As part of the Culinary Nutrition Expert Program offered by Meghan Telpner, I had to create a recipe that is healthy and anti-inflammatory. I could have gone the easy route by creating a soup or a stew, but I decided instead to attack one of the most popular, but probably unhealthiest French Canadian delicacy: the poutine. It was a big challenge, but I came up with the following recipe after a lot of testing and after asking many friends to give it a try. I got good feedback so far from people who tried it. I hope you like it too!
The basic poutine contains three main ingredients: the fries, the gravy and the cheese curds. In this version of the poutine, the deep-fried potatoes have been replaced with baked sweet potato “fries”. The beef or chicken gravy has been replaced with shiitake mushroom gravy containing anti-inflammatory spices such as ginger and fermented soy such as tamari. For the cheese curds, the cow-milk based curds have been replaced with raw cashew cheese curds.
Sweet potato fries:
Ingredients
- 2 medium-size sweet potatoes
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp dried basil
- sea salt to taste (or Altura Pink Salt)
Procedure
- Preheat oven to 300 F
- Cut sweet potatoes (leave the skin on if organic) into piece of approximately 7 mm x 7 mm with the desired length.
- In a bowl, combine melted coconut oil, oregano, basil and sea salt.
- Stir the pieces of sweet potato in the mixture until they are all covered with the oil and seasoning.
- Spread sweet potatoes on a baking dish with parchment paper and bake for 40-45 minutes until the “fries” are crispy on the outside.
Variation: To make this poutine even more anti-inflammatory, a mix of roasted veggies could be used instead of sweet potatoes.
Shitake mushroom gravy:
Ingredients
- 1 cup of dried shitake mushrooms
- 1 cup of warm water
- 1 tbsp organic toasted sesame oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 cup of water
- 1 tbsp organic tamari
- 1 tbsp of dried parsley
- ½ tbsp. of fresh grated ginger
- a pinch of cayenne
- sea salt to taste (or Altura Pink Salt)
- 1 ½ tbsp arrowroot starch and 2 tbsp cold water
Procedure
1. Reconstitute the mushrooms by putting them in one cup of warm water. Drain, but keep the soaking water.
2. Heat up the sesame oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the diced onion until transparent. Add the garlic and grated ginger and sauté for another minute (or until lightly brown).
3. Add the reconstituted sliced mushrooms and sauté for another 3 minutes.
4. Add the soaking water, the extra cup of water and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
6. Strain the mixture to remove pieces of mushroom and onion. Poor the strained mixture back in the skillet. This step is optional and only necessary if you want gravy without chunks.
7. Add the seasoning (tamari, parsley, cayenne and sea salt). Taste the gravy before adding too much salt, as the tamari is already very salty.
8. In a small bowl, dissolve the arrowroot starch in the cold water.
9. Pour the arrowroot mixture into the hot gravy. Whisk the mixture to prevent the formation of clots until the gravy thicken.
Cheese curds:
Ingredients
- 1 cup of cashew
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tsp of onion powder
- ½ tsp of sea salt (or Altura Pink Salt)
- water
Procedure
1. Put the cashew nuts, onion powder, sea salt and lemon juice in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is a thick paste. To get coloured curds (and boost their health properties, you can also add turmeric to the mix)
2. Slow add water until the mixture holds together but is not too liquid (similar to toothpaste). The mixture will need to be shaped in the form of cheese curds.
3. Pour the mixture in the form on cheese curds (approx. 7 mm wide, 7 mm thick and 2 cm long) on a dehydrator non-stick sheet.
4. Dehydrate at 52 C for approximately 8 hours (until the curds are dry enough to hold together, but not too dry to be to hard). It can also be done with an oven at the lowest temperature and with the door open.
Variation: Walnuts can also be used to make this poutine even more anti-inflammatory.
Assemble the poutine:
To achieve the perfect poutine the French Canadian way there is one rule that must be followed. When assembling the poutine at the end, there should be one layer of fries, one layer of cheese curds, one layer of fries and one layer of cheese curds. The gravy is then poured on the fries and cheese curds. It is a common mistake to put only the cheese curds on top. Enjoy!
