4 Friday, June 7, 2019brooklintowncrier.com Our Brooklin Kids By Leanne Brown Ambassador contestants are all winners Over the years, I've been involved with the Brooklin Spring Fair in many capacities. I've been a volunteer, walked in the parade, entered the homecraft contests and even sat in the dunk tank. So when I was asked to be one of three judges for the Fair's Ambassador and Mini-Ambassador competition, I was delighted. The Ambassador Program is an opportunity for young men and women between the ages of 17 and 23 to represent the Fair and their community. The Ambassador, 1st runner up, and 2nd runner up will represent the Brooklin Spring Fair the 2019/2020 season. The Mini Ambassador program, which mirrors the Ambassador one, is a fun program for children in grades 1 and 2. Plenty of advice When I told my family about the opportunity, I got lots of advice. My daughter promptly ransacked my closet for the perfect Katy Perry-inspired outfit. My husband started calling me Simon (as in Cowell) in a British accent. In the end, I swapped the Katy Perry sequined number for a simple summer frock. And I tempered my inner Simon for a fun and fair judge personality. While being a judge is fun, it's also quite hard. The two young ladies participating in the Ambassador competition, Holly Rhodes and Rebecca Browne, were both lovely, accomplished and had charming personalities. Either one could represent Brooklin adequately. It was by no means an easy decision. My duties consisted of interviews, judging speeches (relating to the fair, community, etc.), and determining how the contestants answered a randomly picked question. Contestants were also judged on their ease of communication, knowledge of the fair and community, poise and public interactions. Bios and interviews First up were the biographies. Both contestants were active in their communities and close to their families. I was excited to meet them. Next the interviews. Holly spoke with ease of her love of the fair and how she hoped to be a role model if chosen. Her bubbly personality was instantly infectious. Rebecca demonstrated her passion for the Fair with poise and grace by sharing some of her experiences both as a child and as a fair volunteer. I carefully reviewed their answers. Next came the speeches and random questions. the contestants spoke confidently and entertained the crowd with their witty answers, making our job even more difficult. While the committee tallied the results, the mini contestants took the stage. Mini Ambassador contestants are given five questions to prepare for ahead of time and the winner is chosen based on personality, poise, confidence, and overall impression. Patient kids Two little contestants won my heart right away. Sierra and Kieran sat quietly on the stage as they were introduced, a feat that's hard for 6 and 7 year-olds. The little girl and boy charmed the audience with their answers about their favourite fruits and fair rides and best friends. Kieran, with a smile missing a few teeth, looked smart in his blue shirt. He fidgeted excitedly as he told us about how Granny Smith apples are "just so good". Sierra shared her love for cotton candy. "It's so sweet," she said. She eventually won the title. It was exciting watching the winners faces as their names were announced. Even though the runners-up may not wear the crown, they were equally as royal, in my opinion. I enjoyed my experience as a judge and would encourage our young Brooklin citizens to get involved in this wonderful program next year. Congratulations to this year's winners. Holly Rhodes (left) was named Spring Fair Ambassador while Rebecca Browne was 1st runner-up. Junior Ambassador Sierra Del Bono The beauty of rice bowls Plant-Based Eating by Sheree Nicholson I've written in the past about rice bowls because I love them for family meals. They are versatile, easy to make and allow for a wide variety of toppings, which should please everyone. I share a home with someone who eats meat, and rice bowls are something we can both agree on. Since I work full time, run a business and like to work out, during the week I really try to keep meals simple. Still, I don't want to sacrifice the quality of my meals or spend a great deal of money on takeout. Rice bowls keep my life simple. They start with steamed brown rice, which is extremely easy to make in a rice cooker. Next are the veggies. I like to use a combination of raw and cooked vegetables. Rice bowls can be a way of getting rid of leftover veggies. Then comes the protein. There are lots of great plant- based toppings including; falafels, spiced chickpeas, marinated and grilled tofu, tempeh or unshelled edamame. The combinations are endless. A big bowl of rice in the centre of your table surrounded by the add-ons allows your kids some creative license to create their own versions. Most of my inspiration comes from copying bowls offered by Copper Branch or Lil Organic Kitchen or by "googling" rice bowl recipes. If you have someone in your family who's not eating carbs, you can use quinoa as the base, making the meal higher in protein. Or you can get really creative and make zucchini noodles for the base. I guess you can't call them rice bowls at this point. You can also purchase zucchini noodles at most grocery stores but if you have a spiralizer they're easy to make. The final touch to any rice bowl is the sauce or topping. You can, of course, just use tamari or soy sauce if it's an Asian inspired rice bowl. I recently made the garlic herb sauce recipe below by the Minimalist Baker and it was a huge hit at a recent party I had. It would go great on a falafel bowl, with maybe some chopped sweet potatoes and pickled cabbage and red onions. GARLIC HERB SAUCE 1/4 cup hummus juice of 1/2 lemon 3/4 to 1 tsp. dried dill (or sub 2 to 3 tsp. fresh) 3 cloves garlic ( minced) Water or unsweetened almond milk, to thin Sea salt, to taste Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisk to combine, adding only enough water to almond milk to thin so it's pourable. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Sheree's Hack: Toss your zucchini noodles in fresh lemon juice to make them softer.