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Nutrient-Rich Recipes
by author Sally Errey, RNCP

With hormones fluctuating monthly and additional changes happening over a lifetime, women can succumb to all kinds of food cravings in an effort to get required nutrients. The essential nutrients that a woman’s body needs include the minerals magnesium, chromium, and calcium; essential fatty acids; fibre; and vitamins such as C and B complex. An adequate daily supply of these helps reduce symptoms of PMS and menopause and aids in the body’s response to stress.

There’s also good news from the antioxidant front. Some of women’s favourite foods–tea and chocolate–contain powerful flavonoids that have been shown to have heart health and anti-aging benefits.

You’ll see a couple of these ingredients in this month’s recipes. From the chocolate yogourt muffins to the blissful mango and pineapple frappé that features the high antioxidant Rooibos tea, you’ll find colourful, trendy, and tasty recipes for the modern woman on the go.

Chocolate Yogourt Muffins with Walnuts

Strawberry Pecan Salad with Sweet Red Wine Vinaigrette

Broccoli Sesame Stir-Fry

Pineapple and Mango Rooibos Bliss

Sally Errey, RNCP, is an acclaimed speaker and author on optimum health through nutrition and lifestyle. She is author of Rooibos Revolution (Belissimo Books, 2005), rooibosrevolution.com.

Source: alive #273, July 2005

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Green tea is the unfermented leaf of the Camellia sinensis plant. The leaves are dried right after picking and researchers believe that it has more powerful antioxidant activity because it is less processed (fermented) than black tea.
Mango Relish
Fruit servings aren't high on the priority foods list of most men so I'm always looking for ways to slip in a serving here and there. Mangoes are rich in antioxidants and vitamins and red bell peppers pack a punch of vitamin C-even more than oranges!
Strawberry Pecan Salad with Sweet Red Wine Vinaigrette
What better way to welcome summer than with this simple salad that is dressed with a delicious vinaigrette. Strawberries - the perfect food for women, - are low in calories and high in iron and vitamin C.
Pineapple and Mango Rooibos Bliss
We often forget that the benefits of beta carotenes aren't just in carrots, but are found in many orange and yellow fruits as well. Take mango and pineapple, for example, which are high in vitamin C, bioflavonoids, beta carotene, and minerals.
Indonesian Garden Salad with Peanut Satay Sauce
This dish can be served as a meal, an appetizer, or as a side salad. It's an easy way to get children to eat their vegetables as they love to dip and they love peanut butter!
Creamy Couscous Almond Pudding served with Seasonal Fruit
This creamy and rich recipe is a great way to start or finish your day, as it is ideal for breakfast or dessert. Whole grains provide essential minerals such as chromium, which help insulin to regulate blood sugar.
Chocolate and Strawberry Sandwiches
There is one guarantee with this sandwich-the lunch box will be empty when it returns home. Despite its decadent concept, this sandwich provides healthy whole grains, a serving of nuts provides good fats , and the strawberries
Chocolate Energy Orbs
A hit with adults and children alike, Chocolate Energy Orbs can be made on the weekend to be enjoyed throughout the week. They've got lots of the protein and fat that children's bodies need for growth, along with fibre, protein, and antioxidants from the cocoa powder.
Pizza Squares
Pizza is ideal for the lunch box as you can use any combination of vegetables you know your kids will like in order to slip in some veggie servings. To add protein, try using veggie salami slices, or add pineapple tidbits for a little sweetness.
Hear the Hemp Oil Buzz
My friends often ask me why I'm high on hemp. I respond by explaining the many nutritional merits of hemp foods. After suffering through their witty jokes about its distant cousin, marijuana, I pour emerald green hemp seed oil on their salad. One taste and they're hooked.
Turnips are Tops for Health
Native to western Asia, the turnip has served as food for humans and their livestock for centuries. The turnip was a daily staple in Europe before potatoes were. As a member of the cruciferous vegetable family, the turnip is considered a top veggie when it comes to disease-preventing phytochemicals.
Suppers for Savvy Seniors
This month's recipes are especially designed for seniors. Each one is easy to make and is just enough to serve one or two people. They provide lots of fundamental nutrition, which is important if these are the only meals a senior makes in a day.