For those of you taking the photography course at MFRC, I now have the course content of the two first lessons on-line. Inside the zip files (you need to uncompress it), you will find a PDF with all the slides of the presentation used in class.
Download link for lessons 1 and 2
A finalist at the CWSF 1966 in Windsor, Ontario
This year, the Canada-Wide Science Fair will celebrate its 50th year. For a full half-century, this annual event has celebrated the spirit of scientific curiosity and discovery among Canadian youth. For me, this anniversary is especially exciting, because I will be attending this year’s event as an MC and Program Coordinator — nearly 20 years after I first participated as a student!
So much has happened in the world of science since the first year of the fair in 1962. Imagine what it was like during that very first year:
- Computer scientists used paper punchcards to program computers
- Humans had not yet walked on the moon
- AstroTurf hadn’t been invented yet!
As for the fair itself, it was a very different event than the one young people will experience this year. Nationwide, just 45 students attended the 1962 event held in Ottawa. Compare that to more than 500 students who will attend in 2011!
If you plan to be at the fair this year, get ready for a blast from the past. You’ll have a chance to hear about the history of the CWSF throughout five event-filled decades. You’ll also get to meet some of the people who took part in the fairs all those many years ago—including a special appearance by a contestant from the very first fair in 1962! Many went on to enjoy distinguished careers in science and make significant contributions in their field.
You’ll hear some surprising stories and learn some interesting facts, including:
- How did a CWSF pin wind up in outer space?
- Has a finalist ever won “best in fair” more than once?
- Have any CWSF alumni won a Nobel Prize?
And much more “insider information” about the hidden history of this proving ground for some of Canada’s best young science talent. I look forward to seeing my fellow scientists at this year’s very special 50th anniversary event, and celebrating five decades of exploration and discovery!
I’m finally getting around to debriefing on the MacWorld 2011 Expo held in San Francisco this past January. Having attended last year’s event, I was looking forward to seeing a showcase of the latest Mac/iPhone/iPad accessories, applications and devices, as well as attending some demonstrations and workshops on getting the most out of these new technologies.
As an educator, it was a special honour for me to attend as an international guest member of the CUE (Computer Using Educators) team. CUE is a US-based nonprofit educational group whose goal is to advance student achievement through technology. As part of this team of dedicated K-12 educators, I had the opportunity to make a contribution to the K-12 Education Strand at MacWorld. It was also my chance to be a “Rock Star,” since the teachers of CUE were all given this honorary designation during the event! The night before the big event, the Rock Star teachers all convened for a celebratory dinner, and I got to know some very inspirational educators who are truly pushing the boundaries of technology in the classroom.
I may be biased, but I really thought the Education Strand was the most engaging and exciting of all the disciplines featured at this year’s event. I was so impressed by the sense of energy and fun the group created through audience participation and community-building activities. For instance, attendees were encouraged to use Twitter to answer questions and share comments, with contributions being instantly displayed on a giant screen. Audience members could also play games together through their Twitter accounts or using the SMART Response PE Interactive Response System for Education. These new SMART systems use handheld wireless remotes to create and administer tests and manage, track and evaluate the results. Thanks to the event’s generous sponsors, game participants got to compete for some pretty incredible prizes, such as a wireless web cam, a full class set of SMART Technologies Senteo clickers and more.
The event that garnered the most attention was an Iron Chef–style competition called “Iron CUE,” in which the contest creations were cutting-edge tech tools instead of haute cuisine. As a special international guest, I was given the honour of adjudicating this lively and fast-paced event. The CUE participants were split into two teams—representing Southern and Northern California—and given just 15 minutes to use technology to solve a specific problem. This year’s challenge was to create an online professional learning community (PLC) to encourage teachers in the same school to share learning, collaborate with and support one another. As with the Iron Chef, each group had to incorporate a “secret ingredient”: the secret ingredient being that the online tools used to create the PLC had to be free.
