Food

This kind of cooking is so versatile. These vegetables are tasty and delicious fresh off the grill, but they can also be served chilled as an antipasto dish or even used as sandwich filler for gourmet Mediterranean subs.

This is one of my favourite summertime recipes, filling and well balanced with veggies, protein, and good fats. Use lots of fresh lemon juice for a refreshing zip.

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.

Served at any temperature, this dish delivers and offers plenty of room for experimenting with various teas and vinaigrettes. Add another flavour edge by opting for the grill versus the pan for the salmon.

This might be the first time you work with agar-agar, but it won’t be the last. The ponzu jelly is both citrus fresh and a deliciously fun presentation concept that comes together easily with the agar-agar’s natural bonding properties.

Garnish with fresh intention. Consider topping each bowl with a fine dice of red and yellow pepper, red onion, cucumber, and halved heirloom cherry tomatoes.

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.

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.

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.