Baby Spinach and Navy Bean Salad with Classic Balsamic Dressing
The greens provide folate and vitamin C, the beans provide protein and fibre, and the walnuts provide essential fats. Topped with a delicious dressing that can be used for all kinds of salads, this dish will become a nutritious regular in your cooking repertoire.
Wine Klutz Recovery
You've invited friends and family to a special "do" at your place. The menu is planned, the table is set.
Warm Whole Grain Pesto Salad with Toasted Walnuts
Most people don't know that whole grain pasta takes longer to digest and doesn't put blood sugars out of balance. For more fibre, add a bean of your choice.
Colourful Two Bean Salad with Tomatoes and Parsley
Traditional bean salads, especially those from the can or from the deli, are very low on colourful fresh ingredients and seasonings. It's well worth the effort to chop up some vegetables to add to this dish.
Cranberry Pecan Salad
The health benefits of eating fresh nuts are widely recognized. Nuts are a rich source of nutrients and contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats as well as proteins and carbohydrates. Fresh nuts also provide a wide selection of vitamins and the minerals iron and zinc.
Brie and Wild Mushroom Phyllo
Think of this as the phyllo-siphers scone: baked brie, wild mushrooms, and winter thyme wrapped in crisp bundles.
Molten Chocolate Cake
This recipe is basic enough to bring out the pastry chef within us all and sufficiently delicious to share with kids and company alike.
Apricot Almond Biscotti
What a perfect cookie for coffee drinkers!
Salad of Belgian Endives with Roquefort Dressing
A sturdy tower of leafy power packs a Roquefort kick.
Apple, Pear, and Quince Tarte Tatin
This dessert is so easy that once you've tried the recipe, you'll be using it to make your own caramel sauce in no time. Just watch carefully so the sugar doesn't burn. Quinces from Australia will be available beginning in late February.
Bruschetta Salad
A taste of spring freshness with a toasted and roasted tip of the hat to the winter past.
Caramelized Onion Tart
The aroma alone is a meal, but this tart makes the ideal bite on any occasion.
Lemon Custard
Again, the extra time pays off in a super concentrated burst of citrus, so mix this up a day ahead and cook it while you enjoy your main course.
Pine Nut Cookies
A palate-cleansing, delicate crunch to finish.
Pure Medicine Salad
This recipe was contributed to Staying Alive! by a cancer survivor and includes many cancer-preventing ingredients, all in the one bowl. Fresh cilantro, basil, and oregano may be substituted for healing herbs.
Curried Caesar Salad with Mandarin Oranges and Cilantro Chickpea Croutons
The warm wonder of curry adds a delicious flavour twist to this tangy salad.
Chocolate Strawberry Gateau
This dessert is guaranteed to finish your dinner party deliciously!
Mixed Greens with Grapefruit Vinaigrette, Blue Cheese, and Grilled Apple
The Hawaiian red sea salt used to garnish this salad can be found at most gourmet markets. Substitute a quality fleur de sel.
Pears Poached in Red Wine
This dessert is simplicity defined.
Organic Mixed Green Salad with Strawberries, Goat Cheese, and Hazelnuts
Tart, tender, crunchy, and sweet, this simple salad captures Aurora Bistro's edible artistry.
Individual Crème Fraiche Cheesecakes with Rhubarb Compote
Creamy, sweet, and tart, this dessert is destined to become a favourite.
Ahi Tuna and Arugula Salad
This recipe is for an appe-tempting small bite. Quantities can be doubled to create the ideal summertime lunch. Albacore tuna is an affordable substitute to make this a regular favourite.
Fresh Berries with Late-Harvest Sabayon
A nice biscotti makes the ideal accompaniment for this flavourful fix of fruit with its velvety topping. A frozen berry is fine in a pinch, but for the best results, feel free to play with whatever local organic fruits are available.
Asparagus Snadwich
Asparagus wrapped in cream cheese and sliced bread. Great for a party appetizer!
Baby Greens with Anise-Poached Oranges, Vanilla Balsamic Vinaigrette, and Champagne Froth
To serve, mix greens with vinaigrette and divide among 4 plates. Remove orange segments from poaching liquid and distribute evenly atop and around greens. Top with champagne froth, chill, and serve.
Fresh Fruit Pavlova
Whip cream until soft peaks form and place 1 Tbsp (15 mL) inside each meringue shell. Top with fresh fruit of your choice and sprinkle with icing sugar if desired.