In a desperate attempt to sway me, both teams resorted to flattery, with one team including my photo on their website, and the other team adding my Twitter name to theirs. In spite of these temptations, I kept my objectivity, and ultimately chose the Southern Cal team, who built a simple, elegant solution in record time using some pretty amazing teamwork.
I came away from this event with some great memories, new connections with tech-savvy educators across the border, and a renewed excitement for the potential of this year’s new wave of online and mobile tools inside the classroom and beyond.
Many thanks to Jon Corippo, who did an incredible job of organizing the event. I can’t wait to attend one of the CUE Rock Star Teacher Summer Tech Camps!
Au mois d’août, j’offrirai plusieurs instituts d’été de perfectionnement professionnel en sciences et en mathématiques à l’élémentaire et au secondaire. Ces ateliers seront offerts dans les trois grandes régions géographiques de l’Ontario : l’est, le sud et le nord. Ces ateliers seront offerts gratuitement aux enseignantes et enseignants des écoles francophones de l’Ontario. Pour s’inscrire, il suffit d’ouvrir votre portfolio professionnel sur le site du Centre franco-ontarien de ressources pédagogiques. Voici la liste des ateliers que j’offrirai :
Dans la région du sud :
- Toronto : 20-21-22 juillet 2011 - Éducation à la littératie financière à l’élémentaire
- Pain Court : 5 août 2011 - La calculatrice à affichage graphique démystifiée
- Brampton : 8 août 2011 - La calculatrice à affichage graphique démystifiée
- Brampton : 9 août 2011 – Éducasciences à l’élémentaire
- Brampton : 10 août 2011 – Éducasciences au secondaire
- Pain Court : 11 août 2011 – Éducasciences à l’élémentaire
- Pain Court : 12 août 2011 – Éducasciences au secondaire
Dans la région de l’est :
- Ottawa : 27-28-29 juillet 2011 – Éducation à la littératie financière à l’élémentaire
- Ottawa : 15 août 2011 - SMARTS : un réseau social pour les jeunes scientifiques
- Ottawa : 16 août 2011 – Éducasciences à l’élémentaire
- Ottawa : 17 août 2011 – Éducasciences au secondaire
- Ottawa : 18 août 2011 – La calculatrice à affichage graphique démystifiée
- Ottawa : 19 août 2011 – Le Cybergéomètre démasqué
Dans la région du nord :
- Sudbury : 6-7-8 juillet 2011 - Éducation à la littératie financière à l’élémentaire
- Sudbury : 22 août 2011 – SMARTS : un réseau social pour les jeunes scientifiques
- Sudbury : 23 août 2011 – Éducasciences au secondaire
- Sudbury : 24 août 2011 – Éducasciences à l’élémentaire
- Sudbury : 25 août 2011 – La calculatrice à affichage graphique démystifiée
- Sudbury : 26 août 2011 – Le cybergéomètre démasqué
In the guise of Dr. Cheikhe Dem, magician and educator, I had an opportunity to dazzle and amaze the kids at Epilepsy Toronto’s Annual Winter Family Retreat. The retreat took place on February 25-27 in Orillia, Ontario, in the beautiful, natural environs of the YMCA Geneva Park Facility. With more than 150 acres of pristine natural peninsula and three kilometres of beautiful shoreline on Lake Couchiching, it’s an incredibly rejuvenating and inspiring place for a retreat!
This year, 15 families participated in a weekend of fun and friendship, with activities including crafts and music, dance, parent sessions, outdoor activities, a carriage ride, a bonfire and, of course, Dr. Cheikhe Dem’s magical workshop!
I taught the kids some of the secrets of making magic, including the very popular “cup and ball” magic trick, in which balls trapped beneath upturned cups “disappear.” They also learned how to make a handkerchief disappear, and how to amaze their audience with tricks involving simple items such as calculators, liquids, balls and coins. It was wonderful to perform in front of such a responsive and appreciative audience, and to know that I was helping to create a memorable experience for the kids and their parent.
