Now Available for pre-order
Learn how to live a healthy life and leave a legacy of wellness by looking both to the past and to the future.
You Are What Your Grandparents Ate takes conventional wisdom about the origins of chronic disease and turns it upside down. Rooted in the work of the late epidemiologist Dr. David Barker, it highlights the exciting research showing that heredity involves much more than the genes your parents passed on to you. Thanks to the relatively new science of epigenetics, we now know that the experiences of previous generations may show up in your health and well-being.
Many of the risks for chronic diseases — including obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and dementia — can be traced back to your first 1,000 days of existence, from the moment you were conceived. The roots of these vulnerabilities may extend back even further, to experiences your parents and grandparents had — and perhaps even beyond.
Similarly, what happens to you will affect your children and grandchildren. That’s why it’s so important to make good dietary choices, get a suitable amount of exercise and be cautious about exposure to toxins. Positive lifestyle changes have been shown to spark epigenetic adjustments that can lead to better health, not only for yourself, your offspring and their children, but also for generations to come.
This book makes hard science accessible. It is a call to action for social as well as personal change, delivering the message that by changing our own health, we can also influence the future of the world.
Judith Finlayson is a bestselling author who has written books on a variety of subjects, from personal well-being and women’s history to food and nutrition. A former national newspaper columnist for The Globe and Mail, magazine journalist and board member of various organizations focusing on legal, medical and women’s issues, she is
also the author of over a dozen cookbooks. Judith lives in Toronto, Canada.
Foreword by Dr. Kent Thornburg, Professor of Medicine and Director of the Center for Developmental Health at the Knight Cardiovascular Institute, and Director of the Bob and Charlee Moore Institute for Nutrition & Wellness at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Oregon.
YOU ARE WHAT YOUR GRANDPARENTS ATE
Now Available
Chile peppers bring both sweet and fiery zest to dishes — discover a fascinating and seemingly endless variety within the pages of this delightful book.Contrary to popular belief, a pepper does not need to make your eyes water or start a fire in your mouth to qualify as a chile. “Chile” is simply the common name for the fruit of the capsicum plant and chiles come in a wide variety of colors, shapes and flavors.
There are five major species of chile peppers and thousands of varieties, in a wide range of sizes, shapes and colors. Even experts disagree about how many there actually are. So it is probably not surprising that the spelling for the word itself is somewhat problematic. Is it chili, chilli or chile? You are likely to come across all of those spellings if you are reading up on the topic.
This comprehensive book (which serves as both a reference and a cookbook) from bestselling author and expert researcher Judith Finlayson takes you through dozens of chiles and provides absorbing information on everything from the historical and geographic origins of chiles to information on the Scoville scale (which measures the hotness of a chile and was invented by Wilbur Scoville) to the health benefits of chiles and finally, 250 delicious and inventive recipes.
Full color throughout, this book takes inspiration from chiles and embraces them with an enthusiasm that maximizes their true flavor potential. From fiery Tex-Mex inspired meals to savory and sweet Thai dishes, this incredible collection of recipes is sure to make you a lover of all things chile.
Indonesian-Style Fried Rice (Nasi Goreng)
Nasi goreng is Indonesia’s national dish. At its simplest, it is cold leftover rice, seasoned with sweet soy sauce (kecap manis) and whatever leftovers and spices the cook has on hand. Often it is topped with a fried egg and served for breakfast. Of course, it can be much more elaborate, depending on the circumstances under which it will be served. My version leans toward simplicity, making it a quick and easy weekday meal.
Peppery Chicken Quinoa
Take the story of peppered sherry
One of the fun things about receiving copies of a book you wrote is leafing through it and being reminded of its content. Take the story of peppered sherry. This condiment was invented in Bermuda by British sailors, who steeped wild chile peppers in barrels of sherry and used the results to mask the taste of aging food. Outerbridge bottles the product today but it’s easy to make your own. Naturally, there is a recipe in The Chile Pepper Bible
Tagine of Chicken with Apricots
Tagine is the name for a type of earthenware vessel as well as the stew-like dishes that are cooked in it. They are popular throughout North Africa and differ among locales. This one is my own invention, but the addition of harissa gives it a Tunisian spin. I love the juxtaposition of hot and sweet flavors. It is easy enough to make for a weeknight meal, but with a tiny bit of dressing up, it is also perfect for guests
Thai-Style Grilled Chile Salsa (Nam Prik Num)
This recipe hails from northern Thailand. It is a kind of all-purpose sauce: you can use it as a dip for rice crackers or raw vegetables, or as a topping for plain rice or noodles, or stir-fried vegetables. Depending on the chile you use, it can be a bit fiery—that’s to be expected, as it is Thai, after all.
