lot! I also love using fresh spinach and toss it into all kinds of recipes, from smoothies to pasta sauce and salads.

Give me one of your favorite smoothies, snacks, lunch, and dinner recipes?

I really love all of these!

Smoothie: https://gf-veg.com/chocolate-grapefruit-protein-shake/

Lunch: https://gf-veg.com/beyond-burger-with-quinoa-salad-and-hummus/

Snack: https://gf-veg.com/maple-pumpkin-overnight-oats/

Dinner: https://gf-veg.com/maple-veggie-sausage-skillet/

Vegans are known to be healthy. What is one of your weaknesses? I love chocolate.

Chocolate is absolutely my weakness! Fortunately, it can be good for us too, at least in moderation, so I can enjoy it without guilt in many recipes. Protein smoothie bowls are one of my latest obsessions, and I almost always have a chocolate-flavored bowl. These make a wonderful meal because they’re quick and simple to make, and you can pack them full of nutritious ingredients. For my last smoothie bowl, I blended together vegan protein powder, vanilla soy yogurt, and some mixed berries, then poured the mixture into a bowl. I topped the bowl with banana slices, almond butter, fresh blueberries, coconut flakes, and chia seeds. It was delicious. As an added bonus, smoothie bowls also look beautiful and satisfy your sweet tooth.

How has marriage changed you? Did anything surprise you about it?

One of the most surprising turning points in marriage for me happened several years ago when I did a year-long exercise recommended by a pastor in a sermon I heard. Every day for a year, I wrote down one wonderful thing that my husband did or said. No matter how happy or how difficult the day was, without fail, I recorded one great thing my husband did. When I first started the project, my intention was that the journal I created would be Valentine’s Day present for my husband. It wasn’t long before I realized that the gift was actually for me. The exercise taught me to see my husband in a completely different light. It revealed how much he does for our family, how positive his intentions are, and how hard he works. It helped me to stop nagging (or at least do it much less often!) and to appreciate how much effort he makes. Honestly, I don’t think our marriage has ever been the same, and I don’t think I’ve ever been the same as a wife, in very good ways.

I see you have a beautiful daughter. How has motherhood made you look at life differently?

Thank you so much! Motherhood made me prioritize my faith. For years before I became a mother, I considered myself just a spiritual person without a particular faith. I thought I would figure out exactly what I believed in terms of God and my faith “later.” When my husband and I decided that we might become parents, I realized that “later” had come. I wanted to know what I believed before bringing a child into the world. I dug deep into a Bible study and asked myself the hard questions. I left no stone unturned and didn’t take any shortcuts or easy ways out. I found that my true faith is Christianity, and my belief and relationship with God have continued to deepen and grow over the years. My daughter is six years old now, and she’s starting to ask me questions of her own about faith and God. It’s fun, challenging, and engaging to try to answer them and explore them with her!

I have never heard about Proverbs 31 ministry. What is it all about and what was your role there?

Proverbs 31 Ministries is a wonderful organization. It is a non-denominational, non-profit Christian ministry that seeks to lead women into a personal relationship with Christ with Proverbs 31:10-31 as a guide. There are many facets to the organization, but I was involved with their Online Bible Studies. I volunteered with the ministry for almost three years. I served as a small group leader to work with online groups of around 20 women as they went through each Bible study. I also transcribed Bible study videos for hard of hearing and deaf study participants. I did the transcription work in honor and memory of my Gram, who was deaf and a woman of strong faith. I loved working with this organization and still benefit from their programs, including daily email devotionals and the First 5 app. The First 5 app is designed to help you spend the first five minutes of the day in God’s Word.

I want you to choose three women of your choice to have a meal with. What would you cook for each of them and you can ask only one question what would that be?

I would choose to have a meal with my mom and my two grandmothers. One of my grandmas (my “Gram”) is in heaven, and I live thousands of miles away from my other grandma and my mom, so I don’t see them very often. It would be amazing to have the four of us together for a meal. The one question I would ask them is this: how do they each pray for our family? I know our family has many blessings because of the faithfulness of each of these women. I would learn a lot from hearing about what their prayer lives look like and what they pray for.

Both of my grandmothers loved cooking and were excellent cooks, so I would be a bit nervous about preparing food for them! For the main course, I might make a gluten-free pasta dish with roasted vegetables, since it would be warm, hearty, and comforting. For dessert, I’d make a gluten-free, vegetarian lemon meringue pie. Lemon meringue pie was one of my favorite desserts my Gram made. Her meringue was a labor of love, and it was flawless. I’ve seen vegan versions online and would love to try one.

You made it to the pearly gates and you run into Deborah, Phoebe, Mary, and Martha. They ask you to prepare a 4-course vegan meal. Tell me about it?

What a great question, and what a great dinner party this would be! For fun, I’ve tried to come up with a meal using mostly ingredients that my guests would have been familiar with while they were here.

The first course would be a bread service with several types of gluten-free bread: unleavened, flatbread, and herb-crusted. I’d serve the bread with fresh olives, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.

