This is the year of the sandwich, marking the popular food’s 240th
anniversary.
“Sandwiches have evolved with the times,” Wheat Foods Council president
Judi Adams said in a News release
news.
“While providing the nutrition we need in a convenient package,
sandwiches also comfort us and remind us of home and our childhood.
Everyone remembers the happy thoughts of eating mom’s homemade peanut
butter and jelly sandwich.”
It all started when John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich, ordered
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two pieces of bread with meat between them. Since then, many
celebrities have had favourite sandwiches:
- Dagwood Bumstead is known for his love of giant, stacked sandwiches
on long hoagie rolls.
- Sesame Street’s resident magician, the Amazing Mumford, kept up his
strength by snacking on those magical peanut butter sandwiches.
- Cartoon character Yogi Bear swiped picnic lunch sandwiches from
campers in 1958, “stuffing down more goodies than the average bear.”
Building a healthy sandwich
- Use whole wheat bread, rolls, crackers, bagels, English muffins, and
pocket or pita bread. This provides complex carbohydrates, fibre,
vitamin B and folic acid.
- Fruit and vegetables add colour to your sandwich, as well as healthy
antioxidants, fibre, vitamins and minerals. Try spreading applesauce or
cream cheese on bread and layering with strawberry, apple or kiwi
slices.
- Meat, poultry, fish, beans, eggs and nuts provide protein, iron and
zinc.
- To add a treat for children, cut the sandwiches with cookie cutters
to create shapes and figures. Create bread wraps by using a rolling pin
to flatten one or two slices of bread, then spread with cream cheese
and fruit preserves.
For more information, check www.smartbread.com.
Rice
The Canadian diet should provide 55 percent of energy as carbohydrates,
including cereal, bread, other grain products, fruit and vegetables.
Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating recommends five to 12 servings of
grain products per day. Eating rice is another way to provide these
nutrients. One cup (250 mL) of rice provides two servings of grain
products.
Brown rice is rice from which only the hull has been removed. When
cooked, it has a slightly chewy texture and nut-like flavour. It is low
in fat and is a good dietary source of magnesium and also contains
fibre, thiamin, niacin, vitamin B6, pantothenic acid (B5), phosphorus,
and zinc.
Parboiled rice is unmilled rice that has been soaked, steamed and dried
before milling. It is available in white and brown, and is a favourite
with chefs who like fluffy and separate kernels.
Converted rice is a popular trademark name for parboiled rice.
Converted rice is threshed from the grass plant stalks, soaked in
water, steamed or boiled while in the husk, and then dehydrated. The
parboiling process recaptures more than 80 percent of the natural
nutrients that would otherwise be lost. The process helps assure a
separate, fluffy, unsticky grain. This information on parboiled rice is
from the Uncle Ben’s website at www.unclebens.com.
White rice is milled to remove the bran layers, and is fat-free. Rice
bran is high in dietary fibre, and also has vitamin E, folacin, zinc
and potassium besides the nutrients associated with rice. Rice bran is
a sweet, nutty-tasting product that ranges in colour from tan to dark
brown. This is great for toppings and as a replacement for up to one
quarter of the flour called for in bread, muffin or cookie recipes.
Because of the oil in the bran layer, brown rice has a limited shelf
life – approximately six months. For extended storage, store in a
refrigerator or freezer.
Cooked rice can be stored in a shallow container, covered tightly, and
refrigerated up to a week or frozen for up to six months. To reheat
cooked rice, which has been properly cooled and refrigerated or frozen,
add two tablespoons (30 mL) liquid for each cup (250 mL) of cooked
rice. Cover and heat on the stovetop or in the oven for about five
minutes, or until heated through. Microwave, covered, on high for about
one minute per cup (250 mL), or until heated through. Heat frozen rice
on high for two minutes per cup (250 mL). Fluff with a fork.
Long grain rice for salads, side dishes and main dishes has been
popular for years, as has medium grain rice for desserts and puddings,
and short grain rice for sushi, because it clings together well.
Aromatic rice varieties are growing in popularity. They have a natural
flavour and aroma similar to that of roasted nuts or popcorn. The most
popular are della, which cooks dry, separate and fluffy, jasmine, which
cooks more moist and clings together, and basmati, which cooks into
long, slender grains that are dry, separate and fluffy.
Arborio rice is a large rice with a characteristic white dot at the
center of the grain. Carefully handled, this rice develops a creamy
texture around a chewy centre and has an exceptional ability to absorb
flavours.
Here are some suggestions for quick easy ways to prepare rice for a
change:
- In large skillet over medium heat, sauté eight ounces (250 g) wild
mushrooms, such as shitake, cremini, chanterelles, and 1/2 teaspoon (2
mL) dried thyme leaves in two tablespoons (30 mL) melted butter or oil
until soft and lightly browned. Stir in 1/4 cup (50 mL) chopped fresh
parsley. Stir in three cups (750 mL) cooked rice and heat through,
stirring occasionally. Makes four to six servings.
- In large skillet over medium heat, heat one tablespoon (15 mL) butter
or oil. Stir in 1/2 cup (125 mL) each sliced green onions and walnut
pieces, one tablespoon (15 mL) minced fresh ginger, or 1/2 teaspoon (2
mL) ground ginger. Cook, stirring for about three or four minutes. Stir
in three cups (750 mL) cooked rice and one cup (250 mL) drained
pineapple tidbits and 1/2 cup (125 mL) raisins; heat through. Makes
four to six servings.
For more information, visit www.
riceinfo.com.
AgriBusiness Management Development Program
Thank you to all the readers who applied for the AgriBusiness
Management Development Program sponsored by AIMS (Agriculture Institute
of Management in Saskatchewan). AIMS had an overwhelming response from
farmers who applied with excellent credentials, and were only able to
sponsor some of the applicants. Those who took part in the one-week
program had glowing reports of the value of the information, networking
and learning. AIMS looks forward to offering this program again next
year.
Barbara Sanderson is a home economist from Rosetown, Sask., and one of
four columnists comprising Team Resources. Send correspondence in care
of this newspaper, Box 2500, Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2C4.
