Food

According to Canada’s Food Guide this nutrient-dense, one-bowl dinner provides a serving of fish, three servings of fruits and veggies, and a one-half serving of milk.

This vegan main dish is fabulous served with spicy mango chutney.

The key to a great sorbet lies in the fruit; it must be ripe and prepared accordingly. For example, a melon sorbet requires peeled and seeded melon; strawberries should be washed and de-stemmed; blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries are usually good to go.

Pasta tastes best made fresh, but if you don’t have a good Italian shop close by that sells fresh pappardelle, use a tagliatelle noodle (dried noodles work well, too). Wild mushrooms grow in our backyard in Tofino; however, city dwellers can find a wide variety in better produce stores. I particularly like portobello, cremini, and shiitake.

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.

This is a versatile and fun recipe for getting the kids involved and has been a SOBO menu mainstay. The brown rice adds a nice nuttiness and is healthier, too!

Both the flowers and the fruit of the yucca are edible. Only eat the flower petals, however, as the flower centres are extremely bitter.

1 Tbsp (15 mL) butter

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.

Here’s a healthy spin on me dear old Mom’s classic dessert. Short-grain rice gives the pudding a creamy texture.

Sometimes it’s just nice to eat something other than rice and bread with Indian food. This pilaf can be served in place of a rice pilaf with any dish and many actually prefer it, as the barley can take more spices than rice.

We originally used orange roughy in this recipe, but when we realized it is considered an endangered fish, we switched to halibut. If you can’t find halibut, substitute a similar, firm white fish that is readily, and preferably, locally available. The coconut curry also tastes great with prawns, grilled chicken, or vegetables.

If you are not a fan of ginger, make this soup with garlic instead. Choose either garlic or ginger, since using both will hide the flavour of the coriander seeds. Similarly, use curry leaves or cilantro, but do not use both. In the winter we use curry leaves and in the summer we use cilantro. Also be sure to use juicy tomatoes so you get a rich tomato taste.

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. Vij’s chai goes very well with Indian desserts or as an after-dinner drink in place of dessert.

Beets are high in folic acid and potassium and are a good source of vitamins A and C.

In a large re-sealable plastic bag, combine:

Loaded with folic acid, potassium, vitamin A, and beta carotene, spaghetti squash is an excellent low-fat alternative to pasta.

Here’s a cold chaser rich in vitamins A and C plus essential iron.

Not only a good source of vitamin A and protein, but it adds a little heat to the furnace.

This is akin to a stir-fry but with whole pork chops instead of strips. Buy quick-cooking skinny chops, no thicker than a 1/2 inch. For best flavour use fresh ginger instead of bottled—it’s worth the extra minute or so to grate it.

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.

What makes this pasta dish so quick is the sauce—you barely cook it. Big cherry or campari tomatoes look pretty and are quick to prep—just slice in half.

This one-pot chicken and rice jumble gets an autumnal boost from butternut squash and is laced with the fragrant perfume of a variety of mixed dried spices. It’s not a spicy dish but is wonderful served with harissa, a North African spicy pepper paste.

Steaming fish in parchment paper packages keeps it juicy and moist. While the fish cooks, prepare the coleslaw.