The question has been asked – how would you build a sustainable city in the desert? Siemens, the German energy corporation, has been active in the Middle East over the past couple of years since it bought a couple of solar companies in Israel. Now it is playing a role again as it has just […]
Read more
In spite of some climate differences, most Middle Eastern countries raise the same crops. Don’t think that it means little choice, though. The huge variety of local fresh fruit and vegetables here, and their bright flavors, astound Westerners who have forgotten how a tomato or a green bean should taste. Real superfoods (see our article […]
Read more
Rola chats with Najib Saab about the pitfalls of environmental journalism and advocacy in the Middle East For those with any interest in the environmental issues in the Arab world, “Al- Bia Wal-Tanmia” is a familiar name. Started in 1996, the only Pan Arab environmental magazine was the precursor of the Arab Forum for Environment […]
Read more
Ford has appointed The Green Sheikh (right) as the Ambassador to their generous environmental grants program. Already a columnist for Green Prophet and a roaming environmentalist whose Ramadan post sent bright green ripples throughout the Muslim world, the Sheikh from Ajman known for his eco-sensitivities has taken on yet another major role. And no, he hasn´t […]
Read more
Last November, Rod MacGregor, the CEO of innovative GlassPoint Solar approached oil drillers in the Middle East to offer Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) using solar, and returned with no orders. This week, he is announcing the fruit of the mission. His first MENA contract will be with Oman’s 60% government-owned partnership with the Shell Group, Petroleum […]
Read more
Can summer get much better than this? The good thing about the height of summer is watermelons with red, red hearts and lots of sweet juice. Green Prophet has some good ways to serve it, and here are some. Here in the Middle East they’re for sale everywhere right now. Even the little neighborhood grocery […]
Read more
Quick to make and satisfying – roasted chickpeas answer the need for a healthy snack. When we casually dump a can-full of chickpeas into a pan, we’re thinking of dinner, not how the ancient world ate the little yellow grains. But chickpeas found in Middle-Eastern archeological excavations have been proved to be eaten by folks […]
Read more
Kanafeh: sweet cheese filling under a crunchy topping. A favorite Ramadan dessert. Ramadan 2011 begins after sunset on July 31st. One of the many luscious traditional pastries served during the night meals of Ramadan month is kanafeh. Subtly flavored with lemon and rosewater, doused with syrup, it makes up for all the calories burnt off […]
Read more
Fire up your grill and cook these aromatic vegetable chunks to delicious perfection. If there’s one favorite way to cook in the Middle East, it’s the outdoor grill. There really is no way to produce that smoky flavor. We’ve gotten away from the traditional picture of a paunchy, unshaven guy in a T-shirt taking gulps […]
Read more
War and conflict overshadows the environment in the Middle East, and oceans overlooked, now on brink of catastrophe. At a time when Arab media attention was focused on extended wars, failed states, and austerity measures, a recent report on the world’s oceans failed to gain considerable attention in the region. The news that the marine […]
Read more
Call it Bamyeh in Arabic or Bamiah in Hebrew, but okra is relished all over the Middle East. Okra is a vegetable with an inferiority complex. Its delicious flavor hides under a certain goopiness, or mucilage released in cooking, and some people don’t like it. On the other hand, you may want the beneficial mucilage. […]
Read more
Sweetly-scented rose geranium makes a delicate cream and a soothing tea. It’s growing somewhere near you. Peaches, melons, apricots, plums. All in season right now in the Middle East, all sweet and juicy. Cream infused with rose-like pelargonium graveolens makes a delicious background for any of those summer fruits. I pick a few sprigs of […]
Read more
The Middle East’s favorite vegetable, served in a creative new recipe. We’re fond of stuffed vegetables here on Green Prophet. They’re satisfying to the appetite and pleasant to look at. Like our butternut squash stuffed with quinoa, this stuffed eggplant recipe is an elegant twist on a traditional dish. Among the myriad Middle Eastern eggplant […]
Read more
The international aid and development organization Oxfam recently revealed some alarming facts and future predictions on world hunger, warning that the world faces a real crisis in agricultural production and nutrition, with climate change exacerbating the crisis. The Middle East is cited as a “taste of what may be to come” as rising food costs […]
Read more
Certain plants, especially those rich in phyto-estrogens, are being looked at more closely for their role in growing a healthier bosom. Using herbs and foods to enhance a woman’s form date back to ancient times, and some suggest that the use of tinctures, massage oils and brews were popular among Egyptian harems. Some of the […]
Read more