While the kids were thrilled to discover some of the insider secrets of performing magic, they weren’t the only ones learning new things.
Participating in the retreat gave me an opportunity to learn more about epilepsy and its effect on children. It’s a condition that affects Canadians of all ages, nations and ethnicities: in fact, one person in 100 has it. As well as coping with the exhausting physical effects of unpredictable and often scary seizures, young people with epilepsy may have to deal with short term memory issues and the side effects of medication. They can also experience embarrassment and social stigma that leads to self-esteem issues and difficulty making friends and socializing. It’s a lot for a young person to cope with—but as educators, we can help by taking the time to understand the challenges and help children overcome them.
For instance, teachers need to be aware that seizures can affect a child’s memory and ability to concentrate and learn new things. Teachers may need to work around memory gaps or postpone a test until the child feels more alert. They may also need to increase repetition and direct instruction when they feel the child is having difficulty understanding or retaining new information. Together, we can help these children reach their full potential!
I’m honoured to have been invited to participate in this worthwhile event and make a connection with such an amazing, courageous group of kids!
Cours d’informatique gratuit pour les adultes et les ados
Mercredi 27 avril 2011, de 19 h à 21 h
L’école secondaire Marc-Garneau vous offre la chance d’apprendre comment promouvoir votre entreprise ou votre groupe communautaire par le biais des médias sociaux. Que vous soyez propriétaire d’une petite entreprise, responsable d’un club jeunesse ou sportif ou leader d’un groupe communautaire, cet atelier vous permettra de développer une stratégie publicitaire gagnante à peu de coûts tout en impliquant vos membres ou clients.
N’oubliez pas de téléphoner à l’école pour réserver votre place, au (613) 394-0617
Sujets à l’étude :
- Les subtilités du système de pages Facebook
- La rédaction de gazouillis efficaces sur Twitter
- La diffusion de vidéos sur YouTube
- Les stratégies efficaces de promotion
- L’utilisation de la diffusion en direct et en différé
- Le lien entre les médias sociaux et les blogues
- L’utilisation des statistiques sur les visiteurs
- Les plus grands succès et les plus grands échecs
- Et bien d’autres…
Téléchargez l’affiche promotionnelle.
Cours d’informatique gratuit pour les adultes et les ados
Mardi 19 avril 2011, de 19 h à 21 h
L’école secondaire Marc-Garneau vous offre la chance d’apprendre à mettre de l’ordre dans les dizaines, centaines ou milliers de photos que vous accumulez sur votre ordinateur depuis l’arrivée de votre caméra numérique il y a quelques années. Que vous utilisiez Windows ou Mac OS, cette formation vous donnera tous les outils pour faire une meilleure gestion de vos photos, vous permettre de vous y retrouver et éviter de perdre des souvenirs à tout jamais.
- Les formats de fichiers ;
- Les logiciels de gestions de photographies sur l’ordinateur ;
- Les logiciels de gestions de photographies en ligne ;
- La sauvegarde de vos collections de photographies ;
- Utilisation d’étiquettes, géolocalisation, noms de fichiers, albums intelligents, partage de photos, photographie avec téléphone cellulaire, résolution des images et bien d’autres.
N’oubliez pas de téléphoner à l’école pour réserver votre place, au (613) 394-0617
Téléchargez l’affiche promotionnelle.
Téléchargez la présentation contenant les notes de cours.
Cours d’informatique gratuit pour les adultes et les ados
Mercredi 30 mars 2011, de 19 h à 22 h
L’école secondaire Marc-Garneau vous offre la chance d’apprendre à utiliser les fonctionnalités de votre appareil photo DSLR au maximum. Si vous possédez un appareil DSLR et que vous le gardez toujours en position « automatique », ce cours est pour vous. Vous aurez la chance d’apprendre à donner une apparence plus professionnelle à vos photos. Si vous possédez un appareil, que ce soit un Nikon, un Canon ou un Sony, apportez-le à l’école. Si vous n’en possédez pas, des appareils seront disponibles pour la durée du cours.
