Nutella not healthy?!?!?

Imagine my sadness when I came across this item in the Guardian this morning before leaving for work:

Watchdog to Investigate Health Claims in Nutella Ad

SIGH. I mean, I was sceptical when I first saw this ad (despite the fact that I usually believe EVERYTHING I see on TV!), but after munching my way through 4 pieces of challah toast slathered in this hazelnut cocoa elixir, I was persuaded by the merits of the claim that Nutella is actually good for you!

I will be keeping a close eye on the watchdog's progress. In the meantime, I've switched to those polish sesame snaps for breakfast. Full of protein, I'm told.

Cheers,

Kristina

PS. However, it is still true that Nutella, or its cousin PC Dark Chocolate spread, make a GREAT icing for cupcakes. ;-) No watchdog can persuade me otherwise...

PPS should you see any ads on this blog featuring Newt Gingrich or Ann Coulter, please be aware that this does not IN ANY WAY represent the perspective of your Legal Hostesses. Au contraire, indeed. I will be taking this up with Blogger.

dinner, quick and dirty

Having had to schlep to the LCBO and to Shoppers Drug Mart* after work yesterday, I had only enough energy to put together one of my favourite carbo-loading dinners: approx. 25 minutes from start to finish.

Crispy Bacon Pasta

Ingredients (for 2 servings):

• 1/2 lb. pasta of your choice (I use whole wheat spaghetti or spaghettini for this)


• as much bacon (of your choosing) as you'd like (for me, this is approx 1/2 pound per 2 servings)


• healthy splash of olive oil (because olive oil is, of course, healthy for you!)


• 3-4 cloves of garlic, smashed but not chopped


• red wine vinegar (if you like it)


• chopped fresh parsley (if you have it)


• ground black pepper


• grating cheese of your choice (I use parmesan or romano for this)

Put on a big pot with lots of water for the pasta.

Meanwhile, chop the bacon into 1/2 inch widths. You can use any kind of bacon for this. If you want to go fancy, grab some pancetta at your local deli. My personal favourite right now is PC Thick Sliced Bacon. (I don't know what I would do without catering help from The President, frankly).

Put in a cold frying pan with a big splash of olive oil and saute on medium heat until starting to get crispy. Throw in the garlic cloves and remove when they start to get brown. There will be lots of fat in the pan. Set aside.

By now, your water should be just about ready to receive the pasta. Salt the water and throw in your pasta. (Skip the oil in the water - what is the point of that, anyway?). Boil until done to your taste. Put the pan with the bacon back on the stove on medium, then drain the pasta. Throw the pasta into the frying pan and stir around until it's all covered. Put in a slug of red wine vinegar if you're using it and cook 1 minute more.

Use tongs to pick up the pasta and put it on the plates. There will still be lots of oil and bacon fat in the pan... if you're me, take a big piece of crusty bread, mop it up and scarf it down as an appetizer. Cover with a blanket of grated cheese, pepper and parsley and serve.

MMMMM. If you like bacon you will probably make this every night for a week and gain 5 pounds. Don't blame me, though - you've been warned!

Modifications:

• some people like chopped tomato in this. I think that's weird, but hey.


• this is obviously not vegetarian, although I suspect that a version made with chopped hazelnuts or pine nuts (if you really want to push out the boat) would be delicious (stolen from a salad dressing idea by JR!!!)

**the Shoppers is not a chore, really - I left there having spent $100.00 on such essential foodstuffs as Cool Whip, frozen french fries, Lay's Spicy Curry Chips. NEVER SHOP WHEN HUNGRY.

artichoke dip

A few weeks ago I was celebrating a crisp fall day by making vegetarian shepherd's pie and yet it's now 27 degrees in Ontario! Fresh small Ontario artichokes are in the market and here's the dip I made for M's birthday brunch:
1 small package soft tofu, 1 1/2 heaping tablespoons dijon, generous amount of olive oil, juice of one half lemon, lemon zest, 2 large garlic cloves, salt. Toss in food processor until creamily delicious.

So excited!

Kristina is so awesome for setting this up. Just to clarify, I don't spend all afternoon thinking about food, it's also all morning, then all the way home on the streetcar thinking about what to pick up at St. Lawrence Market, then revisiting choices while chopping in the kitchen. Then reflecting over dinner (my kids really love it when I want to dissect each flavour of our dinner), and then just before sawing logs I like to think about the possibilities for the next day...

Slow cooker season

Now that the leaves are falling, we are on the quest for marvellous and hearty slow cooker recipes.

When we first discussed this pressing topic a couple of weeks back, JR filled the ever-ignorant KB in on the notion that slow cookers are really not all that useful to those who choose not to cook with meat. In a stubborn effort to disprove this theory, KB sought advice from the ever helpful folk on the Knitty message board (on which, she has observed, she gets far more response posting on food than on knitting!! heh heh).

Here were their very helpful responses - suitable both for the veg lovers and meat lovers out there:

Knittyfolk on Slow Cooking

Any more recipes/ideas? Those suitable for vegetarians are particularly welcome.

Also: any tips and tricks on crockpot cookery are most welcome, especially your answer to the ageless dilemma "To Braise or Not to Braise" (see poll at sidebar).

it's the most wonderful time of the year...

Or at least it was two weeks ago. Why, you might well ask(especially if you don't live in Ontario)?

Well - our favourite freebie, the LCBO Food and Drink Magazine, is now on the shelves (Autumn 2007 edition). For more information and recipes, see this link: http://www.lcbo.com/fooddrink/index.shtml

KB's impressions: as usual, this mag does not disappoint. Food pron at its finest - and cheapest (if you don't count all the money you spent at the LCBO when you picked it up, that is). My favourite so far - the parsnip appetizers in filo. Eagerly awaiting the Holiday edition:


Almost enough to make me look forward to winter!

JR's Impressions: [pending - she is busily working. SIGH.]

What are YOUR favourite recipes from the Autumn issue?

Introductions and Welcome!

Do you spend all morning at work thinking about lunch?


Do you pass the afternoon at work planning dinner?

Do your colleagues ever ask you "Why don't you just open a restaurant already?"

Then you, too, might be an honourary legal eagle who lunches!

Join JR and KB, two food-obsessed people who work, lunch and inspire heated food-related debate amongst their coworkers. We are currently acting joint Social Convenors of our respective floors and have recently created a cookbook (and other book) interfloor office exchange, bringing joy and conversation to our beleaguered colleagues in the social justice field.

Of this culinary equation, JR provides the nurturing, healthy veggie yin while KB is the ruthless promoter of the "cram as many chips and doughnuts as you can into your coworkers" yang.

Although we both love our current jobs, we both would love to do other things when we grow up:

• JR aspires to the role of chief food tester/creative person for the President's Choice product line

• KB would like to find a market of millionaires for her pickled products and flavoured oils and vinegars, and use the profits to fund her passion for knitting.

Other culinary quests of JR and KB include:

• finding the world's best potato chips (KB)

• scouring the markets of Toronto for the finest produce (JR)

We'd love to hear from you about your food-related predilections (you must have some!!!)

As we develop, we hope to provide links to recipes in the sidebar. Stay tuned...

Meanwhile, stay tuned for reviews, recipes and general ranting about everyone's favourite topic... and if you'd like to introduce yourself, please feel free to leave a comment on this thread! Recipes are particularly welcome.