Evergreen Green Bean Salad
This recipe is a delight for kids to make and eat using beans and herbs that are easy to grow in the garden.
Learning to Respect Our Food
One thing I'm passionate about is helping everyone understand where our food comes from. This is especially important information for children, some of whom prefer processed foods from vending machines when they are looking to feed their hunger or quench their thirst.
Peach Shortcakes with Ginger Crème Fraîche
A last lingering look at the fresh fruits of summer, this dish works with any fruit.
Rucola Balsamica
This salad has it all, and at a lesser gathering could provide a meal in itself. Duck makes for a refreshing departure, but feel free to work in chicken or the poultry of your preference.
Panna Cotta
Silken smooth, elegant, and satisfying, this recipe can be adjusted for future use with a variety of flavours by substituting various citrus and spirits. This version is well worth the giving of thanks!
Mango Rooibos Fruit Punch
Chill the tea, juice, and soda water before combining them in this delicious fruit punch.
Little Lemon and Green Tea Muffins
Soy milk and soy yogourt are sweeter than their dairy counterparts, making them a perfect choice for muffins.
Spinach Salad with Orange Sesame Dressing
Toasted sesame seeds add wonderful flavour to this salad.
Blue Cheese and Apple Coleslaw
This recipe is a play of soft and crunchy textures and tangy and sweet flavours that work perfectly together. It's a great appetizer or light meal on a warm evening.
Cherry Chocolate Clafoutis
Nothing's more French than the clafoutis, and this version ups the flavour ante with chocolate, so it is best enjoyed warm.
Sweet Ginger Tea
This hot and sweet ginger tea will get your "chi life force energy flowing more freely.
Ginger Lover's Spice Bars
These festive cookie bars are easy to make-be sure to have everything readily available for quick mixing. They taste even better as they age.
"Fruitcake" Ice Cream
Ice cream is always a treat, but this rare delight is a snap to whip up. There's no comparing an honest dose of homemade heaven. Festive time saver: Can be prepared three days ahead.
Lentil and Feta Salad
Combine dressing ingredients in a sealed container and shake well. Put aside.
Smoked Albacore Tuna with Organic Winter Salad Greens and Wasabi Aioli
With a hit of heat from the wasabi, this salad reminds us that winter too has its greens to offer, with a world of healthy benefits unrivalled by iceberg.
Apple, Walnut, and Fig Oat Crisp
While as delicious as any homespun, heritage dessert, this trinity of primary ingredients (apples, walnuts, and figs) also offers a wholly delicious nutritional punch.
Organic Greens with Basil and Blackberry Salad Dressing
This salad dressing is the most popular on the Rocky Mountain Flatbread's menu and looks amazing on fresh organic lettuce leaves.
Organic White Chocolate-Chip and Sun-Dried Cranberry Cookies
Don't forget to add the magic ingredients: fun and love-your friends and family will taste the difference!
Honeydew and Grape Rooibos Spritzer
If blended drinks such as margaritas are your thing, why not try this colourful, nutrient-rich, tasty alternative? It's great for Sunday brunches or after-work drinks with friends.
Chilled Ginger Rooibos Delight
This delightful drink can be pre-prepared in batches and stored in the freezer or fridge. Add a dash of sparkling water for a refreshing pre-dinner drink, or serve it hot in winter.
Apple Red Cabbage Slaw
Ginger gives this slaw its kick, so for maximum flavour find a young ginger with a pale skin.
Blueberry Lavender Scones
The health benefits of blueberries are well known; coupled with the aromatic lavender, these scones are heavenly.
Easy Chocolate Almond Tart
Remember to source organic, estate-grown chocolate whenever possible to get the biggest flavour and health benefits out of this sinfully simple dessert.
Ancient Grain Salad
This salad is a consistent hit for potlucks and parties, or enjoy it all by yourself for a fully satisfying lunch. I love it because it's perfect for using up any vegetables left in the fridge at the end of the week. The mushrooms add protein and a meaty texture.
Everything Old is New Again:
As the owner of the busy Bymark Restaurant in Toronto's financial centre, as well as of the North 44 Restaurant across the downtown core, Chef/owner Mark McKewan has achieved considerable success-after nearly four decades in the trenches.
