Living with food allergies

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Coles

Allergies

With more and more people – especially children – experiencing food allergies, allergy expert Dr Brynn Wainstein from Sydney Children’s Hospital and Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia president Maria Said joined us for a live Coles Facebook Q&A to discuss food allergies and what can be done to help manage life with food allergies.

Food allergy or intolerance?
Brynn: Food allergy is an immune system response to a food. In the most common cases of food allergy, the body develops an antibody called IgE to a particular food protein.

What are the symptoms of food allergy?
The signs and symptoms of a food allergy usually appear within minutes to 2 hours of eating even small amounts of the offending food and typically include:

Hives, skin redness
Swelling of face, lips or eyes
Vomiting and abdominal pain

Signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis involve the breathing and/or circulatory systems, and may include any one or more of the following:

Difficult or noisy breathing
Swelling of the tongue
Swelling or tightness in the throat
Difficulty talking or hoarse voice
Dizziness (loss of consciousness and/or collapse)
Becoming pale and floppy (in young children)

What are the most common food allergies?
According to ASCIA, the most common food allergies in young children are to:

Hen’s eggs
Cow’s milk
Peanuts and tree nuts such as cashew and almond

The allergies most common in older children and adults are:

Peanuts and tree nuts
Shellfish and fish
Seeds
Eggs

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How to cook perfect potato rosti

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Coles

Potato rosti or potato fritters make an easy and versatile snack for the kids or side for a BBQ or picnic. They’re also incredibly easy to make, simply follow our 4 simple steps for perfect potato rosti every time:

Squeeze liquid from grated potato, removing as much liquid as possible.
Add egg, chives sifted plain flour and baking powder to potato in a clean bowl.
Mix ingredients together in the bowl, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
Drop 4 cupfuls of mixture into pan and flatten slightly before cooking over a medium heat for about 3 minutes.

For our full Crispy Potato Rosti recipe, including ingredients and method, visit coles.com.au/recipes.

New Purina ONE Dog Food

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Coles

New Purina Dog Food Small dogs are unique in their BIG personalities and also their dietary requirements. That’s why Purina ONE have recently launched a formula specially designed with small dogs in mind, to ensure your pup stays happy and healthy.

The new range has been tailor-made for small breeds with quality proteins, vitamins and minerals packed into a crunchy, tasty smaller biscuit. The range comes in 4 formulations, so there’s one to suit every small dogs unique needs, from adult dogs to older dogs and those with weight and digestive problems. Click on the images below to read about each product.

Look out for the Purina ONE Small Breed range in the pet food aisle of your local Coles.

Freedom Foods Allergy-friendly Breakfast Ideas

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Coles

Freedom Food Rice Flakes If you’re looking for a gluten, wheat or nut-free breakfast idea, check out these Freedom Foods Rice Flakes. Crunchy and delicious, they’re flavoured with Apple Juice and contain no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives.

Look out for them in the health food aisle of your local Coles and read more about the range at freedomfoods.com.au.

Allergy Awareness Week at Coles

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Coles

Allergy Week Did you know that one in 10 babies born in Australia today will develop a food allergy? This worrying statistic indicates that life-threatening allergic reactions in children aged four and under have increased fivefold over the last 10 years. Alarmingly, too, approximately 10 Australians die as a result of allergic reactions (analphylaxis) each year.

That’s why Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia has declared May 13-19 “Food Allergy Week” to increase community awareness and understanding. As part of the “one in 10” campaign, it’s asking everyone to show support by painting one fingernail out of 10 and making a donation to the cause at foodallergyaware.com.au – you’ll also find details about events planned for the week.

How is Coles supporting?
A strict diet is essential for those living with allergies, but it doesn’t need to be bland and uninteresting with our wide range of allergy-friendly products and recipes. We’re also making allergy-friendly products more affordable for customers with allergy week specials.

Guide to Vanilla Varieties

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Coles

Guide to Vanilla Varieties One of the world’s most popular flavours, fragrant vanilla is used extensively in cakes, biscuits, desserts, drinks, even savoury dishes. With so many varieties of vanilla on our supermarket shelves, customers often tell us they are confused about which one to use. So to help you pick the best one for the job, we’ve pulled together a short guide to 8 of the most popular varieties:

Vanilla Bean Dusting Sugar: Ground vanilla beans and extract blended with icing sugar and sold in a handy shaker container. Shake it over pancakes, muffins and fruit.
Natural Vanilla Extract: Flavour is extracted from the vanilla bean using no, or very low, alcohol, making it ideal to use when baking at high temperatures.
Imitation Vanilla Essence: This synthetic vanilla flavouring is cheaper than the natural extract. Gives flavour to baked goods, such as cakes and cookies.
Vanilla Sugar: Caster sugar is infused with the flavour of vanilla beans. Try the new-look Coles Brand Vanilla Sugar or make your own.
Vanilla Bean Paste: The no-fuss way to get real vanilla bean flavour without having to scrape the beans. Sold in jars, 1 tsp equals 1 whole vanilla bean. Ideal for custards, pale desserts and cakes.
Vanilla Bean Pods: Slit the pod open along its length using the tip of a small, sharp knife, then scrape out the small, sticky seeds. Perfect for custards.
Natural Vanilla Essence: Essence is extracted from the vanilla bean using a technique based on alcohol and water to release flavour. It has no additives.
Concentrated Vanilla Extract: Vanilla Extract is concentrated to give a rich, syrupy texture. An intense flavour and aroma, it’s the chef’s-grade extract.