The second course would be figs with tahini sauce, drizzled with agave (a vegan substitute for honey).

The third course would be our main course: bowls with red lentils, quinoa, cooked apples, walnuts, and garlic.

The fourth course would be a grape sorbet for dessert.

Being in the company of these women would be an extraordinary opportunity to learn. I would ask Deborah what it’s like to hear directly from the Lord as a prophetess; I’d ask Mary and Martha to share what it was like to host Jesus; I’d ask Phoebe to tell some stories about Paul. Then at the end of our meal, I would encourage Martha to leave all the dishes to me.

The post A Gluten-Free Vegan Lifestyle appeared first on Four Columns of a Balanced Life.

Julia is the Pastry Chef at Eden at the Rimrock Resort in Banff Alberta Canada, 5 Diamond BCAA rating, one of three 5 diamond restaurants in Canada. She grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, and started cooking at 19 years old. She did a 4-year apprenticeship while completing her Culinary Certification at the Hotel Grand Pacific in Victoria’s downtown core.  She has lived in 3 different provinces and worked in luxury hotels across Canada, as well as training under a Michelin star pastry chef in Ontario.  When not in the kitchen, you can find her at the CrossFit gym, or at home working on whatever project that she is momentarily obsessed with. At the moment she is taking some online courses in food journalism and Adobe Photoshop to build her skills and improve a baking blog she started last year.  To honor all the employees who have lost their jobs in the hospitality sector due to COVID, I want to highlight some of these talented people.

Julia welcome, what made you decide to become a pastry chef?

I started my career as a cook. I spent 5 years working my way up through the ranks of the restaurant – prep cook, garde mangier, entremetier, and saucier. I finished my culinary red seal and did a few competitions – Chaine de Rotisseurs and Hawksworth Young Chefs scholarship. I decided to leave the line and switch to pastry because I liked the creativity it offered. Generally, a pastry chef gets to create their own menus, whereas line cooks and sous chefs do not. It is also a totally different skill set in regards to technique and that was something I wanted to learn. 

As a pastry chef, where do you get your inspiration from when making desserts?

I get a lot of my ideas from memories – things I would make with my family as a kid, a dessert a person I know loves, or a place I have been and I try to recreate that memory with flavors. I made one dessert entirely out of corn when I was in Ontario to reflect the farmland that was near the restaurant. Another example is a chestnut mont blanc with gingerbread ice cream because we always play “the Christmas song” while making gingerbread cookies as children. I also get ideas for recipes and presentations from the previous chefs I have worked with and books like “The Elements of Dessert” and “So good magazine”. And there is always Instagram. Instagram is a stellar tool to get some ideas going. 

Name me some of your favorite ingredients you like to work with as a pastry chef?

At the moment my favorite ingredient to work with is Ruby Chocolate – It is quite unique as it is a newly discovered chocolate that is naturally pink with a light, fruity flavor profile. It is relatively new to the Canadian market and I am quite excited about this new type of chocolate to play with. 

Walk me through a day in the pastry kitchen?

The first thing I do is get bread going. I pull any dough made the previous day and let it rise for service. I feed the sourdough culture and make the starter for our sough dough and multigrain bread that needs a 24 hr fermentation period. Then I make raisin bread that will rise for at least 8 hours before continuing the fermentation in the fridge overnight. After that, the sourdough and whole wheat doughs are kneaded from the previous days’ starter for the next day’s service. 

Next, I check our take-home gifts – a hand-made Twix bar made with shortbread & salted caramel and enrobed in chocolate. I usually make 60 – 120 bars at a time depending on business levels. 

After that, I start topping up our desserts and make any components that will be needed before assembly. This includes a hazelnut cake, praline caramel and hazelnut mousse for the hazelnut entremets, lemon fluid gel and honey parfait, sweet pastry, cheesecake, mirror glaze all need to be made before assembly. I make ice cream and sorbet a day in advance as it needs to freeze solid before being put through the paco jet. 

Next is petite fours – we serve each guest 3 petite fours at the end of their meal and I like to have a rotating, seasonal menu for this that changes often. Sometimes I make hand-painted bonbons, a variety of pat de fruit, fudge in rotating flavors, toffee, and other confections. We also serve a selection of coffee service items that I rotate as well. Gingerbread and mincemeat tarts for Christmas, ruby chocolate dipped shortbread, Financier, and other treats. 

Lastly, I top up the garnishes for each dessert as these take the least amount of time. Poached fruit, fluid gels, tempered chocolate work, creams, and crumbs. 

On days that I have a bit of extra time, I sort out and test ideas for upcoming menus. 

In short, pastry takes a lot of planning. Start with the jobs that take the most time, like bread, then anything with a multi-step process. Next are items that need time to set overnight before being processed or cut, and lastly, jobs that are quick. 

Help me understand how the mentality is changing toward women in the kitchen?

