  Olympic-themed Happy Meal toys. |
It's a new year and a new opportunity to chow down on all sorts of delicious food initiatives across Canada!
We know one company who's pulling out all the stops for the upcoming Vancouver winter Olympics — McDonalds! Yes, I confess — I love McDonalds as a wonderfully guilty pleasure in my life (the soft cone comes in handy any time of year!) Well now McDonald's Canada is really getting its game face on and leading the charge on Olympic excitement with coast-to-coast themed decor and exclusive limited-time product offerings, all in the spirit of the occasion.
“We’re so excited to have Canada host the 2010 Olympic Winter Games that we wanted to celebrate this moment in time and share this feeling of national pride with our customers,” said John Betts, President of McDonald’s Canada. “While the eyes of the world will be turned to Vancouver and Whistler, Canadians from all parts of the country are sure to feel the spirit of the Games as soon as they walk through the doors of any of more than 1,400 restaurants nationwide.”
What to expect? Restaurants adorned with distinctive Olympic design elements featuring Canadian athletes such as snowboarders Brad Martin and Crispin Lipscomb, as well as freestyle skier Alexandre Bilodeau and former Olympian Cassie Campbell. Plus McDonald’s crew across the country will wear special Olympics-themed uniforms.
As for the food — wow! Look for such goodies as the Crčme Brűlée Crunch McFlurry made up of crunchy caramelized sugar bits swirled into delicious soft-serve ice cream, one-of-a-kind S’mores pie featuring a pastry made with graham crumbs and a chocolaty and marshmallow filling, the Parmigiana Chicken Snack Wrap and Happy Meals featuring official Olympic Mascots Miga, Quatchi and Sumi. There's even new dipping sauces for the Chicken McNuggets – Spicy Szechwan and Zesty Mango – available in early February.
Interesting to note, McDonald’s commitment to the Olympic movement began in 1968, when the company airlifted hamburgers to U.S. athletes in Grenoble, France after they reported being homesick for McDonald’s food. Since then, McDonald’s has served its menu of choice and variety to millions of athletes, their families and their fans, and will be doing so again in Vancouver — marking McDonald's seventh Olympic Games as a Worldwide Sponsor and eighth as the official restaurant of the Olympic games.
There's more, of course — check out Mcdonalds.ca for more info.
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Comfort can be found in something as simple as a can of soup.
And Campbell Canada has stepped up to the plate with an expanded food bank commitment and a comprehensive multi-year agreement with Food Banks Canada to help those in need.
The issue of hunger remains an unfortunate constant for the almost 800,000 Canadians who rely on their local food bank every month. So this agreement, which was recently announced between the Campbell Company of Canada and Food Banks Canada shows just how big the commitment is to support hunger relief across the nation through the donation of nutritious food, charitable funds, educational resources and other awareness and community programs.
“We believe that all Canadians have a right to convenient, affordable and nutritious food, and, as one of Canada’s most recognized food manufacturers, we have a responsibility to take a lead role in helping to alleviate hunger across Canada,” says Phil Donne, president, Campbell Company of Canada. “To us, true leadership means more than just writing a cheque, and Campbell is committed to extending our hunger relief leadership beyond the basic donation of funds.”
A can of soup is not only tasty, but nutritious and affordable. In fact canned soup is one of the “most needed items” for food banks across Canada. As a result, the multi-year agreement includes a commitment to donate one million pounds of Campbell’s food annually. Also, to reflect Canadian food banks’ increasingly diverse clientele, the agreement includes provisions for the donation of Campbell’s Halal-certified, Gluten-Free and vegetarian products. Campbell has also committed to providing Food Banks Canada with a variety of community and awareness-building programs as well as educational and research resources.
“Campbell Canada’s multi-year commitment to Food Banks Canada is an inspiring example of corporate leadership and influence on the critical issue of hunger in Canada,” says Katharine Schmidt, Executive Director, Food Banks Canada. “With their help, Food Banks Canada will continue to reduce hunger in Canada by addressing the short term need for food and longer term solutions.”
All this — and delicious, too! Check out Campbellssoup.ca and Foodbankscanada.ca for more info.
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Happiness can be found in a spritz of olive oil. And Metro supermarkets has just the ticket, in it's brand-new extra-virgin and light olive oil— in a spray bottle. This new olive oil in a spray bottle is a boon to food lovers everywhere and is available exclusively at all Metro Inc. grocery stores in Ontario. A new addition to the company's private label line of Irresistibles products, this extra-virgin, first cold pressed olive oil is made in Italy and packaged in an innovative, compressed-air spray bottle.
"Given the growing consumer demand for olive oil and the increasing influence of Mediterranean cuisine, we are pleased to offer a new, healthy alternative for cooking,” says Jean-Louis Charpentier, Metro's V-P of corporate brands. “Over the past few years, the popularity of olive oil at Metro has led to a wider array of in-store products. Consumers can now find ten different brands and flavours on our shelves."
Irresistibles brand olive oil in a pump bottle comes in a 230-g container for $7.49. In these new bottles, the olive oil is isolated and protected in a flexible, vacuum-sealed bag where it cannot come into contact with any propellants. This patented technology is the result of eight years of research — the systems works by introducing compressed air in between the bag of oil and the side of the container, which means that there is no need for preservatives, additives or lecithin (usually used to prevent oil from foaming).
The oil is hermetically sealed, away from air, oxygen and light, enabling it to maintain its nutritional properties, taste and aroma. It's perfect for making all types of meals including omelettes, sauteed vegetables, salads or meats and allows you to control the exact amount of oil used.
Here's a delicious recipe that cuts out 27 grams of fat when made with pumped extra-virgin olive oil. For more recipes visit Metro.ca.
THREE-COLOUR VEGETABLE GRATIN
1 onion, minced
1 cup (250 ml) EACH carrot, turnip and potato, diced
1 tsp. (5 ml) dried fine mixed herbs (parsley, oregano, thyme)
Olive Oil Spray
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. (5 ml) flour
1 cup (250 ml) vegetable broth
Garnish
1/4 cup (50 ml) fresh, grated Parmesan
1/4 cup (50 ml) dried breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp. (30 ml) blanched almonds, chopped
Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Generously coat large saucepan with olive oil spray over medium heat and brown onions, carrots, turnip and potato for 5 minutes. Sprinkle fine herbs, salt, pepper and flour on vegetables and mix well. Add vegetable broth, mix, cover and let simmer over low heat for 10 minutes or until vegetables are soft.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix dried breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and almonds. Set aside. Pour vegetable preparation on a gratin platter and sprinkle on garnish.
Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until surface is lightly browned.
Makes 4 servings.
