October 2011 is Non-GMO Month!

Few companies sell products that are certified as “Non-GMO” products. At Cibaria, we are proud to offer high-qualify Non-GMO Canola Oil . Many people are now purposefully seeking out Non-GMO products, and for a very good reason.

What are GMO’s?

GMO’s or Genetically Modified Organisms are organisms whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. These techniques, generally known as recombinant DNA technology, use DNA molecules from different sources, which are combined into one molecule to create a new set of genes. This DNA is then transferred into an organism, giving it modified or novel genes. Transgenic organisms, a subset of GMOs, are organisms which have inserted DNA that originated in a different species.

Are GMOs safe?
In 30 other countries around the world, including Australia, Japan, and all of the countries in the European Union, there are significant restrictions or outright bans on the production of GMOs, because they are not considered proven safe. In the U.S. on the other hand, the FDA approved commercial production of GMOs based on studies conducted by the companies who created them and profit from their sale. Many health-conscious shoppers find the lack of rigorous, independent, scientific examination on the impact of consuming GM foods to be cause for concern.

How common are GMOs?
According to the USDA, in 2009, 93% of soy, 93% of cotton, and 86% of corn grown in the U.S. were GMO. It is estimated that over 90% of canola grown is GMO, and there are also commercially produced GM varieties of sugar beets, squash and Hawaiian Papaya. As a result, it is estimated that GMOs are now present in more than 80% of packaged products in the average U.S. or Canadian grocery store.

Non-GMO Month

Non-GMO Month was created by the Non-GMO Project in 2010 as a platform for raising awareness on the GMO issue. Citizens and organizations across North America are waking up to the failure of GMO technology, and discovering the risk GMOs pose to our health, our families, and our planet.

Non-GMO Month is an opportunity to coordinate our voices and our actions, so that we can stand up loudly and clearly for our right to know what’s in our food, and to choose non-GMO.

Protecting consumer choice and a non-GMO food supply require a multi-faceted approach and lots of team work, which is why this website was created. Together, we make Non-GMO Month happen by creating and participating in events, and spreading the word in our communities.

You might decide to celebrate Non-GMO Month by hosting a film screening in your living room and inviting the neighbors over, or maybe you’re ready to join in the historic Right2Know March from NYC to DC! There are lots of ways to get involved. Make sure your local natural foods store is registered for Non-GMO Month, and pledge to choose Non-GMO Project Verified foods for the month of October. Got another idea? Make it happen! Register your event here.

Brilliant Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes

Guest Post and Recipe by Cibaria Culinary Writer: Mary Rose Gahon

I call these mashed potatoes brilliant because the idea blows me away.  Extra Virgin Olive Oil in mashed potatoes?  It’s been lingering in my head until I tried it on my day off.  What if, instead of all the cubes of butter and cream that I add into my potatoes to equate creaminess and deliciousness, I add a really fragrant and buttery extra virgin olive oil?  Wouldn’t that taste better?  Wouldn’t it be healthier somehow?  Wouldn’t it be better for me in the long run?  Afterall, I already have an excellent bottle of olive oil in my pantry.  Why not?  If it tastes anything as good as what I’ve been used to making before, then I’d be blessed with another recipe to pair with future meatloaves and roasted chickens.  Perhaps to accentuate a baked ham or roast beef on some occasions.

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The simple guideline for these mashed potatoes follows at the end, but what I attest regarding this particular recipe as I tested and adjusted to tailor my palate is that the outcome is wonderful.  I did add some low fat alternatives like cream cheese, as oppose to butter, to the mash.  However, for me, what shined through was the well-rounded taste of extra virgin olive oil complimented by just a sprinkle of fleur de sel.  That unique taste of simplicity… just brilliant.  What goes a little lighter at times can become boldly brilliant and this is what I discovered from making these mashed potatoes.

