August 30, 2012

A Classic Canadian Roast With An Asian Twist ~ With #cbias and VH #DeliciousSauces!

 
 
When given the opportunity to shop, prep and cook my favourite meal using a VH Sauce of my choice, I jumped at the chance!  And I instantly knew what meal I would be making.

As you would know from many previous posts of mine, I grew up eating really good food!  My parents always cooked from scratch, and I loved learning from them.  With a family of six to feed, my mom often cooked roasts.  They were a cost-effective way to feed a large group, could be prepared ahead of time, and there were almost always leftovers.

Whether preparing chicken, beef or pork roasts, they all had one common ingredient – VH Soya Sauce!  I remember as a child, watching my parents prepare Thanksgiving turkey.  My mom would roll up her sleeves, cup her hands, and call out ingredients for my dad to pour into her hands, like a surgeon ready to operate.  Salt. Pepper. Savoury. Soya Sauce.  I know...soya sauce is an unexpected ingredient in a roast turkey, but it couldn't be more perfect!  This simple ingredient always added incredible flavour and colour to any roast.  When I started cooking on my own, I followed suit and rubbed soya sauce into each roast that I made.  And still do to this day.  While my mother always cooked her roasts in the oven, I prefer to use my slow cooker.  This way, we can have roast during the work week.

So after writing out my recipe and making my shopping list, Big-A and I headed to my absolute favourite grocery store to start shopping – Longo's!  I’m not a fan of grocery shopping, but shopping at Longo's never feels like a chore...it’s more of a treat!  Perfectly stacked produce, the freshest meats, deli products and cheeses you can find.  Specialty products that are hard to find elsewhere.  And service that trumps any other supermarket.  I LOVE shopping at Longo's, and I’m lucky to have one within walking distance from my house.

I love seeing this welcome mat :)

When Big-A and I entered the store, we were immediately greeted with the delicious aromas of the bakery.  I let Big-A pick out a container of cookies, a treat for coming shopping with his mom (a HUGE chore for a 7-year old boy!).  At the frozen food section, we grabbed a bag of Asian-style frozen veggies.  I always have frozen veggies in my freezer at home for quick weeknight meals.  We then headed to the meat department to check out the roasts.

I love that Longo's proudly showcases Ontario meat, making shopping local easy for anyone!

I found a 2 lb boneless pork rib roast, a perfect size for our family of four (and leftovers for the next day!).  If I'm cooking a roast for dinner guests, I usually go with an 8 lb roast with the bone in.  It takes longer to cook, but it makes the meal extra special.  When chosing a pork roast, I always look for even marbling to ensure that the meat won't dry out.  As we passed through the meat department we came across this awesome VH display!

VH Sauces galore!

After grabbing a bottle of VH Soya Sauce and a bag of rice, we headed to the produce department.  Big-A picked out sugar snap peas like a pro.  I always ask him to pick out the perfect banana bunch, the ripest avocados and blemish-free beans.  It's an easy way to include kids in the grocery shopping experience! 
 
A perfectly faced VH Sauces section.  And on sale too!
 
My helper :)
After cashing out, we made a quick pit-stop for Lego toys (Big-A brought his own shopping money), then headed home to get cooking!  You can check out our entire shopping and cooking experience on my Google+ Album!  It was a lot of fun!
 
 
Slow Cooker Pork Roast
 
Ingredients:
2 lb fresh, boneless pork rib roast
2 medium sized white onions, cut in half
1/4 cup VH Soya Sauce
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp ground thyme
1 tbsp dried New Brunswick savoury (NB grows the best savoury!)
1 tsp cracked black pepper
4 cups cold water
1 tbsp corn starch, combined with 3 tbsp cold water
 
Directions:
  1. Place thyme, savoury and pepper on a large flat dish.  Pour VH Soya Sauce on the plate and combine all ingredients, stirring with a fork.
  2. Coat all sides of the pork roast with the mixture, making sure that the herbs stick to the roast.  Do not discard the mixture once the roast is coated - put aside.
  3. Add vegetable oil to a large skillet over med-high heat.
  4. Once oil is hot, place coated roast in the pan.  You will want to hear a sizzle when the roast hits the pan.  Brown each side, approximately 2 minutes per side.
  5. While meat is browning, place halved onions in a slow cooker.  Over the slow cooker, pour cold water over the plate with the remaining mixture, covering the onions.  This will add flavour to the roast while it's cooking, and will make your gravy spectacular!
  6. Once all sides of the roast are browned, place the roast in the slow cooker, on top of the onions.  Cover and set on high for 4 hours.
  7. Once the roast is cooked, place in a covered glass dish.  Strain the juices from the slow cooker into a medium pot.  Bring to a boil, and pour in the corn starch/water mixture slowly, stirring quickly.  Once the gravy is at the desired consistency, bring to a boil again and immediately remove from heat.
  8. The roast will be fall-apart tender, and will be difficult to slice.  Break it apart in lengthwise chunks instead.
  9. Serve over a bed of rice, topped with gravy, with steamed vegetables on the side.
The boys approve!
 