- Grill basket or baking sheet required
- Food processor required
- 5 hot banana peppers
- 2 shallots, peeled and quartered
- 8 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
- 8 oz cherry tomatoes (about 11⁄2 cups/375 mL) 250 g
- 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro 30 mL
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice 30 mL
- 1 tbsp fish sauce 15 mL
- Salt
- Preheat barbecue to high or preheat broiler
- 1. Place banana peppers, shallots and garlic in a grill basket on preheated barbecue or arrange on a baking sheet and place under preheated broiler. Grill or broil, turning occasionally to ensure even cooking, until shallots and garlic are blackened and pepper skin is blistered, about 8 minutes for garlic and shallots, and 10 minutes for peppers.
- 2. Transfer peppers to a bowl, cover with a plate and let cool enough to handle. Remove stems and lift off skins. Transfer peppers along with accumulated juices to food processor fitted with the metal blade.
- 3. Add shallots and garlic and pulse until chopped and well combined, 5 or 6 times. Add tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice and fish sauce and pulse until chopped and well combined, about 5 times. Season to taste with salt. Transfer to a serving bowl and let stand at room temperature until the flavors are melded, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.
- Makes about 2 cups (500 mL)
- Tips
- You want a relatively large and not-too-hot chile for this salsa—that is the best substitute for the prik num chile that would likely be used in this recipe
Chinese Hot-and-Sour Mushroom Soup
In Chinese medicine, which is fundamentally based on the balancing principles of yin and yang, heating foods are those that warm the body, feeding it with energy. Balance, which includes establishing equilibrium among the five flavors (sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami), helps the body’s vital spirit, called qi, to flow freely and support excellent health. Need I say more? Hot, sour, salty, sweet and loaded with umami from the soy sauce and mushrooms, which are also known to strengthen the immune system, this soup has all the makings of a restorative tonic. And it tastes good, too!
Chili with Black Beans and Grilled Chicken
The addition of grilled chicken adds a flavorful and festive note to this simple chili. I like to use leftover chicken alla diavola (marinated in extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and chile peppers), which we often make on the barbecue. It adds pleasant hints of citrus and hot pepper to the mix, but if you’re opting for convenience, use a store-bought rotisserie chicken instead. You won’t be disappointed.
Southwestern Turkey Stew with Cornmeal Dumplings
This simple stew captures the best of the Southwest – the seductive flavors of the chiles, combined with luscious chunks of turkey in a tomato-based broth. Comforting cornmeal dumplings complete the theme. Serve it as a one-dish meal – there really isn’t anything else you need, although you may want to add a tossed green salad.
- 1 tbsp olive oil 15 mL
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 4 stalks celery, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced (see Tip)
- 1 tbsp chili powder 15 mL
- 1⁄2 tsp cracked black peppercorns 2 mL
- 1 lb skinless boneless turkey breast, cut into 1⁄2-inch (1 cm) cubes 500 g
- 2 tbsp whole wheat flour 25 mL
- 1 can (14 oz/398 mL) no-salt-added diced tomatoes with juice
- 21⁄2 cups reduced-sodium chicken stock 625 mL
- 2 cups sliced green beans 500 mL
- Dumplings
- 3⁄4 cup stone-ground cornmeal 175 mL
- 1⁄2 cup whole wheat flour 125 mL
- 2 tsp baking powder 10 mL
- 1⁄2 tsp salt 2 mL
- 1 cup buttermilk 250 mL
- 1 tbsp olive oil 15 mL
- 1. In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add onions and celery and cook, stirring, until celery softens, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, jalapeño and chipotle peppers, chili powder and peppercorns and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add turkey and cook, stirring, until surface whitens, about 2 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add tomatoes with juice and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until flavors meld, about 15 minutes. Stir in green beans.
- 2. Dumplings: In a bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center. In a measuring cup, combine buttermilk and oil, mixing well. Pour into well and stir just until mixture is evenly moistened. Ensure stew is at a simmer and drop dough by heaping tablespoons (15 mL) onto simmering liquid. Cover tightly and steam until dumplings are puffed and tender, about 20 minutes.
- Tip
- Chipotle peppers are dried smoked jalapeño peppers. When reconstituted and cooked in adobo sauce, they carry a lot of heat, so if you’re heat averse, use only half of one.