Octopus and Squid Salad with Chili Citrus Dressing
This is a seafood salad without comparison and could easily serve as a main lunch dish. If this is your introduction to cooking octopus, make sure you use sufficient force to tenderize (a rolling pin is crude, but effective) before adding it to the bouillon. This is the secret to tender tubes.
Dulce de Leche Mousse Cake
This dessert is a work of art and as such requires some simple art supplies and assembly. In this case, a half-dozen metal rings, roughly 3 in (7.6 cm) wide and 2.5 in (6.3 cm) high, are required to bring this to the table.
Staving Off Cravings
We eat healthy, balanced meals when we're watching our weight, but we often sabotage our best efforts by snacking on junk food. We can avoid this weight-gain trap by eating nutritious snacks.
Mild Moroccan Spiced Dressing
These ingredients provide so much more nutrition than a commercial dressing. Cumin, ginger, and cinnamon have a multitude of healing properties, including aiding digestion and helping to reduce blood pressure.
Snacking Salad with Apricots and Roasted Almonds
Make this salad once a week and store in small containers to eat as an afternoon snack, or at any time, to tide you over until the next main meal.
Pomegranate Punch
Try serving this punch in a martini glass at Father's Day breakfast. Let your dad know you love him by telling him about the health benefits of this colourful juice.
Cranberry Bars
Try this recipe with spelt flour to benefit from whole grains without the heaviness of whole wheat flour. Coconut butter has a more varied fat profile and less saturated fat than pure butter. Brown rice syrup causes lower fluctuations in blood sugar levels than natural sugar.
Rosemary Crème Brûlée
Sinfully simple and refreshingly herbaceous, this is a brûlée to remember...and get you thinking about other savoury/sweet spins on this classic final course.
­­­­Sliced Prosciutto with Preserved Lemon, Shaved Pear, and Arugula
If you live in the Niagara region, you can source out Pinques of Niagara for locally produced prosciutto and Persall for a cold-pressed canola that is rapidly winning over nutritionists and gourmands alike.
Couscous a la Grecque with Red Pepper Coulis
This naturally tangy salad balances nicely with a touch of the sweeter red pepper coulis. Ideal for mid-meal, it makes a superbly healthy lunch all on its own.
Summer Strawberry Shortcake with Vanilla Cream and Strawberry Compote
A year-round classic, strawberry shortcake is elevated to high art with the intense flavours readily available from local growers.
Green Lavender Mint Tea
This recipe offers a new way to enjoy green tea, infusing it with fresh flavour. Also try this recipe with a fine Earl Grey or other black tea.
Pineapple and Mango Rooibos Bliss
Get a powerful polyphenol punch by using tea in your smoothies. Prepare the rooibos ice cubes for this drink the day before you intend to serve it.
Watermelon Rooibos Frappe
Frozen gelato or fresh fruit sorbet adds sweetness to this delicious drink, but try freezing the yogourt as well to make a thicker, even creamier frappe.
Lemon Sponge Pudding
You may wish to start this recipe a day ahead. To make this simple dessert sing, take a trip to your local farmers' market and bring home enough fresh seasonal fruit to spoon over top.
Peach, Blueberry, and Raspberry Cobbler
This is a delicious way to enjoy the best of our summer fruits and to keep entertaining easy. This recipe turns out perfect every time, offers a big "wow factor, and takes little time to prepare.
Whole Baked Apple Crumble
How sweet it is! With this crumble, the apple is merely the beginning, and the healthy medley of figs, apricots, and walnuts provides both a flavourful accent and a final course boost of good taste.
Russian Honey Coffee Cake
A family favourite with deep flavours and a healthy helping of healing honey, this coffee cake is as at home on the Thanksgiving table as it is the morning after.
Nut Crust Apple Pie
Use local nuts and seeds to showcase the fruits that are available in the fall or that have been dried and saved from summer. Normally cinnamon and salt would be used to prepare this apple pie, but try substituting a pinch of dried local herbs for added flavour.
Steamed Lemon Pudding
Zest up the final course with this deliciously simple lemon pudding to cleanse the palate. Feel free to switch up the citrus as you desire.
Crispy Rice Nut Butter Squares
In large saucepan, heat together almond nut butter, rice syrup, and vanilla over medium-low heat until blended.