Honestly, it really depends on who you’re working with and how you decide to present yourself. I believe it is both parties’ responsibility to influence change. I find with the younger generation of chefs, there is equal opportunity for men and women, hard work is rewarded and promotions are given to those putting in effort regardless of gender. But in saying that I have also worked with some older chefs that refuse to put a woman on the hotline, touch meat or move out of a commis position. There was one chef that called me “sweetheart” instead of learning my name, but even then, I still had every opportunity to advance if I worked hard. I think some of the certain behavior is used to test people, see what they are made of. The boys get yelled at, and the girls are underestimated. Kitchens are high-stress environments and if you can’t take being treated poorly sometimes it probably isn’t for you, and that goes for both men and women.  At the end of the day, the kitchen needs hands, and nobody cares what gender those hands are attached to. 

Talk to me about what women empowerment means to you?

Empowerment is allowing yourself and others to pursue what is meaningful for personal success.

To empower another person is to encourage them to try new things, make mistakes, learn something and celebrate their success. It is a process of trying, failing, refining, and trying again. 

What are your future goals?

This is a tough one, there are a lot of things I would like to do. For now, I want to continue building my skills as a pastry chef, as well as working on my food writing and photography skills through Instagram and blogging. I would love to work abroad, and maybe write a book down the road.  

How do you cope with the long hours in the kitchen?

There was one job I worked at last year, it was a brand new hotel opening with a full-service restaurant. That was probably the hardest job I have had when it came to long hours. In my first few weeks, I worked from 9 am to 11 or 12 pm for 13 days straight. When things settled down we all continued to work 12 hour days 5 days a week. I learned a lot about myself and others, and we really bonded as a team. A good team definitely makes the long days easier. Right now I am at a new restaurant and the hours are much better, still long days here and there but not every day. I think the most important thing for me when it comes to dealing with long stretches is making time for myself. I do my best to stick to a weekly schedule of going to CrossFit a few days a week before work as well as having a project or two on the side so I feel like I still have a life, and that I am working towards my personal goals as well. Over time, a person gets used to the long days in some respect. There is a flow to the season; work hard in the summer and chill in the winter. 

Can you also talk about something challenging you have been through and how you dealt with it?

I think my biggest challenge was dealing with my own lack of self-confidence and the depression that went with it. It controlled my life for quite a few years and stopped me from doing what I wanted and experiencing life in a happy way. At that time my life was just working (5 am shifts) coming home in the afternoon and sleeping, I basically did nothing with my life outside of work for like, 3 or 4 years. Its probably going to sound silly, but I started watching youtube videos with themes around living your best life, and Jordan Petersons 12 rules for life and started applying those principles to mine, one at a time. Eventually, I started setting goals and actually accomplishing them and over time it has completely changed my views. 

If you had a choice to get rid of a few ingredients in the pastry kitchen what would those be and why?

As a pastry chef, I make everything from scratch, so each ingredient serves a purpose in a recipe and to simply omit one would yield a different product. The trend these days leans to vegan and gluten-free baking, and if thoughtful swaps are made to replace eggs, butter, and flour, a product can be made, but it will never be the same as the original. Baking is a series of formulas and each ingredient is there for a reason because someone has tested it and found that this recipe was the best way to make it. 

If I had to get rid of something, it would probably be convenience products like fake flavored syrups. It is easy enough to make your own infusions. 

Any special music you listen to you while working?

I don’t usually listen to music when I am working – sometimes I’ll listen to chill step, electronic music and sometimes I listen to podcasts. 

Some Rapid Fire Questions:

Favorite food – Any type of fresh seafood – oysters, scallops, salmon, and sushi. Sushi is the best. 

Favorite drink – A latte from discovery coffee.

Favorite dessert – Cheesecake, but I think most people love cheesecake. 

Tequila in dessert – I’m not really a tequila person, If I use alcohol in desserts I usually go for rum or Grand Marnier.  

The post Julia Palfrey: Milk & Honey appeared first on Four Columns of a Balanced Life.

Janak Bhawnani, Vice President of Operations at Easton Group of Hotels talks about the hotel business and what to look for when you eat in a restaurant.

Janak, whenever I ask you about the hotel business, you tell me you are in the business of hotels not in the hotel business please explain?

At hotel school, it was all about being the maître d’maison, giving service, treating guests with care. It was never driven by the bottom line, but about guest satisfaction first and money second.   In the past, hotels were owned by the brands or by families that were proud to own the assets and they passed on the know-how and reputation from one generation to another.

Today, we have schools teaching students the “business” of hotels earning them the BBA & MBA designations.  It is all driven by the institutionalization of our trade. More and more REITs and pension funds are buying up the assets and are keeping them for a shorter period of time only to extract value and then sell to the next highest bidder.  The Joie the Vivre, maitre d’maison concept is less existent as it is all driven by the bottom line.

At your hotel you run a big food and beverage department, how important is food to your business?

Food is a very important component of our business at my current hotel. We are a big box; convention hotel and the food is about 30% of our overall revenues.  With people becoming world travelers, it is important that we cater to varying palates, hence our offering has to be geared seasonally to inspire our guests to dine with us consistently and use our catering facilities regularly.

