At the Gilmore Park Church Community Kitchen, Minoo shared with us some food safe leftovers tips from dietitian Heather McColl. Here is the excerpt:

Double duty dinners are a perfect time-saving solution to getting a homemade dinner on the table in a hurry. When storing and reheating leftovers, use the following measures to keep them food-safe:

• Ensure your fridge is at the correct temperature: 4 degrees or colder. A fridge thermometer is a good investment.
• Refrigerate leftovers immediately after dinner or within 2 hours of cooking.
• Cool food quickly by storing in shallow containers on your refrigerator’s wire shelves to promote maximum airflow and even cooling.
• Quickly cool a large pot of hot food like soup or stew by chilling in an ice bath and stirring frequently before storing in the refrigerator or freezer.
• Chill large pieces of meat or poultry quickly and safely by deboning and dividing into small pieces before storing in the refrigerator
• Date your leftovers and use within 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator or store in the freezer for up to 6 months.
• When reheating leftovers, be sure to heat foods to an internal temperature of 74 degrees or bring liquids like soup to a rolling boil.
• A good rule of thumb is when in doubt, throw it out as you can’t tell the safety of food by its look, smell or taste.

The second breakfast item which Minoo shared is a Crunchy Chewy Granola. This granola can be eaten as snacks or as topping on your favourite yogurt.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sunflower oil
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup agave syrup
• 5 1/2 cups old fashioned oat flakes (you may substitute up to 2 cups of oats with any other cereal flake you desire)
• 1 cup sunflower or pumpkin seeds
• 4 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1 cup chopped mixed nuts
• 2 tablespoons wheat germ
• 1 tablespoons ground flax seed
• 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1 1/2 cups dried fruits (like craisin, raisin, blueberry, sour cherry or goji berry)

In this recipe, Minoo introduced us with new sweetener called agave syrup. Agave syrup or nectar is available at Costco and Galloway’s Specialty Foods.

Minoo shared with us the nutrients of agave includes Vitamin A, B1 (Thiamin), B2 (Riboflavin), B3 (Niacin), B6 (Phridoxine), B9 (Folate, Folic Acid), C, E, K, protein, selenium, natural fats, natural sugars, carbohydrates, starch, magnesium, calcium (good amount), iron, potassium, phosphorus, sodium, zinc, copper, manganese and dietary fiber (good amount).

Source: unknown

Instructions

Minoo grinds the flax seed just before use to retain it’s nutrients.

Preheat oven to 350F. Combine sesame seeds, nuts, oats and seeds in a large bowl and mix well. Place the oil, honey and agave syrup in a saucepan and warm until melted and combined well. Add the oil-honey mixture to the oats mixture and toss to mix well.

Spread the mixture out on a large cookie sheet and place in the oven. Bake for thirty minutes, stirring occasionally. The flakes should be brown and crispy.

Remove from the oven and add wheat germ, ground flax seed, shredded unsweetened coconut and dried fruit and stir well. Leave to cool and then store in an airtight container. Serve with milk, hot or cold, yogurt or fruit juice.