N’oubliez pas de téléphoner à l’école pour réserver votre place, au (613) 394-0617
Sujets à l’étude :
- L’ouverture, la vitesse d’obturation, la sensibilité ISO, la balance des blancs, et bien d’autres paramètres
- L’utilisation du flash
- La composition et le cadrage
- Le choix des lentilles
- La photographie HDR
- L’importance du format RAW
- La retouche des photos en postproduction
- Et bien d’autres…
Téléchargez l’affiche promotionnelle.
Téléchargez la présentation contenant les notes de cours.
Cours d’informatique gratuit pour les adultes et les ados
Jeudi 24 mars 2011, de 19 h à 22 h
L’école secondaire Marc-Garneau vous offre la chance de découvrir les avantages d’intégrer le iPad dans votre quotidien ou au travail. Que vous possédiez la version 1 du iPad, que vous prévoyez acheter la version 2 ou que vous soyez tout simplement curieux, ce cours vous permettra de découvrir les fonctionnalités de cet appareil révolutionnaire. Plus de 50 % du contenu du cours sera même utile pour les propriétaires de iPhone et iPod Touch.
N’oubliez pas de téléphoner à l’école pour réserver votre place, au (613) 394-0617
Sujets à l’étude :
- Les caractéristiques du iPad 1 et iPad 2
- Les réglages et la configuration
- La synchronisation de vos données
- Les applications les plus populaires
- L’utilisation du GPS
- La gestion et l’édition des photos
- Le travail avec iWork
- Édition de vidéos et production de musique
- Téléphonie gratuite et messagerie texte
- Et bien d’autres…
Téléchargez l’affiche promotionnelle.
Téléchargez la présentation contenant les notes de cours.
Cours d’informatique gratuit pour les adultes et les ados
Lundi 7 mars 2011, de 19 h à 22 h
L’école secondaire Marc-Garneau vous offre la chance d’apprendre à devenir une experte ou un expert dans l’utilisation des outils et de la recherche Google. Même si vous connaissez déjà les fonctions de recherche avancée, cet atelier ira beaucoup plus loin. Vous pourrez impressionner vos amis avec des petits trésors cachés des outils Google. Aucune expérience préalable n’est requise (Windows ou Mac).
N’oubliez pas de téléphoner à l’école pour réserver votre place, au (613) 394-0617.
Sujets à l’étude :
- Google Docs
- Google Scholar
- Google Squared
- YouTube
- Blogger
- Google Translate
- Google Reader
- Google Earth
- Google Timelines
- Et bien d’autres…
Téléchargez l’affiche promotionnelle.
Téléchargez la présentation contenant les notes de cours.
J’ai le plaisir de vous annoncer que grâce à un partenariat avec le Programme d’accès communautaire (PAC) d’Industrie Canada, je serai en mesure d’offrir gratuitement une série de cinq cours gratuits en informatique et technologie aux membres de la communauté francophone de la région de Quinte West. Ces cours seront offerts à l’école Marc-Garneau à Trenton et afin de vous inscrire, vous devez réserver votre place en téléphonant au secrétariat de l’école : 613 394 0617. N’hésitez pas à m’envoyer un message si vous avez des questions au sujet du contenu de ces cours.
Voici l’horaire des cours qui seront offerts :
- 7 mars 2011 : Devenir un virtuose de Google
- 24 mars 2011 : L’utilisation du iPad pour augmenter la productivité et se divertir
- 30 mars 2011 : Maîtrisez votre nouvel appareil photo DSLR
- 5 avril 2011 : La sécurité des enfants et des ados sur Internet
- 19 avril 2011 : S.O.S. Photos
- 27 avril 2011 : Faites connaître votre entreprise ou votre organisme dans les réseaux sociaux
Des descriptions plus détaillées du contenu de chacun des cours seront affichées bientôt. Au plaisir de vous voir lors de ces formations!