As you enter your fourth decade in hospitality how has food changed?

Food is no longer just for eating and surviving.  It is now an experience! Chefs today are getting younger and more experimental.  We have a huge number of restaurants that serve “inspired”, “fusion” or “trendy” cuisine from around the globe. With human movement around the world increasing, so has the dynamism in the culinary world.  Gen X and the millenniums are so well-traveled and well versed with food and are internet savvy that they can make or break a restaurant’s reputation.

When you design a menu and source food do you keep local purveyors in mind?

Absolutely! We think global but also use most local purveyors. This is to keep the local economy strong. It also helps with consistency & freshness.  Examples: – tomatoes from Leamington, meat from Bruce County, foods and fruits from Foodland Ontario.

Fads come and go in food, what is something that will always be consistent?

I strongly believe that good quality fresh comfort food will always be in demand. In this part of the world, steak, salad, Chinese food, pizzas, and pasta will always remain in demand.

As a GM what do you eat daily to stay healthy and have the energy to work the long hours?

I eat a small breakfast of coffee and whole-wheat toast, a cup of soup and salad or a sandwich for lunch and an early dinner freshly prepared by my wife keeps me going for a 12-14-hour day.

You have bought and sold a few restaurants, what are the advantage of a franchise rather than starting on your own?

A franchise has a higher success rate as it is a proven system. They train you about the product, marketing, how to deal with staff, other aspects of their daily activities and give ongoing support to the business for success.

Franchises bring brand awareness with their names from day one. The customer knows what they are getting which will help increase sales. By buying a franchise, you are actually buying a turnkey business that is ready and waiting for you to start. Negatives are:  Fees for buying the franchise and ongoing fees that you need to pay to a franchiser. The entrance fees are usually very high and there are fixed costs every month/year for using the brand name. Also, you have no freedom to change the product line, the decoration of the store or anything else in a franchise system. It is very restrictive and you need to follow certain rules in order to protect your franchise license.

To start one’s own, you need innovation and creativity. Do it if you are a highly creative person full of different ideas and you want to make these ideas a reality. This will allow you professional freedom and growth. When you have your own business, you can work anytime you want. Also, depending on your business, you can work anywhere you want. You don’t need to report to other people.

Be careful of a higher failure rate, unfortunately, startups have a higher failure rate compared to franchise businesses. One in four fails within their first year, half of the remaining fail within five years and approximately 30 percent of the remaining in the last ten years. Therefore, it is very risky to launch a startup.

How you find balance with your job and your family?

Over the years I have learned that both have to be in harmony to be successful. I as a rule do not talk about work with family and family at work. This helps me focus and make sure that I give 100% to each. Also, I use my outlook calendar to its fullest as I schedule my days and try not to change so that I do not miss any milestones in both.

One of my readers wants to know what to look for in a restaurant when they go out to eat?

When trying new restaurants look for harmony; in the décor, ambiance, service, food quality, presentation and of course imagination of the chef. Did it deliver what it promised!

Photo Credits: Kristian Angelo Nick Fewings Elle Hughes bantersnaps Monika Grabkowska Eugene Stephanie McCabe Alessandro Cavestro

The post What to Look for in a Restaurant When You Go Out to Eat appeared first on Four Columns of a Balanced Life.

A healthy lifestyle is vital for us and allows us to deal with the daily vicissitudes of life. A healthy lifestyle consists of exercising regularly, not eating junk and processed food or drinking too much pop, sleeping well, and making ethical decisions in your life.

Remember Rome was not built in one day. I would recommend you do the same with yourself. Take it easy, make small changes, enjoy the wins, be pliant, and find support with any issues you are facing. You can do this.

I ask Mallory Aldred why we should have a healthy diet.

Mallory Aldred is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist who provides an individually tailored, non-diet approach to whole-body wellness where she offers a variety of programs centered around real-time education, teamwork, and accountability. She gives some reasons for having a healthy diet.

Mallory, tell me a little about you?

Sure, I would love to! I am a “30-something” professional currently living in Toronto, ON. I have a Scottish fold munchkin cat named Peanut and I lead a very active lifestyle. I place a strong value on family, friends, and self-care. After a very long break from athletics (previous NCAA softball player at Canisius College), I have recently jumped back into challenging myself physically via sprint triathlons and distance cycling. 

What made you choose to become a Nutritionist and tell me the reason for having a healthy diet?

About 13 years ago, I was 50 lbs heavier than I am now. Because of the excess weight, I experienced low energy, poor sleep, a lack of self-confidence and I had a terrible immune system. One day I became fed up and decided it was time to make some healthy changes. As I gradually lost the weight (without a crash diet), my entire life changed for the better. It was at that time I knew I needed to share the gift of healthy, nutritious eating with others. I enrolled at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition and received my designation in 2010.

How important is healthy food in our daily lives?

What we eat determines how we look but, more importantly, how we feel. If you want to accomplish more and feel fabulous doing it, incorporating healthy food into your daily routine is crucial. I strongly believe that if you eat nutritious foods most of the time, you are naturally more optimistic, and your obstacles become challenges you can meet.

Do I have to eat like an Olympic athlete daily?

If you’re an Olympic athlete, then absolutely, but most of us are not. The biggest mental flaw most have with nutrition is thinking it has to be an all or nothing approach. Over the years, I’ve found with myself and my clients, it’s the smallest changes that go the longest distance with health.

Give me a few examples of foods that are not good for our health?

There are a lot of different theories out there, however, personally, my body does not react well to simple carbohydrates (white flour products and sugar), trans/saturated fats, or most dairy products. Generally speaking, the fewer ingredients listed on the nutrition label, the better!

Give me a few examples of foods that are tasty and good for our health?

Some of my favorites are roasted root vegetables (sweet potato, parsnips, squashes), seafood (shrimp, lobster, scallops), dark chocolate, & a banana spread with natural nut butter (peanut, cashew, almond). 

Can we indulge once a week? 

In my opinion, absolutely! I do not believe in diets or unrealistic restrictions. Food should be viewed as fuel to operate rather than a reward or punishment.

Define a balanced diet?

It is my belief that a balanced diet incorporates lean protein, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, 100% whole grains, fruits and vegetables. It is also important to hydrate with water and herbal teas.

How has life changed for you as you are pursuing your passions?

When I am sharing the gift of nutrition, I never feel like it’s “work”. I’ve formed many meaningful relationships pursuing my passion and it’s a true pleasure to watch my clients take back control of their health and happiness.

The post Reasons to Have a Healthy Diet appeared first on Four Columns of a Balanced Life.

My first exposure to ‘African Food’ was in Dubai, when I would eat Egyptian food. During my honeymoon, I did a day trip to Morocco and experienced North African food. Over the last few years, I have eaten at a couple of Ethiopian restaurants in Toronto. I love injera and eating with your hands.

North, South, East, West, and Central Africa each have unique flavors, preparation styles, and consumption methods. The food has been influenced by Omani, Yemeni and Indian traders and settlers, Phoenician and Carthaginian travelers, Arab and Turkish invaders, and then British, Dutch, French, Portuguese, and Belgian colonialism.

Magali has an amazing IG profile and food blog and talks to me about Congolese cuisine and culture.

Magali, a pleasure to have a foodie on board. I want to know a little about you?

My name is Magali Mutombo. I am a wife and mother to four boys. I am originally from the Congo. I love anything that has to do with food. I like creating, exploring food from around the world.  I have a food blog called Blue Fufu.

Talk to me about your love of food. How did it come about and how did the idea of the blog come about?

I have always known how to cook from a young age. However, I have developed a passion for food when I was newlywed in Italy. I couldn’t find “African food” at the time which forced me to teach myself to rediscover ingredients and eat like the locals.

Walk me through the culture, the food, the spices from Congo?

The food, culture, spices are vibrant. We eat grilled, steamed, boiled proteins while our vegetables are mostly cooked. We use different types of peppers to give heat to our dishes. Our approach to cooking is very simple and we enjoy dry and smoked fish or meat.

Congo is the third biggest country in Africa. We have over 250 ethnic groups. The culture is so rich and diverse that you will never be bored. Congolese are joyous, friendly people who like to share their culture.

I want to know some of your favorite ingredients and least favorites ingredients?

My favorite ingredient as of now is mango. The versatility of this fruit is incredible. You can use it in so many ways in sauce, baking, salad, sandwiches, etc. I find it fascinating.

My least favorite ingredient is mussel. The only way I would eat them is in a bouillabaisse.

A mother of four kids. I have one and it is work. How has motherhood been? What have you learned through the process?

Motherhood…so many things to say about it. The toughest job I have to do and the most rewarding. I have learned so much about God and the Holy Spirit by raising my kids. I have learned (still learning) what love is. Unconditional love.  Knowing that God loves me even more than I love my children is unfathomable.

The fulfillment there is in giving without truly expecting something in return.

Motherhood has also shown me the strength that I have inside that I didn’t know I had. I have learned about myself so much through motherhood.

I have been exposed to Moroccan, Egyptian, and Ethiopian food. Is there such a thing as African food? Are there any similarities and did colonialism influence it?

I am very glad that you bring it up because I always felt that Africa has been seen as one country when it comes to food which is a big mistake in my opinion. The food is very different from one country to another although you might find some similarities here and there. For instance, in sub-Saharan Africa, they eat lots of roots like tarot, yam, sweet potatoes, cassava. These roots might be pounded or boiled and called fufu. Depending on the region, fufu can be made with different roots or flour.

Eastern Africa was exposed to a lot of spices coming from Asia which affected their cuisines. Western Africa was exposed to foreigners from trade, slavery, or colonialism. So their cuisines were also influenced by those contacts.

Colonialism affected tremendously how Africans ate. For example, corn was brought by the settlers from south America. The weathers are very similar so it was easy to grow corn which means that what was eaten before grow less and less popular.

You run a blog, are on social media, four kids, and a husband. How do you balance it all together?

Ha! I still don’t know. It’s a jungle for sure and it can get overwhelming. I have learned to win battles, not the war. I try to take it one day at a time and being organized helps a lot.

You live in Toronto. Are you able to find all the ingredients to make your food? 

Yes! Toronto is so diverse its incredible. The mosaic of cultures makes it so easy for me to find my ingredients. I love it!

In Toronto where can we go for some nice Congolese meal?

There is a Congolese restaurant downtown called Mama Africa that serves classic Congolese dishes that you might enjoy.

Finally, I want to know your favorite meal for breakfast, lunch dinner, and dessert?

Favorite breakfast: Croissant and scrambled eggs

Favorite lunch: Fufu, sorrel leaves, and fried fish

Favorite dinner: Duck breast with red wine sauce

Favorite dessert: Mango cake with lime

The post Congolese Food and Culture appeared first on Four Columns of a Balanced Life.

Priya a pleasure to talk to a foodie. What got you into food?

My life has always revolved around food. In my growing up years, I would love to observe people around me cook food. Be it my grandmom, mom, dad, and even my neighbors. I would just be observing them and taking it all in. Then my college helped me get into the science of food. I studied Foods and Nutrition as part of my curriculum for 4 years during my graduation in Home Science. There has been no looking back since then. Initially, it was all about playing host and making new and different dishes for my family and friends. However, the last 4 years have also been about how to make a living out of it!

I love your IG handle. How do you get your inspiration?

Instagram and Pinterest are my go-to social media channels for inspiration.

I enjoy coming up with ways to adapt dishes into a vegetarian/vegan format.

I love watching cooking shows. Learning cooking techniques from experts and learning about food from other cultures is so much fun!

Another thing I love doing is talking to elderly people and getting to know the stories behind certain dishes/recipes that have been in the family for generations. It can be quite fascinating!!

Also, there are so many wonderful food bloggers out there who inspire me to do better every single day.

Food photography is my new found passion.

In my case, I have chosen my hobby and passion to be my profession – but burnout is a real thing! So, I try to keep it interesting by doing all of the things mentioned above to make sure I don’t lose my interest and creativity.

Do you focus on vegetarian food only from the south or the entire part of India?  

Cookilicious focusses on vegetarian and vegan food from across the world. It is not just limited to (South) Indian cooking. My roots lie in Indian cuisine, but I love eating and cooking multi-cultural cuisine.

Name me five ingredients that you cannot do without? On the other hand, five ingredients or vegetables that you could do without?

I cannot do without Instant noodles, but since they don’t count as vegetables or ingredients, here are my top 5 pantry staples in no particular order –

Potatoes, turmeric, paprika or chilly powder, garam masala, and garlic.

I can’t seem to think of anything I can do without it.

Can Indian vegetarian food become vegan without the ghee or its not the same flavor?

Yes, it very well can. In fact, many of our foods are naturally vegan. But, I feel, these swaps are a minor differentiating factor when you are making a big lifestyle change. Coconut oil or sesame oil (depending on the recipe) works as a great substitute for ghee in Indian dishes.

Priya, what does women empowerment mean to you? 

That is a loaded question.

Female empowerment to me means the power (and freedom) of choice!

A woman should have the choice to make her own decisions without being judged by society.

Be it a choice of education, career, consent, a life partner, or even children, a woman must have the power to choose for herself!

If a woman can take a stand for herself without any fear of society, that’s empowerment.

How is the modern Indian woman different from her mother and grandmother?

In my opinion, the modern Indian woman is okay with not doing it all and accepting there are things she can’t or even won’t do.

There’s a different thought process gaining traction now. It’s okay for a woman to focus on herself and her career.

The idea that it is the woman’s job to manage the house and raise the children, and that her career comes after is slowly going away.

I think that’s a key difference. There’s more freedom of choice for women these days.

Talk to me about some of the things you want seeing changed in the Indian culture? 

Over the years, there have been a lot of positive changes happening in Indian culture. But misogyny, discrimination, and inequality still exist and that is a harsh reality.

I would really like to see any kind of discrimination (based on gender/religion/caste) go away. Equality is the way forward – for every man, woman, and child.

Talk to me a little about your faith, the special feasts, and how you celebrate them?

While I am not very religious – I have inherited a sense of tradition from my parents. I do celebrate most Indian festivals.  I see every Indian festival like Christmas or Thanksgiving –  a time to create special memories with family and strengthen familial bonds.

Since our families live in India – here in the United States, my husband and I celebrate these festivals with our closest friends. On these special days, I tend to cook dishes that are more traditional in nature – those that I’ve seen my mother prepare when I was a child.

