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Visit my website at
www.jinisethnicgourmet.com
You will find more wonderful recipes there to try out tonight!
Demos & Lectures
Book Tour in Courtney
April 27th & 28th
I will be at a cook shop called "Beyond the Kitchen Door" in Courtney for a Sri Lankan Cooking Class on the 27th evening and book signing on the 28th afternoon.
For more information and registration, please phone: 250-338-4404.
Please visit here for course descriptions on Jini's private classes offered.
Looking for a unique Birthday, Anniversary or Valentine's Day gift?
Gift Certificates from Jini's Ethnic Gourmet are always a welcome treat!
They can be used in a Gift Basket with spices and goodies, or cashed for a cooking class or catering for a special event such as birthday, anniversary, romantic evening or just a fun girls' night out!
Delta School Board Classes
"Around the Culinary World in 5 Weeks"
Spring session at Delta Continuing Education
- Thai cooking: April 30
Delta Secondary School, Ladner
See details at Web.deltasd.bc.ca
To register:
Call Jini at 604/940-9355 or email Jini@jinisethnicgourmet.com
Or
call the Delta School Board at 604/940-5550.
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Bits & Bites from Jini
Dear Friend,
Thank goodness the Sun is shining and Spring has finally arrived! It's amazing that Nature sets its own natural cycles to be in perfect harmony only to be disturbed by our follies! In the winter the plants conserve energy by shedding their leaves. In the Spring the sap begins to flow signaling a natural cleansing process, and then the buds begin to bloom while rejuvenating in the Spring & Summer. At the end of the cycle, we are blessed with a whole bounty of fresh fruit, veggies and grain in the Fall.
In contrast, we humans boost up our feasting from Thanksgiving through Christmas and right up to Easter, and then we topple over the bathroom scales! Ah! How we repeat the same folly over and over! Instead we should just watch and learn from the plant world!
Here are some goofy slimming hints I received from a friend…with lots of healthy walking outdoors!
1.. You walka pasta da bakery.
2.. You walka pasta da candy store.
3.. You walka pasta da Ice Cream shop.
4.. You walka pasta da table and fridge.
You will lose weight!
For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.
1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat, and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
CONCLUSION: Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you!
P.S. Going to High school is also dangerous these days!
Healthy Eating in a Crazy World!
Many working men and women (particularly busy moms) struggle with preparing meals for their families, due to crazy work schedules or family activities. So I have come up with an In-home workshop format that I can offer to families to make life and meal times a little less crazy! With obesity in children on the rise, I am passionate about helping parents cope with meal preparation. You will also be setting an example and teaching valuable life skills they will use later in life.
Want to switch to a healthy diet – but don't know how?
Are busy work and family activity schedules driving you to the fast-food lane?
Why not make cooking and family meal planning a 'once-a-week' fun family activity, rather than a stressful everyday one-woman act?
As a Mom, Cooking Instructor and Caterer, I bring a life time of family cooking experience, and 15 years of teaching (along with nutrition knowledge) to help you put wholesome, delicious meals on the table.
You will learn to:
- Plan, organize and budget for meals with the help of your family.
- Learn to incorporate adequate fruits and vegetables and whole grains in addition to meats, fish, poultry and dairy in to your meals for a healthy, balanced diet.
- Try new recipes or your favourite meals, customized for your family taking into consideration individual food likes and dislikes.
- Teach practical and time-saving tips on shopping and food storage
- Avoid food wastage by creative use of leftovers.
- Safe food handling applying food safe principles in your kitchen.
Call or email me for an In-home Meal Planning consultation with your whole family.
Tel: 604/940-9355
E-mail: jini@jinisethnicgourmet.com
Want to boost your brain power?
Watch out for these wonderful gifts from Nature in the upcoming months... Please refer to my March Newsletter for the fabulous blender recipes. Did you get a chance to try some?
Berries: Studies show that diets rich in berries, and most specifically blueberries, greatly improves motor skills and learning capacity.
Strawberries: are a great anti-oxidant; did you know that just 1 cup of strawberries give 84 mg. of vitamin C, and also about 3 gm. Of fibre for cleansing action! Try strawberries in your salad with a dash of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a sprinkling of Feta cheese, and some red onion rings for a delicious Mediterranean flavour!
Blueberries: Research also shows that blueberries help reduce the effects of age-related conditions such as Cataract, Alzheimer's disease and dementia and protect the brain from oxidative stress. Just add a handful of blueberries in to your morning cereal for a delicious breakfast. Fresh blue berries are not available till the end of Summer, but frozen blue berries can be defrosted and used instead.
Wild Salmon: Salmon and other deep, cold-water fish are rich in omega-3 essential fatty acids. Omega-3s are essential for brain function and also contain anti- inflammatory substances.
Citrus Fruits and Colorful Vegetables: Because of their antioxidant properties, citrus fruits and colorful vegetables are high on the list of "brainy" foods. The more colorful the better. Brightly colored yellow, orange, red, purple and green fruits and vegetables are antioxidant rich. Go for orange with carrots, apricots, cantaloupe, mango, papaya and oranges.
Celebrate the season with fresh fruit!
 Just imagine taking this beautiful piece of "Edible Fruit Art" to your mom on Mother's Day or taking it to your next potluck! It will also be a stunning center piece at your next party! I first saw this beautiful idea at a friend's place and it came from a company called Edible Arrangements with many locations in Canada and the US. But I had to take on the challenge to do it myself! I found it to be so therapeutic! I am now offering them in my catering work! Here are some examples of what I managed to create...
| Edible Fruit Art |
1 orange or grapefruit,
1 Cantaloupe,
1 melon,
1/2 pineapple,
strawberries,
red and green grapes, some sturdy greens like Kale(optional) and
wooden skewers(both short and long).
Method:
- Cut the grapefruit in half and place it on a platter, with the cut side down.
Remove peel from pineapple and cut into 1/2" slices. Cut around edges with a large cookie cutter or sharp knife to form a flower shape.
- Peel cantaloupe and melon and cut into thin wedges lengthwise. Remove seeds and halve the wedges. Make a few melon and cantaloupe balls using a melon baller.
- Arrange fruit wedges on one end of skewer and place on a platter.
- Fasten pineapple rounds on to skewers and top with a melon ball.
- String grapes and strawberries through skewers.
- Secure all the skewers firmly into the grapefruit, by pressing down the loose end into the grapefruit. Add accents with the strawberries and grape skewers.
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Fruit Art Contest!
 If you are artistic, you will have fun with this project and come up with better creations than I did! Try this project with your kids, and you are sure to have a wonderful Mother's Day treat made for you at home! Take a picture of your project and email to me before May 15th. I will announce the winner, and display the Winning Fruit Art in my May Newsletter. The winner will receive a copy of my cook book "Ethnic Pleasures".
Note:
If you are not happy with your "Fruit Art", don't despair...just put all the pieces in to a blender with a little apple juice or orange juice and turn them into a fabulous shake, or chop them up fine, and add a dash of lemon juice for a yummy fresh fruit salad!
Don't forget that I am available for that special event you need catered or to have some friends over for a special cooking class!
Until next month... happy cooking!
Jini
jini@jinisethnicgourmet.com
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