Chai
Chai is a spicy milk tea originating in India. Combining the health benefits of cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and black tea, it packs an antioxidant wallop
Raspberries with Orange-Flavoured Cream
The orange-flavoured cream is made with thickened yogourt, sometimes called yogourt cheese. Use a probiotic yogourt that does not contain thickeners. The plain yogourt tends to be quite tart; feel free to substitute with a low-fat probiotic French vanilla yogourt and omit the honey.
Vij's Chai
In Hindi, "chai means simply a cup of tea with milk and sugar. There are so many variations that an entire book could be written on ways to make chai.
Comfort Foods
Isn't it amazing how one bite of a favourite food can transport you back in time? For me one spoonful of rice pudding or a warm chocolate chip cookie, and I'm sitting on a red vinyl chair in my mom's kitchen circa 1960.
Creamy Rice Pudding
Here's a healthy spin on me dear old Mom's classic dessert. Short-grain rice gives the pudding a creamy texture.
Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Snuggled under a duvet and munching warm cookies sure beats shovelling snow or schlepping around in the pouring rain. These low-fat cookies may be a healthier version of your recipe, but they're still treats, so no pigging out.
Hot Yucca Salad
Both the flowers and the fruit of the yucca are edible. Only eat the flower petals, however, as the flower centres are extremely bitter.
Roasted Beet Salad
This salad is tough to "beet and is as naturally sweet as they come. When beets are in season check locally for different varieties for added colour and taste.
Fresh Fruit Sorbet
The key to a great sorbet lies in the fruit; it must be ripe and prepared accordingly.
Perk Up Your Palate
A splash of vinegar perks up soups, stews, and salads, reduces the oiliness of fish and French fries, and is the central ingredient in salad dressings. Vinegar comes in many varieties, each with its own distinct characteristics.
Asparagus with Miso Vinaigrette
"This is probably the most requested recipe from our kitchens; says Morrison. "It signals the start of the growing season and goes great with all seasonal vegetables. For this recipe we use the yellow or red miso paste when preparing the vinaigrette.
Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake
Keep a close eye on the first step or you will burn your caramel. Keep the heat low, the spoon stirring, and remove the pot from heat as soon as desired texture is achieved. A tasty and tart finish to any gathering.
Aai Smoothie
Rich in both fibres, this smoothie is a great way to get ground flaxseed into your diet. The probiotic yogourt also contributes to the health of your gastrointestinal tract.
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Roll with Orange Cream Cheese Filling
This gluten-free pumpkin roll is so delicious, no one will suspect that it does not contain wheat flour.
Rhubarb Compote
Tart, sweet, and filled with the flavour of spring, this is an easily made and readily enjoyable treat to be spooned atop your favourite vanilla ice cream or yogourt. A topping of berries makes for further delight.
Rhubarb Lemonade
alive Readers' Recipes Contest Winner
Roasted Heirloom Beet and Butter Lettuce Salad
Various types of beets and honey can take this dish in plenty of delicious directions. Honey takes its flavour from the fields that surround the apiary and there are many varieties to explore, ranging from fireweed to blueberry to wildflower.
Fresh Raspberry Meringue
This field-fresh delight can literally be whipped up on the spot while someone else clears the table! The fresher the berry, the better, and top points if you pick your own the day of-the flavour will truly shine. Just keep a careful eye on the oven!
Strawberry and Spinach Salad
Strawberries rank in the top 10 most antioxidant-rich fruits. They're also packed with flavonoids, two of which-quercetin and kaempferol-when present together (as they are naturally in strawberries) seem to act synergistically in reducing rapid cell growth of cancer cells. Reason enough to pig out come strawberry season.
Marinated Sardines with Cucumber and Heirloom Tomatoes
At the restaurant, Munn marinates his own sardines by combining 1/2 cup (125 mL) of white wine, 1 cup (250 mL) each of water and vinegar, and 1 Tbsp (15 mL) each of sugar and salt before bringing this mix to a boil, chilling it down, and pouring it over fresh sardines. Two days of pickling makes for perfection!
Fava Bean Salad with Prosciutto and Warm Mozzarella Crostini
Buffalo mozzarella is an artisan gem, but do not be discouraged working this recipe through with other high-quality mozzarella. Just avoid cheaper versions with higher moisture contents.
Fresh Berry Tart with Goat's Milk-Lemon Pastry Cream and Polenta Pastry
Sourcing goat's milk is easier every day; it has a unique flavour and ease of digestion that contributes to its increasing popularity. This is a year-round dessert that lends itself to whatever fruit is fresh and local.
