I have been gluten free for almost three years. I mostly eat dairy-free too because I am lactose-intolerant. I cook mostly using olive and grapeseed oil. While I do indulge in butter and cheese sometimes, I know I shouldn’t because these products upset my stomach. Some recipes don’t taste the same without butter, I know! But I have to substitute because it doesn’t help my health issues.
That’s why I was happy to hear that Becel® Original, Becel Buttery Taste, Becel with Olive Oil, and Becel Vegan margarine are now being made with simpler ingredients. That’s right – no artificial preservatives, flavours or colours, which means you can feel good about choosing Becel® margarine as part of your heart healthy lifestyle – and, in the case of Becel Vegan, a lactose-free lifestyle!
Especially for someone who is at risk for heart disease and cholesterol, cutting out saturated fats is important. The blend of sunflower and Canadian canola oil provides a source of good Omega 3 polyunsaturated fats that our bodies need. Becel® margarine contains no trans-fat and has 80% less saturated fat than butter, so you can easily replace butter 1:1 for margarine in any recipe as an alternative.
On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to meet author and health expert Rose Reisman along with MASTERCHEF star Chef Graham Elliot at the Blend Bar by Becel® at Loblaws, Maple Leaf Gardens. They were there to talk about and showcase Becel® margarine, made with a blend of plant and seed oils, to use for cooking and baking.
At the Blend Bar, the Master Blender showcased how plant and seed oils, like Becel’s Master Blend of sunflower and Canadian canola oil, are blended to create soft, non-hydrogenated margarine. Use it for cooking, baking, frying, sautéing and spreading.
Like a boss, Rose Reisman showed us how it’s done.
Then, Chef Graham Elliot cooked up two delicious dishes:
Grilled Zucchini with White Wine Sauce and Shaved Fennel & Citrus Salad
Garlic and Thyme Based Strip Steak with Wild Mushrooms and Becel® -Laced Whipped Potatoes
Oh. My. Goodness. First of all, Chef Graham was cooking for a small group of people and we could watch. Then, we got a chance to sample his delicious cooking. What a treat!
Blend Bar by Becel®
Residents of Toronto and the GTA are invited to visit the Blend Bar by Becel at Loblaws at Maple Leaf Gardens at 60 Carlton Street, Toronto, to watch the Master Blender at work, and to taste fresh margarine blended on the spot from now until March 20th, 2016.
What: Blend Bar by Becel®
When: March 2 – March 20, 2016
Time: 20, 2016, 11AM-7PM Monday to Friday, and 10AM-6PM Saturday
Where: Maple Leaf Gardens at 60 Carlton Street, Toronto
I hope you have a chance to visit the Becel® Blend Bar!
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This post is proudly sponsored by Becel® however as always, these opinions are my own.
18 Comments
What a cool event. I have never really had a chance to get up close and personal with a chef like that – you are very lucky!
Sounds like an amazing experience. I didn’t know Chef Graham Elliot cooked like this, that’s good to know, I like him more now because of that. It’s great to learn new things about food, especially when you have a specific diet that you’ve been following for a long time.
It’s awesome that you were able to watch him cook. He’s super talented and I love him on Masterchef Junior.
It’s so great to watch Him while cooking, I love watching the cooking show in live Glad you had an awesome experience
Thanks, April!
Everything looks so good. I am a little jelly that you got to meet Chef Elliot, so awesome! This is definitely my kind of event.
He was wonderful!
I’m glad to hear it’s made with non hydrogenated oils, much healthier than others
Gluten free for 3 years! That is incredible! This looks like it would have been an awesome event.
Yes, I can’t go back… feel much better now.
This is very interesting, so glad to know about it.
It’s nice to heara about people who are gluten free. I’d like to try it and see if it makes a difference for me.
What an awesome day that you had, I’m so glad to share this with us
seriously, how AWESOME is this?!?!?!?
I LOVE Becel simply because they have a vegan option!! My son (who I’m breastfeeding) has a milk allergy and I use the vegan becel as a substitute and it’s perfect. It tastes just like regular margarine so much so that I even eat it just on toast!
Simply Shaunacey
Oh I will need to try this! Looks healthy and great for recipes. I will have to give it a try. I like the healthier alternatives when possible.
That looked like such a fun and informative event! The food looks great, too!
wow meeting an author + a chef is a really good opportunity!! congrats on being there and im sure you had a blast
Thank you for sharing your awesome experience! It must have been great to watch a chef in action! I need to try Becel too. I am positive that this might be something I would need to correct my lipid profile. I love butter and margarine but they are not helping my health. Becel seems to be a yummy, healthy alternative.