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Any of Cibaria’s fine Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oils like the Coratina, Frantoio and Moresca would work with this recipe, but what I can’t wait to try in the future is how their infused olive oils might fare well with this brilliant olive oil mash recipe.  A basil or oregano olive oil mash to go with some eggplant parmigiana or incorporating the ever fragrant rosemary olive oil into mashed potato to compliment a lemon roasted chicken.  With Cibaria’s line of olive oils, the possibilities are endless.

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Brilliant Olive Oil Mash
5 servings
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Water for boiling
7 small Russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
Kosher salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
¾ cup cream cheese
Fleur de Sel (salt), optional
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Bring water to a boil.  Once water boils, add 1 tbsp of kosher salt to help flavor potatoes.  Add potatoes and allow to boil until fork tender.  Drain the potatoes well and place back into the pot.  Drizzle ¼ cup plus 2 tbsp of the olive oil along with all of the cream cheese.  Add a generous pinch of salt and pepper to the mix and mash the potatoes gently, folding the potatoes until the cream cheese is fairly incorporated.  Adjust salt and pepper according to your taste.  Place in a bowl and drizzle with the remaining olive oil and a pinch of Fleur de Sel.  If Fleur De Sel isn’t readily available, omit and use kosher salt.  Serve with your favorite dish.

Balsamic Glazed Meatloaf

Guest Post and Recipe by Cibaria Culinary Writer: Mary Rose Gahon

Last Minute Meatloaf

Have you had one of those days where you were caught unprepared?  That amidst your repertoire of know-hows in the kitchen, how great you can whip up some pan fried chicken breasts or spaghetti with meat sauce, you still catch yourself uncertain of what to make for dinner?  I think we all have been in the same dilemma several times before.  For any cook, it’s a natural occurrence.  But we get through it.  And once we do, the seemingly daunting task of coming up with a descent last minute meal has bigger rewards in the end.

It was late Wednesday afternoon and because of sudden changes in everyone’s schedule, it would seem that everyone would be home.  Rare was this occasion, all my family under one roof, so I decide I would cook.  I tried to figure out what meal to make different this time.  I wanted something good and easy.  I asked members of my family if they were craving anything, but none supplied me with a definite answer.  At this point, feeling pretty exhausted from work, I didn’t want to think too hard myself.  So I turned on the computer and perused the internet to joggle my mind.  And in one of those popular recipe sites, it would seem that they understood my dilemma… for there it was, a word sure to equate good and easy: meatloaf.

I haven’t had a meatloaf for a while.  Since culinary school, I haven’t made meatloaf.  But reading through a basic recipe, I decided that, based on my experience as a cook, I would make it my own by using extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  That and I wanted to make use of everything that was already in my pantry and refrigerator.  So in addition to the extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, I added garlic and paprika.  I had old ciabatta bread that needed to be moved so I cubed it and combined it with the meatloaf.  To my balsamic glaze, I whisked in some prepared mustard which had only been used once from a barbecue during Superbowl Sunday.  With this meatloaf so much was accomplished; not only did it feed a  family of five, but it also became an excellent way to deplete those ingredients that were already in my kitchen.

Balsamic Glazed Meatloaf

4-5 Servings

Meatloaf Mix:

• 1 cup dry rustic bread, cubed
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp Cibaria’s 25 Star Balsamic Vinegar of Modena
• 1 ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground pepper
• ½ tsp paprika
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced
• ½ cup onion, chopped
• ½ cup bell pepper, chopped
• 1- 8oz can diced tomato, drained
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 lb ground beef

Meatloaf Topping:

• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 2 tbsp aged balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp prepared mustard

Preheat oven to 375º.

In a small bowl, whisk together the ketchup, balsamic vinegar and mustard for the topping and set aside.  Meanwhile in a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients, except the ground beef, and mix really well.  Once this is done, fold in the ground beef, careful not to over mix because it will result in a tough meatloaf.  Fit the mixture into a loaf pan that in turn is placed on another tray to catch drippings.  Bake for 1 hour.  After an hour, let rest for fifteen minutes before serving.