Chilled Lobster Salad with Pink Grapefruit, Avocado, and Citrus Dressing
Sweet Atlantic lobster is always a treat. It vies for attention when offset with a touch of tartness and dressed with fresh greens. Local farmers' markets offer a great selection of greens at this time of year; don't shy away from adding small doses of edible florals.
Vanilla Coconut Pannacotta with Strawberry Compote
Pannacotta elevates the final course to a sumptuous art. Spoon extra compote over yogourt to yield a delicious dessert.
Picnic Ice Milk or Sorbet
4 - 1 cup (250 mL) packages of organic soy or cows' milk, or your favourite 100 percent organic juice in Tetra Paks
Salad of Wild Burdock Root with Hemp Oil Vinaigrette
The taproot of the young burdock plant is more commonly consumed in European and Asian diets, where it is known as the gobo root. Try it as a nice addition to any regional plate.
Fresh Strawberries with Yogourt Maple Mint Ice
There is no matching the sweetness of strawberries in season but substitute any fresh berry, according to the season. The key is fresh and local.
Summer Drinks
The hot and lazy days of summer just beg for icy cold drinks. But many traditional recipes for summer drinks are made with simple syrup, a sugar and water mixture that is boiled, cooled, and then refrigerated until needed.
Blueberry Smoothie
For outstanding performance in taste and nutrition the Oscar goes to-blueberries! These sweet, blue treats are rightfully occupying preferred status on the nutritional red carpet. For getting health-enhancing antioxidant protection in your bowl, you can't do better than eating blueberries.
Blueberry Scones
For outstanding performance in taste and nutrition the Oscar goes to-blueberries! These sweet, blue treats are rightfully occupying preferred status on the nutritional red carpet. For getting health-enhancing antioxidant protection in your bowl, you can't do better than eating blueberries.
Organic Blueberry Pear Pie
For outstanding performance in taste and nutrition the Oscar goes to-blueberries! These sweet, blue treats are rightfully occupying preferred status on the nutritional red carpet. For getting health-enhancing antioxidant protection in your bowl, you can't do better than eating blueberries.
Sweet Pumpkin Ice Milk
While canned pumpkin is fine in a fix, the few simple steps to creating your own are worth the effort and add greatly to the depth of flavour.
Peanut Butter Cookies
The best after-school cookie-chocolate and peanut butter.
Super Snack Bars
This recipe was created for Ultimate Foods for Ultimate Health and don't forget the chocolate! (Whitecap, 2007) but I adapted it for alive and I love this version better than the original. Peanut butter and brown rice syrup make the perfect sticky combo to keep the cereals "glued together.
Baby Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese Trio and Sherry Vinaigrette
This salad is as flexible as your taste in cheese and can be varied accordingly. However, goat cheese is richly flavourful, more easily digested than traditional dairy, and widely available.
Lemon Tarte with Raspberry Sorbet
For additional flourish, sprinkle each tarte with raw sugar and caramelize with a hand torch before mounting each with a scoop of raspberry sorbet and a garnish of mint.
Smoked Salmon and Goat Cheese Cucumber Slices
With its low-fat dairy products and smoked salmon, this appetizer gives you a tasty dose of omega-3s and protein. Salmon, cheese, and yogourt also contain the amino acid tryptophan, which helps your body produce serotonin, the feel-good hormone.
Caramelized Pear Phyllo with Five-Spice Ice Cream
This ice cream uses five-spice powder, a Chinese spice mixture containing star anise, fennel seeds, Szechuan peppercorns, cloves, and cinnamon. It is available at most grocery stores.
Thai Beef Salad in Cucumber Cup
Kecap manis, a key ingredient in this recipe's marinade, is an Indonesian soy sauce that usually contains star anise, garlic, and palm sugar, giving it a slightly sweet flavour and a syrupy texture.
Marrakech (Land of God) Martini
Combine all ingredients, shake (no ice), and strain into chilled martini glass.
Kedros (Citrus) Cocktail
Simple syrup is a breeze to prepare. Dissolve two parts sugar in one part water for a sweetener in any cocktail.
Chocolate Truffles
I discovered this recipe in a food and wine magazine back in the 1980s and have been using it ever since. Rose Levy Beranbaum for the Cordon Rose Cooking School in New York developed it, and it's a winner.
