Food

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.

A year-round classic, strawberry shortcake is elevated to high art with the intense flavours readily available from local growers.

At no other time of the year do the fields and streams offer such rich flavours. This dish marries land and sea with a focus on healthy and wholesome.

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.

Chilled soup is perfect for those hot summer nights and this is a refreshing change of pace from more traditional gazpachos. The acidity and sweetness of the soup is beautifully balanced by the rich warmth of the scallop.

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. Cranberries provide plenty of vitamin C and carotenes.

(pictured with Cornbread Stuffing)

(pictured with Orange Maple Glazed Cornish Hens)

Extra vegetables and fruit can add loads of colour, fibre, and vitamins to any meal. Add pineapple as a natural way to sweeten yams and to add exotic flair to the festive table. Of course, it also squeezes in a fruit serving, fibre, and vitamin C. Another benefit is that there’s no need to use butter or oil in this recipe, making it a sensational fat-free option. Both yams and sweet potatoes are nutrient rich and can be used interchangeably. Yams have a deeper, richer colour, but sweet potatoes are higher in beta carotenes. Use either based on availability and personal taste.

Consider leaving the peel on your potatoes as this significantly adds to the fibre you’ll receive. Adding garlic helps build the immune system at this critical time of year, and why not squeeze in some greens? When chopped finely and swirled into the potatoes, they are a real crowd pleaser. Saturated fat is removed entirely by using soy milk and olive oil instead of cream and butter.

 A fresh herb garnish will highlight its pale green colour. You will find canned green chillies in the Mexican section of the supermarket. Be careful to look for mild or hot varieties, according to taste.

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. Anything seasonal will work, even zucchini and carrots, or green beans, asparagus, and bell peppers. This salad is filling enough to be used as a main meal, light lunch, or as a side dish. It is also a versatile and easy potluck item. Be sure to use plenty of parsley as it is a good source of vitamin C, iron, and calcium.

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. Chickpeas in particular go well with most Mediterranean-style dishes. Freeze any leftover Basil Pesto in small portions for use throughout the year as a quick and tasty sauce or as a spread on whole grain toast topped with fresh tomato and ground black pepper.

I love the colour of this healthful dish. The red pigments found in both the cabbage and the beans provide powerful antioxidant properties to help protect us from disease. Generally speaking, any bean can be substituted in this recipe. Simply keep to the same colour: substitute chickpeas for navy beans, red kidney beans for pinto beans, and black beans for something like black soy beans. High in fibre and cancer-fighting enzymes, this dish is a sure-fire winter warmer. Using a natural apple cider vinegar in this recipe aids in the digestion of both the beans and the cabbage. Chew well!

This recipe is so versatile it works well for lunch, brunch, or dinner. Feel free to substitute any greens you have on hand, depending on what’s in the garden and what’s in season. You might even try zucchini or asparagus tips. Healthy versions of frozen potatoes are now available in the natural foods section of large supermarkets. They are trans fat free and come pre-seasoned with herbs, yet provide the zinc and vitamin C of fresh potatoes. To reduce chopping, use minced garlic in oil found in jars in the produce section.

This is a much “meatier” version of a simple salad. 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. Feel free to substitute ingredients as required. Almonds and pecans can substitute for walnuts, and chickpeas or even lentils can substitute for the beans. A 1/4-cup (60-mL) serving of nuts may improve cardiovascular health, and beans provide fibre, which is important to help detoxify the liver. Use a digestive enzyme from a natural foods store if digesting beans is a problem for you. Most people over age 60 benefit from using these enzymes with main meals.

Green peas provide protein and minerals, and this recipe can be made with fresh or frozen peas. Their fabulous colour is both refreshing and inspiring when you’re tired of mushroom soup. If chopping vegetables is a problem, this recipe is perfect as it uses the power of the blender to do the hard work. Fresh mint is available year-round in the produce aisle of most major supermarkets. Enjoy this soup warm or chilled, depending on the weather.

This soup is ready in 15 minutes and really packs a punch, providing 189 percent of your recommended daily dosage of vitamin C with each serving. It’s also loaded with beta carotene from the peppers, tomatoes, and orange juice. Tomatoes also contain lycopene, which has been shown to have protective effects against prostate cancer. The extra-virgin olive oil helps in the absorption of this important phytochemical. Seasonings such as cayenne pepper and cinnamon also help with heart health. Enjoy this soup for lunch or dinner along with fresh whole grain bread or dinner rolls. To save time, use a food processor to chop garlic, ginger, onions, and bell pepper.

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. The orbs are lower in sugar than their processed energy bar counterparts and include natural ingredients for maximum nourishment. Tahini (sesame seed paste) adds calcium.

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. For the healthiest pizza, buy in bulk and freeze whole grain pizza crusts, made from whole wheat or spelt flour. Freeze and use as required. Children are more likely to eat something they helped prepare, so share the pizza building at dinner the night before. The next day, use cookie cutters to cut cold pizza into shapes for the lunch box.

School lunches can be both fun and easy when you buy a special soup Thermos for your child. Brightly coloured Thermoses are available at most supermarkets and drugstores and come in children’s sizes. Fill them with long, thin noodles to slurp up or bicycle-, star-, and alphabet-shaped noodles, which you’ll find at specialty cook shops. It is very low on seasonings so it’s perfect for picky eaters. Try making this Alphabet Soup as an easy weekend dinner, then serve leftovers for lunch during the week. To add protein, add 1/2 cup (125 mL) red lentils.

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 provide vitamin C and antioxidants. You can also experiment with other fruits such as bananas and peaches, but I like the vitamin C hit from the strawberries. Commercial chocolate hazelnut spreads are available but often contain hydrogenated fats, so feel free to make your own. Always serve this treat on thickly sliced whole grain bread, homemade or from the bakery; do not waiver and use white bread or the commercial variety sold in plastic bags as the whole grain loaf really makes this sandwich hearty and nutritious.

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. Grains also provide B vitamins, which are essential for cell reproduction and help to manage stress. Almond milk and date sugar can be found in the health section of large supermarkets, in natural food stores, or your local specialty cooking store. You can also make your own almond milk by soaking almonds in water, pureeing the two in a blender, and then filtering the puree through cheesecloth.

Beets can be eaten raw, boiled, steamed, roasted, or sautéed. They are high in carotenes, which have proven antioxidant activity and help to protect us from heart disease and other chronic degenerative diseases. Beets have also been shown to protect against carcinogens, support liver cleansing enzymes, and protect against colon cancer. They contribute folic acid and potassium.