Did you know? Vanilla is the edible seed pod of a climbing orchid and commercially grown in tropical climates, but most comes from Madagascar.

How to make mouth-watering Osso Bucco

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Coles

As the weather gets cooler, its the perfect time to invite your friends and family to indulge in a homestyle winter feast of healthy comfort food with an Italian touch and it doesn’t get much more delicious than this slow-cooked osso bucco.

Follow our 3 simple steps to impress your family with homemade osso bucco:

To prevent curling, make small cuts in the edges of the Osso Bucco meat. Coat meat with flour, and shake off excess. Cook in batches over medium-high heat for about 2 mins each side, until browned. Transfer to dish.
Once all the ingredients are in the oven-proof dish, cover tightly with a lid or foil, and bake for 2 hours, until very tender.
To make Gremolata, finely chop parsley leaves and finely grate lemon rind. Serve combined with parsley, finely grated lemon rind and crushed garlic.

Tip: You can cook this recipe in a slow cooker. Coat the osso bucco in flour and cook for 2 mins each side. Add vegetables, osso bucco, canned tomatoes and 1 cup of beef stock to slow cooker. Cook for 5-6 hours on high, till meat is tender. To get the best results with a slow cooker, you need to reduce the amount of liquid used when cooking. It’s also important to sear the meat to lock in its juices.

For our full osso bucco recipe, including ingredients and method, visit coles.com.au/recipes.

Gift Ideas for Mother’s Day

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Coles

Mother's Day Gift Ideas If anyone deserves to take time out and relax, it’s our mums. So to help you spoil your mum this Mother’s Day, we’ve pulled together our top Mother’s Day picks. From mugs to slippers and chocolate to gift cards, there’s sure to be something perfect for your mum.

For the coffee loving mum…
Check out our range of mugs featuring the beautiful photography of renowned animal photographer Rachael Hale. They are available exclusively at Coles and each mug features an image of an irresistible pet that will warm the heart of any mum. If tea is your mother’s choice, the nifty teapot and cup ensemble (pictured above) is exactly that – a teapot and cup all-in-one. The set has a delicate floral pattern and it is available in both pink and blue – combine with the 2 tier cake stand for the perfect afternoon tea set. Or if your mum is always on-the-go then our Cool Gear Eco Travel Mugs might be just her thing.

For the comfort loving mum…
Now that the cooler weather has arrived, keeping warm is important for a great night’s sleep. A pair of comfy MIX flannelette pyjamas and fluffy scuffs would be just the ticket to keep mum snug. And, of course, every mother deserves a hug, and a plush teddy is a cute and cuddly way of delivering one.

Mum’s, what’s the best gift you ever received?

How to poach an egg

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Coles

How to poach an egg A perfectly poached egg can be a difficult thing to master, but with these simple steps, you can enjoy tasty poached eggs every time.

Reduce heat to low, or until gently bubbling. Create a funnel with a spoon and slip egg into whirlpool.
Poach for 3-4 mins, spooning water over the egg, until white is cooked and yolk still runny.
Using a slotted spoon, remove egg from water and repeat process, one egg at a time.
Place poached egg on paper towels to drain thoroughly before serving.

Click on the images below to follow step-by-step.

Everyone has their secret tip for poaching eggs, so hit play for Curtis’ secret tip…

Meet our Apple Grower

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Coles

Coles Apple Grower Autumn is the perfect time to make the most of deliciously sweet new-season apples picked fresh from Australian orchards. In our recent Coles Magazine, we caught up with our apple grower, Harvey from Newton orchards in WA to get the inside scoop on this delicious fruit and the crisp varieties available this season.

What is the history of Newton orchards?
The Newton family have been farming in Western Australia for over 80 years, with George Newton buying his first farm in Manjimup in 1929 (at just 18 years old). Today George’s enterprising spirit lives on in the business now run by his son-in-law Harvey Giblett and the Manjimup properties now make up one of the largest orchards in WA.

Which Apples are grown at this orchard?
Situated in one of the greenest regions of the world, Newton Orchards is renown for producing great quality apples and they grow many of our customer favourites, including Granny Smith, Royal Gala, Sundowner, Jazz and Red Delicious. They were also one of the first to grow Pink Lady apples and work with local farms to supply fruit to Coles stores across Australia.

What are the some of the latest innovations?
Innovations include micro-irrigation improvements linking ground probes and fertigation systems to reduce water and nutrient wastage. “We want to have the least possible impact on the environment, while producing the best-tasting, crunchiest apples,” says George’s granddaughter Nicole Giblett.

For delicious Apple recipe inspiration, view our Apple recipe post here.

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