Sweet and Spicy Nuts
Fellow professional home economist, Barb Holland, gave me a jar of these for Christmas last year, and they were such a huge hit that I had to hide them from my family so I could at least have a couple.
Egg-stra! Egg-stra!
An egg is truly a marvel of evolution. Nature designed it to provide food for the growing embryo inside it, and humans have embraced it as a dietary staple. Ancient civilizations as diverse as Greece, India, and Egypt gave it a place in their cultures as a symbol of creation and fertility.
Individual Orange Soufflés
Looking for a quick and easy dessert? Try these light and fluffy citrus soufflés, an excellent after dinner treat.
Chocolate chocolate everywhere
Chocolate has been catapulted from a little treat you buy at the corner store to an antioxidant superstar with health claims.
Squeeze some sunshine
Have you ever wondered why an apple turns brown after you cut it in half? But cut any citrus fruit in half and it remains virtually unchanged. The difference is the high level of ascorbic acid and other antioxidants in the citrus; they protect it from oxidation-like natural rustproofing.
Mushroom and Pepper Kebabs
This delicious side pairs perfectly with any burger while providing a nutritious punch to the meal.
Wheat Berry and Navy Bean Salad
Wheat berries are sold dry in most health food stores. The colourful and nutty berries are whole kernels of wheat that have been hulled but left with their bran and germ intact. They must be soaked overnight before cooking. When mixed with legumes, wheat berries make a complete meatless protein.
Curried Couscous Salad
Couscous is a popular North African dish made from wheat. It is quick to prepare and easy to flavour. This salad brings the bright taste of cranberries together with the slight spice of curry.
Tabbouleh
Tabbouleh is a traditional Arabic salad made with bulgur and a selection of finely chopped vegetables. If cutting all the vegetables seems daunting, pull out the food processor and make use of its chopping blade.
Awesome Lentil and Rice Salad
This salad is a one bowler; throw all ingredients into one bowl, toss, and go. You do need 2 cups (500 mL) cooked leftover rice, so make some extra the night before. Store the leftovers in the fridge for the salad.
Avocado and Grapefruit Salad
Combining nutrient-dense watercress with heart-healthy avocados and lycopene-rich ruby red grapefruit make this salad a winner in more than just the taste department.
Chocolate Cupcakes
Some foods don’t work at a picnic; icing is one of them. These rich, dense chocolate cupcakes are great icing-free. I serve them with in-season berries. Pack extra water so you can rinse off the berries just before serving.
Baked Coconut Shrimp with Apricot Dipping Sauce
This classic steakhouse appetizer has been given a healthy makeover by baking instead of deep frying.
Caesar Salad
Here’s a lighter, more flavourful Caesar salad. Tahini and walnuts, instead of mayonnaise and nutritionally corrupt croutons, add a healthy dose of beneficial fats.
Herbed Sweet Potato Fries
Great as a steak sidekick, baked sweet potato fries save you plenty of calories and offer up hefty amounts of the antioxidant beta carotene.
Lemon Tofu Cheesecake
Yes, tofu! You’ll be surprised how decadent this cheesecake tastes but without the 30 or more grams of fat that’s pumped into most restaurant versions.
Tuna and Bean Salad
No time or energy to cook? This simple but flavourful dish is comfort food, Italian-style.
Spelt Salad
Use the best olive oil you can get your hands on for maximum flavour, says David Rocco. This whole grain salad works well warm or cold.
Ploughman’s Salad
Apples, cheese, and leafy greens are the mainstay here—but feel free to add olive oil croutons, pickled onions or beets, or slivers of cooked chicken or turkey. Use Pink Lady, Empire, or Gala apples for their fresh, explosive flavours.
Autumn Salad
An upscale salad that is simple to make and always gets raves from company. The dressing alone is so wonderful you’ll want to double it and serve it over baby greens just for you.
Baked Pumpkin Custard
This baked custard is a cross between a pumpkin pie without the pie crust and a crème brûlée without most of the fat.
Pumpkin Pie
The new natural shortening available at health food stores in the refrigerated section is trans fat-free.
Warm Farro and Wild Mushroom Salad
This is a rich, hearty dinner salad. A mix of cremini, field, and shiitake mushrooms adds a buttery tasting depth of flavour that goes well with nutty farro.

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