In our last episode of the season, Barb sits down at the kitchen table with Alberta rancher and manager of Shipwheel Cattle Feeders about regenerative Agriculture and holistic management of the land and the animals. A fascinating episode filled with stories, history, and lessons about regen ag that you may not have considered before.

Barb welcomes Dr. Kris Nichols to her kitchen table this week, and they talk all things regenerative agriculture and soil science.

Dr. Kris Nichols is the Lead Soil Scientist with Food Water Wellness Foundation, the Regenerative Alberta Living Lab, and Research Director at MyLand Company Inc. in Phoenix, Arizona. She founded KRIS (Knowledge for Regeneration and Innovation in Soils) Systems and was a Senior Science Advisor with Canadian Organic Growers, the Chief Scientist at Rodale Institute, and a Research (Soil) Microbiologist with the USDA-Agricultural Research Service. Kris was an advisor for the Real Organic Project; Savory Institute’s Ecological Outcome Verification program, McCain’s Farms of the Future; and Health First. She has Bachelor of Science degrees in Plant Biology and Genetics and Cell Biology, a Master’s degree in Environmental Microbiology, and a Ph.D. in Soil Science. Kris has given over 300 invited presentations throughout the world, authored or co-authored more than 30 peer-reviewed publications, been cited or interviewed for more than 100 magazine or newspaper articles and multiple books, numerous videos on-line, and two documentaries.

Barb and Miriam are long-time friends who are used to talking about food together. In this frank conversation about food justice, Food Security expert Miram Bankey highlights the inequity of our food system and some incredible initiatives she is working on to bring dignity and food access to our community.

Miriam's CBC article

Miriam's Interview on the Current

Some food security resources for you:

Community Food Centres Canada

Brown Bagging for Calgary's Kids

The State of World Food and Nutrition 2022

In this fabulous episode, Barb shares the Food Stories kitchen table with Metis speculative fiction writer, Lareina Abbott. Lareina pens Métis themed spec fiction, essays and memoir. A year ago, she received a Calgary Arts Development Grant to write a memoir about reconnecting with her Métis family and the story of her aunt who is a Métis elder. She received the 2023 Howard O’Hagan Short Story award for her short story “Ma Soeur Marie” published in the Prairie Witch Anthology, and was a member of the 2023 Audible Indigenous Writers Circle. She originates from a cattle ranch in northern British Columbia but currently lives and writes in Calgary on Métis Local 87 and Treaty 7 territory. You can find Lariena and her incredible work at @boneblackstories

Lareina has pointed us toward this valuable resource for Metis recipes. To give proper credit, we have the link here and want to acknowledge the wisdom of generations of cooks who have created these recipes over time.

https://www.metismuseum.ca/media/document.php/14522.Traditional%20Metis%20Foods%20revised%20May%202018.pdf

In Episode 3 of Season 2, the beautiful and brilliant Anda Fabrig (She/Her/Siya) joins us at the Food Stories kitchen table for a fascinating chat. Anda is queer Filipina educator and a diversity, equity, and inclusion specialist in Mohkinstsis (Calgary, AB). She holds a BA in Communications and a BEd in inclusive education. Anda works as an anti-oppressive and anti-racist consultant and educator, working alongside adults to create equitable spaces. 

Anda and I discuss her diverse food background growing up in Filipino/Italian household, the incredible food that surrounded her from both sides of her family, growing up with serious food allergies, and creating empathetic conversations through collective care, food, joy, and activism. 

Combining her lived intersectional experience with her formal education, she engages in trauma-informed practices to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for learning. 

Good does more good!

Content warning: This episode contains discussion around internal racism.

The Conversation, by Robert Livingston

Do Better, by Rachel Rickets

The works of Kai Cheng Thom

Walls Down Collective

Shades of Humanity

Queer Education Foundation

Anda's Mom's Chocolate Rice

4 3/4 to 5 cups water

1 cup sweet rice

2 tbsp cocoa

4 tbsp sugar to taste

Method

Boil water and add rice. Keep stirring while cooking. Add cocoa and sugar and cook on low heat til it thickens. Evaporated milk on top to serve. 

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry chickpeas (washed and picked clean)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 4 cups water

For the Masala:

• 75mL ghee or neutral oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 tsp ginger, minced
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp chili powder (I like kashmiri)
• 2 tsp coriander powder (I like to grind mine fresh)
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp tamarind chutney
• Salt to taste
• Optional: 1/2 tsp of anardana or amchur - I don't know what they're called in English, but anardana is dried crushed pomegranate and amchur is dry powdered mango

Instructions:

1. Soak chickpeas overnight with water and baking soda
2. Dump the soaked chickpeas with the water you soaked them in a pot. Add a half teaspoon of salt and cook until done. Drain the chickpeas, you'll use them later.
3. Make the masala: brown the onion in the oil until very golden. Add ginger and garlic and soften. Add spices and toast them lightly, then add at least a quarter cup of water, more if needed to create a spice paste. Allow the paste to simmer on the stovetop for 3-4 minutes, then add the chickpeas and more water as needed to create a stew-like consistency (not soup-like!) Simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes, adding more water if needed.
4. Serve garnished with raw ginger sticks and cilantro leaves, with a good naan or kulcha.