I have been making this roast, with the exact ingredients for years.  With comments like "this is the best roast ever!" from hubby, and "I'm actually in heaven!" from Big-A, I'll never stop making it.  It's THAT good!
 
For meal inspiration, check out the VH Sauce website at http://www.vhsauces.ca/en/home.html.  I love the Sauces tab, where you can choose flavours based on Orient, Thai or Indian inspirations.  The selection of sauces is incredible!  You can also find drool-worthy photos and recipes on the VH Sauces Twitter page, as well as on the VH Facebook page, where this week they are featuring "7 Days Of Burgers", with recipes using their sauces.
 
Whether you're making an Asian-inspired meal, or adding a little Asian flavour to a traditionally non-Asian meal, VH Sauces will add flavours to your food that will have everyone asking for seconds!


 
 
This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias #CBias.
As always, all opinions on this blog are my own.


DISCLAIMER: Not all the food products used in this recipe are certified "Gluten Free". I do, however, causiously check all food labels and Brand websites before making my gluten free desserts. If you have gluten allergy concerns,
I suggest you do the same.

August 29, 2012

Easing Back-To-School Stress!

Last year, I posted at the beginning of the school year in September with suggestions on making the back-to-school transition easier on moms and dads.  This year, Big-A is entering GRADE 2!!  Where did the time go?!

I have changed my preparation a bit, based on last year.  I am not shopping for clothes and new shoes yet.  Last September (and the even the beginning of October), I sent Big-A to school wearing spring/summer clothes and sandals.  He didn't wear his new fall clothes until mid-October.  This year, I will wait until the 'new' fall clothes go on sale and take advantage of the deals and discounts.  I will do the same with his school shoes, visiting Kiddie Kobbler for a pair of Geox once they are a little cheaper.

Now here is my original post (with a few additions):




Did the summer ever go by fast!  It seems like I was sitting at Big-A's SK grad ceremony just yesterday and I'm now preparing him for Grade 1!  Along with the new backpack, school supplies and new fall clothes comes school snacks and lunches!  Last year I had it easy, only having to plan for snacks, one per day.  This year I will be challenged with preparing a nut-free, delicious and healthy lunch, along with 2 snacks per day.  I'm lucky to have this blog as an index of ideas and recipes.  But I won't stop there - I'll be testing out even more recipes, trying out different foods (some foods just don't travel well) and searching for the healthiest store bought items that I can find.

The key to getting through the chaos of back-to-school is to be prepared.  This means filling my fridge and pantry with foods that will be in Big-A's lunch bag week after week.  Here is a basic list that I will follow and I will add to it as I move along.

Pantry:
Refrigerator
  • assortment of fresh fruit and vegetables including cucumbers, carrots, cherry tomatoes, cauliflower, bananas, apples, nectarines, grapes (think a 'rainbow' of colours)
  • plain greek-style yogurt (no added flavour, sugar, colouring, fillers) - add honey and fresh or frozen fruit
  • Maple Leaf Natural Selections ham and turkey slices
  • assortment of cheese including havarti/mozarella/white cheddar and Baby Bel
  • un-sweetened jams and apple butter (nut-free toppings for bagels)
  • hummus, plain or flavoured
Freezer
  • homemade banana and blueberry muffins for a quick breakfast or pack for school snacktime
  • homemade banana bread mini loaves
  • homemade pancakes or waffles - simply pop in the toaster for an easy breakfast
  • Treasure Mills School Safe cookies, cakes and brownies - I freeze the entire box and they thaw by snack time

Reference Canada's Food Guide to ensure that your little one is receiving the required nutrition to get them through the day.  You can order a free copy to hang in your pantry for easy use!  And get your kids involved in following the guide, while they help to pack their lunch.

Keep lunches and snacks simple, and change them up through the week.  Keep your child's age in mind before preparing foods.  Air-popped popcorn is a fabulous school snack, but it is a choking hazard for young children.  Raw carrots are also a major choking hazard.  My post Snack - No Choke Carrot Sticks offers a solution for young children.  Yogurt is a great snack or lunch accompaniment, but it may be too messy for a 4-year old to eat at school.

I plan to sign Big-A up for the milk program at school.  Other than that, he will get a bottle of cold water in his backpack each day that he can refill if needed.  When choosing a water bottle for your little one, look for BPA-free and consider how easy it is to clean all of the parts.  You can read more about the importance of water, and some great water bottle brands in my post H2O Woes.

Although I plan to make most of Big-A's snacks and lunches from scratch, I know how busy weekday evenings are.  Working until 5pm, shovelling dinner down our throats, attempting a walk before bath time...we never stop!  If and when I chose to send him to school with store-bought items, I will make sure to read labels, research ingredients and make sure that the items are of the best quality and have a high nutritional value.  Low sodium and high fibre are two items that I always look out for.

Last but not least, think of a creative way to let your child know that you're thinking of them while they're at school.  Small notes on Post-It's, heart-shaped sandwiches or even a Kinder® Surprise hidden in their backpack will put an instant smile on the face of any child.

Keep your pantry, refrigerator and fruit bowl full and make the school lunch crunch easier on everyone!