Two Syrian women, in better times, partake of a celebratory 
feast of the rich and varied local cuisine  after a workshop on 
constructed wetlands in Damascus.

Ancient Syrian diet a delicious discovery

Gate to Plate: Shorbit Adas (Lentil Soup), Yakhanit Batata (Potato Stew)
, and Bharat (Syrian Spice)


The world continues to watch in horror as the conflict in Syria leaves so many hundreds of thousands dead and millions homeless, their cities and towns destroyed. Many Syrians now rely on emergency food assistance. The Canadian Foodgrains Bank, for example, has provided over $30 million of emergency food assistance since late 2012, to Syrians

Hulled barley is a whole grain because it still has all its germ and bran present, unlike pearl or pot barley.

Enjoy whole grains more often

Gate to Plate: Beef ’n Barley Soup
, Saskatoon and 
wheatberry salad
 and No-bake granola bar


For most of us, getting Canada’s Food Guide’s recommended six to seven servings of grains per day is fairly easy. It’s making sure that at least half of those servings are from whole grains that’s challenging. According to research quoted by dietitians, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Diabetes Association and the Alzheimer’s Society, making


Eggs are a healthful and budget-friendly food

Eggs are a healthful and budget-friendly food

Prairie Fare: Heavenly Devilled Eggs

A couple of weeks ago, my daughters and I were preparing food one afternoon for guests arriving the next day. I wrote a list of things to do. My older daughter enjoys eggs, so she wanted to complete the “hard cook one-dozen eggs” item from my list. Although “hard boiled” often is used to describe

The fat of the land

The fat of the land

Gate to Plate: ‘Planned Over’ 
Cajun Ham Hash
 and ‘Freeze Ahead’ 
Holay Molay Chili


Here’s a term we’ve been hearing lately — the “obesogenic environment.” Do you live in one? It means any place where it’s all too easy to eat poorly and not very conducive to getting much exercise. That’s where a lot of us are at, according to the newly released Obesity in Canada report by the

Most of the salt in our diets doesn’t actually come from the salt shaker.

Ease up on the salt

Prairie Fare: Apple Crisp for Two

Which shaker gets filled with salt and which gets pepper?” my daughter asked one day. She was examining small ceramic rabbits dressed in pastel-coloured spring attire. “Fill the one with three holes with salt and the one with two with pepper,” my husband responded. ‘Filling the three-holed shaker with pepper might be better for our


Brand new gas stove

Using smaller appliances may save you some cash

Prairie Fare: Peanut Butter Black Bean Brownies

One evening, I preheated our ovens. They are stacked with a small upper oven and a regular-size lower oven. As the ovens heated, I finished preparing some garlic toast to go under the broiler. My daughter made some brownies to go in the lower oven. After about 15 minutes, I opened the oven to pop

Easter eggs can get a second life as nutritious and healthy snacks and meals.

Enjoy eggs year round

Gate to Plate: Ham, egg and cheese English muffins, Easy pickled eggs, and Dillicious egg salad

Eggs are one of the most nutritious foods available to us. Whether you gather them directly from the chicken coop, or buy them at the local grocery store, they’re an affordable source of high-quality protein and 14 different vitamins and minerals. Brown or white, large or small, they make a great addition to a healthy

What’s for dinner?

What’s for dinner?

Prairie Fare: Cowboy Caviar and Slow Cooker Corned Beef, Barley and Cabbage

On the way home one day, my husband and I were discussing the eternal question, “What’s for dinner?” Our daughters were sitting in the backseat, observing their sometimes embarrassing “parental units.” I think my husband felt the need to “ham it up” for the entertainment factor. “How about spaghetti and meatballs for dinner?” I asked.


Savour the flavour of eating right

Savour the flavour of eating right

Prairie Fare: Mediterranean Stew

When I opened the front door of our home one day, my nose detected a wonderful aroma. I knew my husband had a food preparation “project” in progress and our family would be the delighted recipients. He had made homemade pastrami. The pro­cess involved brining the beef, applying a rub, smoking it on the grill

Take a 100-Meal Journey

Take a 100-Meal Journey

Gate to Plate: Baked Eggs With Lentils, Peppers And Tomatoes
 and Chicken, Swiss And 
Vegetable Bulgur Salad


If you know you should be eating better, but don’t, you’re not alone. The national 2015 Tracking Nutrition Trends survey which asks Canadians questions about their dietary habits shows many of us appear to have just stopped trying, with 35 per cent saying they’re actually making less of an effort to improve their eating habits