In the much-anticipated Season Two Opener, Barb welcomes the founder of the Food Literacy Center, Amber Stott to her kitchen table.

Passionate about fruits and veggies, Amber grew up cooking and growing her own food, a joy she wants every child to experience.

In 2011, Amber responded to the rising childhood obesity crisis by starting the nonprofit Food Literacy Center to inspire children to eat their vegetables. The nonprofit does this by teaching cooking and nutrition classes to elementary kids in low-income schools, helping them develop healthy habits that will last a lifetime. Amber uniquely understands the audience she’s serving and designed a behavior change model to meet the needs of those at highest risk for diet-related disease. Within just two months of food literacy classes, the nonprofit changes kids’ attitudes towards healthy foods—the first step towards long-term behavior change.

Honors for Amber include being named one of Sacramento’s most powerful business leaders by Sacramento Magazine, Food Revolution Hero by Jamie Oliver Food Foundation, one of Food Tank’s 20 Innovators Protecting the Planet and one of their 17 Food Heroes to Inspire Us in 2017, Outstanding Woman Leader by the National Association of Women Business Owners, and a TEDx Sacramento Fellow. View her TEDx Talk here.

In this episode, Amber mentions:

Omnivore'sDilemma" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan

HarvestForHope" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Harvest for Hope by Jane Goodall

Longer Tables Podcast

Hidden Brain Podcast

Kids love peanut butter sandwiches! This recipe shows kids how to begin to add a fruit or veggie to every snack or meal, a routine we encourage them to practice every day. We ask kids to make a small shift in this beloved recipe by adding fruit instead of jelly. Kids might balk at first, because change is scary. But once they follow the recipe to make the whole sandwich, most kids start wiggling in their seats, asking to eat what they’ve just made. 

3 cups unroasted, unsalted sunflower seeds

1 Tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon olive oil

Note: do not use roasted sunflower seeds, because their moisture has been released through the roasting process.

Add sunflower seeds to food processor with sugar and salt. Process for 8 to 10 minutes, until oils release from the seeds and a smooth butter begins to form. Add olive oil and process for 1 minute more.

Serve immediately. Will keep in an airtight container for a few weeks.

Disclaimer: *The opinions of this guest on the Food Stories podcast are entirely their own and the information is NOT intended as medical advice, nor is it intended to replace the care of a qualified health care professional. This content is not intended to diagnose or treat any diseases. Always consult with your primary care physician or licensed healthcare provider for all diagnosis and treatment of any diseases or conditions, for medications or medical advice as well as before changing your healthcare regimen.

In the last episode of season one, we are celebrating the holidays and all things cozy and hygge with our dear friend Olympian, Co-Founder of Send Bars, Whole Foods Chef, and Nutrition Gal Arianne Jones. Arianne and Barb sit down to chat about the pivotal role food played in Arianne's recovery from Lyme disease and a life-altering broken back. They talk Gypsy Kings, lighting all the candles, Ice Cream Cake, and of course, the infinite power of soup.

Link to cozy cup warmer

Arianne's Recipe

Raspberry “Cheese” Cake (lovingly donated by Arianne Jones, ariannejones.com)

Ingredients

CRUST

1 cup Dates - pitted

1 cup Pecans

Pinch Sea Salt

CHEESECAKE FILLING

2 cups cashews - soaked and drained* *

1⁄2 cup filtered water

1⁄2 cup Maple Syrup

1⁄2 cup melted coconut oil

1⁄2 Tablespoon vanilla extract

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste (or vanilla

extract)

Pinch Sea Salt

BERRY SWIRL / SAUCE

2 cups of fresh or frozen raspberries

1⁄3 Cup Maple Syrup

Pinch Sea Salt

Method

Crust: In a food processor, puree the dates, pecans and sea salt

until the mixture is sticky but still has texture. Press into the

bottom of a 10 inch springform pan and place in the freezer for 15

minutes, or until chilled and firmed.

Filling: In a high speed blender or food processor, combine soaked

(drained) cashews, water, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, vanilla

extract, lemon juice, vanilla bean paste and salt. Blend on high for a

few minutes until the mixture has a velvety smooth texture.

For Raspberry swirl: Add defrosted raspberries, maple syrup and

salt to a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over low heat and cook

for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the mixture is reduced

by half (approximately 3/4 cup).

To Assemble: Transfer the “cheesecake” filling into the chilled spring form pan on top of the crust. Once the filling is

all added to the pan and level, you can add small dollops of the raspberry puree to the top and use a skewer or

toothpick to swirl a design onto the top. Reserve extra puree to serve alongside the cake. Freeze the spring form pan

cake for one hour or until firm.

To Serve: Remove cheesecake from freezer for 5 minutes before serving. Cut into slices with a sharp knife (warmed

in hot water for ease). Top with raspberry puree. Enjoy!

Store remaining slices in the freezer until ready to enjoy.

