A few months ago I was greeted with a mysterious package at my door from Happy Planet, Canada’s leading all natural food and juice company hailing from the coastal city of Vancouver, British Columbia. Unzipping the portable cooler bag they gave me, I found myself immersed in a slew of fresh, organic ingredients inside from mushrooms, carrots, bamboo shoots, Thai basil, lemon grass, and water chestnuts. I didn’t know at the time if these ingredients were of any significance or what it all meant, but I did find inside as well an invitation to a 3 course meal and cooking demo with Chef Brianne Nash (Chopped champion on Food Network Canada). Free food, a cooking demo, and a Chopped champion all at once? I’m in!
The event that Happy Planet was hosting was held at Nella Cucina in downtown Toronto. The unique thing about Nella Cucina is that not only is it a retail shop for the trendiest and most practical kitchenware for commercial and residential kitchens, it also runs a cooking school inside.
As the night unfolded and a group of around 10 bloggers and media personalities assembled, we learned that the ingredients inside the cooler were not selected at random, but very specifically in fact for this event. They are all ingredients used in one of Happy Planet’s newest soup flavour they were unveiling, their new globally inspired Thai Chicken Soup.
Chef Brianne Nash would be preparing the 3 course soup-centric meal for all of us and this is how it all went down.
First Course
Roasted Beet & Grilled Fennel Salad with Feta and Lemon Dressing and Happy Planet’s Organic Pomegranate Blueberry Juice
Second Course
Happy Planet’s All Natural Thai Chicken Soup with Green Curry, Thai Basil, and Lemongrass
Third Course
Honey, Peanut, and Fig Pannacotta
With a flourishing trend of people striving to be more health conscious and being more mindful in what they put in their bodies, organic food is increasingly growing in demand. Happy Planet proves that just because you want to eat more healthy, doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice those taste buds of yours. Happy Planet’s Thai Chicken soup stayed true to its ethnic roots with its rich and bold flavours, but also practical to the everyday foodies on the go as its convenient packaging allows you to prepare this hearty soup in a matter of minutes over the stove or just by simply heating it up in the microwave. Simply put, it tastes like a restaurant quality soup but locked up inside a resealable bag. The preparation for this soup is literally dummy proof. It is also the first retail soup in Canada made with 100% organic chicken, a claim that no one else can make except for Happy Planet.
All of Happy Planet’s soups, smoothies, juices, and lemonades can be found in grocery stores across Toronto including Wholefoods, Metro, Loblaws, and Longos. Be sure to keep an eye out on them the next time you’re there by picking up some of these feel good foods!
