Deliciously Simple Barbecue Ribs- Everything in Moderation

I have many fond memories from when I was a child; many of the memories are around food. Saturday’s were baking days in our house: beautifully risen chiffon cake, chocolate éclairs filled with fresh cream, my mom’s famous milk tart. Sundays were huge family roasts and barbecues, but not before breakfasts of granny’s homemade roasted pork buns (char siu bau) and pork dumplings (siu mai), and in later years, freshly baked rolls smothered in butter and strawberry jam, and sticky raisin buns.

The rest of the week was healthy, but delicious nonetheless: My father’s oatmeal porridge boiled to creamy perfection with a drizzle of honey and a sprinkling of wheat germ, simple tasty stir fries with lean beef or chicken; even a phase of home-made fruit/vegetable juices before it became fashionable (admittedly, not my favourite). My parents were never dogmatic or forceful about healthy eating while we were growing up, and there were never any banned foods, though I do remember wondering why some of my friends at school could have white bread (crusts off) with chocolate spread, while I had a wholegrain sandwich with fillings like baked beans and tuna mayonnaise (too smelly for a self-conscious preteen).

Now that I am older I’m most grateful to my parents for teaching me this principle: 'Everything in Moderation', because when you apply this principle to your diet you’re able to enjoy all sorts of foods while keeping your daily healthy eating habits as your baseline. Sadly, I've encountered so many people in my practice over the years that have a warped sense of 'good' and 'bad' foods, and who struggle with their weight and the guilt of failed diets.

So it is with this in mind that I include this easy barbecue ribs recipe for the sheer enjoyment of food, and as a tribute to my parents for teaching me such an invaluable life lesson.

Some rib facts
Ribs are usually the cheaper cuts of meat, but require longer cooking periods (low and slow) due to, besides bone, more connective tissue and cartilage. The down side is the high fat content in ribs, but balance this by serving a light salad with new potatoes instead of fries. Also, shop for rib cuts that have plenty of meat, fewer bones and a small amount of fat, though some fat is necessary to keep the meat moist during cooking.

To make you feel better about having your oven on for so long, try sneaking something else into it. I roasted a butternut at the same time on a separate roasting tray. Cut it into strips, scoop out the seeds and drizzle with olive oil. Leave the skin on- it not only saves time, but it becomes deliciously chewy, and the flesh is tender and sweet.

I’ve significantly pared down this recipe from the original, only because I didn’t have any of the other ingredients, but the family seemed to enjoy it, fussy toddler included.

Deliciously Simple Barbecue Ribs (serves 4-6)

Recipe frugally adapted from Tyler Florence

Ingredients

2 slabs baby back ribs (about 1.4 kg or 3 pounds)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Canola Oil
2 bacon slices
1 heaped teaspoon of dried mixed herbs
½ onion
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 cups ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
¼ cup molasses
2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
1 heaped teaspoon chilli paste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 120 degrees celsius (250 degrees F). Put the ribs on a baking sheet, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with oil. Put them in the oven, and let the ribs bake for 1 ½ hours.

For the sauce, fry the bacon with a little oil in a saucepan over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and onion and cook slowly, without colouring, for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients, then turn the heat down to low. Cook slowly for approximately 10 minutes. Keep some sauce aside in a bowl for basting, reserve the rest for serving.

Baste the ribs with the sauce and let them continue cooking, basting twice more, for 30 more minutes. When the ribs are cooked, take them out of the oven.

When you are ready to eat, preheat your broiler for 5 minutes and broil the ribs, basting with the sauce, for about 5 minutes on each side until they are crisp and charred.

Fruits and Vegetables: A Buying and Cooking Guide

Besides having your pantry sorted, the next biggest challenge to cooking healthily and economically is to have a regular supply of fresh fruit and vegetables. Here are a few tips on what to consider and how to get the most out of your fresh produce.

Shop seasonally
It is usually cheaper (and environmentally friendly) to buy fruits and vegetables that are in season, so forgo the strawberries from Mexico in the dead of winter and opt for different varieties of locally grown apples, which are available year-round, at least in Canada. See the Foodland Ontario website for a guide to what's available according to season.

Shop organic (or not?)
Is it really worth the extra cost to buy organic? No, according to a recent scientific study, whose findings claim there is no nutritional benefit to eating organic foods compared to non-organic foods. As a dietitian and mother of two young children, my concern is more with regards to contaminants, mainly pesticides, found in commercially grown, non-organic foods. Consider this: the level of toxicity per kilogram of body weight for a toddler is far greater than it would be for a grown adult. Now I know it is not always feasible to shop organic- paying 30 cents more for organic apples hurts when you’re trying to be the ‘queen’ of frugal, but there are ways to get around this:

• Compare prices at different stores- larger stores tend to be cheaper and have greater variety of organic produce.
• Consider joining a co-op where you are able to order a regular supply of organic produce- it can work out cheaper than a grocery store especially if you are prepared to collect it yourself rather than have it delivered.
•  The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has provided a useful list that ranks 47 of the most popular fruit and vegetables according to their level of pesticide contamination. You’re able to see which are ‘the dirty dozen’, that is, which products are most contaminated (and should be bought organic), as well as those that are least contaminated and can thus be bought non-organic. An easy way to remember this list: pests tend to like sweet things, so more pesticides are used to keep them away from sweeter foods such as tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, berries, apples and peaches.

Then again, consider this: a diet that includes some form of fruits and vegetables (organic or not) will be far better than eating no fruits and vegetables at all.


Shop locally
Support local farmers’ markets, then you’re sure to find things in season, and find a variety of organic produce.

Shop for variety
Aim for a colorful variety of fruits and vegetables. Firstly, the nutritive value will most likely be higher- not only in vitamins and minerals but also in phyto-nutrients. Secondly, a colourful plate is far more appealing and appetizing (especially for fussy eaters) than a monotone of mush. Think roasted baby beetroot and butternut with baby spinach drizzled with balsamic vinegar (delicious!) versus over-cooked cauliflower with a gloopy white sauce.

Cook creatively
By varying your cooking methods, not only do you avoid boredom (and leftovers), but you also increase the nutritive value depending on your method of preparation. Raw vegetables are not always healthier.  Some examples:

• Cooking vegetables, such as carrots, spinach, mushrooms, asparagus, cabbage, and peppers, releases more antioxidants such as beta carotene and ferulic acid than when eaten raw. 
• lycopene, a powerful antioxidant linked with lowering cancer and heart attacks, is most available when tomatoes are cooked (even ketchup is a good source).
• vitamin C is highly unstable, is destroyed by cooking and dissolves in water, so make sure you include some raw vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetables, such as oranges, kiwifruit, and sweet peppers.

Don’t buy in bulk
Fresh fruit and vegetables bought in bulk often gets wasted, otherwise freeze it. I recently bought two punnets of organic blueberries (they were on sale) thinking they would be gobbled up. The girls soon lost interest halfway through punnet #1, so I threw everything into a freezer bag and into the freezer. A week or two later, the frozen berries made a wonderful afternoon snack on a rare warm Spring day- frugal and nutritious! Berries, mangoes, pineapple, peaches, spinach, corn, and peas freeze well. Starchier vegetables such as carrots and potatoes don’t hold as well.

Plant your own
Herbs like basil and parsley grow easily on a sunny porch and taste best fresh rather than dried, but oregano is actually better dried. Vegetables such as peppers and tomatoes are also easy options if you’re just starting out.