*The opinions of this guest on the Food Stories podcast are entirely their own and the information is NOT intended as medical advice, nor is it intended to replace the care of a qualified health care professional. This content is not intended to diagnose or treat any diseases. Always consult with your primary care physician or licensed healthcare provider for all diagnosis and treatment of any diseases or conditions, for medications or medical advice as well as before changing your healthcare regimen.

Long-time friends and culinary co-instructors Barb and Christina sit down at Barb's kitchen table to talk about the power of food and connection, the enlightenment that caring for a mom with Alzheimer's has brought to Christina's life, her love of a good burger, and why she wrote her cookbook, Two Little F Words.

Christina mentions the work of Dr. Dale Bredesen, Dr. Bruce Lipton, and Christina's Website is honeyandvanilla.com.

The opinions of the Food Stories Podcast guests are theirs and theirs alone. The information on this podcast is NOT intended as medical advice, nor is it intended to replace the care of a qualified healthcare professional. This content is not intended to diagnose or treat any diseases. Always consult with your primary care physician or licensed healthcare provider for all diagnoses and treatment of any diseases or conditions, for medications or medical advice as well as before changing your healthcare regimen.

By Chef Christina Acevedo, RHN

Cranberries and oranges go together like rosemary and potatoes!!! When I created this recipe it was my full intent to make scones but as the results kept turning out more like cake than a scone I had to concede that this beautiful baby was a cake by nature. The best part is that it has only 2-3 tablespoons of raw honey in it. When I added up the natural sugar from the fresh orange juice and the natural sugar from the honey it still only came out to 5-7 grams of sugar per slice depending on how many slices you choose to have. Dammmn that’s good!!!! Find me a cake that tastes this good and has a texture like a soft baby bum with this amount of sugar per slice and I’ll think about trying harder.

Wet ingredients

2 eggs (room temperature)

¼ plain yogurt (full fat) or Coconut Mylk yogurt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

Zest of two oranges

½ cup fresh orange juice

2-3 tablespoons raw honey

Dry ingredients

2 cups almond flour

½ cup arrowroot flour or tapioca flour

¼ cup +1 tablespoon coconut flour (sifted)

1 tablespoons baking powder

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

½ cup butter (cold, shredded with a cheese grater)

¾ cup cranberries (fresh or frozen)

3 tablespoons shaved coconut

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Grate the cold butter with a cheese grater and place the butter  into the freezer

In a medium bowl add all of the wet ingredients and whisk together

In another bowl add all of the dry ingredients except for the frozen butter, shaved coconut and cranberries.

Mix the dry ingredients well with a fork.

Add the frozen butter to the dry ingredients and crumble the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingers.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and fold together.

Grease a deep dish glass 9 1/2” pie plate and place the batter into the pie plate.

Spread the batter out with your spatula or your hands.

Sprinkle the cranberries on top and push them down slightly with your hand.

Sprinkle the shaved coconut and bake for 35-40 minutes

Note

You can substitute the arrowroot for cassava flour but eliminate the extra 1 tablespoon of coconut flour. It will be a little more dense but I switch back and forth depending on what I have.

Introducing our next guest, author of the brand-new book The Modern Trauma Toolkit, Dr. Christy Gibson (she/her). Christy joins me at the kitchen table to discuss the gentle softness of her grandmother's cooking, the connection between food, trauma, flexibility, and its role in healing, and the joy of wild blueberries! 

Dr. Gibson is a family physician in Calgary, Canada with a background in justice work, medical education, and global health. A skilled facilitator and speaker, she is engaged in building individual and community resilience. Her writing creates the woven narrative between her interests – wellbeing, trauma recovery, and the power of story. She is a skilled trauma therapist who understands that stress lives in human and community bodies, and is the author of the book The Modern Trauma Toolkit . You can find out more about her on her super popular TikTok/IG channels @tiktoktraumadoc or her website https://www.christinegibson.net/

Christy's recipe:

West African Ground Nut Stew:

Shared with love from Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant, Copyright © 1990 by Moosewood, Inc. Simon and Schuster, publisher

Ingredients

• 2 cups chopped onions
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil or 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic, pressed
• 2 cups chopped cabbage
• 3 cups cubed sweet potatoes (1-inch cubes)
• 3 cups tomato juice
• 1 cup apple juice or 1 cup apricot juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon grated peeled ginger root, fresh
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro, fresh (optional)
• 2 chopped tomatoes
• 1 1⁄2 - 2cups chopped okra
• 1⁄2 cup natural-style peanut butter

Directions: Sauté the onions in the oil for about 10 minutes. Stir in the cayenne and garlic and sauté for a couple more minutes. Add the cabbage and sweet potatoes and sauté, covered for a few minutes. Mix in the juices, salt, ginger, cilantro, and tomatoes. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender. Add the okra and simmer for 5 minutes more. Stir in the peanut butter, place the pan on a heat diffuser, and simmer gently until ready to serve. Add more juice or water if the stew is too thick.

Get Christy's book here: The Modern Trauma Toolkit