Health

I grew up traveling quite often to visit my grandparents. We lived about 6 hours away and although the drive was quite boring, in this case it was not about the journey but about the destination. Upon arrival we would always be greeted with hugs and smiles (no matter what time of night we arrived) and more often than not, there was a huge bowl of grandma's amazing potato salad waiting to be devoured.

Here is the recipe that was handed to down to my mom and now to me...
- 6 large potatoes
- 4 large carrots
- 1 can of peas
- 3 hard boiled eggs
- 5 pickles
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise
Peel the potatoes and carrots and put in a pot of water. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and allow potatoes and carrots to continue cooking until soft (about 45 minutes). Once ready, drain pot and leave to cool.
Dice potatoes and carrots into small cubes and place into a bowl.
Drain water from can of peas and add peas to the bowl.
Prepare 3 hardboiled eggs. Dice eggs and add to the bowl.
Dice the pickles also into small cubes and add to the other ingredients in the bowl.
Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste.
Add two tablespoons of mayonnaise and mix thoroughly. Add the other two tablespoons of mayonnaise and continue to mix well. Feel free to add more mayonnaise as you feel required.
Serves 6 to 8.

( You may recall this picture that I posted on a previous Blog. Please see:  https://customsandcooking.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-origin-debate-taste-quality-or-duty.html )

When one thinks about "healthy eating", the first thoughts usually surround vegetables. Of course, with all the different "diets" and "life changing" courses out there surrounding food, many will disagree that it is just about vegetables.

I am finally learning (albeit slowly) and understanding, that health is a matter of many factors. One of these factors is indeed vegetables but that is not the only thing to focus on.

With Customs, a healthy compliance program is not just about one specific detail. There is an all encompassing thought and execution process that needs to take place to ensure the highest level of compliance. If one just thinks that the "vegetables" will make a compliance program strong, they are aligning themselves for a very big and usually negative surprise.

Besides for the three key customs data elements of HS (Harmonized System of Classification) codes, origin regulations and proper valuation, there are multiple other areas that need to be looked at to ensure that the compliance program encompasses all aspects of Customs regulations and policy.

How are records kept? More importantly, how quickly can records be found and extracted within the record keeping process?
What happens if there is a change of staff within an organization. Are there written manuals, processes and standard operating procedures (SOPs) that can be provided to the team taking over those tasks?
Are there quarterly reviews held with service providers to go over profile databases and instructions on how to clear specific goods? Is there a need to have these conversations more often?

Thinking that it is just about the vegetables may result in iron deficiencies, and various other health issues. But vegetables are healthy?!? Yes. In order to get the full benefits of vegetables, they must be accompanied by other ingredients and nutrients.
Similarly, with Customs, it is constantly required to be on top of the various issues surrounding Customs compliance. A deficient compliance program will usually lead to penalties and that is similar to someone being hospitalized for not focusing on the entire scope of one's health.

Be aware of a healthy compliance program just like you are aware of the actions that need to be taken to remain healthy both physically and emotionally.


And for those who have mentioned to me that the last several Blog postings did not have any recipes, here is another recipe that involves lots of vegetables...

The (meatless) Dairy Vegetable Lasagna
(Recipe adapted from: https://www.inspiredtaste.net/22401/fresh-vegetable-lasagna-recipe/itr_print/ )

- 16 Lasagna Noodles
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 3 cloves of minced (finely chopped garlic)
- sprinkle of red pepper flakes to taste
- 2 medium zucchini (diced)
- 2 yellow squash (diced)
- 8 fresh mushrooms chopped into small pieces
- handful of spinach leaves
- 3 carrots (diced)
- half an eggplant (cubed)
- 2 bell peppers (orange, yellow or red) cubed
- 1 jar roasted red peppers. drain and cut into small slices
- 1 can crushed tomatoes
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- handful of chopped basil leaves
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- half a cup of ketchup
- 1 container of ricotta cheese (500 grams)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup of grated parmesan cheese
- 3 to 4 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
- salt and pepper to taste

Noodles
- I tend to use lasagna noodles that do not need to be boiled and are ready to use.

Vegetable Sauce
In a large pot, add the olive oil and onions. Cook onions in olive oil until translucent (5 to 8 minutes). Add the garlic, pepper flakes, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, spinach, carrots, eggplant, and bell peppers to the pot. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and let cook on low/medium heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft (about 10 minutes).
Stir in the roasted red peppers, diced tomatoes and crushed tomatoes.
Bring to a simmer.
Add basil leaves and then add the tomato sauce, tomato paste and ketchup.
Allow to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
Add salt and pepper to taste

Cheese filling
While the vegetables are cooking, combine the ricotta cheese, half a teaspoon of salt and eggs in a bowl. Stir/whisk until smooth.

Assemble the Lasagna
Lightly oil a large lasagna pan
preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Spoon in the vegetable sauce to cover the bottom of the pan
Add 4 noodles side by side on top of the first layer of sauce. If the 4 noodles do not cover the entire length/width of the pan, use another noodle and break into pieces to cover all the empty spots.
Add a layer of the ricotta cheese (about 1/3rd of the total amount that you have) on top of the noodles. Sprinkle the parmesan and mozzarella over the ricotta.
Add another layer of the vegetable sauce.
Then repeat the above steps so that you build 3 layers.
The top layer of noodles should be covered with sauce and cheese so that the noodles do not harden when baked.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Then uncover and bake for another 20 minutes. Once the top layer of cheese starts to crust a bit, leave in the oven for another 5 minutes.
You can choose to switch to broil for the last two minutes.
Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes.
ENJOY!!!
Location: Montreal, QC, Canada

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