Shavone Doherty

Soaking and sprouting pulses at home doesn’t sound like a festive time, but the 68th United Nations (UN) General Assembly actually declared 2016 the International Year of Pulses. Is that a celebration of your racing heart at the thought of sprouting at home? No! In this case, pulses are something else entirely—but you might still feel some excitement about them!

Back to school is officially on! The start of the school year is a great time to increase essential fatty acids (EFAs) in the diet. Why?

EFAs are core building blocks that allow your body to function. Your body cannot synthesize essential fats and need to be a part of the daily diet. EFAs produce hormones and regulate the nervous system. Help your kids get the most out of school by supporting their mind, memory, and mood. One great (and easy) way to get essential fats into your kids is nut/seed butters! 

After two months of summer vacation it can be difficult to think about the reality of going back to school. There is so much to do: selecting classes, choosing a career direction, the thought of an overwhelming amount of homework, balancing a job and extra curricular activities, finding a new look and buying new stationary. It comes as no surprise that meal planning is often forgotten or put by the wayside of priorities. 

This summer leafy greens can be found in abundance! They are a wonderful source of vitamin K, A, C, calcium, magnesium, antioxidants, fibre and folate (great for expecting moms). When picked young they taste great raw, especially in salads. As they mature they make can be added to smoothies, soups and be stored for future use.

June 19^th is Father's Day. This year spoil your dad with a healthy twist on a father favourite —

The mighty burger and fries! 

The following recipe is vegetarian but a worthy contender to any burger, period. It’s meaty, flavourful and high in protein. Halloumi is a Cypriot semi-hard, unripened brined cheese made from a mixture of goat and sheep milk, and sometimes cow milk. 

Permaculture design is an eco-conscious landscape that mimics the patterns and relationships found in nature, while also yielding an abundance of food. It is a low maintenance and sustainable form of agriculture that promotes greater environmental bio-diversity. It is built on a foundation that we care for our planet, care for our people, and care to share.

This year we celebrate mothers everywhere in Canada on Sunday May 8th.  Plan ahead and surprise a mom with something special and show your appreciation.

We owe a lot to our mothers. They provide us with incubation, nourishment, care, and protection. They are profound role models in our lives. When considering the time they spend with us as children, it seems only appropriate that we in turn make simple gestures of gratitude.

This year think of a way you can make a mom feel special.

Very soon, locally grown and harvested spring vegetables will be available for purchase. Two of my favourite vegetables are asparagus and garlic scapes. They are delicious, extremely nutritious and can star in any dish in a variety of ways. Begin by rinsing and chopping off the woody ends then sautéing in a hot skillet with butter and seasoning with a pinch of salt and pepper. For a quick snack, garnish with toasted almonds or incorporate them into a more elaborate dish. 

Rhubarb is an edible herbaceous perennial plant. Although it is considered a vegetable it is often prepared like fruit. It produces large leaves that appear triangular with long fleshy stalks, often very easy to spot in the yard or garden. Be warned! The ingestion of rhubarb leaves can cause oxalic acid poisoning.

Rhubarb is one of the first crops to harvest during the growing season. Its tart-like qualities make it very versatile to cook with and often stars in both sweet and savory dishes. Below are two recipes to satisfy both! Enjoy some of the first tastes of spring! 

Weeds can have a negative connotation in nature, considered to be invasive, over-run and under valued. Despite the quantity of wild weeds that can be cultivated each year, it is not commonly practiced.

There is a social stigma associated with them and in recent years the basic understanding of their benefits, uses, and applications have been lost. Even for those who recognize the importance of them often purchase them as bulk dried herbs not realizing they can be found in their back yard!

Broth is a traditional meat stock that is gaining popularity as a method of food preparation – and for good reason, too! Our current broth alternatives are laden with flavour enhancers, sodium, sugar and genetically modified foods.

Most commercially available products are dehydrated bouillon powder, cubes and shelf-stable broths. Hundreds of products line our grocery store shelves and the only way to decipher them is to read the labels.

Here are the ingredients from an anonymous brand of bouillon cube: