Enlightened Eater

Whole Grains Month is coming to an end as are the Jewish High Holidays (next week). This is a time of year where traditional favourites have to make an appearance on the menu and up there on my family’s list are kasha varnishkes or kasha and bow ties. Kasha or buckwheat, although it resembles and […]

Cocoa is food for thought If you’re familiar with my philosophy, you know I’m not an extremist but there are times when I simply don’t understand why we just can’t enjoy what nature provides to us. Case in point: cocoa. Yes, natural cocoa has a slight bitter edge to it and it’s not as dark […]

“Hi Rosie — Would you please care to comment on this heart surgeon’s thoughts about what really causes heart disease? It’s showing up on a lot of my Facebook friends’ pages.” says Enlightened Eater Facebook fan,  Karen Jorgenson Cooper. Karen, my first thought when I started reading this piece by Dr. Dwight Lundell, M.D., was […]

Grrrr – can you hear me seething? I have been since reading the Globe and Mail’s Margaret Wente’s column entitled, “A big fat surprise for dietary dogma”. It’s amazing how easily swayed someone who is supposed to be a knowledgeable columnist in a national newspaper  can be. Maybe she really believes what she writes or […]

When I think of canola,  I can’t help but think of lentils. A few years ago, when I was on a Love Your Lentils tour, where we visited Saskatchewan’s farmlands, there were endless fields of yellow canola flowers alongside.  So to me, lentils and canola make for a winning Canadian combo. This fibre and protein-packed […]

  You’re not alone if you think that almonds and peanuts are roughly the same nutritionally as their butters.  But according to accumulating research, you would be wrong.  (Of course, I’m talking about natural almond butter or peanut butter, not those with added fat and sugar that may bear little resemblance to the real thing.) […]

Have you ever eaten oat groats? You’re not alone if you’re wondering what they are. Oat groats are the whole grain product before it is flaked or rolled to become oat flakes or meal. You can use it as you would use barley or rice in a savoury pilaf or with vegetables in a cold […]

At a recent event at Toronto’s Brassaii Restaurant,  hosted by The Flavour Your Life Campaign,   Robert Beauchemin, well known Montreal food writer, anthropologist, and olive oil expert, sorted through the fact and fiction about quality extra virgin olive oil (EVOO).  At the same time, guests were treated to a variety of  offerings, both savoury and […]