To give you an example, Diwali is a very famous Indian festival. It is called the Festival of Lights. As with other Indian festivals, Diwali has a religious connotation and signifies the triumph of light over darkness, It is an official holiday in India. On this day, people wear new clothes specially purchased for this festival. Delicious food is cooked and families will usually meet up with each other. The festival is also associated with fireworks, so children and adults alike will wake up at the crack of dawn to set off fireworks.

On this day, I will clean the house, prepare a traditional Indian meal, go to the temple, and in the evening, have friends over so everyone can set off fireworks and then have dinner. By doing this, it gives everyone a chance to relive their childhood memories and to connect with each other.

For the children especially, it is an opportunity to get to know their culture and roots.

You have been chosen to cook vegetarian food for the four living US presidents. I want to know a soup, starter, main course, and dessert you will cook for them?

It would be such an honor if this really happens someday. I would probably serve them the following dishes, one from each corner of India.

Soup – Rasam Soup Shots – Rasam is a dish from the South of India. It’s a hot and spicy lentil soup made with tomatoes, curry leaves, and tamarind.

Starter – Mini Vada Pav Sliders – Vada Pav is a famous street-food from Mumbai (West India). It’s a bite-sized fried potato pattie wedged between mini burger buns that are smeared with a mix of sweet, spicy, and tangy chutneys.

Main Course – Kadai Paneer – Kadai Paneer is a dish from the North of India. It features paneer cubes marinated in a rich and creamy onion-tomato gravy. This dish is served with Naan – Indian flatbread, and Jeera Rice – an aromatic side dish made with Basmati rice, cumin seeds, and ghee.

Dessert – Rose flavored Sandesh  – A famous dessert from Eastern India made with paneer and rose syrup.

The post Cookilicious All the Way appeared first on Four Columns of a Balanced Life.

Recently, I was a judge at the Pickering Buttertart Festival. As I was heading out, someone offered me a piece of cheesecake in a beautiful bag. The cheesecake was made by Hip Hip Gourmet. I got home and, after dinner, tasted the cheesecake along with my wife and daughter. I am not a big fan of cheesecake. This was the best cheesecake I have tasted in my life. I got in touch with Andrea Lagana the owner of Hip Hip Gourmet. Andrea is smart, intelligent, makes everything from scratch, cares for the environment, and is socially responsible. Please order your cheesecake and support her. Andrea Lagana is the future of the hospitality industry in Canada. A day will come when she will change the landscape of the industry and be its voice, conscience, and leader.

Andrea, you are a connoisseur of good food and a person with a discerning palate. Tell me a little about you and what does a connoisseur mean?

An expert in something! I know my food. I love my food. I love that life revolves around food! A connoisseur to me is knowing something inside and out. Not necessarily knowing all there is to know about a certain topic or subject, per se, but really immersing yourself fully into all aspects of that thing you might be a connoisseur of. There are wine connoisseurs, art connoisseurs, car connoisseurs, cheesecake connoisseurs…. A person who believes they know enough about something to have a pretty good opinion on it is what I think a connoisseur means.

The little about me that you should know right off the bat are I make delicious cheesecakes for a living (pretty decent gig, huh?). I am well on my way to achieving a goal that means a lot to me: really and truly traveling and experiencing 30 different countries under 30 years old! (woot woot!) and I absolutely love furry four-legged friends and can’t wait to finally own at least 2 very big dogs one day!

Talk to me about your experience growing up in an Italian family. How did that influence you?

Ah, it was THE best! Our lives and traditions – everything we did, every event, special occasion, holiday…heck, even funerals – called for large family gatherings which only really means one thing in the Italian language: FOOD. Everything revolves around food!  My sisters and I really came to love and be proud of our culture – we didn’t care that our parents would often send us to school with paninis stuffed with what looks like the weirdest green vegetable on the planet to any other kid in class but to us was a family staple that we loved so much: rapini.

Growing up in an Italian family, fortunately, meant never going hungry but beyond that, just eating some of the greatest tasting foods around. We were always able to help keep up with the traditions, still to this day, and learned from a very young age that home-cooked everything is simply a way of life. Let’s just say that Nonna didn’t really approve of McDonald’s. All these things really helped shape me into the cook I am today because homemade, for me, is just part of who I am and was raised to be. Further than that, our family lost our greatest cook back in 2014, and I have a part to play in keeping my grandmother’s memory alive through her all-time favorite thing to do: feed people! And I’d be damned if I let her down in that category.

I like that you cook everything from scratch. Do you also try to do ethical sourcing?

Oh yeah, cooking from scratch is an essential part of my life. I really try to stay on top of meal planning (not so much prepping) just simply jotting down my meals for the week at which time I pick apart each dish and see what can be homemade instead of store-bought in terms of sauces, pastes, marinades, etc. I’ll even be starting to make my own cream cheese for my cheesecakes starting very soon! THAT’S what I mean when I say from scratch…I live by it at home so bringing that feature to my business only seems fitting!

I always try and do ethical sourcing wherever possible. I do think it’s important where our food is coming from and the process it took to get to the table but I will admit, I’m not the type to watch a video on this and become vegan because of it, for example. I try and buy grass-fed and organic when possible and would say I’m pretty aware of what makes a diet healthy (and do think, for the most part, I have one!) but like anything else, I’m certainly not perfect.

What makes your cheesecakes different from something I would find somewhere else?

If you put one of my cheesecakes next to one from, say, the grocery store or your local bakery, you’ll likely be able to see the difference yourself. All of my cheesecakes are carefully handcrafted by yours truly, not a machine and definitely not factory-made. Some of my crusts may not look perfectly straight and no cake will be exactly like the next, as I’m literally doing everything by hand, but I think that’s the beauty of what really sets me apart from the next guy! People love the homemade factor because my cakes still not only look like they’ve come right off the dessert menu in a high-class restaurant but you can absolutely taste the quality fresh ingredients that are carefully chosen to use in each recipe.

I’m also super adaptable when it comes to making people’s cheesecake dreams come true! Don’t see your favorite flavor on my website? Just let me know, there’s no flavor I’ve turned down yet! On a special diet? Have an allergy? Are you vegan? No problem!

What does woman empowerment mean to you?

When I read those two words together, I automatically think fierce, strong, support, love, POWER towards a woman or as a woman. Woman empowerment to me means rising above and standing tall, feeling independent and proud in her role in this world and not being afraid of who she is….ever!

Name me some of your favorite ingredients in the kitchen and least favorite ingredients?

I love using anything with spice – I like heat in my dishes – scotch bonnets, chilies, jalapenos, you name it!

Some of my favorite ingredients in my kitchen honestly didn’t even come from here! I’m a huge traveler and a mandatory part of every trip is hitting up as many markets as I can before having to buy a new suitcase to fit all the goods (almost always food-related). I once spent a year traveling in South America and I KID YOU NOT, carried around a whole separate suitcase (the BIG ones, too!) solely for spices and cooking equipment. I had over 50 spices in that bag so needless to say spices are my all-time fav ingredient(s) in the kitchen!

I don’t have a least favorite – I try to make something new every day! I’m not a picky eater but there are some ingredients you’d never catch in my kitchen (simply because I don’t like them)….cilantro, avocados, and watermelon are among the very few!

You have a vegan, vegetarian, someone who is on a keto diet, a diabetic, and someone who is allergic to dairy. What dessert would you serve them?

Cheesecake! The answer is always cheesecake! That’s the beauty….it can be made any and all of these ways and still taste delicious!

Walk me through your shoes of being a female entrepreneur… The good, bad, and the ugly?

I’m still pretty new at this! It all started as a fluke for me, quite honestly. My life up until a few months ago consisted of serving drinks at a busy bar 5 nights a week…working long and late hours, something I had done for nearly 15 years! I had extra cream cheese in my fridge the Halloween before last (don’t ask) and decided to make a pumpkin pie cheesecake for some odd reason (which by the way, was my first cheesecake EVER!) I brought it into work to share with my fellow colleagues and almost immediately my boss (owner of the restaurant) said we had to put it on the menu based on how good it was. Who knew my life would actually change forever at that time?

I went on to continue to work at that restaurant for the next year, serving my own cheesecakes on the menu…daily. It was a rewarding and incredible experience to have been given that opportunity. From there, it kind of just snowballed – I picked up a few more wholesale clients and a ton of regular clients and here we are, only three months into doing this full-time, still grasping the concept of what being a female entrepreneur actually means! I’m so thankful to have amazing support around me from family and friends cause let’s be honest, I’m not even ashamed to admit, I don’t know the first thing when it comes to being a businesswoman. But, you gotta start somewhere, and that’s really what it’s been about so far!

Are there any chefs you admire?

I really like Bobby Flay and would love to have my chance to beat him one day on his show!

Talk to me about somethings that you are very Italian, somethings you are not?

I guess it depends on who you ask! My boyfriend would tell you I’m loud and as stubborn as it gets (a known Italian trait). My mother would tell you she has no idea where this travel bug of mine came from cause it’s certainly not from how she or my Italian father were raised. I’d say I’m pretty Italian when it comes to some of my all-time favorite foods – salami and prosciutto but not when it comes to knowing how to speak it (ashamed to even admit I don’t speak it fluently). Obviously, my love for cooking and feeding people an overwhelming amount of food is influenced by my Italian background. I am extremely shy and quiet, love to be alone and don’t like small talk – one could probably argue that’s not very Italian.  

Finally, tell me what you’d do if you won the lottery right now…?

Literally put my life on hold and head to the airport (extend the invite to my family and friends but they have to be willing to leave with me immediately) with a blindfold covering my eyes as I spun a globe to see the destination. I always wanted to do that. Then I’d probably just keep going until I found a spot I could maybe open a little (cheesecake) shop or something in. Likely somewhere hot. On or near a beach. Now you have me dreaming…

The post Andrea Lagana: Cheesecake Queen appeared first on Four Columns of a Balanced Life.