Jalapeño poppers

I had a lovely time touring the Leaside Longo's store.  We had the opportunity to meet Longo's food experts and enjoy an array of freshly prepared food at the event.  I enjoyed the fresh delicious oysters that were shucked and served.

I like the Veggie Bar at Longo's, which has freshly chopped fruits and vegetables that are cleaned and pre cut.  We can use these freshly cut produce to make healthy meals at home without cleaning, cutting or chopping.  This type of service is convenient for busy families and helps small families to prepare fresh meals at home.  It also promotes eating healthy and including a variety of colourful fruits/vegetables in our meals.

It is good to know the freshly cut vegetables are replaced everyday and nothing is wasted because the unsold items are used for the products that are made in the store i.e pizza, sandwich etc.  

I would prefer if all the products including the ones made in the store i.e bread etc include labels of ingredients so it is easy for us to make sure there are no ingredients with allergies, and we don't have to bother the service people each time we want to know :)
Longo's is a family owned business that puts quality and customers first.  There wasn't fresh halal products at this location, however they had packeted products available.  

The cheese section had over 300 different types of cheese, that looked really delicious.  They have a fresh juice bar, sushi, pizza, under $10 meals, fresh baked breads, pops and many more.  Longo's at Leaside will also be having cooking classes for adults and children in their loft.  
I liked the atmosphere and the design of the 1919 brick building that had a market feel.  This Leaside building once belonged to the Canadian Northern Railway and was designed to service steam locomotives.

I made these delicious Jalapeño poppers with the Jalapeño from our garden and quinoa from Longo's.  This recipe is adapted from 500 Best Quinoa Recipes by Camilla Saulsbury © 2012 Robert Rose Inc.www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with permission.  

1/2 cup cream cheese*
1/2 cup cooked quinoa**
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt to taste
pepper to taste
6 large jalapeño pepper halved

* to get a delicious flavour don't use fat free cream cheese
**any type cooked I used the multicoloured quinoa.  Rinse the quinoa before using by placing it in a mesh and rinse under water.  1 part quinoa with 2 parts of water bring to a boil then cover and cook in low heat for about 12 to 15 minutes until the water is absorbed.  

Remove the ribs of the jalapeño if you want to make it less spicy and wash it with cold water before putting the stuffing.  
Mix the cheeses, quinoa, salt and pepper then stuff about 1 tbsp of the mixture into the halves of the jalapeño.  Bake for about 9 to 12 minutes in a 450F until the cheese is browned and bubbling.  Serve hot.  

This book 500 Best Quinoa Recipes has 100% gluten free easy to make superfood.  The book explains all about quinoa then separates it by breakfast, appetizers, snacks, soups, stews, chills, salads, sides, vegetarian, main dish, seafood, poultry, lean meat, main dishes, breads and desserts.  This book also has information about other ingredients that are used in the recipes.  

Although quinoa (keen wah) is a seed, it is cooked and eaten like a grain.  It is harvested from a broadleaf plant that belongs to goosefoot family related to spinach, beets and chard.  The plant grows upwards about 7 feet.  When the seed head is dry, the quinoa is shaken out.  The seeds are coated in saponin, which is a bitter resin like substance that protects the plant from insects and birds.  Rinsing the quinoa before cooking helps get rid of the saponin.   

Quinoa has protein, carbohydrate, dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, thiamine, riboflavin, vitamin B6, folate, magnesium, vitamin E, iron, calcium, phosphorus and zinc.  1 cup of cooked quinoa has 30% of daily food requirement.  It can be toasted like nuts, sprouted, steamed, baked or cooked.  We can grind the seeds to make quinoa flour to add into baked goods.  It is better to store the flour in the fridge or freeze to keep it fresh.  

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